TO TWEAK OR NOT TO TWEAK THE STAX 007A? THAT IS THE QUESTION

[spritzer]

So a few words on the the lovely practice of refitting 007 pads might be in order? I start off from one point and then work my way around the pad, pulling on the (p)leather lightly so that it falls into the small gap without any force or helpers needed. I then secure the new point and move a few centimeters and repeat the practice. I have very big hands so I can do this without any glue, I simply use my thumb to hold the beginning spot and the index finger to hold the "progress" in place and the rest of my fingers until I've covered about half of the pad. Then I turn the phones around and go the other way so my fingers can secure the progress as I move along the edge. When I'm done I rotate the pads a few times to make sure they are secure and I'm done. It's hardest first but usually takes less then a minute per pad for me now.

One thing to note, if you are having a very hard time refitting the pads and you removed the black backing plate, make sure it's on the right way. There are spacers on one side which make sure that there is space for the pads underneath it.

Originally Posted by edstrelow

Spritzer's spring mod to the 007A is sounding pretty good to me. Of course this is the spring mod with the large loop of the spring inside the leather ring. As is noted above, the 007 has the loop outside of the leather. I suppose like everything else with these phones it might change the sound yet again and I will probably check it out at some point.

One rule of thumb when working on planar drivers, everything matters. They are simple buggers to look at but looks are certainly deceiving.

Originally Posted by Elephas

A-ha! Gotcha!

So the Mk2 does go deep. So it has deep bass, but you think the greater mid-bass impact gets in the way.

I could agree, the Mk2's mid-bass does seem a bit over-emphasized and can be too dominant. Especially when using the ES-1, which has better dynamics and a brighter and more open sound than the Aristaeus.

It's an SR-007 so it has deep bass but in comparison to the Mk1 it isn't as deep and far from being as controlled. The true test of this is to crank the phones and see how they respond to the stress of high volume.

[edstrelow]

I had probably put Silclear contact enhancer on the 007A pins when I first got the phones, but over a period of time and many insertions, the stuff was pretty much off. I put some more on last night and was struck by how this made the sound smoother and and tames the uppermid peak. I had previously noted that it was very helpful with the 404 but less so with the Sigma/404.

So if you want to try this or other silver-based enhancers. This one is about $35.00 for a lifetime supply from Mapleshade .

[HeadphoneAddict]

Originally Posted by edstrelow

I had probably put Silclear contact enhancer on the 007A pins when I first got the phones, but over a period of time and many insertions, the stuff was pretty much off. I put some more on last night and was struck by how this made the sound smoother and and tames the uppermid peak. I had previously noted that it was very helpful with the 404 but less so with the Sigma/404.

So if you want to try this or other silver-based enhancers. This one is about $35.00 for a lifetime supply from Mapleshade .

I never know how much to put on, and it seems to stick to and stain everything it touches the last time I tried it. Any tips?

[edstrelow]

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict

I never know how much to put on, and it seems to stick to and stain everything it touches the last time I tried it. Any tips?

This stuff is good but you have to be on guard against it smearing. I use a modelling brush with stiff bristles about 50 mm long. I only coat the first 75mm or so of the prongs and only enough to barely see the coating. (Less is more with this stuff!) It can flake off when the prongs are pushed into the socket and I find that you don't want it spreading on any surfaces. If I remove the plug later, I check to make sure none has smeared and if it has, I wipe if off.

[edstrelow]

Overall I am still very happy with the Spritzer spring mod. Related to the spring mod is the question of where to actually place the spring, given that it rotates.

I did not receive anything in the Stax material with the 007A which discussed this although it did talk about the rotation of the pads affecting sound.

The sound of the phones seems to change with every change in rotation of the spring. So far I seem to get the best bass with the spring pointing downward. As it goes forward the sound seems to get a bit more lower midrange. Some locations don't work just because now that the spring is flat it will press on the pinna of my ear and be uncomfortable.

I suspect that the spring change makes slight differences in the angle of the drivers to the ear possibly changing the freqency response because of differing frequency response at different angles to the driver. Alternatively it increases/decreases the space inside the cup slightly, just enough to change the resonance characteristics of the phones. These effects may also explain some of the sonic differences of the spring mod.

[HeadphoneAddict]

My spring (axel) was facing forward when stock, and since it is so flat it doesn't affect the angle of the drivers vs earpads, so I just left mine forward as before.

I could give it another try and see what affect it has again, but I really don't like taking the pads on and off. So, it will have to wait since it sounds so good the way it is.

[Deadneddz]

I just got my O2 MKIs, the hole is shaped like a "D". Is the straight part(thicker side) suppost to be toward the back of the ear like most headphones?

And also, how can you tell if the pads are worn out? I bought used obviously(MKI) so i cant tell if i need to replace them. They seem to seal just fine when i rotate the cups so that the thicker part is positioned on the back/lower part of my ear.

If i need to order some replacement brown pads from audiocubesII i hope they come with instructions, im scared to take the pads off and not be able to put the new ones on it.

Not being able to listen to them right now(no electrostatic amp) is killing me.

[HeadphoneAddict]

Thicker part to the rear - as for when to tell if worn out I can't say if the wear is not visible. IF you feel they compress too flat when wearing them, the foam could be worn out.

[krmathis]

Originally Posted by Deadneddz

I just got my O2 MKIs, the hole is shaped like a "D". Is the straight part(thicker side) suppost to be toward the back of the ear like most headphones?

And also, how can you tell if the pads are worn out? I bought used obviously(MKI) so i cant tell if i need to replace them. They seem to seal just fine when i rotate the cups so that the thicker part is positioned on the back/lower part of my ear.

If i need to order some replacement brown pads from audiocubesII i hope they come with instructions, im scared to take the pads off and not be able to put the new ones on it.

Not being able to listen to them right now(no electrostatic amp) is killing me.

Congratulations with the SR-007's!
The straight part is meant to be at the rear. I find a position where the seam on the pads point forward in a 30 degree upward angle give me the tightest fit and higher sound quality.
They are easily rotatable, so give it a try of your of to find the ideal fit.

The pads are worn out when the they compress easily to almost flat. The leather will outlast the foam 3-4 times at least, so don't bee fooled.
New pads from Audio Cubes II don't come with instructions, at least mine did not. You will find instructions around here though.

[spritzer]

You can "point" the spring in any way you choose but I normally place it so that it faces front so it is out of the way. I wear the SR-007 just like the SR-Ω i.e. with the seam on the earpads facing forward but slightly upwards towards the temples. Out heads are very different though so this may not work for everybody but I've been using this position since day one.

A bit more on the spring. I use it to elevate the back of the pads i.e have the loop to the back of the ear so that it forces the phones to follow the shape of the ears which creates a better soundstage which is smaller but with more depth. This is always a matter of preference though but I follow the basic design ideas from the SR-Ω which has a very shard angle on the earpads.

[Deadneddz]

Thanks Krmathis! Although the wait for an amp will be tortureous.

I also find that the best seal for me is the way you described the way you place them on your head.

Cant wait till canjam09, at least then i can listen to my O2s haha

[Michgelsen]

This is a very interesting thread! There remains one important question for me though. Let's say you'd like to buy an SR-007. Maybe I would. Isn't it better to go for the mk2 than to hunt down a mk1? After all, with these mods, you can turn a mk2 into a mk1, but you can't turn a mk1 into a mk2, right? Or do the mods never really bring back the personality of the mk1?

[krmathis]

Originally Posted by Deadneddz

Thanks Krmathis! Although the wait for an amp will be tortureous.

I also find that the best seal for me is the way you described the way you place them on your head.

Cant wait till canjam09, at least then i can listen to my O2s haha

My pleasure!
Hopefully you will be able to listen to them before CanJam '09, in April/May some time.

[spritzer]

Originally Posted by Michgelsen

This is a very interesting thread! There remains one important question for me though. Let's say you'd like to buy an SR-007. Maybe I would. Isn't it better to go for the mk2 than to hunt down a mk1? After all, with these mods, you can turn a mk2 into a mk1, but you can't turn a mk1 into a mk2, right? Or do the mods never really bring back the personality of the mk1?

The whole point of me messing with the Mk2/A design was to make them impose less of their own character on the sound, get the hell out of the way so to speak. Even when fully modified then the Mk1 is still superior as it is more neutral (small difference but still there) and its build quality is slightly superior with better finish on the metal parts and 100% real leather earpads.

I personally don't want transducers with excessive personalities as they should get out of the way and reproduce what they are fed faithfully. Now there is nothing completely neutral and all transducers are held back by their structural issues (housing design, driver size, damping etc.) let alone the amps used to drive them.

[HeadphoneAddict]

Originally Posted by spritzer

The whole point of me messing with the Mk2/A design was to make them impose less of their own character on the sound, get the hell out of the way so to speak. Even when fully modified then the Mk1 is still superior as it is more neutral (small difference but still there) and its build quality is slightly superior with better finish on the metal parts and 100% real leather earpads.

I personally don't want transducers with excessive personalities as they should get out of the way and reproduce what they are fed faithfully. Now there is nothing completely neutral and all transducers are held back by their structural issues (housing design, driver size, damping etc.) let alone the amps used to drive them.

Can't you just say, "The O2 Mk2 with spring and port mod are my second favorite estat." so we don't all have our O2 Mk2 value tank! Heck, my modded O2 Mk2 is still better than any Lambda or an ESP950. While the O2 Mk2 fails in the mids by still being a little too forward in the mids sometimes, the HE60 fails in bass impact and presence (too etherial and airy sometimes), so I put them on the same level so far (although I haven't listened to the HE60 since 11/08 with Sherwood).