[milosz]

Right. The LCD2's and 3's are very good phones, with good sound, but they just don't have the upper mid and treble clarity, balance and detail of the better electrostatic 'phones. The bass of the LCD's are better than anything else I've heard, in terms of impact, texture, etc.  The mids of the LCD's are no slouch, either.  And their upper mids / highs are not in any way bad, it's just they aren't up to the very high standards of the better electrostatic headphones.
 
SR-007's set a very high bar in terms of balance, detail, etc.
 
 

 

[MohawkUS]

Here is something you guy's probably don't see too often. A full stax rig put together for under $400. Excuse the mess, the CD player is still fresh from the attic.



First impressions of the SR-5NB are that these phones are freaking amazing. This rig blows right through my Burson 160DS/Ultrasone PRO2900 setup that I had, this is literally the first time I've been able to make out the lyrics in my metal. And it can only get better. The CD player was free, and the reciever $40.

 

[graben]

Quote:

Here is something you guy's probably don't see too often. A full stax rig put together for under $400. Excuse the mess, the CD player is still fresh from the attic.
 

Actually used Stax are highly recommended and a lot of people get hooked to electrostatics through them.
 

 

[sachu]

Quote:

Right. The LCD2's and 3's are very good phones, with good sound, but they just don't have the upper mid and treble clarity, balance and detail of the better electrostatic 'phones. The bass of the LCD's are better than anything else I've heard, in terms of impact, texture, etc.  The mids of the LCD's are no slouch, either.  And their upper mids / highs are not in any way bad, it's just they aren't up to the very high standards of the better electrostatic headphones.
 
SR-007's set a very high bar in terms of balance, detail, etc.
 
 

LCDs aare great impact wise, but The 007mk1 is clearly better in the low frequency reproduction in every other way. Incredibly, the SR009 improves on this too with little to no loss in impact compared to the 007.
 

 

[DaveBSC]

Quote:

I'm surprised that the stax thread is still alive after all the LCD-3/2 madness... I'm waiting for my special KGSS (with somewhat graphite boards and many other improvements) to compare the O2mk2 to my LCD-2 (+Violectric HPA V200). But the comparison is almost predicted and the staxes leave the house...

When Audeze can build a headphone with any sort of imaging, with detail comparable to electrostats, with enclosures that don't crack in days and performance that's consistent from one pair to the next, let me know.
 

 

[obzilla]

Quote:

When Audeze can build a headphone with any sort of imaging, with detail comparable to electrostats, with enclosures that don't crack in days and performance that's consistent from one pair to the next, let me know.
 

Hey, my enclosures took 6 months to crack. 

 

[catscratch]

My first real rig was also a 'stat rig for less than $400 and it wasn't even all used. SR-001 and an old Fisher PCDP. Blew away everything else I had at the time and still blows a lot of things away it really shouldn't.

If we didn't have this silly notion that electrostatics = $$$$, maybe Stax would still be independently owned. And if they do go under, where will the rest of us be...

 

[sachu]

i would argue against that. 
 
Only an SR007 mk1 with a capable enough amp in the KGSS, LL, BHSE league in my opinion trumps a well established rig around the LCD-2 (Balancing Act, Liquid Fire, etc) soundly.
 
Even in the entry level category, i would take (and I did) any of the vintage Yamaha orthos over the entry level lambdas , sigmas and what have you being driven by a vintage receiver (restored).

 

[shimmer n roar]

Quote:

 

Yes, that's what I was getting at.  I'm not a fan of the 323 with just about anything.  If you can do the first option, then do it unless you want a more colored, 'entertaining' signature that deviates from the more highly regarded Stax sound.
 

 
Oh, so that's what you were getting at.

Isn't the SRM-323S generally regarded as the best bang for your buck Stax amp? I'm pretty sure spritzer described it somewhere as the best Stax amp currently in production. I've seen the SRM-727ll referred to as colored but not the SRM-323S and that's got me wondering how much of a step up the SRM-727ll is for the price.
 
 

 

[Anaxilus]

 

Quote:

Oh, so that's what you were getting at.

Isn't the SRM-323S generally regarded as the best bang for your buck Stax amp? I'm pretty sure spritzer described it somewhere as the best Stax amp currently in production. I've seen the SRM-727ll referred to as colored but not the SRM-323S and that's got me wondering how much of a step up the SRM-727ll is for the price.

Best bang per buck may not necessarily mean you'd want to lay down any bucks at all.  A Subaru WRX hatch might be a nice bang per buck item but aren't you looking for a V8/10/12 sportscar w/ the Stax? 
 
The difference to me between the KGSSHV,BH, LL and the lesser amps is simply too much compromise for what's acceptable to me.  The math doesn't add up to my ears.  If you want the Stax because they are transparent to the source, don't cut corners at the source.  We aren't talking about driving some Denons here.

 

[n3rdling]

The LL is essentially the same circuit as the 323, btw.

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

The LL is essentially the same circuit as the 323, btw.

Well, it doesn't essentially sound the same w/ the 009.  At all...
 
323 + 009 = limited bass presence, thin notes, brighter treble, boring.
 
LL + 009 = richer bass, more impact, full note weight, warmer tone, better dynamics.
 
Maybe it's the blue box?  

 
Edit - If you want to share how to turn the 323 into a LL I'm down.  

  $4k is bit over the top.

 

[n3rdling]

I wouldn't put it past the blue box really...placebo is a powerful thing.  They're not exactly the same for obvious reasons (parts, PSU, etc) but the amp schematics can be found elsewhere if you know where to look.  You can always build your own to save more money and use whatever parts you want.
 
Edit:  It's funny but the LL with the SR007 sounded better than the Stax tube amps but a little worse than the SRM717, which is actually what I expect from the 323/SR007.

 

[Maxvla]

Perhaps the people at the Austin meet might shed some light on this as they put the 323S and LL side by side. I didn't listen to it myself.

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

I wouldn't put it past the blue box really...placebo is a powerful thing.

I would.  I hate the blue and red boxes.  I think they look tacky.  I prefer the elegant, refined Stax look.
 
I'm going a different direction for a Stat amp anyway.