Recent content by catscratch

I had an original Utopia for a while. Yes, it's very punchy and dynamic. It's also decently tuned in a broad sense, everything is approximately where it should be. It had pinpoint imaging too, and it resolved well for a dynamic driver, but not well enough to justify its price. Combine that with...

Yes, presets can be a good starting point but you want to use your own ears. Measurements, test tone generators, pink noise, they're all useful tools but in the end you're making a custom profile for you, and that means you have to make it. It's a skill, it takes time to learn, and it's easy to...

Yeah I think the L700 pretty much needs parametric EQ and I'd have buyer's remorse too if I had to listen to it without it. But the same is true for me for pretty much all modern Stax - L500, X1, 007 mk2, they're all like this. The old 007 mk1 didn't need EQ (at least my 71xxx unit didn't) and...

I wasn't modding mine and neither was spritzer afaik. His pair straight up died on him, and mine had intermittent balance issues that went away after discharging it and letting it sit for a while. I've heard nothing about new cases since then. However there's just not a lot of talk about these...

It's hard to generalize about L700 bass especially from a single measurement, I've seen these things measure completely flat down to 20hz and I've seen them roll off hard, and I've also heard them have flat bass extension down to 20hz like my old mk1, and I've heard them roll off with a midbass...

I wouldn't necessarily say it's an outright upgrade. Yes you get more resolution and a bigger stage but you trade off some impact and midrange naturalness for it. They're fairly similar and I wouldn't feel any immediate urge to upgrade. But if you can audition the thing somewhere that should be...

Dead thread, arise! I finally managed to snag a dirt cheap L500 new in box so I can post some early impressions. This is a mk1 variant which means it categorically refused to fit on my head. As a result, the stock yokes were deleted and replaced with socas3d variants. In my experience, the...

Yes, this will make the hobby more expensive and inaccessible for everybody, and will likely cause a recession that will wipe out wealth and make any luxury hobby even less accessible. But, remember that political fortunes can turn around, political support is never as rock solid as it seems...

Those are some nice squiggles. It's close to how I EQ my stats in general, vaguely similar to HD600/650 but with a few db less upper mid and a small notch at 7-7.5k to take the edge off. I can confirm that stats with that kind of FR sound pretty freaking great.

I wouldn't worry about small notches like that, they're basically imperceptible. You can try to take the pads off and put them back on again, it could just be the result of pads being mounted differently. Hearing to 18.5k is good... enjoy it while it lasts.

The headband is made of metal and you can definitely bend it. Having said that, you can also replace the elastic in the headband with just about any other that will fit. Also, the pads are likely starting to wear out, the foam inside them will not last long, especially with daily use, and you...

Yep, Stax EQ quite well in general. They have very low distortion and sound pretty clean. The L700 frankly doesn't sound very good without EQ, but fix its weird FR and it really shines. You're leaving a lot of performance on the table if you don't. The catch is, you have to know how, and...

I haven't heard anything, but I also have no official sources so all I can do is read the same places everybody else does. As far as storage, you don't need to go overboard. The drivers have dust covers and unless they're messed with dust shouldn't get in. Just keep them away from wet hair or...

That's why you mod the headband. The modern Lambdas have a dumb design where the yokes, y-forks, whatever you want to call them, aren't big enough and don't allow the top part of the earcup to swivel outwards far enough, and people who are let's say more cranially endowed will have issues...

Yes, if you EQ them. But that's also true for the Lambdas. These are lighter, way more comfortable, and they have a more laid back sound in the mids with better bass. With some EQ to tame the highs and 1-2k they'll have a warmer sound that's better for casual, laid-back listening. The Lambdas...