Stax SR-5 Gold versus SR-X Mk III

I am using the SR-5 Gold with upgraded Pro drivers and although I had many Stax phones before, at the moment I think this is the one I like the most.

 

Yes it is the Gold lettering which is the giveaway, both white and black versions exist and they use the same thinner drivers.

 

The SR-X Mk3 is more accurate, the SR-5N / SR-5NB is warmer, more fun - and for many people, probably much more comfortable as well because the pads are a fair bit bigger.

The SRD-7 is an adapter which you can use to connect the headphones to speaker amps, I guess that is a direct drive amp which does not need a speaker amp and drives the headphones directly.

 

The SR-X Mk3 can be bought for cheaper, but because many of these were used heavily as studio monitors, it is more likely to come across one with a faulty driver - mine had it as well :-(

Actually, I'm keen to re-visit these again, now that I have a proper source.

Edited by padam - 6/3/10 at 3:10pm

So I heard that the SR-5/NB is sometimes referred to as the "grado stax". Which Grado model in particular is it most comparable to? Are there other headphones to which these are similar?

They probably say that because it is quite forward so close to the action compared to Lambdas, but sound-wise it is not too much like a Grado. For example, the highs don't have a tendency to sound harsh (they are smooth and extended) and because they are stats it means better speed, too. Also, I noticed that stats do represent 'air' very well compared to other phones. With the SR-X Mk3 the highs can be a bit of a problem if the source or recording is not up to their level but in a good system they will sing.

 

So I would say there are probably very few headphones similar to these (I read that some very rare orthodynamics like the Fostex T50V1 are similar to the SR-X Mk3).

 

 

Graham, you might want to replace the adapter with an SRD-7 Mk2. Or there are some modified units on sale in the forums as well which are probably even better, one of them has a normal bias connector which you need. It will sound a quite a bit better than the SRD-6/SB no matter what speaker amp is used. There is a nice, long write-up about the SR-X Mk3 here: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/172611/long-meandering-comparison-of-stax-404-and-stax-x-iii-episode-i

Edited by padam - 6/4/10 at 2:21am

I first had a set of SRX MkIII's in the 70's when they were current. Sold them in the 80's and regretted doing so very quickly. Got a set around 2001 and then another a couple of years later. I have the Stax SRM 1 and SRM T1 amps and find on most music I prefer the SRM T1 tube unit better. Still at the top of my list, don't want to ever be without them again.