The layout and first data on the performance of the soft x-ray bending magnet beamline 6 m high energy spherical grating monochromator (6m-HSGM) at SRRC are described. The 6m-HSGM beamline, which covers photon energies from 110 to 1500 eV, is based on the Dragon concept with spherical gratings, and a movable exit slit. During the first performance tests, core-excitation thresholds of Ar and Ne, and K thresholds of N and O for gas phase CO, N 2, and O2 have been recorded with resolutions which rank among the best reached so far in the soft x-ray region. © 1995 American Institute of Physics.