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The Stax thread - Page 171  

post #2551 of 2675
I wouldn't think it's the bias signal at fault given the background noise I'm hearing. I hadn't given it much thought until now but yes, it's kind of odd to hear the noise if the mains is only providing the bias signal? Perhaps though the circuit is more active than would at first appear. With the SR-X MK3 being fed from the SRD-7 Mk2 it sounds like cassette tape hiss whereas the SRD-6 is largely silent in comparison. The O2's mask a lot of it with their reduced efficiency but I can still hear it faintly there. My SRD-7 (non Pro) that is currently in need of a new zener diode was different again with some audible mains hum. Don't believe that would come through the bias either. My suspicion is that the mains is somehow corrupting the signal lines. Should be easy enough to verify looking at PCBs.

Gear mentioned in this thread:

Koss ESP-950 Electrostatic Stereophone
post #2552 of 2675
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mirumu View Post
I wouldn't think it's the bias signal at fault given the background noise I'm hearing. I hadn't given it much thought until now but yes, it's kind of odd to hear the noise if the mains is only providing the bias signal? Perhaps though the circuit is more active than would at first appear. With the SR-X MK3 being fed from the SRD-7 Mk2 it sounds like cassette tape hiss whereas the SRD-6 is largely silent in comparison. The O2's mask a lot of it with their reduced efficiency but I can still hear it faintly there. My SRD-7 (non Pro) that is currently in need of a new zener diode was different again with some audible mains hum. Don't believe that would come through the bias either. My suspicion is that the mains is somehow corrupting the signal lines. Should be easy enough to verify looking at PCBs.
Check how the audio transformers are connected up. Are they being run completely passive?
post #2553 of 2675
Quote:
Originally Posted by spritzer View Post
I've plugged a normal bias phone into a pro socket and they are just fine. I wouldn't do it intentionally though...
How did you make that? I think normally it's not possible because there is a pin in middle on normal socket which avoids connection into pro jack.

Akira
post #2554 of 2675
Quote:
Originally Posted by Traddad View Post
So....How do Stax cans work at low volumes? I have sensitive ears and need to listen at low volumes but really hate the hit sound and imaging takes when you crank the knob towards zero. Does the "faster" quality translate to better low volume quality?

No reason why stats wouldn't work at low volumes. However, you have to consider the frequency response of any phone to see what it will sound like at low volumes. The ear loses sensitivity at both end of the spectrum, with decreasing volume, although mainly in the bass region. See:

http://ccrma.stanford.edu/CCRMA/Cour...labs/loudness/

Phones which are already bass-shy will probably not sound too good at reduced volume. I would say that the Stax SR001/003, Sigma and I suspect 02, will probably hold up best at low volumes because of their somewhat enhanced mid-bass. By comparison, the various Lambdas (404,303,202, Nova) may seem bass deficient at low volumes because they have less midbass (although they do have deeper bass than some of the previous phones.

Also, if the phones are self-biased (probably from a self-biasing transformer) they may lose some of their bias at low listening levels and sound unsatisfactory. This should not be a problem with a headphone amp, although I would still run the phones for a few seconds/minutes at high volume to get them properly charged up.
post #2555 of 2675
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by edstrelow View Post
Phones which are already bass-shy will probably not sound too good at reduced volume. I would say that the Stax SR001/003, Sigma and I suspect 02, will probably hold up best at low volumes because of their somewhat enhanced mid-bass. By comparison, the various Lambdas (404,303,202, Nova) may seem bass deficient at low volumes because they have less midbass (although they do have deeper bass than some of the previous phones.
For what its worth, I find the 4070 does low volume better than the Sigma Pro, so I suspect things are a little more complex than that. Not 100% sure, though, as I don't generally listen at particularly low volumes.
post #2556 of 2675
Quote:
Originally Posted by Carl View Post
Check how the audio transformers are connected up. Are they being run completely passive?
That'd certainly be my first suspect. I'll check when I get a chance.
post #2557 of 2675
Man, I wonder if there's an option in vBulletin to have the page numbers wrap around when they're wider than the width of a browser. It's getting annoying to scroll somewhere roughly seventy feet to my right every time I want to move to the next page

Patrick
post #2558 of 2675
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by J Harris View Post
Man, I wonder if there's an option in vBulletin to have the page numbers wrap around when they're wider than the width of a browser. It's getting annoying to scroll somewhere roughly seventy feet to my right every time I want to move to the next page

Patrick
Maybe they're in cahoots with widescreen monitor manufacturers. I know what you mean, though. Actually, I believe there is an option to add a "..." an skip most of the pages, but as to why it's not activated you'll have to ask Jude.
post #2559 of 2675
It's a good thing I have a widescreen then. I only have to scroll 20 feet.
post #2560 of 2675

Just type in the link

Quote:
Originally Posted by J Harris View Post
Man, I wonder if there's an option in vBulletin to have the page numbers wrap around when they're wider than the width of a browser. It's getting annoying to scroll somewhere roughly seventy feet to my right every time I want to move to the next page

Patrick
I agree, I'm surprised the BB software on the server doesn't wrap to the width of the rest of the page.

My solution is to just increment the number in the link and hit enter. For instance, the last page was this:

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showth...91438&page=127

I just type in the link line in the browser and change the 127 to 128 and hit enter, so no megascrolling required.

-- Gordie
post #2561 of 2675
I have been able to hear line noise seeping in on my mains-biased earspeaker adapters.

A PS Audio P500 clears it up real nice though!
post #2562 of 2675
Thread Starter 
Gah. I'm getting increasing frustraited with the solid-state amplifier I'm using to power my transformer box. The dangers of temporary solutions that become semi-perminant.

I'm going to have to track down a cheap direct-heated tube amplifier if I wish to keep my sanity.
post #2563 of 2675
Quote:
Originally Posted by akira View Post
How did you make that? I think normally it's not possible because there is a pin in middle on normal socket which avoids connection into pro jack.

Akira
Anything is possible if you are tired enough. I was using one of my old extension cables that have a 6 pin socket but a 5 pin male plug and I plugged it in a pro socket on the T1. They got really loud...
post #2564 of 2675
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by spritzer View Post
Anything is possible if you are tired enough. I was using one of my old extension cables that have a 6 pin socket but a 5 pin male plug and I plugged it in a pro socket on the T1. They got really loud...
You're lucky you didn't damage anything. I knackered my 4070s with a simple mistake like that.
post #2565 of 2675
Quote:
Originally Posted by J Harris View Post
Man, I wonder if there's an option in vBulletin to have the page numbers wrap around when they're wider than the width of a browser. It's getting annoying to scroll somewhere roughly seventy feet to my right every time I want to move to the next page

Patrick
Agree totally! I was going to have a moan myself about this very thing, but have now side-tracked myself with self-bias vs mains bias issues!

How about, at least, having the 'Next Page' arrow duplicated (or even moved) next to the 'Previous Page' arrow: this should save a lot of waiting 20 minutes whilst my ancient PC deigns to scroll to the right!
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Gear mentioned in this thread:

Koss ESP-950 Electrostatic Stereophone
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