[Oedipus Rex]

Hi,

I recently acquired the HE60/HEV70 system (*laughs maniacally at the wallet huddling in the corner of the room, sobbing*) and would like to know, what options do I have for the HEV70? Are there adapters for stax amps available? And what stax amp should I use. I have a SRM-313 but not sure if that would be a big improvement. What about the DIY amps, KGSS, GES and what are there.. I'm on limited budjet, so cheap is definitely preferred.

Thanks

 

[spritzer]

The HEV70 is a sorry excuse for a 'stat amp but it may be hard to find a adapter given the propitiatory plug on the HE60. There is an auto part that fits and there were some custom machined plugs made a few years ago but both are hard to find. The best solution IMO is to just put on a Stax plug (available from Allied) on the HE60 and put a Stax socket on the old socket so that you can use the phones with the HEV70.

The HE60 loves power so a KGSS would be a good bet for it but the choice of amp really depends on what type of sound you like.

 

[pabbi1]

What Spritzer said - once you hear the he60 through a real amp, you won't worry about the hev70 adapter. Sad, but, true.

 

[Genni]

Agree with the HEV70 opinion too.

My experience on the HE60 - I had Drew form Moon Audio changed mine to HE90 connector to fit my Aristaeus, Drew can also make a HE90(female)-to-Stax(male) adapter for Stax amps and HE90(female)-to-HE60(male, cut from your HE60) adapter if you 'd like to keep using HEV70.

There are several reasons for me to do that.

One, a lot of nice electrostatic amps such Aristaeus, KGSS, GES, they all equiped with HE90 and Stax connector(part of standrard?) and move to them is definitely worth it.

Then, the HE60 female connector is really hard to find on the market now, there was a group buying a few years ago but I doubt if anyone still keep the part without being used. Try to find one to make a adapter could cost some time/money, compare to that, it was a reasonable charge for what I got on my HE60 and Drew's work was very good.

 

[Oedipus Rex]

Thanks for all the answers! It would seem that the amp upgrade process will cost many times the prize of the HE60/HEV70

Few more questions :

Quote:

The best solution IMO is to just put on a Stax plug (available from Allied) on the HE60 and put a Stax socket on the old socket so that you can use the phones with the HEV70.

Will this destroy the value of the HE60/HEV70 system, in case I decide to sell it later on? (I'm probably moving to OII at some point).

Also, I'm in Europe, and sending these to moon audio for example, might be problematic, I'm not sure would it get caught in customs etc.

Quote:

The HE60 loves power so a KGSS would be a good bet for it but the choice of amp really depends on what type of sound you like.

Well, I mostly listen to jazz/classical these days, so I'm looking for authentic reproduction. But then again, my Stax set sounds very detailed, but to be honest, sterile. I switch between Stax sr-303 and HD650 daily, and even though HD650 is not quite as fast, detailed or clear, I woud say it is more fun to listen to, especially on music that demands "balls". So, listening to Parsifal overture is stax business, but for Siegfried's funeral march I would go with the HD650.
The reason why I was looking for replacement for HEV70 is, that I heard some real problems with the setting, for example the brass section didn't sound natural.

So, lets assume for a while i get an adaptor or the cable reterminated. What is the best bang for a buck as far as electrostatic amps go? I cannot afford any 5k $ blue hawaiis in near future, I'm afraid

 

[padam]

Reterminating it will not destroy the value.

717 or KGSS are your best options, depending on budget but the 717 is probably the best for the money (no wonder it is not easy to find one). If you want to go even lower, go for a T1(S) and replace the tubes.

There is a German forum about a DIY adapter, with that you can avoid retermination, spritzer said the phase (+/-) is inverted but if that is corrected it is probably fine.
Wir basteln einen HE60->Stax-Adapter, Kopfhörer allgemein - HIFI-FORUM

 

[jigster]

I did mine like how Kevin Gilmore did. But I made my pcb longer and added 5Mohm resistors on the bias as recommended by some of the seniors here.

(scroll down to the bottom)
HeadWize - Project: Blue Hawaii Hybrid Electrostatic Amplifier for Stax Omega II Headphones by Kevin Gilmore

 

[spritzer]

Yup, that German adapter is out of phase (the right hand pins on the Stax socket are + and thus the inner stators) but it's not a big deal in practice.

If you know how to solder then it is easy enough to install the Stax plug but making it look presentable takes a bit of work. I don't know of anybody in the EU that does stuff like this though but any repair shop should be able to do it for you.

The 717 is a brilliant amp that sounds great and has plenty of power. It's out of production now but they come up used quite often.

 

[Oedipus Rex]

Hmm, one important question about electrostats in general: what actually does the "voltage bias" mean, and do I need to take this into consideration? I read somewhere that you can damage normal-bias stax phones if you drive them trough pro-bias out, Do I have to worry about damaging the HE60 ?

 

[padam]

You can only damage it by plugging a normal bias headphone to a pro bias slot but that is not possible because a 6-pin plug will not fit in a 5-pin socket. The HE60 has a bias voltage of 540V but it has no trouble running at the Stax pro standard at 580V, in fact it might like that a bit better.