Sorry, this isn't really going anywhere is it? Thanks for the responses!

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Does anyone know where to get a balanced portable cable for the PM-1/PM-2? Not looking for anything fancy, something like the regular "portable" Oppo Cable will do. (But with a 2.5mm TRRS at the end, for Pioneer XDP-300)

  Sadly I did not own the 2 together, a TA-ER1 poppep up second hand in the Netherlands in the mid/late 90's and I was able to scoop it up. At the time buying anything Sony was absolutely "not done" if you wanted to take yourself serious as an audiophile, so it wasn't even very expensive...

  I am not saying that at all and am suprised that's what you took away from my post: I am not commenting on looks/quality i am commenting on materials used vs. asking price. It just appears to me the price on this is extremely inflated , the entire build quality just screams "Mid fi". The...

First of all: A woman is not an object designed to be as profitable as possible for a corporation with a dodgy reputation.   Second: Is it really that strange that some people expect a little more from a 2100$ pair of headphones? At this pricepoint it should have been possible to make the...

I don't know how things are in the USA, I believe you guys still have the Sony stores there. When we still had those all was fine: You could just drive there and they'd repair your stuff, or just turn it in at every recognised Sony shop to have it shipped to the sony store free of charge. At...

  I don't know what that had to do with these headphones, but this isn't true: Sony USED to make a loss at the beginning of the lifecycle of every console and compensated this by taking a cut on every sold game. Since the PS4 they make a profit on every console AND still take the same cut...

Still, at 2000+$ I would expect beauty to be more than skin deep. Sony used to be known for their attention to detail, outside AND inside. (I remember the wonderful walkmans with their completely metal transports) The MDR-R10 was overpriced, had a few build quality issues and the carrying case...

Those picture of the inside of the cups don't exactly ooze "2000$ heaphone quality", they look more like the cheap plastic frame that holds my 150$ vaccuum cleaner's dust filter....

"Keeping the cost down" is a valid point when discussing mass produced "built on a budget" products in a higly competetive environment (Phones and Laptops). When it comes to 1000-5000€ headphones this just shouldn't be an issue. With all of the marketing hyperbole and the ludcirous pricing...

  I don't think there's any evidence to support that thought: Bryston has been providing a 20 year transferable warranty for decades and I never got the idea that Bryston owners are less carefull with their stuff.   By providing a long warranty period you provide security for your customers...

I've always wondered about this. It's pretty shocking to see headphone manufacturers'  claims of superior technology and materials  "backed up" by a warranty that doesn't cover a day more than the legally required minimum warranty time.     A premium product should come with a premium...

Not entirley possible I'm affraid: Lack of warmth is part of  the Stax' clarity, and "lack" of clarity is partly what makes the HD650 sound warm. I think the best way to combine them is the way you have already done; Buy them both.   There are 'in between"headphones, you could try the HD600

Hello All,   After almost a year of hard labour I have finally ripped most of my CD collection to hard drive.   Are there any portable music players that support single file flac with cue files? (not embedded) And when I say "support" I mean: "no fuss, just copy files to the device and it...

A coupe of pages back I got the advice to ground my stax amp to my "CAI" (Centrale antenne inrichting, a wall outlet for TV/Radio/ Internet) And although i appreciate the help I found out it is in fact illegal and potentially dangerous to do so in the Netherlands, just like grounding to central...

Thanks Michgelsen, that actually sounds like a viable work-around: There is an antenna outlet right next to my Stereo system and fixing probably have a loose coax plug and a thin piece of speaker wire laying around to make a "plug and play"grounding cable for the Stax. (My entire system is...

I am considering purchasing a Stax 3170 system, but in the past have had some problem with Stax energizers humming when plugged into un-grounded wall sockets. I've spent quite some time googling/reading and it appears to be a common problem, but I am not sure if this means they all do it. (I'm...

Thanks for the input!   Really love the PM-1 , I auditioned the PM-2's and decided that if you are going to pay crazy money for a pair of headphones , you might as well do it right. The build quality is probably the best I've seen (I've owned Sony MDR-R10's which surpass them in some areas...

Thanks for your reply JCX,   I am well aware of the loudness war/dynamic range debate, as well as the requirements for realistic playback volumes. I have however always been very careful with my hearing, my average listening volume is usually around the 70 dB mark, realistic listening levels...

Got a brand new pair, much better! It wasn't a huge problem, but it really detracted from what is otherwise probably the best built headphone ever.   One more question: Does anyone else get the idea that the headband is actually pleather? The earpads smell like real leather, but the headband...

Not a single one with an opinion about this? I understand it's something that doesn't happen very often, but the consequences could be disastrous: A more sensitive set of cans on a more powerful amplifier could have literally deafened me permanently.   I am now looking into getting a new...