[n3rdling]

HE90 is the most comfy I've worn.

 

[spritzer]

The arc on the SR-007 is supposed to be bent to fit the users head.  I can't use a stock Mk1 but my heavily modified set fits me like a glove.  Sounds far better too when it fits you properly. 

 

[rgs9200m]

Thanks for the responses on the comfort issue. My R10s are the comfort kings for me, also RS1s with flats, and Beyer T1s feel really nice also (being so light, lighter than the O2s, I think).

 

[Driftwood]

The SR-001 is the only Stax headphone I feel is particularly uncomfortable. The SR-007 is quite comfortable, perhaps the most comfortable of any headphone I've tried. However, I don't really have comfort problems with many non-in-ear headphones, even Grados which are considered notoriously uncomfortable seem fine to me. If you are having trouble with the SR-007, I'd try bending them like Spritzer advises, the fit and sound of the SR-007 is greatly dependent on positioning.

 

[MrGreen]

I can't account for HE60 and HE90, but I find the stax I have worn (lambda and omega 2) more comfortable than it. I think I prefer the lambdas fit because of the omegas cables. The lambdas and omegas are some of hte most comfortable headphones I have worn. The lambda maybe more comfortable than AD900.

I didn't find the baby stax particularly uncomfortable, but I do use etymotic headphones a lot so there you go

 

[rgs9200m]

Thanks Mr. Green and others. My ears are bigger that the ear openings in the pads of the SR007 Omega, and the opening is so shallow that my ear touches the driver surface.
But my ears fit fine in my T1s (and HD800s), so I don't think my ears are freakishly large (no elephant ears).

 

[edstrelow]

The most comfortable phones to wear are probably the Sigmas because nothing touches the ear at all.  They also remain cool in hot weather because the earcup is so open.  However being fairly bulky they tend to slide off the head so you don't want to dance around with them on.  I guess my old Jecklin Floats were even better  since nothing would touch the head if you listened lying down with the phones supported by a pillow. If you listened sitting up they were extremely wobbly and heavy.
 
The Lambdas and  007A have somewhat small space for the ear and and are not fully comfortable for that reason.  Also some people may find that their ear touches the inside foam or cloth and that is often bothersome.  Overall though these complaints are fairly minor and these phones are not really hard to wear.
 
The SR003 is very light and that is good but when I got my first pair they were excrutiating after about 20 minutes because they press on a small portion of the ear around the opening of the ear canal.  However simply bending the metal arc/headband  solved the problem.  I seem to have seen a number of people complain about these phones who apparently haven't tried to bend the band.
 
I am always surprised when I find out that some TOL phone is uncomfortable to wear.  It probably fit the guy who was in charge of getting them out but to be unaware or indifferent to the varieties of head and ear sizes is just negligent.  I would rate Stax overall about B or B+ on headphone comfort.    Koss would get an A for their ESP 950.  It was light and comfortable and had more ear-room than most Stax except the Sigma.

 

[MrGreen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by edstrelow /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
The Lambdas and  007A have somewhat small space for the ear and and are not fully comfortable for that reason.  Also some people may find that their ear touches the inside foam or cloth and that is often bothersome.  Overall though these complaints are fairly minor and these phones are not really hard to wear.

I find that the width of the space is not as much as an issue as the phones flexing down too far (when they are loose/old) and putting pressure on the top of the ears.
 
Not all pairs do this in my small experience.

 

[Driftwood]

The SR003 is very light and that is good but when I got my first pair they were excrutiating after about 20 minutes because they press on a small portion of the ear around the opening of the ear canal.  However simply bending the metal arc/headband  solved the problem.  I seem to have seen a number of people complain about these phones who apparently haven't tried to bend the band.

Thanks for the tip, I'll admit I hadn't tried bending the band since wearing the headphones even without the band wasn't all that comfortable. However since my discomfort is just as you describe and bending the band seemed to fix it for you I'm definitely willing to give it a try.

 

[catscratch]

The only thing that bothers me about O2 comfort is the self-adjusting headband. On the Mk1 it's a little too loose and on the Mk2 it was too tight. Maybe it loosens up over time. In any case, bending the headband to give more clamping force was the key and it fits very well now and is one of the most comfortable headphones I've ever worn.
 
The Lamdas were universally comfortable for me but the earcups are somewhat shallow, and if you have massive elephant ears they will rub against the inside foam. It can get itchy after a while. Also they could use more clamping force.
 
The 003 [is bad] and there's no way IMO to make it really comfortable, but I could make it bearable. I don't use the headband. I have to use a slightly larger eartip size in one ear than the other to get it to stay put, but in the end it sounds better and fits better too. For about 2 hours it's tolerable but after that it's like having drill bits in your ears.
 
I wish everything could fit like the HD650 but I did notice that I like a bit more clamping force in general. Maybe listening to lots of psytrance and dancing around like mad half the time has something to do with that.

 

[arnaud]

Am I going to inaugurate the 1000th page of this thread? I take my chance 

.
 
Ditto all that's been said about comfort of Stax Omega 2, I like them better than most dynamic headphones I've owned. I have small ears so I guess it explains. Try some Edition 9, even my ear felt cramped in there! Or the K701, what a terrible headband design, it was soo painful after half an hour.

 

[K3cT]

Any news on a definitive release date for the C32 yet, Arnaud? 

 

[arnaud]

Sorry, no news here. I would post as soon as I see anything!

 

[Clarkmc2]

A friend of mine was in LA this week to work on a film. He had time on his way out to drop by a Stax dealer. The probable price the dealer heard for the C32 was $6000 US. I hope that either that is wrong, or the exchange rate changes for the better. $4000 is a lot, but it would be better.
 
He also had the usual horror stories to tell about Yama's.

 

[AudioCats]

any news on the new portable amp? (the amp that is supposed to take SRM-001's spot)