[John Buchanan]

Meanwhile, Edifier plots from above... Small companies digging themselves out of bankruptcy tend to do what their umbrella saviours signal them to do, no matter how much freedom they claim to have.

I can understand this - in Australia, there seems to be a extraordinarily large number of companies going under at the moment. IMHO, COVID reduced their profitability to near or less than zero and the recovery hasn't seen enough financial stability to save them from debts incurred, which have finally been foreclosed (e.g. Bonza airlines and music festivals).

 

[Chefguru]

Looks like Justin from headamp confirmed that the 007 and L300 are discontinued. If they don’t release a mk3 the mk1/mk2 is about to sky rocket

 

[catscratch]

I've read that the x9000 and 007 are the models that sell. So dumping the 007 makes no sense unless there's something new in the works.

007 is an anachronistic design, the lack of fully articulating earcups and the asinine pad mounting mechanism are two obvious points that need to be fixed. The tuning could also be improved by which I mean make it more 007 mk1-like. The current-gen 007 has strong resonances at 950hz and 1.5khz, and heavily overemphasized treble past 10k. Both things should be fixed.

Yeah, the used market will explode, but fortunately there are lots of them out there, and very few people have the amp it takes to drive them. Both of those things will probably keep prices at least slightly in check.

It's well past time someone else started making estats with both sensible tuning and pricing.

 

[Chefguru]

I've read that the x9000 and 007 are the models that sell. So dumping the 007 makes no sense unless there's something new in the works.

007 is an anachronistic design, the lack of fully articulating earcups and the asinine pad mounting mechanism are two obvious points that need to be fixed. The tuning could also be improved by which I mean make it more 007 mk1-like. The current-gen 007 has strong resonances at 950hz and 1.5khz, and heavily overemphasized treble past 10k. Both things should be fixed.

Yeah, the used market will explode, but fortunately there are lots of them out there, and very few people have the amp it takes to drive them. Both of those things will probably keep prices at least slightly in check.

It's well past time someone else started making estats with both sensible tuning and pricing.

Part of the issue is that the mk2 fixed a structural issue with the mk1's cable (a port), which resulted in a mid-bass hump. Stax may think this is a good trade from an engineering perspective.

I've owned several mk1's and have found that there are very small physical differences between the serials over time - some of which have been identified like the ring size of the pad being different, but for instance, the 712xx I have, has a different material for the dust guard than the 700xx I have. Technically the sz1 mk1 looks to be almost identical to the 71xxx but they sound different (are the sz1 drivers tuned differently?). It all feels very unintentional and thus, unrepeatable.

I would happily welcome a 007 mk3 with the x9000 headband, non-articulating earcups, and detachable cables for $2250-3000. But part of me thinks that Stax would rather trip the 007 as a "lesser" x9k instead of a side-step flagship at a lower price point (which is what it was currently). Kind of frustrating because this is exactly why Stax has been so unique - the 007,009,x9k justify their existence separate from price points/ and are not simply derivatives of the flagship.

 

[catscratch]

Part of the issue is that the mk2 fixed a structural issue with the mk1's cable (a port), which resulted in a mid-bass hump. Stax may think this is a good trade from an engineering perspective.

I've owned several mk1's and have found that there are very small physical differences between the serials over time - some of which have been identified like the ring size of the pad being different, but for instance, the 712xx I have, has a different material for the dust guard than the 700xx I have. Technically the sz1 mk1 looks to be almost identical to the 71xxx but they sound different (are the sz1 drivers tuned differently?). It all feels very unintentional and thus, unrepeatable.

I would happily welcome a 007 mk3 with the x9000 headband, non-articulating earcups, and detachable cables for $2250-3000. But part of me thinks that Stax would rather trip the 007 as a "lesser" x9k instead of a side-step flagship at a lower price point (which is what it was currently). Kind of frustrating because this is exactly why Stax has been so unique - the 007,009,x9k justify their existence separate from price points/ and are not simply derivatives of the flagship.

Yeah, with Stax price was never indicative of performance, and even a lot of their lower-end stuff could give you world-class sound in the right rig. That made them unique, but I also feel like it hasn't stopped being the case up to now. I hope they continue that trend, and I'm not gonna say the sky is falling until I see it hit the ground.

My 71xxx 007 was pretty much the only headphone that sounded completely flat and neutral to me using a sine sweep - not even the hd650 is totally neutral - and it never sounded by ear like a lot of the SZ1 frequency responses you see posted. It was much more linear. Sadly I'm using "was" since after 10 or so years of daily use it got a bit worn out, but hopefully someday I can have it reconditioned, or maybe pick up another one. And before anyone jumps down my throat, this was 15 years ago and it was just another headphone back then. I never would daily something like that now for obvious reasons.

The earlier SR-003 / SR-001 mk2 also sounded very accurate but the comfort was unbearable. The new one by all accounts doesn't sound the same.

They knew how to tune them once upon a time. Sadly those times are gone apparently. But hey, at least we have EQ.

I have some hopes for the SR-X1 but we'll have to wait and see as usual.

 

[number1sixerfan]

Not really tied to the above convo, but still sharing as I'm listening to the 007 before a trip later. I know I've been in many 009 vs. 007 battles in this thread and others in my lifetime lol, but every time I put on the 007 through the T2 (this matters a lot, and I'm not saying with partial favor to the T2, but they are one of few headphones that are actually night and day with more power and ample amplification), there's a smile on face. And I just upgraded my DAC and it just sounds heavenly.

I've realized over the past few years that my biggest gripe is how they fit on my head. Rotating the cups, I can nearly get a full seal, but not entirely full. I've bent the headband and have rotated the cups optimally and still I just can't get 100% full seal. FYI, I have a normal to smallish head. It's really frustrating. Would love if they fixed the fit issue in a future iteration. Also if anyone has any other tips, I'm all ears.

 

[Svperstar]

I've realized over the past few years that my biggest gripe is how they fit on my head. Rotating the cups, I can nearly get a full seal, but not entirely full. I've bent the headband and have rotated the cups optimally and still I just can't get 100% full seal. FYI, I have a normal to smallish head. It's really frustrating. Would love if they fixed the fit issue in a future iteration. Also if anyone has any other tips, I'm all ears.

Get circular flat pads that form a seal. I got some Brainwave, work great for me

 

[number1sixerfan]

Get circular flat pads that form a seal. I got some Brainwave, work great for me

Really appreciate that! I saw people were pad swapping, but it seemed mostly looking for improvement in sound. The seal is also about comfort, so if I can improve that it'll be a bonus, in addition to I'm sure tighter/better bass and sound overall (like the small improvement after bending the frame).

 

[Svperstar]

Really appreciate that! I saw people were pad swapping, but it seemed mostly looking for improvement in sound. The seal is also about comfort, so if I can improve that it'll be a bonus, in addition to I'm sure tighter/better bass and sound overall (like the small improvement after bending the frame).

I got these, they also have cooling gel that actually works too, CRBN feels super hot.

These flats form a seal, Dekoni pads did not for me

Brainwavz Gaming Earpads for Razer Kraken & Other Gaming Headsets & AKG 701 Q701 & Other Headphones (See List, Dimensions & Video), Cooling Gel, Memory Foam, Micro Suede, XL Round Black https://a.co/d/eVthWbR

 

[Chefguru]

Not really tied to the above convo, but still sharing as I'm listening to the 007 before a trip later. I know I've been in many 009 vs. 007 battles in this thread and others in my lifetime lol, but every time I put on the 007 through the T2 (this matters a lot, and I'm not saying with partial favor to the T2, but they are one of few headphones that are actually night and day with more power and ample amplification), there's a smile on face. And I just upgraded my DAC and it just sounds heavenly.

I've realized over the past few years that my biggest gripe is how they fit on my head. Rotating the cups, I can nearly get a full seal, but not entirely full. I've bent the headband and have rotated the cups optimally and still I just can't get 100% full seal. FYI, I have a normal to smallish head. It's really frustrating. Would love if they fixed the fit issue in a future iteration. Also if anyone has any other tips, I'm all ears.

Is your headband loose? I’ve trimmed mine in the past to make sure it’s very tight fit.

I have a better seal if the pads are rotated slightly downward (so seam is like 30* more down tilted) and as the pads heat up they seem to have a strong suction.

 

[icnaiwhimor1975]

007a was discontinued

I just recently bought 007a, now I’ll just wait)