The Stax I thread

Discussion in 'Headphones' started by knerian, Mar 28, 2016.

  1. sorrodje

    sorrodje Carla Bruni's other lover - Friend

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    The opposite actually.
     
  2. MuppetFace

    MuppetFace Sultana of Seafoam Green - Moderator

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    So far is this just the usual pre release speculation re: “no sonic differences?” Because the Limited Edition version of the SR-404 was very much NOT the same headphones. It was more or less a rebrand of a rebrand: the Airbow SC-1, which was a super unicorn version of the SR-404.

    And IDK, just going by my admittedly problematic gut here, but I somehow doubt Stax is simply going to rebadge an L300 with no other changes for an 80th Anniversary statement product. I mean, unless that badge alone is stupidly heavy, these are going to be the heaviest Lambdas to date apparently? Something else is going on?

    Either way, I’ll know soon enough.


    An aside: Looking back over the last few years, the L300 and L700 were something of a “quiet revolution” in my view. The wonder twins that no one talked about that sounded better than most of the stuff people did talk about. They came around at just the right time for me, enabling the sale of some $10k worth of gear less painful.
     
  3. ogodei

    ogodei MOT: Austin AudioWorks

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    Speculation, from me, based on the description posted by Stax having the same wording and specs as posted by Stax for the standard edition.

    Price has changed though. Lend me $600 and we'll do some testing ;)
     
  4. MuppetFace

    MuppetFace Sultana of Seafoam Green - Moderator

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    I’ve got a pair incoming. Maybe we can get a listening tour going at some point.
     
  5. JimL

    JimL Tongues KG's hairy starfish for fun

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    Based on astrostar59's postings on HF I believe he has the (unofficial) Mk2.9 version, which is supposed to be one of the best versions of the MkII. Stax headphones tend to be reliable in general, and I'm sure he has taken good care of it, so the risk of purchase is minimal.

    As far as amps go, if you are willing to DIY, there are all the KG designs (KGSS, KGSSHV, KGST, KGSS Carbon, KGSS Grounded Grid, BH, Megatron), and for a budget option, the SRX Plus. All of them have enough power to drive the 007s. As far as commercial amps go, there is of course the BHSE, and spritzer sells versions of the KGST, KGSSHV and Carbon, although his prices are somewhat higher due to the cost of getting parts in Iceland.
     
  6. 9suns

    9suns [insert unearned title here]

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    "· MLER oval sound generator equivalent to the top model of the lambda series is adopted as the sounding body"

    Same stators as the L700, so it should sound different to the regular L300.
    Also, the price increase for the black 353X is like 60usd, using their pricing as an indicator, they wouldn't charge twice the price for a badge.
     
  7. %20 Oddity

    %20 Oddity Friend

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    It literally shows them disassembled and having a different driver. No idea why you’d think it’s the same.
     
  8. ogodei

    ogodei MOT: Austin AudioWorks

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    I've never seen the 300 driver?

    Looks like I will have to check them out.
     
  9. Comzee

    Comzee Facebook Friend

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    I love all the new estats coming out recently / 2018. Unfortunately, while many manufacturers release estat headphones, they make no effort to release estat amps... Leaving that up the consumer to figure out what might be good synergy for it.

    kgxx amps are bhse are nice, but diy-t2 is what really gives totl stats a totl sound.
    More than a influx of hyper expensive estat cans, I'd love to see an amp < $3k that can compete with diy-t2. At that point, I might get back into stats. (Previous Carbon + 009 owner)
     
  10. MuppetFace

    MuppetFace Sultana of Seafoam Green - Moderator

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    It would be wonderful to have a larger assortment of stat amps and good competition in the market place.

    Unfortunately creating a new, solidly designed e-stat amp is not an undertaking most small time designers want to even begin to mess with, because it’s legitimately difficult (or let’s put it this way: it’s different enough to be outside a lot of designer’s usual comfort zone).

    Another factor is a certain “monopoly” in the 3rd party e-stat amp scene. Having talking to several talented dynamic amp makers, and having been around for a lot of juvenile drama, I can see why they simply don’t want the hassle of dealing with a certain crowd that is dedicated to literally ripping apart other manufacturer’s designs.

    Granted, some of the designs out there are inferior in many respects, but a lot of the vitriol certain crowds have for newcomers to the field is just... a lot of BS with a thin veneer of “legitimate concerns.” And that hurts business for newcomers more than you might think.



    Random thoughts (prolly TL;DR for most):

    Anywho, Stax’s own amps are fairly underrated these days IMHO. The SRM-717 is a brilliant example: if you have the patience, you can prolly pick one up for around a grand USD on the used market, and they are still holding up well after all these years. They will pair exceptionally well with any Lambda model and most of the round flagships. They also make a surprisingly good match with the Koss ESP 950. True flagship, endgame stuff as far as I’m concerned.

    If you buy the SRM-727 from someone like HeadAmp, ask them to do the feedback mod. You’ll end up with one of Stax’s best commercial amps, and one of the best readily available SR-009 amps period. Cavalli’s tube version of the Liquid Lightening II is another supreme match for the SR-009 in my view. Just a shame it fell victim to the negative press machine cited above. Same with Woo amps. Yeah, the GES and WES have major issues: however they offer a different sound some might like, so at least they fill a niche of sorts. Just know what you’re getting into.

    As for the SR-007, I think you’d be hard pressed to do better than a BHSE. The more analytical nature of Gilmore amps (dry sound but excellent driver control) really wakes those sleeping beauties up, and I will always maintain with enough juice behind them, they are closer to the SR-009 in performance than most think. With a toneality I find more pleasing.

    We sure could use a more stable DIY T2. Owning these amps is not exactly smooth sailing from what I’ve gathered thru friends who’ve owned them. You gotta know what you’re doing, as they can be a bit, um, finicky.
     
  11. JimL

    JimL Tongues KG's hairy starfish for fun

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    I have a somewhat different perspective on the "monopoly" referred to above. I have never met any of the principals involved, so I don't think I have a dog in this fight, but in the case of the Cavill electrostatic amps, vitriol aside, I think there were legitimate criticisms of both the design and (initial) build quality. In terms of them ripping up every other design, I will note that they offered no criticism of Frank Cooter's single ended 845 design, a very different approach to driving stat headphones, and as far as the SRX Plus, Kevin Gilmore not only offered advice, but was nice enough to design a circuit board for it, and incorporate its constant current source into his own designs, will full credit.

    I would also note that, sound differences aside, there is quite a bit of topological similarity between the Stax designs from the T1 forward, and Gilmore's designs, from input stage to driver, which I don't think is accidental.
     
  12. Rthomas

    Rthomas Friend

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    Any SBAFs in the London area with a SR007 based rig? Would love to audition it.

    I can bring a Utopia over for a dynamic vs stat mini meet :)
     
  13. Koth Ganesh

    Koth Ganesh Friend

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    @Rthomas, the KGSShv that you saw in the Chennai meet was made by headinclouds. This amp was his first build and Geoff is a lovely guy.
     
  14. Rthomas

    Rthomas Friend

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    Geoff is 4 hours away from me by train. This is all your fault!☺️

    By the way was your SR007 port modded?
     
  15. Koth Ganesh

    Koth Ganesh Friend

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    No modding on my estats.
     
  16. Rthomas

    Rthomas Friend

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    Wow! I was sure you had done the mod as the bass wasnt limp dick on the few songs I heard. That amp must be something special.
     
  17. gepardcv

    gepardcv Almost "Made"

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    I tried the port mod and reversed it. It has at most a modest effect on the 007’s IMO very good bass, and it made the Stax fart intolerable. Like, can’t-move-your-head intolerable. Judging by the wildly different views people have on it, I guess that its usefulness and effectiveness depends on which of several silent revisions of the 007v2 it’s applied to.
     
  18. alucart

    alucart Facebook Friend

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    Can't agree more with this - the entry level L300 + SRM-252S mids are to die for, with their treble extension/quality, mid clarity and detail leaving in the dust many dynamic and planar setups equal or greater in price.

    I wonder if I'd have gone down the rabbit hole chasing for the amplifier to rid myself of the HD650 veil or to tone the HD800 treble peak of death many years ago had the SRM-3100 entry level setup was available at the time...
     
  19. HAL9000

    HAL9000 Almost "Made"

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    L300 Limited arriving at the Elusive Disc end of February beginning of March. $719. I'm excited to get mine...
     
  20. OlafR

    OlafR Acquaintance

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    Pure Limited Speculations:
    In a Lambda the driver is everything. Those plain plastic housings leave little room for variation, one would think, and also when it comes to production cost, btw.
    Moving the L700 driver to an L300 case simply makes it into an L700, one would (continue to) think? No wait! The L300 (a great all-rounder, partly because it does not quite sound like a stat) stands out among all Staxes for its ill-conceived headband construction. The yoke is a joke: The cups do not move as freely as they should and will usually press harder against the area above your ear than below. (judging from the pictures the Limited Ed 300 uses the same headband assembly as the plain 300 (even if hopefully I could be wrong).
    If I am right you will get an L700 on sale, but with a horrible yoke. ( If the dimensions of the attachment section are the same – i doubt it – a solution could be to buy a L700 yoke separately, lambda yokes are usually 100 + bucks smth).

    .

    BTW, my own solution to make the L300 wearable will probably not appeal to anyone: Break the hard plastic (head- band thing into two pieces. To stop the ends moving in all directions. glue them very loosely together with some soft leather or smth. The cups will now freely hang down the side of you head. Much better, but sometimes you will want a tad tighter fit , so put a ring on the leads, preferable metal covered with some rubber – I used shrink tube - for better friction. Moving the ring upwards will draw the lower part of the cups inwards, needless to say. Excactly what is needed, and very adjustable. Works like a dream.

    But my head may be a little peculiar, who knows.

    Cheers, Olaf.
    Veteran of the Pirate Fleet.



    (Neither will an image add much , I’m afraid).

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Feb 1, 2018

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