[brandnewgame]

   
Yes, of course other factors can interfere. An ideal scenario would be to have two or more headphones that were identical in as many ways as possible, but with different transient speed, and then compare those to the original sound, presumably with suitable measuring equipment.

 
Another potential reason might be a trade-off in the design to achieve a warmer sound signature with a punchier bass at the cost of transient speed.
 
Quote:

Anyone compare the Stax entry level stuff to the ether flows?

I can't remember which Stax model the Ether was being compared against, I don't think it was the SR-009, but he called the Ether's treble unnatural and splashy compared to Stax. I have the same opinion of Audeze and HifiMan magnetic planars after hearing the SR-207, though I'm not as fond of the overall sound signature.

 

[cleandean]

I can't remember which Stax model the Ether was being compared against, I don't think it was the SR-009, but he called the Ether's treble unnatural and splashy compared to Stax. I have the same opinion of Audeze and HifiMan magnetic planars after hearing the SR-207, though I'm not as fond of overall sound signature.

I'm just hearing a lot about the ether flows being very clear and fast, but that's what people find most appealing with Stax.

 

[miceblue]

Anyone compare the Stax entry level stuff to the ether flows?

I heard the Ether Flow for the first time at the same event. You can't really compare the two in my opinion. Honestly though, I like the Ether Flow C more. The Ether Flow sounds nice and full/warm up until the upper-midrange where it gets a bit bright for me, and the treble sounds grainy compared to an electrostat in general, as seems to be the case with a lot of planar magnetic headphones. It sounds better to me than the original Ether Flow in which I didn't really like that at all, but the Flow compared to a STAX still seems like an apples to oranges comparison.

 

[cleandean]

I heard the Ether Flow for the first time at the same event. You can't really compare the two in my opinion. Honestly though, I like the Ether Flow C more. The Ether Flow sounds nice and full/warm up until the upper-midrange where it gets a bit bright for me, and the treble sounds grainy compared to an electrostat in general, as seems to be the case with a lot of planar magnetic headphones. It sounds better to me than the original Ether Flow in which I didn't really like that at all, but the Flow compared to a STAX still seems like an apples to oranges comparison.

Interesting. I don't have the luxury to listen to these in my area, so I end up just being subject to tons of hype.

 

[miceblue]

Interesting. I don't have the luxury to listen to these in my area, so I end up just being subject to tons of hype.

It doesn't sound bad by any means, but its tonality in the upper-mids seemed out of place to me compared to the bass and lower-mids. Compared to other planar magnetic headphones out there, it has among the smoothest of sound signatures save for the LCD-4 (except that thing is more than twice the price...).

 

[Music Alchemist]

[...] save for the LCD-4 (except that thing is more than twice the price...).

 
Speaking of, I haven't seen your thoughts on that one. I take it you still prefer the 207?

 
Some of us like the electrostatic sound no matter how good everything else is.

 

[miceblue]

Speaking of, I haven't seen your thoughts on that one. I take it you still prefer the 207?

Some of us like the electrostatic sound no matter how good everything else is.

It's definitely my favorite Audeze headphone by far, but if I can get an old LCD-2 rev 2 pre-Fazor, that would be nice. It has the typical Audeze house sound meaning the bass and lower-mids are just fun as heck, and the soundstage is pretty small with great instrument separation. It also has a really rolled off treble so it's very polite-sounding; not ideal for drum kits' sound.

For such a colored headphone, I wouldn't even pay half the price though.


Again, comparing it to the STAX is an apples to oranges test.



This just came in today, so I hope to test that with the SRM-252S eventually.

 

[brandnewgame]

Listening to the A&M SP-4588 vinyl of Joan Armatrading's 1976 self-titled album on the SR-207s is breathtaking. For me personally, primarily acoustic singer-songwriter albums are a perfect fit for this headphone, providing a more euphonic experience than my bookshelf speakers or studio monitors. My first listening pick of Juno Reactor's Beyond the Infinite wasn't as cohesive 

 

[hardpike]

Listening to the A&M SP-4588 vinyl of Joan Armatrading's 1976 self-titled album on the SR-207s is breathtaking. For me personally, primarily acoustic singer-songwriter albums are a perfect fit for this headphone, providing a more euphonic experience than my bookshelf speakers or studio monitors. My first listening pick of Juno Reactor's Beyond the Infinite wasn't as cohesive 

Cool
What is your rig (energiser)?
Cheers

 

[brandnewgame]

Cool
What is your rig (energiser)?
Cheers

I've got the SRM-252S as I bought the SRS-2170 system. For being Stax's lowest-end model, they reproduce sound more euphonic and realistic than any TOTL dynamic or magnetic planar headphones that I've listened to. Considering the price of the competition, they're phenomenal for acoustic and classical while handling well-produced pop and classic rock admirably. I wouldn't want them as my only pair of headphones as they're not well suited for poorly produced modern pop, rock and electronic music. The upper mids are too forward and there's not enough bass presence, though I'm definitely biased towards coloured bass-heavy headphones as long as it doesn't overshadow the rest of the spectrum. I love the bass linearity and emphasis of magnetic planars, but none that I've heard come close in the mids and treble. As was mentioned previously in the thread, a good dynamic or planar with opposite strengths, e.g. LCD-2, Oppo PM-3, Fostex TH-X00, Yamaha HPH-MT200, would be an ideal counterpart. I wonder if an energiser upgrade could help bridge the gap for other genres, but I've currently got my wallet set on the SR-L700s.

 

[LaCuffia]

The 2170 system beat any planar or dynamic headphone I've ever heard but can understand that they might not satisfy in the bass dept for rock music. It was awesome for jazz and acoustic though. I've got the 404LE now and it is even better, especially with vinyl. The T1 driver is really a perfect pairing for it. The only upgrade I would consider at this point is the L700 but not for a while.

For someone interested in Stax though, the 2170 is perfect and will get you hooked.

 

[Music Alchemist]

  I've got the SRM-252S as I bought the SRS-2170 system. For being Stax's lowest-end model, they reproduce sound more euphonic and realistic than any TOTL dynamic or magnetic planar headphones that I've listened to. Considering the price of the competition, they're phenomenal for acoustic and classical while handling well-produced pop and classic rock admirably. I wouldn't want them as my only pair of headphones as they're not well suited for poorly produced modern pop, rock and electronic music. The upper mids are too forward and there's not enough bass presence, though I'm definitely biased towards coloured bass-heavy headphones as long as it doesn't overshadow the rest of the spectrum. I love the bass linearity and emphasis of magnetic planars, but none that I've heard come close in the mids and treble. As was mentioned previously in the thread, a good dynamic or planar with opposite strengths, e.g. LCD-2, Oppo PM-3, Fostex TH-X00, Yamaha HPH-MT200, would be an ideal counterpart. I wonder if an energiser upgrade could help bridge the gap for other genres, but I've currently got my wallet set on the SR-L700s.

 
I loved the 207 with literally everything, and I listen to just about all types of music. Sounded amazing to me with pop, rock, metal, electronic, you name it. I didn't really feel that the bass was lacking, and didn't have any noticeable problems with the upper frequency response either. (Check out this graph again to see that it follows the compensation curves more closely than nearly all other headphones.) And trust me, I'm sensitive to harshness and brightness. Countless other headphones are harsher and/or brighter than the 207. I think we're on the same page in terms of being able to enjoy the two aforementioned signatures, though. You'd probably like the 207 even more after experimenting with a parametric equalizer. I'd like to equalize the HD 800 to see what it's capable of, since someone with lots of experience mentioned it's actually capable of even more impact than planar magnetics with the right alterations! (But in stock form, it has issues; enough for me to prefer the 207 no matter what the HD 800 did better.)

 

[Pahani]

Yep, echoing everyone else in that I love my 2170 system! Paired with my X00 Purplehearts, I feel like I currently have all the bases covered sufficiently
 
I have noticed the 207 pads are stiffening up after having owned and used them daily for @ 4 months, though. I should probably do the 507 (leather) pad upgrade.
 
My pocketbook will almost certainly never permit a foray into the higher Stax realm, so I'm pretty much only concerning myself with the Lambda models. I'm mainly interested in comparison impressions between the different Lambdas.

 

[Decommo]

Has anyone replaced fuse inside Stax amp before? I opened up SRM-252S and noticed that fuse is blown and need to replace it.  Is fuse socket required or just re-solder new fuse on the board? Any tips would be greatly appreciated. 

 

 

[hardpike]

I loved the 207 with literally everything, and I listen to just about all types of music. Sounded amazing to me with pop, rock, metal, electronic, you name it. I didn't really feel that the bass was lacking, and didn't have any noticeable problems with the upper frequency response either. (Check out this graph again to see that it follows the compensation curves more closely than nearly all other headphones.) And trust me, I'm sensitive to harshness and brightness. Countless other headphones are harsher and/or brighter than the 207. I think we're on the same page in terms of being able to enjoy the two aforementioned signatures, though. You'd probably like the 207 even more after experimenting with a parametric equalizer. I'd like to equalize the HD 800 to see what it's capable of, since someone with lots of experience mentioned it's actually capable of even more impact than planar magnetics with the right alterations! (But in stock form, it has issues; enough for me to prefer the 207 no matter what the HD 800 did better.)

Agreed
Listening to the introducing voice on the tubular bells (graaaaand piano), this voice always sounded harsh and undefined to me before, no matter the source or playback system. From the 207 it is just a clear proper voice. I have many examples like this...for example some of the old bowie records sounded bright and harsh to me (diamond dogs, hunky dory)..from the 207..its just perfect.
I wonder how much influence has the energiser on the sound. I have poor srd-x pro. If someone with more experience could explain how much the sound will change upgrading to, for example a T1 or other more recent model would be nice. I am dreaming every day with the L700, but with such a poor energiser... maybe is not the right call. As source and DAC, the pono player is sacred for me. It delivers astounding quality for the price.