[David1961]

What would you guys recommend for a budget 'starter ' stax rig?

Although I've never heard this combo, there's the SR-003mk2 + SRM-252s which together is called the SRS-005Smk2.
The SR-003mk2 is a 5 pin in ear headphone and the SRM-252s is obviously the amp but small.
If you look up the price they shouldn't be that much.

 

[complin]

How much do you want to spend? New or Used?
 
Quote:

What would you guys recommend for a budget 'starter ' stax rig?

 

[Ali-Pacha]

SRS-2170 on pricejapan.

Ali

 

[James-uk]

New and upto £1000 ish . Starting to think maybe the sr 407 with amp bundle? Although that is above said budget. Do price japan deliver to the uk?

 

[Ali-Pacha]

Yes, they do, you can ask shipsut.

Ali

 

[David1961]

Stax amps from PriceJapan are only available in 100v.

 

[davidsh]

If I were you I'd just start with the 207 and the 323. 207 cuz it seems to be as good as any of the other x07's technically speaking and srm-323 because it seems to me that it's a solid performing amp for a reasonable price. There ain't really no consensus regarding the performance of the x07 lineup btw.
This is all what I gathered from following the thread, not first hand knowledge.

 

[eric65]

Hello Kevin
 
Can you explain to me why we not get the same results when comparing the raw data from your graph (RKV-II + 1:6 transformers + Stax (?)) and mine (RKV-II + 1:50 tranformers (of the Wee box) + Stax 009)
(NB: I haven't yet the data of RKV-II+ 1:5 transform (of the Verto box) a priori better than those  of the RKV-II + 1:50 transformer (of the Wee box))
 

http://gilmore.chem.northwestern.edu/rkv.jpg
http://www.head-fi.org/t/677809/the-stax-thread-iii/2805#post_10759016
 
My results are as follows: for 6 distinct frequencies (250 Hz 500 Hz 1 KHz; 2 KHz; 5 KHz; 10 KHz)
Voltage measured, depending on the frequency, in input of the Wee (and therefore in output of the RKV) with the transformers 1:50 of the Wee, and with for load an electrostatic headphones Stax SR-009 145000 Ohm of impedance.
 
Signal sinus 250 Hz : 0.205 V (relative gain : 0 dB)
Signal sinus 500 Hz : 0.203 V (relative gain : 0 dB)
Signal sinus 1 KHz :  0.201 V (relative gain : 0 dB)
Signal sinus 2 KHz :  0.193 V (relative gain : - 0.3 dB) (to compare to the +2 dB of your graph, but with best ratio transformers for you : 1:6 vs 1:50)
Signal sinus 5 KHz :  0.160 V (relative gain : - 1.9 dB) (to compare to the -4 dB of your graph, but with best ratio transformers for you : 1:6 vs 1:50)
Signal sinus 10 KHz : 0.115 V (relative gain : - 4.8 dB) (to compare to the -17 dB of your graph, but with best ratio transformers for you : 1:6 vs 1:50)

 

[James-uk]

If I were you I'd just start with the 207 and the 323. 207 cuz it seems to be as good as any of the other x07's technically speaking and srm-323 because it seems to me that it's a solid performing amp for a reasonable price. There ain't really no consensus regarding the performance of the x07 lineup btw.
This is all what I gathered from following the thread, not first hand knowledge.

So they pretty much use the same transducer in that range then? I basically just want to have another HP in rotation but with a different flavour to my HD800 and 600. I'm kinda curious to see how a budget Estat compares to the HD800 . I've heard some say even the budget stats are better than the HD800. Would you say the experience of listening to stats is different enough from the best dynamics to justify having both?

 

[Ali-Pacha]

Stax amps from PriceJapan are only available in 100v.

Indeed, but no real issue with SRM-252s : you can easily buy a cheap 12V adapter in your country as long as you watch polarity (reversed) and current capability (at least 400 mA).
http://www.head-fi.org/t/210476/srm-252-power-supply
 
Ali

 

[complin]

Have you heard the current crop of Lambda's? 
Personally I don't like them as much as the previous series. I would go for the 207 bundle initially its great bank for the buck.
If you find you like the estats then you can upgrade from there to a 323/KGSSHV, 007/009 etc
.
I would go for a used set if I were starting out down this route like a 212/202 or 313/404 
 
Quote:

New and upto £1000 ish . Starting to think maybe the sr 407 with amp bundle? Although that is above said budget. Do price japan deliver to the uk?

 

[davidsh]

The experience of listening to stats is very different compared to hd800. Both have the ability to be equally resolving in different ways based on experience with LS, sigma and 307 (and my modded hd800). You might like stats better.. Or not. Not sure which I like the best. The LS for example surely has less mishaps than hd800, less artifacts in the high mids/treble region.
Where the hd800 wins is in soundstage, though sigma is pretty decent too.
Put in another why.. The lambdas sound like what they are wrt soundstage... Headphones.
They also lack the last bit in bass, especially compared to planars.

 

[negura]

 

 
Many thanks for the impressions. Owning almost the same amplifier with Julian, I most definitely agree with your findings. The SR-009s + this KGSSHV is the best bass I've heard on Stax. Very well defined and controlled, but impactful and very satisfying. The KGSSHV also has the quality of reproducing well detailed treble with no harshness whatsoever, which is excellent especially for a solid state.
 
I believe you've heard them in absolutely the best way and that's exactly what I would have done myself: BHSE + copper and KGSSHV with silver cables. That said I found the XLRs impact the sound a bit less than RCA cables, for both good or worse. But of course, there's more to it and anyone can tune both to preference.
 
P.S.: I hope both amps were warmed up for a while. Nevermind it being a solid state, my KGSSHV likes to clock about an hour to fully bake the sound.

 

[jgazal]

 

@eric65 

 
What would happen if you fire a pink noise and use a real time analyzer instead of single sine waves and a decibilimeter? 
 
If you do not want pink noise, then imagine two setups playing the same classical music track:
 

• Tubes directly coupled to electrostatic transducers; and
• Tubes to transformers and then transformers to electrostatic transducers.

 
Then imagine two microphones and two graphic equalizers, each one coupled to the transducers of each setup. 
 
Now imagine dynamic charts displayed by the graphic equalizers 1 and 2. Do you think the the bars representing higher frequencies would peak at the same db level in both graphic equilizers?
 
My intuition says your question has something to do with saturation in transformers.
 

I was trying to understand the relationship between core materials, sizes and geometries (including lamination), the calculation of wire wounds, the wire gauges and the induced magnetic fields at different AC current frequencies. Furthermore, when the whole audio spectrum is being played, as in music, I was trying to relate all that building parameters with saturation and how such saturation changes the impedance in higher frequencies. But I confess I got lost. 

 

Now curiosity is back and I will try to read more about it.

 

[arnaud]

It's simpler than that jgazal I believe: I think Eric is misled by his measurements as he expects to measure a flat gain with those near field open baffle spl measurements.

There is a strong possibility that the spl as seen by the sound level meter goes UP with frequency all the way to upper mids when the phones are properly driven.

Then, if Eric measures an spl that decreases with frequency, that's not expected of such kind of measurement, and would indicate that the transformer is indeed seriously rolling off the mid highs.

Eric, ignoring for a moment the utter imprecision of the measurement technique used, you would want to compare current readings to those when the phone is driven by a Stax amp or better.

Arnaud