[wink]

Which is the best currently available amp made by Stax for their earspeakers, especially the Omega II?
SRM 600
SRM 007TA (SRM 007Tll)
SRM 727
Another Amp.

This is for Stax amps, not Blue Hawaii, KGSS, Aristeus etc.

 

[brat]

SRM-727II
very, very underestimated...

 

[DC5Zilla]

Isn't it the SRM-T2?

 

[spritzer]

The T2 is the best amp Stax have ever made but apart from that the 717 is the best I've heard. I've got high hopes for the SRM-600 and the inevitable upgrade to the 007t based on it but who knows when that will be.

 

[tohenk2]

I have the 600 - but passed up on the T2... so I have no comparison (told you I would end up regretting it

but not too much since I like what I hear)

 

[Dinan]

Aside from the T2, the 717 is the king by a margin.

 

[kevin gilmore]

Definitely the T2. Added bonus, cooks your eggs for breakfast.

Hard to find, and expensive when you do. Worth it.

 

[arcer63]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kevin gilmore /img/forum/go_quote.gif Definitely the T2. Added bonus, cooks your eggs for breakfast. Hard to find, and expensive when you do. Worth it.

Really? it runs that hot? Thats crazy....

 

[kevin gilmore]

100 watts of power dissipation in the amp box with no external heatsinks and
only convection ventilation, and the tubes completely inside the box...

Can't imagine why it would get hot.

http://gilmore.chem.northwestern.edu/staxt2-2.jpg
http://gilmore.chem.northwestern.edu/staxt2-4.jpg
http://gilmore.chem.northwestern.edu/staxt2-5.jpg
http://gilmore.chem.northwestern.edu/staxt2-8.jpg

 

[markmaxx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kevin gilmore /img/forum/go_quote.gif 100 watts of power dissipation in the amp box with no external heatsinks and only convection ventilation, and the tubes completely inside the box... Can't imagine why it would get hot. http://gilmore.chem.northwestern.edu/staxt2-2.jpg http://gilmore.chem.northwestern.edu/staxt2-4.jpg http://gilmore.chem.northwestern.edu/staxt2-5.jpg http://gilmore.chem.northwestern.edu/staxt2-8.jpg

Nice pictures Kevin, what would one of these sell for today. Do you have any idea how many T2 amps Stax made?

 

[kevin gilmore]

Market price. Recently one sold for something around $6k.
About 50 to 75 were made. Many had problems due to the
massive amount of heat.

 

[Currawong]

The last couple I saw go here in Japan were over $8k each, but I think there were crazy bidding wars on them which pushed the price over sane levels.

 

[spritzer]

Stax should have etched "Runs hot as hell" into the front panel, it's that bad. The pictures of the prototype do show a much more elaborate cooling setup with chimneys around the tubes and a far more open top plate. This could point to Stax running the amps are full tilt back then but backing off a bit when it came to the production version.

 

[Larry I]

Looks like the T2 is pretty unobtainable. What are the contenders for best non-Stax amplifier/interface for Omega II? Has anyone done a serious comparison between the Ray Samuels A-10 and the Blue Hawaii Special Edition, etc?

 

[Duggeh]

The BHSE is a refinement on the original BH, which was designed by Dr Gilmore as a take on the design of the T2. It's the most powerful option around. The Woo WES and the KGSS are a bit behind and the A-10 a bit further behind still.

It takes a lot of power to drive the O2 to its fullest so the power of the amp is a big factor in how the headphones will sound. But different designs of amp might well be more pleasing to your ears even if they offer less power. The A-10 was designed with the HE90 and the HE-Audio Jade in mind rather than the O2. Similarly the Headamp Aristaeus was designed for compatibility with the HE90 and it too doesn't have the output power of the bigger amps.

AFAIK, nobody has owned more than one of the BGSE/WES/A-10. If they have I haven't read any review.