The Stax thread (New) - Page 55

Ah, that's good advice. It could well be that my idea is completely harebrained. I certainly wouldn't risk such things without having some kind of over voltage protection in place. It may be that such a setup would need a specially designed amp with a very low noise floor, etc, but then why not just design a direct drive amp? Perhaps it is just too risky and I should go for a more sensible ratio and aim at higher power amplifiers.

Somebody called for me?

The Sigma Pro and the SR-Lambda are very different phones. The Sigma is like the SR-007, laid back and relaxed while the Lambda is more upfront and it is BRIGHT!!! The Sigmas top end is rolled off and they are a power hog while the Lambda runs on anything. The Sigma Pro's are on the whole a better phone but whether they worth the extra money, I don't know. All I know is that I would take either of these phones over the He90 any day and I do. They aren't better but they are more fun and their flaws don't irritate me.

I can only compare them to my HD600 and any electrostatic headphone eats them for dinner with musical involvement and thats what matters to me. The HD600 simply bores me to death but they are fine for computer games.

Haha Spritzer, thanks for the response. I've heard the OII, so I have a general idea of what it sounds like. (And I loooooove it.) If the Sigma Pro is anywhere close to sounding like the OII, I'm thinking I'm going to love it too. One thing I noticed about the OII was it's bass. I've always been told that Stax headphones are lacking in bass, but since the only Stax headphone I've heard was the OII, I had no idea what they were talking about. So how is the bass of the Sigma Pro how does it compare to that of the Lambda?

You also mentioned that the highs are a little bit rolled off. I'm somewhat of a bright-liking person, so I question regarding this. Can you comment what the treble roll off is like (or perhaps, darkness/brightness characteristics would be easier to explicate), say in comparison with the HD600.

Cheers and thanks again,
Venio

The O2's bass is nothing like any other stat. It's so clear and direct that it makes the Lambdas sound boomy. The Sigmas have a pronounced midbass hump because of the enclosure but it's only apparent in direct comparison same as the rolled off top end. Most electrostats have a rolled off top end or it appears to be rolled off in comparison with their dynamic counterparts but it is actually very extended but it doesn't draw attention to itself. This makes lesser recordings easier to listen to but when the sound is supposed to be bright it is. The HD600 is simply veiled and clouded with that horrible Sennheiser diffused image that ruins them for me.

I've spent the last two weeks experimenting with the diaphragms in my Micro Seiki MS-2 stats and I've hit gold. This is a very odd design with a 4 pin plug and a diaphragm made out of the same material as plastic bags. They don't last as long as mylar does and they were broken in my set when I got them. I've been experimenting with coating, mylar thickness and the diaphragm tensioning. With a 3um film tensioned to the point of destruction and then clamped all around the stators I'm getting the best highs and midrange of all of my stats except the SR-007 and I'm running them off the transformers. Because of their unique design I can't run them off my Stax amps and they sound great. The highs are very extended and clear and the midrange has the same "reach out and touch the performer" quality as the SR-007. The bass is severely limited in extension though but the drivers are tiny compared with the O2's so that's not surprising. Great headphone with the right diaphragm and for my among the top 5 most beautiful headphones ever made.

I LOVE this description ! And it so very true. Late night listening sessions are simply magical.

Well, 'surfboardz26' just sold his SR-Omega!
Who's the lucky Canadian winner?

Who else.

Well, at least it sold for a fair price, either way, at least in my honest opinion.

Might be a good time to get a used Aristaeus, if you're on the market.

[edit]woops! there it is already! hehe[/edit]

Best,

-Jason

Yes, I say its a fair price as well.
Just $51 higher than last time the same headphone sold (two months ago). Guess that means we have found the SR-Omega's current going rate.

May they come to good use!

No bass? Sounds like your 'fram tension is too high, Spritzer. But better too tense than too relaxed; otherwise... bzzaaaatt.


I'm interested in these phones and the possibilities of repairing them because of member Charivari's trials with his Infinity 'stats, which are very likely nothing more than dressed-up MS-2s. Were the original 'frams really something like low-density polyethylene?

OOOOooo..... tempting

Heh, I could use Adrian's amp. Too bad I can't afford it.

Speaking of amplifiers, I have a feeling the Sigma Pro is going to sound severely underpowered with the SRM-3. About how much (in terms of which amps) will the Sigma Pros need in order to perform decently?

Will a T-Amp to SRD-7 be more powerful than a SRM-3 for example? (Question aimed at those who have a T-Amp -> energizer configuration such as smeggy. )

I've tried my stuff through a few amps and they all do a spiffy job with the transformers. Pretty much any decent amp will do, I like the t-amp specifically with the SR-X as it's a little rough and works well with those phones. I don't have Sigmas so don't know how the sound would be paired with a t-amp.

I like it up front and lively, the t-amps is good at that

Thanks for the help guys. What is the general range of power (watts for example) for the speaker amps we're talking about?