Vintage Stax repair and maintenance - Page 4

Hey guys, I recently received a pair of the SR-30s, fairly excited for budget headphones that sound good.  Anyway, I know that these are not exactly famous for comfort, but what earpad replacements have you found that work better than the stock leather ones (which aren't so comfy)?  My budget is around $20/pair hopefully, but if something like satin-covered pillows come up, I may be willing to spend a bit more :p  Thanks for the input!

Headdie, any progress with you SR-X repair? I think I have the very same problem..

this is how much EQ must be applied before you can even think about listening the headphones. just a ruff curve for illustration purposes.

Will these fit SRD-7 headphones?  If so, how can I get them?  If not, is there any way of finding pads for a set of DRD-7's?  Thanks.

Please post a photo or tell us the actual model # of the headphones themselves. The model # SRD-7 you are giving is only for the adapter unit.

There are both pro and normal versions of that unit, so please post pictures.

And you also didn't link anything for the pads like it seemed you wanted to.

Looking forward to seeing what you have.

Headphones are identified as "SR-X MARK 3".

Does that help?
 

yes it does

Almost all of those pads on those these days have the top pleather coating worn away and are just fabric now. If you want actual perfect replacements there is a place called Audiocubes here.

http://www.audiocubes2.com/index.php/manufacturers_id/18?osCsid=3cb57271cb83ad6f6aa49ac5dba66579

here is the exact link you need:

http://www.audiocubes2.com/product_info.php/manufacturers_id/18/products_id/142

You could try to find some pads with the similar dimensions but the openings are that size for a reason, as well as the height of them. All that affects the sounds coming from the headphones.

best of luck

Maybe there is a local Stax distributor that has them, but this might be easiest at the links there.

Thanks.  Placed the order with AudioCubes.
 

I made a thread and it was recommended I post here for help. original thread: http://www.head-fi.org/t/643406/how-to-remove-dust-from-stax-lambda#post_9005886

I got a pair of lambda pros cheap with an srm-1/mk2.  I had the amp cleaned and modded for pro output.  After reading and a much earlier post, I had come to the conclusion that there was dust in the left driver.  Any possible solutions?  There is a lot of rattle with really high and low frequencies--enough for me not to use them.  At this the left driver is scrap to me so I'm willing to give a reasonable idea a go.

After coming back from vacation, the connection issues with the left channel cable have intensified.  At first, the sound would cut in and out if I moved my head to quickly.  It was easily avoided so I dealt with it.  Now, I have to hold the wire in a specific position to get any sound to pass through.  It is also at a significantly decreased volume.  I have figured out that the connection issue is occurring at the plastic/rubber "joint" where the wires meets the left enclosure.  Can I simply clip the wires before the joint and re-solder them to the driver?  I know the left and right wires will be uneven but I can't imagine it would make a huge sonic difference.  I could knot them inside the enclosure to relieve the tension.

Could the connection issues be the cause of the static I had attributed to dust?

Am I SOL? and what could I reasonably get out of them as parts to go towards a pair of 407/507?

Thanks.

On the bright side, the sr-30s I had thrown in for free are serving me well in the meantime

For a Lambda Pro the SR-207 cable is a drop in replacement but you won't like how much it costs... 

Those sounds could be due to the cable but it's unlikely.  It either connects of it doesn't but that shouldn't cause the diaphragm to move on it's own free will.  Dust is more likely but it could also be due to arcing and then the driver done for.  As for cleaning them, not recommended as they are glued and opening them up and attempting to clean will probably cause more damage. 

odd, i have both stax and the hifiman he-400. different signatures but in terms of clarity/speed there are some similar attributes. If I were you I'd forget about the 30s unless you could find someone else with the same problem, even then matching drivers.......ugh, probably wouldn't want to go there. A more modern Stax like the 207 would be a sound decision, more expensive than the hifiman if that's a consideration. The 30s even if fixed will just not have the bass that the 400s have. I'm 99 percent sure if hearing the 30s and 400s side by side you'd pick the 400- in a heart beat!

I have some SR5's that are just wonderful, like a Super Sennheiser HD600. The SR 84 was a real disappointment in comparison. that is the most similar to the 30s you have that I've heard.

Its not a bad headphone but the price is just too much for the repair.

You might just leave them plugged in for a while and see if they "recharge" electrets can be funny that way....

Incredible that they still have driver stock for the electrets. You would be best served to simply do it yourself it is not a huge task so long as you can solder small wires and use a bit of shrinkwrap,  or find someone who can solder them locally for you.

It's a 10 minute job.

Just a matter of finding a half decent set of 30's with decent drivers used. You could get a whole used set for the price of a single new driver.

The cups open up very easily for access also.

$250 worth of repair is not worth it for the SR-30. Heck the last SR-30 went for $60 or so on ebay.

@spritzer: Thanks for the cable answer, SR-207 cables go for 30 pounds from electronicsuk :)