FS/IC: Stax SR-Omega (Bay Area local)

Hi friends,


I am considering selling my beloved SR-Omega, This is the last remnant of my desktop setup after having owned the Yggdrasil/A2, T2DIY and HE90 Orpheus for several years. The Omega was my very first "stratospheric" headphone purchase back in 2013 so it held a special place in my heart as my North Star.

I would describe these as in 6/10 condition, primarily as the center headband arc had to be reforged after a mishap where a Friend accidentally snapped it* (tragically, prior to listening to it). On closer inspection, the main vestiges of this incident include some slight aberrations in the headband arc and the serial number sticker on the arc being loose; the tension on the headpad and headband assembly is also slightly lower than normal (likely a good thing for longer-term durability). The other areas of the headphones are in good (but used) condition. The original Paulownia/kiri box is included and has a relatively small blue-green stain near the bottom-left corner but is in otherwise excellent shape.

*There are publicly-available STL files for the SR-Sigma headband arc that would make potential headband snaps less of a worry in the long run, as 3D-printing the arc would be trivial.

More importantly, the headphones function perfectly. I have used them extensively but with great care; I preferred their sound from the Yggdrasil/T2DIY over that of the HE90 and found myself using them more after acquiring the latter. @sorrodje took some measurements of this exact pair here.

I am looking for a sale local to the Bay Area, as after some shipping incidents in years prior and the notorious fragility of the SR-Omega I'm not comfortable entrusting this to any of the couriers. This provides the benefit of interested parties being able to audition the headphones extensively in their own systems to experience first-hand the otherwordly diffuse headstage and midrange that only seemed to be present in these early-90s statement products (e.g. HE90 Orpheus, SR-Omega and allegedly the MDR-R10).

I am looking to net $7500.

As a disclaimer, this is substantially more than I had originally paid for this pair. I had recently suffered from a serious medical condition over the past 2 months, and am seeking to recoup the costs of 3 weeks of ICU time, several major surgeries and a few weeks of home care in one of the more-expensive areas when it comes to medical care (among other things). It's good to be alive and realize that there are more important things in life than holding on to unobtainium headphones.


Thanks for reading!

 

I was a bit sad to see you let go of something this close and personal, that is I until I read this part

Hope the Omega finds a good home as it deserves.

 

I have met Nabil too and used to kick myself for not figuring out how to buy this particular pair when I had the chance. Now it is available again but I’m not in a position to consider...

Hope you are better, sorry to hear of these serious troubles!

 

Bought Nabil's rednet a couple years back. He is a straight shooter, and you can trust him.

 

Just a FYI already made replica SR Omega headbands can be bought from ES Labs HK. I got a pair of the ES1a from them and they have the exact same headband.

 

My heart goes out to you for your medical troubles. But might I suggest that if you need to recoup your medical costs, starting a gofundme page rather than charging what seems to be twice the going rate for a used Omega? You're probably much more likely to sell it for the going rate AND get actual donations from cool people via gofundme than someone drastically overpaying for headphones. Admittedly I could be wrong, but that's what first jumped out at me. But do you what feel is best, and good luck.

 

Thanks for the kind words, friends!

I have a few folks interested (none of which are local) so this is virtually pending -- have to get back to folks.

Thanks for the warm words! My reservations against GFM aside, I will note based on my experience having sold a T2DIY and HE90 Orpheus somewhat recently:

1. there is no "going rate" for this kind of unobtainium stuff where less than a few hundred functional examples exist in the wild; I think the most recent verified sales of fully original SR-Omegas asked for $12,500 and $9,500 ($4,0000-6,0000 prices were more common in the 2000s up through the very early 2010s)
2. there are more than a few scams (especially for the HE90) and junk listings across Audiogon, Yahoo Japan Auctions (virtually all of which have broken drivers) and other marketplaces you might find on HifiShark
3. sales are typically a rare interaction between eccentric sellers and buyers who know what they want; in most cases a buyer has experienced said unobtainium product and does not care to negotiate*

*My DIY-T2 sold at-asking (after an audition) and my HE90 was overbid on despite already being priced healthily into the 5-figure range...

 

I've nibbled around the Omega market the last 6-7 years whilst never pulling the trigger. Based on the listings I've seen and actively negotiated on, both of the advertised and unadvertised type, the price is very fair. At a minimum, the going rate is not anywhere near half the asking price. I don't own a stat rig anymore but if I did, I might have booked a flight to SFO to pick these up.

All the best with the sale and more importantly, your health.

 

Is this still available? I am located in the bay area