Stax SR-L700 / SR-L500

https://www.staxusa.com/earspeaker/stax-sr-l700.html

https://www.staxusa.com/earspeaker/stax-sr-l500.html

Who has heard these? Can someone point me to a good review? (don't want to wade through the chaff) How do they compare? Are they that different or are we talking random Japanese masturbatory tweeks? Can we get @Will @ Massdrop to hook us up again?

 

You piqued my interest in these so I did some quick looking around. It seems like 'mulveling' has decent experience (owns) with STAX:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/785949/the-stax-sr-l500-and-sr-l700-impressions-thread/15#post_12077882

 

Tone inbetween 007 and 009 is promising

 

nemomec calls the L700 the best Lambda ever. Check out his measurements on inexxon.com

http://www.inexxon.com/stax-modelle/stax-kopfhörer/sr-lambda-advanced-l700/

Do not compare the graph to other sites.

 

interesting measurements, thanks @numbercube

 

So I had some brief time with the L700 in my system and I figured I'd do a video review



Also should add some of my own measurements.

Interesting to note how the treble is REALLY flat in the open-air measurement. I've always correlated this to good tone free of driver resonances, etc.

 

After crawling everything about them, the stax l500 is much less resolving, muddier bass, and just a 507 refresh. There's no cohesive full review though

 

With regards to mononote bass I suspect part of the limitations might be down to the SRD-7. Transformer boxes are known for generating decent enough dynamics (with a suitable power amp), but their refinement is rarely up to par with competent dedicated electrostatic amplification. More proficient energizers generally produce improvements in extension and performance at either end.

I thought the import pricing on the L700 was around $1300-1500 -- a tough sell vs. the SR007A. At ~$1000 it's a bit better but it'd be possible to grab a second-hand 007 for a few hundred more.

 

Perhaps it's the SRD7 but I doubt it. I think it's the plastic housing.

As I understand the SRD7 uses some of the better estat SUTs out there. Even KG approved?

This is way better than any SR007 I've ever heard FWIW. Bass issue notwithstanding

 

It is. 5-6k bump is a slight coloration from the coupler actually. It should be smoother all the way to the 10k rise, which is ideal.

Wish I could have sent this to some of the local people but it's already back to @jacq .

 

I heard these in Singapore Can Jam with the new solid-state middle class STAX amp which the distributor told me is supposed to be their pairing amp.

Overall sound is a bit to the bright side but I remember bass is a bit lacking, especially in the sub-bass region. Tonal balance remind me of the SR-009 minus the bass and cohesive headstage.

As with elecrostatic sound, everything seems to sound light but this is even lighter than the SR-007 and SR-009. The asking price is perfect though.

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Jeremiah

 

Bought L700 to pair with my unmodded srm-007tii + Mojo...Totally got blown away and so much satisfied with my money spent (I mean the headphone alone).
Owned Q701, LCD3, and Ether, the L700 is easily the best among all these, by a very large margin. And yet it costs so much reasonable. The transient, separation, tactility and airiness really beat most of those dynamics & planars I have ever heard.

Wanted to get 009 at first but rather to invest in DAC after a long struggling consideration. Fortunately I made a right choice now, with a more than half less damage to my bank. 009 has better soundstage and bass but L700 is not far behind from that. Still super enjoying in my current setup and not missing much from 009. Glad that I don't feel the itch or urge of lacking something, unlike my previous purchase (lack of bass, too muddy, too heavy, too expensive! bla bla bla). Anyway 009 will still be my next step but certainly will not happen in short time.

Honestly I didnt find any apparent flaws on L700, unlike my previous headphone. Not even a minor one bothering me, that is why I am super happy to write a brief impression here.

 

Just chipping in since I got a good amount of ear time with these at my local dealer. Overall tonality is pretty great, and it has the STAX qualities of being clean, smooth, and very fast. Its quite mid forward, but without the 2k rise that I felt on the 009, and I'll second OJ's comments about the thuddy one-note bass. The bass did not improve even out of a SRM 727, so we can discount amping as the factor causing that. Staging was decent, nothing special. I am not a fan of the ethereal STAX coloration, but I still enjoyed this quite a lot, and it is pretty great value, especially considering the pricing trends these days. I'd highly recommend it to people, and think this should go up on the Leaderboard.

 

Ether is really one-note bass.. L700 bass is much better with the tactility. I don't feel lacking bass at all although I enjoyed pretty much bass from LCD3. I heard it with BHSE before, soundstage and bass is significantly better.

 

Yeah, I agree. The L700's bass is a bit undefined and thuddy, but it is present. The Ether's bass is limp dick, both undefined and lacking. I could go try it on a BHSE next time around, though I am less familiar with that.

 

Was the 727 modded for global feedback? The stock config is quite tubby and uncontrolled in the bass.

I honestly don't believe SRD-7s and stock 727s would do Stax any favors in the bass.

 

I'll see about getting my hands on a pair to use with my BHSE.