[Snake]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul L May I ask two or three questions all related on-topic I hope: 3. I borrowed an SR-404 (but have not heard the SR-303) with the SRM-313 and intensely disliked the brightness but it calmed down after a couple of days and during the 10-day stay seemed to get better and better. I then borrowed the SRM-006T but only had 3 days as I would be away and I could not get into the amp enough. Too soft and details masked, it seemed to lack the speed, bite and dynamics of the SRM-313 and I am a tube afficianado so it's not an inherent inability on my part to enjoy tube gear when it's done well (IMHO of course). Given the price differential I was really surprised but it has now been suggested to me that I will not have heard the 006T properly as it also takes 7 to 10 days to really come alive. Is this true?

I'm short on time but I think I can add some comments here in answer:

You borrowed a 404/313 combo. If the combo was brand new then for sure the sound changed during the 10 days, for the 404's (and to a lesser extent the 313 amp) have a very extended break-in period.

If the 404/313 combo was not new, but had not been used for quite a while, then you experience the (more subtle) sound change of "charge up".

If the 404/313 combo was not new, and had been used quite a bit prior to your borrowing the system...then you, well, got used to them psychoacoustically. But then again it simple might be "Where you came from" in order to get used to "Where you were going", and what seemed bright at the beginning was only the dramatic change of something so forward, coming from something that (apparently) was "recessed".

The S/S vs tube Stax amp debate rages on. If you like the forward sound of Stax the tubes are meant to mellow that, and recess it. Different strokes. Tube rolling is said to help - but I also assume some warm up and charge up / stabilization of the 006T is necessary, as well. Again, can be purely psychoacoustic, as you came from "forward" 313 and went "darker" with the 006T...and didn't like it.

 

[John Buchanan]

Paul,
get some 404s and either the 313 or an older Stax FET amp like the Stax SRM 1 Mk 2. This should suit you perfectly from what you have mentioned so far, and leaves the door open to experiment with older low bias headphones as well.
Advantages of the SRM 1 Mk 2:
1. excellent sound
2. high voltage output
3. low and high bias phones catered for
4. well built
5. no hum or noise at even full volume - normal listening levels are at about 35%
Disadvantages are:
1. not currently manufactured
2. no provision for balanced inputs
Of course, to eliminate all the disadvantages, you could get the SRM-717.
You might like to read this review...
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/stax/stax.html

 

[Duggeh]

The SRM-717 wont eliminate all disadvantages. Theres still that wallet dent to consider.

 

[John Buchanan]

Duggeh,
my wallet is still in intensive care - O2 and 717 - sheesh!

 

[smeggy]

Woah there neddy!

Save yourself a ton of cash and get a set of 005.

 

[Duggeh]

You bought the O2 and the 717? Welcome to the team buddy, youll go blind in order to get the most out of them.

 

[Carl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul L May I ask two or three questions all related on-topic I hope: 1. Lloyd makes the SRX-III Pro sound mighty appealing but I thought they were 20+ years old now and I also thought that Stax had a change of ownership around 1996 with support of older products not necessarily being their main priority? If you buy a pair of these and they go wrong (and leaving aside arguments about reliability) are they basically dead i.e. no longer repairable? 2. Assuming it's all green lights on question 1, assuming you want to silently wait for a week or year or three for the right SRX to come along and in the meantime, you still want to start your Stax journey is it worth getting the SR-404 over the SR-303 or is there little in it? 3. I borrowed an SR-404 (but have not heard the SR-303) with the SRM-313 and intensely disliked the brightness but it calmed down after a couple of days and during the 10-day stay seemed to get better and better. I then borrowed the SRM-006T but only had 3 days as I would be away and I could not get into the amp enough. Too soft and details masked, it seemed to lack the speed, bite and dynamics of the SRM-313 and I am a tube afficianado so it's not an inherent inability on my part to enjoy tube gear when it's done well (IMHO of course). Given the price differential I was really surprised but it has now been suggested to me that I will not have heard the 006T properly as it also takes 7 to 10 days to really come alive. Is this true? So, now I'm confused as to: - whether to take the best value package of SRS-3030 to get me going, whether to hold out for SR-404 speakers and whether to take advantage of the discontinued SR-4040 with MK-I 006T amps dealers are now offering at deal prices - whether I basically came to the right conclusions already - whether to bypass it all and wait only a little time for an SRX set-up of suitable condition/vintage I called an infamous UK dealer to try to discuss it who will remain nameless but I found them to be pompous and before I could start to tell them what I had confusingly found so far they killed the conversation saying that perhaps Stax earspeakers were not for me. Apologies if this is hijacking but it seems to be the key Stax thread around and covers a lot of ground so hopefully it can encompass mine in the process without causing offence. (edited for typos)

I'd sooner get an ESP-950 than a 404. In fact, I've done just that.

Buying these old Staxes is not about practical considerations, it's about love for Stax headphones, and appriciation of how good some of these older, often forgotten about headphones sound when you take the effort to get the most of them. In a standard setup with a 6t being driven by an average CD player, it's doubtful that a SR-X will be better than a 404 (at least meaningfully so). You can see what Lloyd has been doing is tweaking things to get the last bit of untapped potential out of it, and that's been where the SR-X has been starting to pull away from the Lambda in performance.

If you want an introduction to electrostatics, the SR-X probably won't be the best entry point. Try a SR-001 mk2.

 

[John Buchanan]

...or try a Stax Sigma - slightly rolled top end, but no sibilance and plenty of bottom end heft, without the ultimate in bass extension. Comfortable and can be listened to hour after hour without physical or aural fatigue. The midrange is just magic! I wonder if its aural properties are because of its attempt to simulate a diffuse field by mechanical means - i.e drivers perpendicular to the pinnal planes and sound reflects off an uneven surface (some sort of fibre covering inside the phones allowing multiple reflection/arrival times) into the ear canals, rather than using a flat mirror surface to use a reflected free field approach.

 

[Tachikoma]

Here's a list of possible "entry level" stax electrostats:
1. SRX-mk3 ($100-150)
2. SR-sigma ($100-150? Haven't tracked any SR-sigma auctions myself)
3. Original SR-5 ($100-140)
4. SR-5N/NB *dubbed the SR-5 gold, has a thinner diaphragm* (100-200 euros)
5. SR-003/SR-001 mk2
6. SR-lambda normal bias ($150-200)
7. SR-34, SR-84 electrets (<$100)

I own the SR-5NB of course

I like it a lot, but I don't know how they compare to other (high end and mid end) headphones.

 

[Carl]

There's also the Gamma/Gamma Pro, which was the replacement for the SR-5 in Stax's line up.

And let's not forget the electrets made by other companies (Sony, Micro Seiki, Audio Technica).

 

[Stax-i-nox]

This is a great informative thread!

I recently pulled all my vintage Stax stuff out of storage...( I have a great sound system, so I stopped listening to headphones so much)...but got the bug again, so.....First of all, a few years ago, I sold on Ebay, the Srd-7SB

I remember testing it with the amp I had at the time and that the sound was not as good as the T1...but after reading the post's here, I wish I had it now to test my newer amp...a digital amp with IcePower.

In any case, I am finding that out of the Stax I have,

Headphone Inventory:
Stax Sigma Pro
Stax Gamma Pro
Stax Lambda Signature (1987)
Stax Omega I w/oiginal box
Headphone Amp Inventory:
SRD-P
SRM-1 MKII B series 117-225 Volts
SRM TI B Series 117 Volt only
SRM TI B Series 117-225 Volts (1987)

Sony Xa7ES CD runing RCA cables direct to the Stax amps.

....I am getting the most accurate sound with the Lambda Signature (1987) with both the T1 and the SRM-1 MKII. Very detailed and forward presentation with the Signatures as opposed to the Omega 1, which is as accurate, but with a more laid back sonic presentation along with more of a sense of the recorded space, such as with Chesky or Dorian recordings. I noticed, after reading a another post here, that switching to 220V, the T1 sonics improved a bit....am using a 1000watt heavy duty converter, it's huge and very heavy....the MKII on the other hand did not seem to work as well in 220V...a little too etched sounding, highs too bright. In 110v, the mkII is a bit better in retreval of detail, like the sound of the violin bow on the string, jazz clarinet honkiness etc. than the T1 in 110V!? Cables make a huge difference...I have Jena cables, which are incredible at inner detail retreval. Some old silver cables were nice, good detail, but lost some of the punch. Power cord very important as well...I have a shielded import that is much better than the stock Stax cord. The Gamma Pro actually is very good, like the Signatures, but without the recording space coming through. Sigma Pro's compared to the rest of these is just too rolled off on the highs for my liking....they are very smooth, but the detail in the treble, which for me makes the sound real, is not there...like there is a veil between the music and my ears. The Omega's seem to be at their best with the T1 in 220v mode.

It's fun to listen to all this vintage Stax again....I forgot how well produced the sound was from this equiptment! I have not heard any of the new cans or dedicated special amps for the Stax ....would like to at some point.

 

[Carl]

Good to see the Gammas getting some respect.

 

[wualta]

Why not throw caution to the wind and simply grab the next Lambda Pro that hits the auction sites/Craigslist/venue of your choice? Assuming it's not a bidding frenzy, you'll be getting most of the current 'stat experience for not a lot of cash.

 

[John Buchanan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stax-i-nox In any case, I am finding that out of the Stax I have, Headphone Inventory: Stax Sigma Pro Stax Gamma Pro Stax Lambda Signature (1987) Stax Omega I w/oiginal box Headphone Amp Inventory: SRD-P SRM-1 MKII B series 117-225 Volts SRM TI B Series 117 Volt only SRM TI B Series 117-225 Volts (1987) Sigma Pro's compared to the rest of these is just too rolled off on the highs for my liking....they are very smooth, but the detail in the treble, which for me makes the sound real, is not there...like there is a veil between the music and my ears

If you want to sell the Sigma Pros, please drop me a PM - I would be interested to buy these as I have wanted to upgrade my Sigmas to Pro standard.

 

[Carl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Buchanan If you want to sell the Sigma Pros, please drop me a PM - I would be interested to buy these as I have wanted to upgrade my Sigmas to Pro standard.

We're like a bunch of vultures ready to swoop.