jkotorman
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2004
- Posts
- 56
- Likes
- 10
I had the opportunity to yesterday audition the Stax SR-303 mated with the SRM-252II. This was out of a fairly high end source so I can't conclude just yet how well it would mate with my Scott Nixon USBTB.
These are my initial impressions and only with respect to the limited headphones I have used such as the RS-1's, DT770's, and PS-1's. The Dynamic headphones were driven out of a RA-1 and Eddie Current EC-01 setup. Here's what struck me with the electrostats:
1. Incredible Soundstaging & Imaging. I could clearly hear the venue size. the instrument separation as well allowed me to hear the different layers within my music.
2. Beautiful Midrange: One of the main reasons why I love my RS-1's but I felt the SR-303 did this even better. It's really hard for me to describe but everything sounded so natural and effortless. There was body, tone, and texture in the voices/instruments and were all very easily discernible. The RS-1's have that too but I feels like I had to focus in and concentrate in order to pick out those details.
3. Detail: My main reason why I was curious about electrostats. All the little details were right there in front of me. I always felt this is where my RS-1's excelled too but with the electrostats, it's almost like I can relax and let the recording take me in rather than concentrating on it. The 303's also had the ability to keep up with fast passages in music and do so in such a coherent manner. It has PRaT but does so in such an effortless manner. If I were to describe it, I would say the 303's have that quiet confidence of knowing it has PRat whereas the RS-1's works hard and calls attention to itself and says "Look! Pay attention to me! I have PRaT!"
4. Highs: Non-fatiguing, smooth, and easily apparent.
5. Bass: The best bass I have heard so far. Very tight and textured with good extension. Impact was more than good enough for me and expected the impact to sound worse based on what I have read. It's actually hard for me to understand why the electrostats get so much bad press in this area.
6. Comfort: I could probably wear these for hours without noticing them. They were even lighter than my RS-1's.
I thought my RS-1's were a keeper but these past few weeks have allowed me to pick apart certain qualities I don't think I can live with in the long run.
1. I noticed recently a strange clipping/distortion (even at very low volumes) in my music. I don't know whether to chalk it up to the headphones or the amps I've used but it shows up in both. I even brought my RS-1/RA-1 combo when I went to audition the Stax and it was still there with a very high end source (Sorry can't recall the source name). I'll note that I was using my Redbook CD's and it was not apparent in the Stax setup. It's possible that the RS-1 are being under driven by the RA-1 and need something more along the lines of a Zana Deux to satisfy my listening levels.
2. The RS-1's seem to produce a strange resonance that makes the bass sound strange. There's this reverb/echo/hollowness I can't really explain and it's something I have just noticed over time. I'm wondering if it's the way the drivers are encased into the wood but someone with more expertise in this area would be able chime in and explain or defend the actual effects.
3. Comfort. I love the flats and find them more comforting than the bowls for my head. They seem to tone down the highs and give the RS-1's more weight in the mids as well. I wear my headphones for usually 4+ hours a day so comfort has become very important for me. I wore the Stax setup for 3+ hours without a hint of fatigue. Usually the slight pain to my ears will kick in within an hour with the RS-1's on my head.
4. SPL matching. This is a very strange issue which may be a result of a number of things. I'm not sure if it's the cause of my ears but it always seems like the RS-1's have a field of view that's skewed more to the left side. It's possible that I may hear better on my left side than on my right but it seems like driver distance is a better remedy because I find it hard to notice on my DT-770's. I think it's still there or it could be all in my head maybe because the left brain is being used to overanalyze what's really not there
.
I'm gonna stop here because I feel I'm being too overcritical of the RS-1's with respect to the SR-303. I do like the RS-1's but it seems like the technology of the electrostats seems to match my listening habits better. There are things I tend to look for now that are different from what I used to look for before. Input is welcome as always and I would like to thank Head-Fi for their wealth of information. My audio journey would be completely lost without this forum.
Sidenote: What amp would be more than sufficient enough to drive the SR-303's. I did notice clipping only past the 2'o clock mark on the SRM-252II. Not that I like listening at extremely high volume levels but I would like an amp that won't clip too early. Or is it the headphones that clip/distort? Are these sufficient enough to drive the SR-303's? Would I be better off driving them with a KGSS or something better in the Stax amp range? Hybrid Tube maybe? I do have tentative plans of eventually upgrading to the SR-007 MK2's but only after I have sufficiently upgraded the chain for the MK2's to really prevail.
These are my initial impressions and only with respect to the limited headphones I have used such as the RS-1's, DT770's, and PS-1's. The Dynamic headphones were driven out of a RA-1 and Eddie Current EC-01 setup. Here's what struck me with the electrostats:
1. Incredible Soundstaging & Imaging. I could clearly hear the venue size. the instrument separation as well allowed me to hear the different layers within my music.
2. Beautiful Midrange: One of the main reasons why I love my RS-1's but I felt the SR-303 did this even better. It's really hard for me to describe but everything sounded so natural and effortless. There was body, tone, and texture in the voices/instruments and were all very easily discernible. The RS-1's have that too but I feels like I had to focus in and concentrate in order to pick out those details.
3. Detail: My main reason why I was curious about electrostats. All the little details were right there in front of me. I always felt this is where my RS-1's excelled too but with the electrostats, it's almost like I can relax and let the recording take me in rather than concentrating on it. The 303's also had the ability to keep up with fast passages in music and do so in such a coherent manner. It has PRaT but does so in such an effortless manner. If I were to describe it, I would say the 303's have that quiet confidence of knowing it has PRat whereas the RS-1's works hard and calls attention to itself and says "Look! Pay attention to me! I have PRaT!"
4. Highs: Non-fatiguing, smooth, and easily apparent.
5. Bass: The best bass I have heard so far. Very tight and textured with good extension. Impact was more than good enough for me and expected the impact to sound worse based on what I have read. It's actually hard for me to understand why the electrostats get so much bad press in this area.
6. Comfort: I could probably wear these for hours without noticing them. They were even lighter than my RS-1's.
I thought my RS-1's were a keeper but these past few weeks have allowed me to pick apart certain qualities I don't think I can live with in the long run.
1. I noticed recently a strange clipping/distortion (even at very low volumes) in my music. I don't know whether to chalk it up to the headphones or the amps I've used but it shows up in both. I even brought my RS-1/RA-1 combo when I went to audition the Stax and it was still there with a very high end source (Sorry can't recall the source name). I'll note that I was using my Redbook CD's and it was not apparent in the Stax setup. It's possible that the RS-1 are being under driven by the RA-1 and need something more along the lines of a Zana Deux to satisfy my listening levels.
2. The RS-1's seem to produce a strange resonance that makes the bass sound strange. There's this reverb/echo/hollowness I can't really explain and it's something I have just noticed over time. I'm wondering if it's the way the drivers are encased into the wood but someone with more expertise in this area would be able chime in and explain or defend the actual effects.
3. Comfort. I love the flats and find them more comforting than the bowls for my head. They seem to tone down the highs and give the RS-1's more weight in the mids as well. I wear my headphones for usually 4+ hours a day so comfort has become very important for me. I wore the Stax setup for 3+ hours without a hint of fatigue. Usually the slight pain to my ears will kick in within an hour with the RS-1's on my head.
4. SPL matching. This is a very strange issue which may be a result of a number of things. I'm not sure if it's the cause of my ears but it always seems like the RS-1's have a field of view that's skewed more to the left side. It's possible that I may hear better on my left side than on my right but it seems like driver distance is a better remedy because I find it hard to notice on my DT-770's. I think it's still there or it could be all in my head maybe because the left brain is being used to overanalyze what's really not there
.I'm gonna stop here because I feel I'm being too overcritical of the RS-1's with respect to the SR-303. I do like the RS-1's but it seems like the technology of the electrostats seems to match my listening habits better. There are things I tend to look for now that are different from what I used to look for before. Input is welcome as always and I would like to thank Head-Fi for their wealth of information. My audio journey would be completely lost without this forum.
Sidenote: What amp would be more than sufficient enough to drive the SR-303's. I did notice clipping only past the 2'o clock mark on the SRM-252II. Not that I like listening at extremely high volume levels but I would like an amp that won't clip too early. Or is it the headphones that clip/distort? Are these sufficient enough to drive the SR-303's? Would I be better off driving them with a KGSS or something better in the Stax amp range? Hybrid Tube maybe? I do have tentative plans of eventually upgrading to the SR-007 MK2's but only after I have sufficiently upgraded the chain for the MK2's to really prevail.
