[SLaRe]

Hello
 
I have the chance to buy my first serious pair of headphones, because I have something to celebrate.
 
The AKG costs 850€ and the Stax 650€ with the SRD-7 Pro amp, both aprox. and shipping included.
 
I don't know what to choose. I would like the one that is less harsh and has better bass.
 
Can you help me a little bit?

 

[jjinh]

I think the stax package is overpriced.
 

 

[wavoman]

I can help maybe (I own both).  The K1K is a specialty item -- literally wide open, meant for re-creating the speaker experience. They are my go-to phones now for live concert albums (leaving my AT AD2Ks and 701s to gather dust temporarily).
 
On the other hand, Stax Lambda Sigs are very nice, all-genre phones.  No harshness; fine bass.  I like my 404s slightly better, but most people prefer the Lambda Sigs.  Very close.  Way more useful than the K1K's IMHO.
 
I have a modded SRD-7 (mods by AudioCats) here now, and this unit sounds great.
 
But the SRD-7 is not an amp, it is a transformer unit only -- you need a speaker amp to drive it, and to drive the K1K's too of course.
 
Currently there is a Lambda Pro (not Sig) and SRD-7 Pro selling here for US $250, so the price you discuss seems way high, as other posters said.

 

[moodyrn]

I agree with others. That stax combo is way to much and like wavoman said, you still would need an amp. I too prefer the lamdas over the k1000s. The k1000s does a couple of things really well(soundstage, detail), But to me that's just about it. I also agree that the sigs sounds good with everything, and there is absolutely zero harshness.

 

[n3rdling]

The K1000 can definitely sound harsh with some amps and the bass is pretty rolled off so I'm not sure why you're looking at that headphone if those are your concerns.  I own both and like the Lambda Sigs more than the K1000, but both have certain qualities that make them special.

 

[Duckman]

I think the Lambda has the superior bass. On the other hand, my Lambda Signatures, in contrast to Wavoman's, sounded quite strident in the upper mids and had a midrange suckout that was not favourable to all kinds of music. Rock sounded pretty bad. Classical awesome though.
 
On the other hand, the normal bias Lambda was very balanced, a superior headphone IMO, with just a bit of upper-mid harshness inherent in a lot of Lambda models.
 
Out of the two, I'd go the K1000. But it does lack the deep bass you want.

 

[SLaRe]

Thanks for all the replies. The Stax seems the way to go right now and leave the K 1000 for the future. The pity is that I can't try any of them.
 
Confusing the SRD-7 Pro with an amp was a typo, my fault.

 

[SLaRe]

Just to know... How much would you pay for the K 1000 or the Stax set?
 
Also, I've found a pair of Koss ESP-950 + energizer and a pair of Marantz SE-1 + energizer. Are they any good?

 

[jjinh]

The Koss energiser is the weak link in their electrostatic system.
 
I dont think the Marantz is any good (well compared to something like the lambdas anyway).

 

[MuppetFace]

 
Quote:

Also, I've found a pair of Koss ESP-950 + energizer and a pair of Marantz SE-1 + energizer. Are they any good?

If you don't mind doing a little re-cabling (or paying someone to) then the Koss ESP 950 is a really amazing headphone, imo.

 

[SLaRe]

Quote:

 

If you don't mind doing a little re-cabling (or paying someone to) then the Koss ESP 950 is a really amazing headphone, imo.

The problem is that I don't know anyone who recables here in Spain and that the Koss cost $730, so don't know if they worth that money.