The Stax thread (New) - Page 640

Hmm I need some help please

My SRM-323II + SR-404 is showing some problems today. My right ear gets much more volume. The following experiments followed:

-Switched the headphone on my head, and yes now the left ear was louder, so it is not my ears
-Switched source, same problem
-Switched plug, same problem
-Switched RCA's, still the same ear, so its definetly not the source, but either the amp or the headphone

I only have 1 headphone with Pro bias, so I can't test if it is the amp or the headphone. If I turn the volume up, the problem gets worse (the in-balance gets worse). Offcourse I can adjust it with the volume knob, but as I said the inbalance gets worse if I turn the volume up (and less when I turn it down), so its not a constat error, so I can't just 're-calibrate it'. Furthermore, the equipment is just about 2 weeks old, and it didn't have this problem before. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!

All the really old ones...
SR-1, SR-2, SR-3, SR-X, SR-3 New, SR-X/MK2, SR-5, SR-X/MK3, SR-Sigma, SR-Lambda, SR-5N, SR-5NB, SR-Gamma and SR-Alpha.

Hope I did not forget any.

Sorry to hear!
It could be either of them (amplifier or headphone), and a bit hard to guess. But, you still have the SRD-7 right? If so, then hook up the SR-404 to it and check out if you can reproduce the channel imbalance.
If its even balanced, and the SR-X/MK3 is even balanced as well, then you have pretty much eliminated the 'phone.

Good point, I will try that too. But... eliminated !!! Its not even 2 weeks old, how could I possibly have done that.

/\ I had that problem with my o2's, Spritzer suggested that they might be suffering from the electret effect where the charge sits on top of the diaphragm and impedes its movement. He was, as usual, right. I took them back to the dealer they swapped them over there and then.

If I softly push on the left earcup while listening, I get like half a second normal volume sound, then it turns soft again. If I push on the right earcup, nothing happens (no volume change). So that is weird too...

Sounds like the cans they are too new to have these sort of issues get them replaced

Well no chance that I'm going to sell my new Stax rig ...

It's seriously freaking me out and is a permanent addition to my home rig now (until I start working my way up the Stax food chain that is) ...

I've been listening for the past day or so (seriously ... about 20 hours) ... and all I can say is that my live recordings have been insanely transformed for the better ... the spatiousness and effortless image is unbelievable. Also ... classical, jazz and especially electronic/ambient (think Low, Tortoise, etc.) is no longer an option with my RS1's as the Stax is so damn huge and 3D sounding in comparison ...

I'm certainly going to keep my dynamic rig ... one, because running out of the Stello's preamp sounds better than straight from my DAC for some reason ... and two ... because I still love the Grado sound ... but I think I'm going to sell my RS1's and get some GS1000's as the Stax soundstage has infected me with the need for more of the same in regards to my dynamic set up ...

Anyway ... another new devotee is born ...

yes, very revealing of the difference between bad, good recordings and GREAT recordings. the real test comes after a few months when you discover that, my gosh, i'm really not getting tired of these!

the flip side of this is once you've had "X" "Y" doesn't sound so good now. not to mention i don't let the wife have them, so i'm shopping for another set for her... you know the drill, if you don't you will <grin>!

Are the 404s worth it (vs 304)?

Hi, I need some opinions here.

I just bought a srm-007t amp, for which I need some relatively affordable phones. Based on what I've read in various places, I was thinking 404s.

I thought I also remembered from these pages that some of you think there is no essential difference between the 404 and the 303 (different cabling apparently not making much of a difference.) The six moons guy said pretty much the same thing, maybe just a jot more transpanency in the 404s but not worth the extra dough.

Is this a consensus or do some of you think the 404s are worth the exta hundred or so bucks.

I know there are a lot of other options, some of which I've seen on the sale/trade pages, but they were all CONUS. I want to have a pair of phones by the time my amp arrives, so I will probably buy new ones, and affordable right now means 304 or 404.

So: are the 404's worth it?

Well I might just be crazy, but I just had to have the 404, if I had the 303 I would be like, hmm, I wonder how that 404 would sound.

I assume you have been letting the phones sing in open air for a few days as "burn-in", no?

Yes I did

Any chance I could fix this myself, or is that hopeless? They want me to send it up (back to hongkong ) so thats gonna cost me alot of money (shipping etc.) and time... I'm well pissed tbh.

404 vs 303

And my response might be: I spent a lot more for the 404. Maybe the 303 might have done just as well. I should have asked on HeadFi the opinions of some who experienced both of them what Im getting for the extra money.

This probably wont be the last stax phones I buy.