The Stax thread (New) - Page 330

Anyone got an used ribbon extension cable/cord for a pair of SR-44s for sale?

Somebody may have some extra but if you have no luck finding one you should be able to get spare cables from AudioCubes2 or any local Stax distributors.

To those of you who remember my enthusiastic report of the SR-X/SRD-7 a whole two weeks ago, this may seem a little silly, but nonetheless here's the sitch:

For a complex reason that wouldn't interest anyone, I'm losing the DAC between my Macbook and my power amp. The trouble is that I was using it as a volume control for my system; my power amp has stepped attenuation, but even the lowest step is too loud if it gets a full -10 db signal at the inputs. Not many inexpensive DACs have output volume control, though, so I'm not sure I can continue using my big amp with the Stax.

Two questions, then:

One, does the SR-X III play well with, say, the SRM-1 series? Some people apparently feel they sound better through an adaptor.

Two, there seems to be quite a profusion of vintage Stax stuff on Ebay.de. Are there any German Stax-fi folks who might be willing to help me snag, say, an SR-Lambda, which I know is a good match with an SRM-1? Is it even worth it with the lousy exchange rate + shipping?

I'm one of those who find the SR-X sounds better from an adapter than from an SRM-1. Maybe harsh and analytical phones like the SR-X mate better with syrupy, punchy amp/adapters than with the perhaps cleaner-sounding Stax amps.

Though when I was in Berlin I used to engage in facilitating quite a few cross-border deals, that was when the exchange rate was about 15% better. Also, shipping light headphones is another matter from shipping heavy amps, and it's always tricky shipping vintage gear of dubious functionality over such distances. I'd recommend against it as a bargain option.

Is there no way to attenuate volume via software? One cheapish option would be to grab a vintage amp or receiver/amp (like a 70's Marantz, Pioneer, Yamaha, Sansui, Sherwood, etc.) primarily for the Stax. Many of us find they mate well with normal-bias headphones. Just a thought.

I think that attenuating the volume by software is not such a great idea, because basically you're decreasing the dynamic range. That is, if I understand correctly, which is in no way guaranteed.

Thanks for your other input though, it gives me something to chew on.

In principle yes, but in practice the effect is not so drastic as it sounds, you'd have to let your ear judge. Analog attenuation has its own problems, of course, and cheap solutions can be problematic. Another solution I didn't mention is to simply add an external analog attenuator between your soundcard and the amp, though if it was me I'd just go full blast on the output and grab a vintage amp for the adapter, as I'd mentioned. The advantage of vintage gear is always that if you don't like it, you can resell for about the same price.

I second the vintage amp option. They might be old but many of them are much better then the crap produced today.

I'm looking into it. The biggest problems I see with this route is that 1) it's a whole 'nuther vintage world that I don't know -- I really have no idea what the values are, and 2) lots of people seem to think that anything with VU meters on it is prized vintage gear and extremely valuable, even if it hasn't been serviced since it was bought.

Think of it as the missing part to the vintage world you already entered when you got the SR-X. Also, look here.

That's right. If you want to test the vintage waters without too much risk, try one of the early MOSFET receivers or amps. Here's a partial list:

Realistic STA-2200 receiver (60w/ch), has pre-out / amp-in connectors

Kyocera R-851 receiver (85w/ch), no amp-in connection but has excellent preamp built in

Hitachi HMA-7500 amp (75w/ch) (there's also a later 7500 Mk II which is a bit pricier)

Sanyo Plus P55 amp (100w/ch)

Drive over to AudioKarma.org for some user impressions.

Want to go all out? Grab a Yamaha B-2 VFET amp.

.

Have you thought about this volume control?
Griffin Technology: PowerMate

Thanks for the suggestion Ironbut. It looks cool, but I think it's just a way to control the digital output volume.

I've found an early 70's Harmon Kardon 930 for about $60 in good condition. It's local, so no shipping. Tempting.

Yeah, after I posted that, I realized that it wasn't what you're looking for. If you really like the way that your amp sounds with the SRX, you could always look into having the pot replace with a higher value one that isn't stepped. That should be an easy job for any decent repair shop.

It's not that I feel my amp and Stax kit are inseparable... In fact, I don't even know what my SR-X sounds like with any other amp. It's just what I have.

$60 is a good price. Why not, I say. From the one review I just found, it sounds like it might make a decent match for the SR-X-- smooth sounding, clean, strong bass. Heck, maybe I should buy it off you once you get it. Here's what it looks like, practically crying for an SRD-7 to sit next to it: