The Stax thread (New)

[derekbmn]

Originally Posted by erikzen

Ah preamp! Tell me more so this weedhopper can grasp the pebble from your palm. Makes, models, links? Sorry, never thought to much about preamps.

One word - MELOS. If you can find a SHA-1 Headphone amp/preamp or some of there straight preamps BUY ONE.

[derekbmn]

Originally Posted by Carl

6DJ8s wouldn't be my first choice of tube. Though better than a 12AX7, I guess.

Carl what dont you like about them? I personally have a real affinity for them.

[Carl]

Originally Posted by derekbmn

Carl what dont you like about them? I personally have a real affinity for them.

Too agressive. Music is more of a subtle, delicate thing than that, unless it's rock/metal, in which case they're fine.

That said, there's very few higher gain tubes I have an affinity for.

[edstrelow]

Originally Posted by erikzen

Wow! Don't pay attention around here and all of a sudden the thread's up to 27 pages. No way to catch up.

I'm sure this thread must be seriously derailed by now but there's no way I'm going to go through it all to find out. I'll just operate on that assumption and hope that I'm doing a service by posting a question about my Stax setup.

I've been pretty sure that I could get more out of my rig. Don't get me wrong, after several years of trying to find a headphone that I really liked I came across the Lambda Pros. I've got them running off an AckdAck! 2 and the SRM-1/MKII. You guys know anyway, and besides it's in my sig.

So last Saturday I was at the NYC meet and Mikhail had to go and bring the ES-1. I plugged in the Lambdas and was pretty sure they had turned into O2s. So it's true, the Lambdas are capable of more.

"So Mikhail, what does this thing run?"

"This one's pretty maxxed out"

"So how much is it?"

"It's hard to say"

"Well, what do they run?"

"They get pretty maxxed out at around $8000, but I'm doing a lot at about $6000. That must be the limit of a lot of people's credit cards."

"So what do they start at?"

"$4000, but most people are doing $6000."

So at 4 large to start, there's no way I'm pulling that off under the wife's nose out of the joint bank account and I will not max out my credit card for audio equipment (I will not max out my credit card...I will not max out my credit card...I will not max out my credit card...).

So the question now becomes how can I improve on my system without spending tons? New source, new transport, new amp, new cables, little rubber feet under the transport, Oxyclean for the connections?

I'm really happy with the Ack dAck. I think it sounds really musical. I don't get any of the high end harshness others complain about with the Lambdas. Of course I may also be deaf, which of course would render this post completely useless, but I'll continue anyway.

How important is a transport? I mean I've heard bozebutton's equipment but then again he's got tens of thousands of dollars in equipment so it's all relative, right? Is there something I could use as a transport that's going to be better than my modded Sony universal player?

The amp is kind of important right? Everyone says how the Lambda Pros have great synergy with the SRM-1/MKIII, but I know from listening to the ES-1 that there is room for improvement (although I don't know what the source was with the ES-1). I tried the TS1 tube amp at the meet but apparently it was on the RCA setting and it was running from a balanced source so that kind of rendered that audition useless - I didn't like the sound that much. What are some other amps that might work in this system that are reasonably priced?

Can cables make a difference? I'm currently using some Golden Raincoats. Is there something that will make a significant difference and not cost $1000 and even if I spent $1000 what kind of difference could I actually hear?

Is there anything else I could consider to tweak this system?

I found that $35.00 for Silclear contact enhancer, put on powerplugs and IC's did a lot for my various Staxen.

[d-cee]

what's wrong with 12AX7s? and does it apply to their lower gain derivative the 5751...

[mirumu]

Originally Posted by Carl

Too agressive. Music is more of a subtle, delicate thing than that, unless it's rock/metal, in which case they're fine.

That said, there's very few higher gain tubes I have an affinity for.

I definitely like the 6DJ8 variants in my preamp although they are used as output tubes rather than gain tubes.

[Carl]

Originally Posted by d-cee

what's wrong with 12AX7s? and does it apply to their lower gain derivative the 5751...

It's wholey incompatible with my sonic expectations.

[krmathis]

Originally Posted by ferrstein

Oops... sorry, that was my bad. I was thinking these pro-bias units were going for just a bit more than that these days. Was this price high? Man, my impatience sure does cost me a bunch of money!

Edit Here's the link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=280087899461

I'm not really even sure why I bought this thing. I wanted to hear it in comparison to my SRM1 MkII, but I really don't have a very good conventional amp to compare it with. I have a Moscode 300 which is good on my loudspeakers but I betcha it is a bit noisy for headphones. We'll see... it may be up for sale soon!

ferrstein, I sure hope everything turns out OK for this deal!
Cause I just received this email from eBay:

Important Message from eBay Loss Prevention Department
Dear ... ,

The following is a notice from eBay Trust & Safety regarding:

Item Number - 280087899461

Item Title - Stax SRD-7 Pro electrostatic headphone adapter

Our records show that you were a bidder or buyer of one or more of this seller's items. We recently removed this seller's active listings and suspended the seller's trading privileges. Due to privacy concerns we cannot share further details about this seller.

If the seller asks you to complete this transaction outside of eBay, we strongly recommend that you do not proceed with the transaction.
...

Certainly don't look too promising!

[jpelg]

Originally Posted by erikzen

So the question now becomes how can I improve on my system without spending tons?

How important is a transport?

Depends on your DAC. I'd do some research on the Ack dAck to see if a different transport will improve things there.

Btw, I believe the Meridian G08 was sourcing the big Singlepower amps that day.

Ah preamp!

While this may change the resulting sound, I don't think it will ultimately do what you want. Which leads me to...

The amp is kind of important right? Everyone says how the Lambda Pros have great synergy with the SRM-1/MKIII, but I know from listening to the ES-1 that there is room for improvement

In speaking with Mikhail that day, he described how the ES-1 "grabs hold of the driver and bends it to it's will". I think this is what you were hearing, and where you will find you biggest improvement. The question is how to come closer to the ES-1 ideal without spending close to five figures.

Here again, I think some technical research is in order. What are the important things an electrostatic amp does? How does the amp interact with the electrostatic driver? What is it about the ES-1 that does it's job so well? Perhaps the DIY section here, as well as Headwize, would be good places to read up.

My guess after hearing several KGSS's over the years, and finally a Blue Hawaii last weekend, that the Gilmore designs are tweaked to make the bass-heavy Omega-2's sound good. You want something that is geared more toward the HE90, as the Lambda's have a FR closer to those, imo. The first incarnations of the ES-1 I heard sounded better with the O2's. But now, after several revisions, it's doing amazing things with the HE90's. Mikhail also said that using different tubes can shift the sound considerably.

There are at least a few publicly posted e-stat amp designs out there on the web, and a couple of DIYFSE people willing to build them if you didn't want to give it a shot yourself (although DIY may be your best bang for the buck option).

Not exactly the answers you were probably looking for, but constraints always require more 'out-of-the-box' thinking to solve the problem. Those are the things I'd investigate if a better, yet budget-conscious e-stat amp was in my future (and given my GF's propensity for Stax, it may be ).

[Carl]

Rare to see you in the Stax thread, James. Stay a while.

[terance]

I just got my baby stax. . .and I am pretty much in love.

they are a great compliment to my shure e500s, and i think they are worth every penny, my only question. . .

the red light is on, what does this mean?!

thanks guys!

also someone mentioned a special cable i can buy that would help their sonic qualities come out, where can i get this?

i'm already thinking about the things i could sell for the Omega IIs. . . .

thanks stax

[audiod]

Originally Posted by erikzen

Ah preamp! Tell me more so this weedhopper can grasp the pebble from your palm. Makes, models, links? Sorry, never thought to much about preamps.

Originally Posted by derekbmn

Personaly I would go with a nice tube or hybrid active preamp. Something with some 6dj8s (6922s). It will give you some much needed dynamics and the possibility to contour the sound a bit with tube rolling. The Lambda Pros seem to love tubes at least somewhere in the chain.

I also like the 6DJ8 (I’m using the Sovtek 6922). I use a Audible Illusions Modulus 3A (with the John Curl designed high gain phono stage). The line stage is a single high bias paralleled 6922 (both triodes in the 6922 wired in parallel). This preamp does not have the traditional cathode follower output stage. It doesn’t like to drive long cables or impedances much below 30K ohms. I can’t think of a tube circuit that puts the signal through less. It is also extremely well made. I’ve had this Modulus in my system for about 8 years (my longest run) and still love it. You can find them for reasonable prices on Audiogon. The linestage only version is called a L1. That’s my vote for most bang for the buck.

AudioD

[Carl]

Originally Posted by terance

the red light is on, what does this mean?!

Batteries nearly flat.

i'm already thinking about the things i could sell for the Omega IIs. . . .

The 003s have a bad tendency to do that.

[terance]

[QUOTE=Carl;2774333]Batteries nearly flat.



i thought that, but the batteries are brand new. . i couldn't have possibly listened to them that much?

sigh, this is going to get expensive =/

[Downrange]

Originally Posted by krmathis

ferrstein, I sure hope everything turns out OK for this deal!
Cause I just received this email from eBay:

Certainly don't look too promising!

Got the same email this am!

This is why I bid on ebay so infrequently...