The Stax thread (New) - Page 1384

Question about the older Lambda series earspeakers: Do they have the swivel mechanism or otherwise allow for good degree of swivel for their cups in all directions? I've never tried or seen one in person and can't quite tell from the pictures whether they allow for swivel horizontally or not. My head/face is extremely sensitive to pressure points in certain areas and headphones that don't swivel or otherwise allow for adjustments here (the 007's that I have now, thankfully, can achieve this to a degree by bending the arcs) really don't play well with me comfort wise.  It's part of the reason why I never found the Senn's HD6xx series of headphones particularly comfortable because they really don't swivel freely enough to fit my head comfortably.. same with the Koss ESP950's as they don't swivel at all and there is no way to relieve that pressure on the front side of the pads.

 

I'd like to try the Lambda series someday but if they don't swivel enough then I know they won't fit me comfortably so I probably wouldn't bother...

yes they do, about 30 degrees. very light and no clamping force. it's like wearing hummingbird wings (not that i'd ever do that) i'm sure you get the idea.

heres a new stand i made for my nb lambda and srm 1 mk2

 

I'm guessing by older lambda series you are referring to the original Lambda, Lambda Pro, and Lambda Signature. If so, the answer is yes, they have a good amount of swivel to conform to the sides of ones head. They're not quite as comfortable for me as the Omega 2, but they're still more comfortable than most headphones out there. Now with the Nova and number series lambdas, the new arc assembly allows for a bit less swivel of the cups, and I find them just slightly less comfortable than the first series. I know what you mean with the ESP950; despite how light they are they still don't feel like they conform to your head but rather that they're being balanced there.

yeah, the lambda style is pretty comfortable.  they just sit beautifully on top of your head.  cant really lay down with them though, if thats a desire.  well, you can if you have some support behind them.. they do indeed swivel plenty I would think.  you will NOT have any clamping force problems I'm sure.

Yep, the Lambda normals swivel about 10 degrees counter-clockwise and 20 degress clockwise (looking down the stem from the top, zero would be with the earspeaker frame aligned fore and aft with the carrier).

 

@-Nemeske88 - By cables do you mean extension cables or the cables attached to the earspeakers?  There should be extensions available here and there, Maybe from Stax: https://www.staxusa.com/Service.html 

 

I have the original Brochure we used when buying our Lamda Normals and it is dated 1988 if that helps with your other question.

Someone that knows more about the production life should chime in soon...

Anyone know whether Stax will be producing something thats better than the 009 and the current range of Lamdbas????

Considering that it took over a decade for them to come up with a new high end offering since the Omega 2, I wouldn't hold your breath.

I hope we get something that improves upon the O2 sound signature for next time.

Considering that they just got bought out, I seriously doubt that the new owner would be willing to invest money on developing a new flagship.

It would seem logical that they would want to create a new product destined to generate a greater volume of sales -  not sure how they would do this, but I think using the "cachet"  of the top-of-the-line SR-009 to sell a lower-priced line might be the conventional business wisdom here.

Agreed. I heard that a new Stax amp will be coming though. But that's basically all that I know about it...

I finally got around to opening my Lambda Nova Signatures today.  I figured I'd post some of the details as others might be looking for the same kind of information I was not too long ago.  Sorry to bore the guys who've read this sort of thing 100 times.

 

This was in response to noticing that one of the drivers had started to pull away from the housing.  I was able to just pull the ear pads back at the corners enough to expose the small phillips head screws and remove them.  I was equipped with replacement ear pads if I needed them, but I've decided that the current pads have some more life left, so I didn't make the change.  

 

I was removed and replaced the double sided tape between the driver and the housing and put everything back as it should be.  

 

I should have anticipated that the backwave foam in the cages would be deteriorating, and sure enough it was already turning to dust.  I cleaned all of it out of everywhere in the unit I had open, and then opened the other side to do the same thing.  I've reassembled with no foam in place, and plan to leave them like this as I don't think this foam is something still produced as a spare?  From my quick search, other than loosing a little dust protection leaving the backs open should have little effect?

 

Anyway, thanks for the previous advice, this went smoothly.

 

BTW, the old LNSs are on my head and sounding wonderful again.  I had considered selling them at some point, but I'm not sure I want to part with them.

Does the amplifier used make a big difference in low-end systems?

I happened to see a great deal (or so I think) for a Stax 2020 combo for ~$470. Is the amp going to be low-end enough to be a throwaway if I decide to upgrade?

 

This will be my first Stax system if I make the jump, BTW.

Edited by Tus-Chan - 1/26/13 at 11:46am

I kinda miss those LNS, really nice headphones.  Glad you're enjoying them!  You can always buy some open cell foam on the cheap and put it in the housing.

Quote:

 

I actually went to a upholestery shop to try fashion some replicas but they didn't have enough refined tools to cut the right angle of the pads. So now i'm stuck with some half-beaten pads that sound like they look. I think it's quite frusterating that on one hand the Omegas are so fit dependant yet it's practically impossible to replace the foaming even though it's so accessible and is kid's play to replace it.

 

There isn't anyway to contact Stax direct, assuming i can't write in Japanese correct...?

Edited by Amarphael - 1/26/13 at 11:49am

The new Lambdas all use the same foam on the inside of the chamber so it is available as a spare part. 

 

 

I think you'd love these LNS drivers in a HE90 housing then.    None of the drawbacks of the Lambda housing and they look stunning.  Sound stunning off this brand new BH I just finished.