The Stax thread (New) - Page 873

Spritzer mentionad the following a couple of years ago:
"The Sigma Pro's are more different then better but the amp has a huge impact on the SR-Sigma. I wasn't much of a fan until I constructed a cable that let me use them on my Blue Hawaii and then I saw the light. The bass got a lot more linear and the sound opened up"
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/sta...1/index24.html
Does anybody have a similar cable for sale?

I have found the basic 404 excellent for many kinds of music, especially classical orchestral but somewhat edgy on much rock music. However my other Lambdas, a Nova (which I suspect is closer to the 202 sound) and a Signature were not much different in that regard. But see this:

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f113/s...lassic-430113/

All of the Lambdas I have heard sound better with the back foam removed.


http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f113/s...ambdas-443060/

With the 202 you get neither the thinner grade of diaphragm of the 303 and 404 nor the better cable of the 404 and 007. I do not find any basic problem with the 404. If I was choosing at this point, I would get the 404, possibly with the better earpads and take out the foam. It's not hard and can be re-inserted quite easily.



I think you will like the low bias Sigma. I was just listening to mine with the SRA12-s( upgraded version with a PS Noise Harvester in back) and it sounds very sweet. As has been noted elsewhere, Hayashi, the old Stax designer was very astute with this design. I would compare it to the early Quad electrostatic speakers, the newer designs are probably better but the old one is still a classic.

Some years ago I took my last low bias model which which had a broken cable and arc assembly and had it fixed and converted to a Sigma/404. However I immediately went looking for a replacement low bias model and fortunately was able to get one in good shape at a reasonable price. I just felt that I couldn't live without the older model too.

Overall the Pro and /404 are better but the low bias does some things well and you will probably find some things it will sound better on. It remains a high class phone which is inherently listenable and scales up well.

I don't know of anybody making them besides me (and I've just made a handful) so the odds of finding one are slim indeed. That said they aren't hard to make, buy a Koss ESP950 extension cord and some HV wire with two Stax male plugs and a socket.

Thank you Spritzer. if you ever want to sell one of them, please keep me on your list.

I don't quite know that this is the proper thread to put this post, but it seems more appropriate here than my usual haunt of the DIY forum......

A few months back I picked up some SR-Lambda normal bias and a SRD7-SB. I liked the sound from a simple t-amp but there were a few nagging issues I had with the overall condition of the phones - which is to be expected considering they are 25-30 year old - so I started to do a bit of a refurb on them. What started out small and easy rapidly blew out of control...... I ultimately replaced:
Cable
Earpads
Headpad
Mineral wool
Backing foam
Drivers!
Basically, everything except for the baffle, arc assembly and plastic backing was replaced with SR-202 or NOS SR-Lambda parts. Here are some photos......

Minty fresh SR-Lambda normal bias drivers


Drivers and new cable installed on the old baffle


Earpads and headpad installed


Glamour shot


From what I ended up spending on the phones originally and the parts for the refurb I could have almost bought a set of 404LE, but I'm not disappointed with the results at all. Its nice to have something so old in such brilliant condition, and now that I have my Exstata completed they sound freaking fantastic.

With respect to the pads, I cannot make any judgment on the sound you get from the different options...... but I would NOT want to have any pads thinner than the 202 pads. With the original squishy Lambda pads my wingnuts would press up against the metal grill, which was insanely annoying for a circumaural headphone. The thickness and firmness of the new SR-202 pads, combined with soft foam covering the grill, is much more comfortable - my ears only just touch the foam. If I had the thinner 404LE pads, my ears would once again be pressing firmly against the phones, killing the comfort and enjoyment.

FWIW I really don't think removing any of the backing material is a good idea. Having seen how filthy these phones were on the inside, I believe that the foam and mineral wool are absolutely critical for protecting against dust and other foreign material getting in there...... and IMHO protecting the drivers far outweighs any real (or imaginary) sonic benefits.

Thanks for looking!

I think he is talking about the amp more than the cable but there are better cables, the 007/404 cable and the newer 404LE cable. You could get these bought or installed from YasmasInc, the US Stax distributer. One note of acution, they don't reply to phone messages but will probably respond to an e-mail.

Since when does the 303/404 driver have a thinner membrane than the 202 driver? I thought they all used 1.35 micron. I can't find any posts to back this up unfortunately. Spritzer, do you know this? I vaguely remember you saying this somewhere.

Very niice!
I doubt removing the damping material would do any good sonically (probably makes the bass uncontrolled).
When it is in the bass is rolled off a somewhat but what is there has a rather good impact plus the rest is really nice too, also keep the famous midrange etch in check, the NB Lambda is a very nice phone! If I had a set like that I doubt that I would sell it to anybody else than a local friend - other than keeping it

You are right.

Here is what it says about the 202 on the Stax site:

"An electrostatic type of transducer in which a transparent polymer film less than 2 microns thick is driven by the power of static electricity"

Earspeaker System: SRS-2050II (Basic system)

The 303 and 404 say: "1.35 microns." I conclude that Stax is using a different material on the 202, thicker than the 303 and 404, possibly the 1.5 microns used on the SR003 or possibly even thicker.

Not a lot there to draw such a conclusion.

I don't know why I am wasting time on this but anyway, taken from the press release in 1999 when the SRS-2020 System II was introduced alongside the others:
"Stax has introduced the Lambda System II models and a new version of the SRS-005 system. ALL System II headphones feature a thinner diaphragm (1.35u) and several of the System II amplifiers have a faster output stage. Here is a breakdown of the new product line:"

So Stax comes out with a new earphone every 10 or 20 years or so?

Thank you for the information Padam.

Hi all, I've been very interested in delving into a Stax system, but I've recently purchased a fully loaded WA5 so i can't justify purchasing a WES without even having listened to stats before. Since my 300B amp has speaker outputs, I was wondering how good of a soultion it would be to hook up SR-007 to the SRD-7 adapter to drive them. Is this a pretty enjoyable setup in your opinion or would I completely be wasting my time/money. I feel that if I enjoy this setup enough, I could eventually get a BHSE or WES for the 007s. Also, which would be better, the SRD-7 Pro or the SRD-7 mkII?