[wower]

I was just wondering if people would like to share their experiences of using Stax gear with classical music?

I have searched the forums and, besides getting the huge Stax thread, can't find anything useful. I have been looking at Stax to compliment my ATH-2000s, which I love to bits, but the string section might as well be synth keyboards in regard to classical music. Maybe we can amass some wisdom in this thread?

 

[Carl]

It depends on which 'stat you're talking about, really, so do classical better than others. I'm quite fond of the HE60s for classical.

 

[wower]

Well, I am kind of set on stax because I found a good distributor in Sapporo (Japan) and they beat any quote on the net I have found so far for Stax by 20-30%. I guess I was looking at the 303/404 to dip my feet in the stax pool.

 

[mirumu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wower /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well, I am kind of set on stax because I found a good distributor in Sapporo (Japan) and they beat any quote on the net I have found so far for Stax by 20-30%. I guess I was looking at the 303/404 to dip my feet in the stax pool.

Sounds like you could run a nice little exporting business on the side.

 

[wower]

Why must this hobby be so addicitive?

But seriously, back to the OP?

 

[audiomagnate]

I use my vintage Stax Gammas mostly for my local classical PBS FM station when I'm reading in bed at night. They're perfect for that.

 

[Downrange]

I believe you will be happy with electrostatics for classical music. If e-stats have a perceived weakness, it's in rendering heavily processed and bass-heavy pop tracks with satisfying authority. Headphones that people seem to enjoy with that style music often tend to color classical music, to my ears. E-stats just lets you listen to what's there, without much embellishment.
I really enjoy my basic Stax system with classical music.

 

[Don Quichotte]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wower /img/forum/go_quote.gif I was just wondering if people would like to share their experiences of using Stax gear with classical music? I have searched the forums and, besides getting the huge Stax thread, can't find anything useful.

Stax (at least the 3030) and classical:
- pros: excellent instrument separation, effortless, very wide and airy soundstage, excellent microdynamics and, impact aside, macrodynamics, excellent detail and transparency, good frequency extension in both directions
- cons: coloration (sorry, Downrange, can't agree with you on this one!), the big orchestral "tutti" and the solo piano recordings do not sound as full and impactful as they should

While the above pros and cons are quite in line with the general strengths and weaknesses of the Stax, the instrument separation, microdynamics, soundstage, transparency and also the unnatural coloration are particulary important for their marriage with the classical music. My AKG K501 can sometimes sound almost as good as the Stax, especially with some jazz or solo piano recordings, but classical music (particularly the orchestral works) is what made the Stax really shine by comparison. Except for the solo piano, but I repeat myself (well, the HD600 was worse than both K501 and Stax 3030, if I rememeber well).

See the review in my signature for more details.

All in my experience, YMMV, etc.

 

[Carl]

If it's primarily for classical, and you can stretch that far, I'd opt for the Omega IIs.

 

[Davesrose]

It really depends on your preferences as to what headphone makes a good can for classical. I haven't listened to the most expensive stats(not the HE60,HE90, or O2), but of the stats I've listened to, they haven't done much for me. They are great at detail and transparency, but lack extension. For symphonies, I prefer the tonality of my HD650s....but some don't like the 650 because the details are perceived as being softer (more concert like IMO). Well I have years of playing stringed instruments, and I love the HD650's presentation of timbre and body with strings. Others may want more transparency, so it's really your call about what to try.

 

[Downrange]

As you can see, opinions vary!
Probably best results will come from auditioning them yourself, if possible.

 

[Davesrose]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Downrange /img/forum/go_quote.gif Probably best results will come from auditioning them yourself, if possible.

x2!!! no difference of opinion there

 

[mirumu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carl /img/forum/go_quote.gif If it's primarily for classical, and you can stretch that far, I'd opt for the Omega IIs.

I was largely keeping quiet on this topic as I haven't got in much classical listening time on my Omega IIs in the two months or so I've owned them but I do think there is still something I can add. In my opinion they do a wonderful job of solo piano and when amplified properly are full bodied and have real impact. I have played the piano myself for many years and the timbre I hear from the Omega IIs is much the same as I get from playing my antique pianola. In addition the O2's do a very good job of reproducing stringed instruments such as the classical guitar or double bass. Once again the timbre is there and the nicely extended treble is fully capable of recreating the bite of a plucked string while the bass has the weight and presence to deliver the complete picture, perhaps uncharacteristic of electrostatics.

The Omega II is also excellent at fine dynamic detail common in classical music. When listening to a group of violins minuscule changes in the volume of an individual instrument are easily discernible irrespective of what the sea of surrounding instruments may be doing. With the seemingly endless resolution and the smooth flowing presentation I have found little as emotionally convincing as the Omega IIs for music of this sort. Why have I not listened to much classical on mine yet? I haven't yet got there, I've been going back through my music collection one CD at a time and enjoying every moment of it.

 

[milkpowder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davesrose /img/forum/go_quote.gif It really depends on your preferences as to what headphone makes a good can for classical. I haven't listened to the most expensive stats(not the HE60,HE90, or O2), but of the stats I've listened to, they haven't done much for me. They are great at detail and transparency, but lack extension. For symphonies, I prefer the tonality of my HD650s....but some don't like the 650 because the details are perceived as being softer (more concert like IMO). Well I have years of playing stringed instruments, and I love the HD650's presentation of timbre and body with strings. Others may want more transparency, so it's really your call about what to try.

What you said is very true indeed. I too think that the HD650 have a softer, more concert-like tone than the SR-404.

I don't agree with those who say that electrostats are uncoloured. At least from my setup, I am hearing an obvious upper midrange colouration that coincides directly with the violin frequency range. It's not immediately apparent and it was only after a good ten hours that I started hearing this. Being a violin player and a serious classical music appreciator myself (brought up listening to classical stuff), I have a good idea of how live classical music should sound. There's just a very slight artificial element to how the the SR-404 presents its upper mids. I feel there isn't enough body and warmth. Maybe 'thin' is the right word? Maybe not. 'Restrained'? I really can't say. I can't believe I'm being so critical and perdantic because apart from this, I am completely satisfied with how my Stax is sounding. The HD650 may fair better in this regard, but IMO, the HD650 are a slightly too warm presentation and hence for my personal favourite in terms of accurate timbre reproduction, it would have to be the K701. [size=xx-small](I still have a pair of HD650 back in Hong Kong where most of my listening is done on speakers simply because the HD650 are incredible headphones [mind you unamped!]. I wouldn't mind getting an extra pair for listening in the UK

)[/size]

That said, my Stax earspeakers sound more transparent, resolves finer details & nuances and just sounds cleaner overall. I also find them more interesting to listen to because the K701 was bordering on being boring. Electrostatics also allow the music itself to speak more freely rather than force you to listen analytically.

Apart from that slight problem with the upper mids, the midrange in general sounds great. I'm currently listening to Fischer-Dieskau sing Schubert's Die schone Mullerin while I type this. Wow, what incredible realism! His voice is immaculately reproduced. Every nuance is there, yet I am still able to focus on the music and not get distracted by the incredible detail. I can just about picture how far away he's standing and how big the room he's singing in

IMO, vocals are one of the strong points of electrostatic headphones. Lively, detailed, emotionally involving.

Another classical sub-genre that electrostatic headphones love is symphonic works (which could be extended to include concertos). Whether it is a Classical Sturm und Drang symphony (not really 'large'), a Romantic Tchaikovsky violin concerto, Neo-Classical Prokofiev or 20th Century Shostakovich symphony, the electrostats are up to the job. The soundstage is pretty incredible by headphone standards. Each instrument is well presented and nothing really sticks out. The timbre is more or less accurate... The size of the orchestra can really be appreciated because electrostatics have no problem reproducing a massive dynamic range sans distortion. IMO, there's enough impact. A Mahler symphony sounds just as epic as it should. The lower register instruments are well reproduced. If it's on the recording, you will hear it. Yes, the upper midrange colouration is still present, but I'm not too bothered about it because the rest of the music flows with such ease that one is no longer analysing the music.

I could go on forever, but I really gotta do my laundry now

Let me finish with this: dynamic and electrostatic headphones both have their own unique presentation. Both have their own merits and disadvantages. If it were an ideal world, everyone should have one of each. However, the world is much less ideal with some not even knowing about the existence of electrostatic headphones let alone the fact that they are listening to a pair of freebie dynamic earbuds

I digress... I am pretty darn sure that you will not be disappointed by electrostatics' performance. The sound is pure, real and very good. A convincing and good reproduction of a classical music performance must be technically spectacular, acoustically mind-blowing, and most important of all, emotionally involving. So far, electrostatic headphones have brought me the most involving classical music headphone listening experience and I hope it will do so for you too. Now I must do my laundry!

 

[humanflyz]

I am puzzled at the statement that electrostats lack extension. In my experience, that is the one thing they don't lack. All the electrostats I've heard so far (SR-404, O2, HE60/90) have had the best extension I've heard in headphones. What they lack, in a general/broad sense, is impact.