While it might be a bit of an overstatement, I have to say that building the two BH kits so far (most recently the stereomour), has caused me to begin, anew, the amazing relationship I've had my entire life with music. I've pulled more LP's out of the drawer, more CD's and SACD's out of their case, in past few months than any other recent period in memory.
Since completing my Stereomour a couple of days ago, it continues to open up to me like a musical bouquet. Call that description fruity if you will, but I doubt any first hand experiencers of this amp would disagree with the description too much.
I'm listening to dire straits: on every street, at the moment, and again, good god, hearing things I've not heard before. I have fairly good solid state equipment and maybe if I relocated it into the same room that I'm using for my bottlehead experience, who knows, maybe I'd hear those same sounds with that equipment too, but I don't think so. Maybe it's partly the time and excitement that comes from building something with your own two hands that adds to the experience, and I'm sure it has an effect, but I've been listening....listening.....to music intimately for about 48 years or so, and it's the first time in years that I look for excuses to leaf through my music collection and sit down and listen. I love jazz because the nature of the music and sessions usually lends itself to hearing every single instrument separately if you want to isolate it in you mind. But I also love Rock, Classical, R&B, a fair amount of hip hop. and i'll tell you; my brief experience with the S.E.X. ii kit, used as a speaker amplifier left me thinking it was great for jazz, maybe less great for any other "busier" genre. Not so the Stereomour. I've listened to all of the genres listed above in the last few days with my Stereomour, and every one of them opens up sound to my ears that has been absent with previous listening on solid state equipment.
If you are thinking about building one, stop thinking. Pick a component that is most likely to get you immersed in the experience and build it. Build a headphone amp. Build the Stereomour. Maybe you'll start listening to music like you've never listened before. Or maybe like me, you'll remember what it's like to sit and listen. Not jog, not drive in your car, not study with the ipod and headphones; listen for the pure single rush of listening to music with no other interruptions or distractions. It used to be one of my favorite things to do. Now, it is again.
Esoteric DV-50, Technics SL1200-M3D, B&K Phono 10 Preamp, Sumiko Blue Point Special Evo III, Bottlehead Stereomour, Orca's