I am in love! stax 404 and akg k1000

Hello, I went to a dutch head-fi meet yesterday with my corda symphony and sennheiser hd800. It was a total blast. Beforehand I was totally happy with my setup but there I heard blackmopres and paajs riog respectively. I really digged the k1000 and am intending to get it eventually for sure, but I loved the stax 404! Absolutely fantastic sounding, I am a stickler for image and soundstage but after owning the hd800 for a few months I have realized that I am not all that much for total neutralicyt, I want a bit of warmth a bit of bass oomph in my sound a bit of midrange bloom. But i still want a very good soundstage and very good details and imaging.
So once again, I love the akg k1000 and the stax 404 and am now thinking of getting a stax rig together. Only thig is, now i use my symphony as a headphone amp and preamp. I would have to ask jack woo if he can make the ges with a preamp output (because I know he does custom jobs).
This was my first head-fi meet but I will be sure to go again if any others are happening because that is si ply the best way toe xperience gear without buying it.
I am now just wondering if I would like the 007 but I guess ifI get a universal stax amp like the ges I could always upgrade to the 007 someday.
Also I am wondering about the he90. The he60 was at the meet but I preferred the 404. I guess the he90 is also rather rare.
One happy head-fier here!
I thought my head-fi road was done boy was I wrong
Greetings, Anouk

Hi John, I listened to them with a dacmagic linked to my symphony and with a little dot mkiv I think. And although this did sound better the stax was just something else. I was thinking of getting a beta 22 but I will be selling the hd800. I just need something with a big more excitement (warmer midrange a bit more bass a bit less highs) but with the seem soundstage/imaging or even better.
I will have to ask jack woo if he can make a version of the woo ges with a preamp out. and I am of course sitll thinking about what dac to get.
This will all take time, this stuff is not cheap.
Dont get me wrong I still very much enjoy listening to the hd800 even though what other people might say but the stax just blew me away. Keep in mind also that I CANNOT just demo other amps if no one in nl has them.
Greetings, Anouk

Hi everyone. I was not prepared for this either! but I was just blasted away last sunday. I sold my hd800 to Dynamike in Germany who was totally forthcoming with sending money so they went on their way monday. I wanted to loan them to a fellow dutch head-fier first so he could try them but he was not in nl this week and you know, if I have decided to sell something.....
Like Zarakisan I am not prepared to spend an arm and a leg on amplification just yet so I wonder what my options are (not an arm and a leg means I am willing to buy the woo ges but NOT the wes or a10). Is the ges really better then the stax alternatives and will it drive the o2 as well as the stax amp that was made for that particular headphone? I also read in another thread that there is a new diy head-fi amp to drive stax headphones.
Unfortunately on my mac (which is my only computer at this time) I hve difficulty doing searches on head-fi itself, the link does not work for me. So I use google mainly to search but I would like to search the full-size amp forum specifically.
One reason for me to get the ges is that I probbably could ask Jack to change one input to output so that I could use it as a preamp.
I wonder about the volume, i know that with the wa2 Jack uses a beafier power supply now and this made it a lot better, isnt he going to go and do this with the ges as well? Or give it a pseudo dual power supply?
I am still not at all sure to go with the 404 or the o2 although I want to get an amp that can drive both of them (i never listen to music at high volumes).
I do not think i want the limited edition of the 404 because I heard the change is probbably cosmetic only.
Greetings, Anouk

Hey LArry thanks as always for the info, ok so I guess it will either be the ges 717 or extata (if I can find a builder) and since I like the warm, euphonic sound probbably the ges. Although I will have to read up on the diy amp. Will you or someone else have an opportunity to listen to it when it comes out and compare it to either the 717 and/or ges with o2?
So does this mean that the o2 does require mor power then the 404(le)?
I have decided not to go with a transformer box and I am also not selling my current poweramp because its a total beast an dI am happy with it (just wished that I bought the integrated version at the time).
I guess I can wait a months or two before making my final decision. I think i will wait til half januari actually since 6th of januari will be my birthday. I want to know htat I do this right.
Greetings, Anouk