The Stax thread (New) - Page 670

The KGSS and 717 don’t sound anything alike. The 717 and 007t are quite close. The 717 sounds like a good tube amp with better top, bottom and dynamics. It’s funny that when I tried the new 727II I didn’t like it at all (veiled and bland). The 717 has a more laid back sound (especially in the midrange) than the KGSS. The 717 has a considerably larger soundstage and does a better job of creating the environment of large acoustic recordings. I think that people that listen to a lot of Pop music with typical flat presentation may like the KGSS better. When you listen to the 717 you hear delicate low level details and ambiance that the KGSS seems to mask. One time when I was listening to the KGSS I thought I had my preamp in mono but it wasn’t. I have been extremely happy with the 717/O2 combo.

Quiet Curtains

Thanks Faust, for comparison, did you get to "hear" your friend's acoustic curtains, or is he a long-distance friend? Trying to decide if it'd be worth the extra investment vs. the regular kind you have. I checked the website and they are certainly a LOT more expensive than regular heavy cotton, but if the noise isolation is MUCH better, it may be worth the expense. I'm really tempted, but am over my head in audio debt already.

Have to respectfully go with the polar opposite. Have owned long term KGSS with big blackgates, 717, and three other assorted Stat amps at the same time. Played with 02 Mk1, the KGSS was more transparent and impactful with less grain than the 717. Liked the synergy of that combo after long term listening and sold the 717.

Dan

FWIW

I really wanted to like the KGSS. When I sold it I took a big $ hit. Most of the material I used for listening was classical, jazz and vocal on vinyl.

This is quite interesting. A friend has kindly lent me one of his pairs of O2 mk1s and a 007t and the combination is not as soft as I remember, even with my soft-sounding Northstar as the source. I feared choosing the option of the 007t vs. the 717 to take home might have lost me the benefit of solid state but I'm not feeling so after a couple of hours of listening. The sound doesn't make me think of tubes at all really, it's just lovely. The only thing I feel is lacking is a bit of punch with some types of music.

Now, of course, I'm completely ruined and I'm going to have to buy this rig from him.

I agree that the 007t has a nice sound with the O2 (in my case the 007tII), but it's too polite for my taste. However, I am surprised that you think the north start is soft-sounding. I think it is musical, but not soft. For example, compared to the ECD-1, it packs more of a punch. Which DACs do you think are less soft than the north star. One of the reasons I'm interested is I'm trying to decide which DAC to keep (ECD-1 or north star).

I should add that I'm completely crap at describing sound. I went from the harder Lavry DA-10 to the Northstar, an incremental improvement, but a move from clinical pro-audio device to audiophile one (so by that I'd pick anything pro-audio as less soft). I'm going by my early impressions of the Northstar though. I added a basically decent OFC power cable to the Northstar and it's livened things up nicely. I agree with your "too polite" description. I want more aggression occasionally. Female vocals are lovely. Rock and some jazz doesn't quite have the delivery it needs. One of my experiments will be to see what difference the 007t makes with my SR5NBs as they are somewhat more agressive, if their sound is a little lightweight (a little like the Grado HF-1s I tried today).

Edit: Ignore that stupid comment I made about not making me think of tubes at all, I was being seduced by Eva Cassidy at the time and was thinking of her voice.

Thanks, that's very helpful to me. I went from the harder DAC1 to the north star so your description now makes complete sense to me (far from a crap description).

I have found the Lavry DA10>SRM 717> O2mk1 a very good combo with the majority of rock, alt rock, folk and bluegrass that I listen to. edging out the Pico.I recently added silver IC's ( signal cable) and they further brought the O2 mk1 out of the dark. To my ears not so analalytical...but euphonic. For punchy/dynamic bass...there is the srd7mk2 or pro combos

The 007t amps I have read play with the O2mk2 better.

Currawong, have you put your Compass into the mix? I have followed the compass thread and overall the audiogd threads...btw have enjoyed them very much. Although you felt that the Compass ( being under $300) to be about 85% of the lavry...the different settings/HDAM's might work for you. I am looking into adding another DAC and the audio-gd Ref 3 has been an interest.

I used Monster Cable M950(?) interconnects extensively for several years and found that a shift to various unsheilded silver cables was a big improvement.

As regards the Noise Harvesters, I found them a big help to the sound of a system even after cables and other tweaks. I am continually impressed by their ability to sweeten out a system, something which is especially important with many stat phones since they tend to pick up everything including harshness. What I hear from them is sweeter/warmer tonal qualities, more ambience which often translates into a a beefier bottom end, I suspect because a lot of resonant sound is in the lower frequency range. Phones like the Lambdas and SRXIII in particular become much easier on the ears.

I have pretty much settled on 2 Harvesters in a system power strip. One is good, 2 are better and 3 don't seem to change the situation much. I suspect that you could put lots all around the house to some benefit, but if you don't want to spend the dough, just move a pair to wherever you are listening, or watching.

Yes. I used my friend's 717/O2 combo to pit the Compass's built-in DAC against the Benchmark DAC1. It's a tricky thing with the Compass, as the Moon HDAM can be the nicest, throwing such as nice soundstage, but some of that is from the mids being slightly recessed, so like the Stax combo we're discussing, it doesn't work with all music.

If the Audio-gd Reference 3 or Reference 1 can match the Nakamichi Dragon DAC I had the chance to try, which was the first I heard in recent memory that delivered piano truly realistically (uber-expensive Esoteric and other CD players excepted) they will be an awesome paring with Stax gear.

Glad to hear someone seconding the benefits of good silver cables to an Omega system. I think even many of the people who may be skeptical over the untried Harvesters endorse the improvements of silver cables. FWIW, I have 2 power strips to run my system, and 1 Harvester in each strip, as opposed to your 2 in one strip. So I wonder if I could still benefit from more. Admittedly I still haven't tested em alone, but I know my Omegas are sounding better. I probably won't buy any more right away, since I need to invest in heavy curtains (possibly a $850+ investment if "sound-isolating"), as well as catch up on the debt already incurred.

Heart-beat/Pulse thru arc-bent SR-007

Since bending the arcs outward on my Omega2MK1s to improve sound & comfort, I cannot get rid of hearing & sometimes feeling my pulse in my left ear. It's noticeable during quiet passages and between tracks or notes. I've been endlessly tinkering with variations on the arc, as well as pad placement. I know with the variations in headsize, this is a tough one to figure out for someone else. I fear this could ruin the whole O2 experience for me, just as things were coming together in regards to sound quality overall.
Could new earpads remedy this, or getting the whole headset replaced? ...or just getting another pair of O2s?! The earpads are somewhat worn & spongy, but I was told they were not at the point of needing replacement (this assement was not made in connection to my pulse problem however).
Better yet, are there some guidlines to pad placement I may be overlooking, or tips on the finer points of arc bending regarding this issue? I tend to have the flat part of the D-shaped opening directly behind my ears vertically. & I have read Spritzer's original thread on arc bending. I also tried lifting the cord away from my chest, as it does pick up vibrations.
Incidentally I recently noticed also hearing my pulse in the left ear while wearing earplugs. I don't have the problem with my other phones.
Thanks for any ideas (as I don't yet think the HD800 & Zana Deux will be able to replace O2/BHSE).

The arcs are a total pain in the ass.

It sounds like you're getting too much of a seal. Have you tried rotating the cups forward a bit so that the D is a bit under your ears instead of directly behind them?

EDIT: By the way, billy, could you or someone else provide a link to the arc bending thread?

Today, after some intense searching and some waiting, I received my pair of original SR-X Mk3 Professional. I have done a quick listening and these share many, many similarities in sound with my former pair modded by Spritzer. Birgir surely did a wonderful job with his DIY work.

This said, to me these seem different for a number of reasons. I didn't own the two models (diy and original) at the same time, but the original Pro seem smaller and lighter. I'd like to compare the diameter of the baffle with someone owning an SRX normal bias (which was used as housing for the DIY pro versions).
The headband is different too: while the DIY version used a single metal band covered in leather (which started to become painful after a while), the original version has two metal bands, distanced and covered with the black leather.

The overall light weight of these headphones makes it possible to use them as bedside headphones, being much more comfortable in this role than the SR-003 (with their squeaks and the strong ear pressure).

Have to run now, will post more findings in 6-7 hours after I get back home.