The Stax thread (New) - Page 650

Here's that Japanese language manual that a kindly member (I forget who) posted before.

The diagram shows where the metal spring should fit for the Mk1 and Mk2/A. I think the Mk2 earpads are more difficult to install.

The Mk2 pads take me only about half the time to install compared to the Mk1 pads. The pleather is much looser and easier to get in the slot.

I own the lambda normal bias cans, pro and signature and would say imho the normal bias lambdas are the best of them with most music. Second comes the signatures and then the pro's. However, the normal cans lead by quite a way with the signatures and pros close together. Initially i fell in love with the signatures but after the new toy phase wore off the normal bias lambdas are back on top. The sig are darn good and do have a lot more bass than the normal cans but that's not always necessary.

From what i've read the normal sigmas aren't as good as the pro sigmas which use original signature drivers. There was a set of normal sigmas up for sale recently that i though about buying in order to make a set of pro's using my signature drivers and creating a second set of normal lambdas from the sig chassis. Price went too high for me though.

Boy i'm on a roll today. Anyone ever use a Stax DAC Talent and if so how would you rate them?

BIN $265 is not bad at all.
Ok, as 'edstrelow' say you can buy a new SR-303 from Japan for $100 more. But some prefer vintage and/or out-of-production Stax'en over the current ones.

Thanks for the pic, Elephas, it's helpful. Yet another pad question: I can see the outline of the spring in certain parts of my new mk1 pads. Is this common or an indication that I have done something stupid?

Nope, you should see the outline of the spring all around the earpad

My take is Lambda and Sigma Normal Bias. Sigmas do sound surprisingly good when well driven, and they have the best soundstage. Normal Bias Lambdas are more precise in instrument placement and quite even across the sound spectrum. Good luck in finding some Sigmas.

Or good luck with winning this auction
CASQUE ELECTRODYNAMIQUE STAX SR SIGMA + AMPLI SRD-X en vente sur eBay.fr (fin le 09-févr.-09 20:56:00 Paris)

Buy domestic if you wish, but I have never had any customs involvement in several years of bringing both audio and general E-bay merchandise into the country.

My last new audio item from Japan was the Stax 007A which cost $1,861.60 total shipped from EIFL with misc. paypal charges. I got it about 7 days after my Paypal payment was made.

Would a WooAudio GES be overkill for a SR-303? Anyone heard that combo?

I have heard the combo, and the GES definitely is not overkill. Nice combination.

The GES is good with everything, and the best amp I have tried so far.

Gregg,
for low bias Sigmas, imagine the sound as a Lambda Nova Signature with the upper treble and deep bass rolled off and a mid bass emphasis. If you get a low bias Sigma, transplant in the 404 drivers and cable for much better sound, but this winds up quite expensive (guesstimate of US $1000 all up) and getting close to second hand O2 territory. The O2 is a much better phone, and not as fugly.

Creating credibility

I'm enjoying head-fi and look forward to many posts, hopefully making a contribution I'll certainly report on my impressions of my new system once I get it put together. iMac=>DacMagic=>Gilmore Lite=>Denon AH-D2000. I put the new system together (with a Drobo storage system) so that I can get my 3,500+ discs "backed up" in WAV format. I figure I'll need somewhere in the ballpark of 2.5TB and the Drobo will do that nicely.

One thing that I can say of my Stax rig that might be interesting to a few people is how similar it sounded to my old speaker based system. That was John Otvos' Waveform Mach 17 speakers system that was tri-amplified with a Bryston-built external active crossover. I had two Bryston 5B-ST 3 channel amps fed by a Bryston BP-25 and a Krell 300 series cd-player. From a tonal spectrum perspective it was voiced very much like the Stax system. For what it's worth, there's a little contribution

Can't post in the FS forum until I have 50 posts and 1 month on head-fi. I enjoy all of you very much so I'll hang around until I get there (and beyond!)

John