Recent content by ludoo

Struggled with the same issue: my ESP/950 had background hum that almost disappeared when I touched DAC or amp. Turned out it was a ground loop with my laptop power supply: PS on electrical socket 1 ---> laptop ---> usb-c ---> DAC on electrical socket 2 were forming a ground loop. Replacing the...

A few pics of my EX1a. They are *a lot* larger than the Stax SR-X, it's hard to appreciate how much from pictures. I went with the cheaper cable option, it does not make a lot of sense to me to go for the lesser model and then splurge on the Stax cable. The wooden box they come in is slightly...

No nasty peaks on the ex1a. I measured them as soon as I unboxed and my impression is the drivers loosened up a bit by now, so I will re-measure soon. Flat plate rig, so don't use these as absolute measurements.

I have had a pair of ES Lab EX-1a in my hands for a couple of days: I pinged Benson a while ago to inquire about a potential European loaner tour, and ended up buying a pair. It's too early to form a definite impression but so far they are exceeding my expectations, with very nice tuning and...

Perfect condition SR-L500. Headband and pads were just replaced (and they weren't cheap)! Zero channel imbalance, official Italian import.

I had bookmarked this a while ago, but never actually tried using them for sockets. Edit: pressed save too quick, without adding the link. :)

Thanks Eric, mystery solved. I tried the ESP/950 on my desk where I have a Modi Multibit and 313 and they were dead silent. But I recalled switching DAC in my main setup with the T1s and that had made no difference, so I was a bit puzzled. Changed DAC again on the T1s, and sure enough hum was...

Asking for advice on something that has been bugging me for some time: my ESP/950 have a background hum, and this happens regardless of amp/dac/power strip. All my other stats are dead quiet with the same setups. The hum almost (but not completely) disappears if I touch the amp case, which...

Yesterday I refurbished the n-th SR-X mk3 to pass through my hands, and thought it might be a good time to jot down a couple quick pointers for whoever will have to do it in the future. And this will maybe also spur some of you into getting a cheap pair and trying them. A couple disclaimers...

My T1s cost 350 euros (again, they're cheaper in Japan), populated CCS board from Stritt audio cost about 150 euros, recap kit from him another 60 euros. Add 20 euros in shipping, and a few hours of labour to do the recap and mod. :)

T1s + recap + CCS cost me <600 euros (and I could have saved a 100 buying the amp in Japan)... if you find me a Carbon for that price, please let me know.

One thing at a time 😀 Got several pairs I bought in the past couple of years from Japan, but I'm kind of enjoying the original Toshibas for now. But if you have some favourites please share, of course. Always good to know of alternatives.

Finally found the time and courage to do the CCS mod to my T1s, using the populated board I got from Stritt Audio. Spent half an hour listening post-mod, and the difference is noticeable. It's a like a veil was lifted: the T1s now sounds a lot clearer, more layered and 3 dimensional. Well worth...

Can you share a picture of the bottle? This is what I'm seeing here (updated, initially posted the wrong screenshot).

I beg to differ: old Staxes, especially the SR-X and SR-5 (round drivers FTW!) can be had for very little money. I don't think I ever paid more than 120 euros for an SR-X pair and several cost less than 50, and I think I have 10 or so around (mk1, mk2, mk3), And to my ears they sound better than...