- Joined
- Mar 13, 2007
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- 28
All together:
Earspeaker detail:
Cable detail:
Transformer detail:
How does it sound? Like the offpsring of the super-detailed and analytical K240DF I owned for a couple days and the musical, foot-tapping, engaging Grado SR225i or HF-1. The clarity and openness is amazing, but it still has an in-your-face sort of sound to it. Not as aggressive as the Grados, though.
I have no reference for soundstage, again having exclusively owned Grados for the past year, but the soundstage is absolutely better than the SR225i or HF-1 that I had. When my girlfriend was over demoing these, I wanted her to notice a guitar in a track that I had never even noticed before. I literally pointed to about 2 o'clock and told her to listen there for it, and she got it! Instrument placement and separation is great. I can easily pick out any instrument in the mix.
The mids I believe are the strong point. Of course, they are ultra-fast and open. Guitars and drums are the standouts of any track that has them. I want to take a moment to discuss the drums... they sound wonderfully... percussive. I really don't know how to describe them, but I have a couple friends who are drummers who I've heard play (I don't ever refer to rock concerts in critical listening, everything is over-amplified.) Anyone who has heard live, unamplified drumming knows that drums have a certain energy and weight, and these Stax convey this very well. I think that weight is a key word, that and impact. And I'm sure owing to the electrostatic design, the SR-5 easily keep up with frenetic guitar riffs and complex solos.
For bass, I'll again refer back to my SR225i. They had good impact and decent quantity, and were rather fast. With my RE0, bass is lean but fast and open/clear. The bass signature of the SR-5 leans much more towards the RE0. A kick drum sounds exactly like a kick drum, and a bass guitar sounds exactly like a bass guitar should. Bass is never over-the-top in presentation, and I'm sure some would consider it weak. However, I think that it is the perfect kind of bass for rock, metal, etc where speed and tightness are a priority rather than huge impact and quantity. I really couldn't ask for better bass on these phones, for the genres I listen to.
Treble... well I'm not good at describing treble, but I would describe it as decent. It definitely can sound too aggressive or loud compared to the rest of the mix, depending on the track. I don't have audiophile trained ears, but I'm sure that the treble is a bit boosted in one area or another.
Since I know that they're not a hugely popular 'phone, I'll do my best to answer questions and keep this thread updated... I feel like they're a really underappreciated or off-the-radar 'phone that deserves more popularity. I truly cannot think of a setup I'd rather have for ~$250 than the SRD-6/SR-5 combo... It just trounces my $215 SR225i and $290 HF-1 in every way.
Questions, comments, requests, etc: Fire away!
Earspeaker detail:
Cable detail:
Transformer detail:
How does it sound? Like the offpsring of the super-detailed and analytical K240DF I owned for a couple days and the musical, foot-tapping, engaging Grado SR225i or HF-1. The clarity and openness is amazing, but it still has an in-your-face sort of sound to it. Not as aggressive as the Grados, though.
I have no reference for soundstage, again having exclusively owned Grados for the past year, but the soundstage is absolutely better than the SR225i or HF-1 that I had. When my girlfriend was over demoing these, I wanted her to notice a guitar in a track that I had never even noticed before. I literally pointed to about 2 o'clock and told her to listen there for it, and she got it! Instrument placement and separation is great. I can easily pick out any instrument in the mix.
The mids I believe are the strong point. Of course, they are ultra-fast and open. Guitars and drums are the standouts of any track that has them. I want to take a moment to discuss the drums... they sound wonderfully... percussive. I really don't know how to describe them, but I have a couple friends who are drummers who I've heard play (I don't ever refer to rock concerts in critical listening, everything is over-amplified.) Anyone who has heard live, unamplified drumming knows that drums have a certain energy and weight, and these Stax convey this very well. I think that weight is a key word, that and impact. And I'm sure owing to the electrostatic design, the SR-5 easily keep up with frenetic guitar riffs and complex solos.
For bass, I'll again refer back to my SR225i. They had good impact and decent quantity, and were rather fast. With my RE0, bass is lean but fast and open/clear. The bass signature of the SR-5 leans much more towards the RE0. A kick drum sounds exactly like a kick drum, and a bass guitar sounds exactly like a bass guitar should. Bass is never over-the-top in presentation, and I'm sure some would consider it weak. However, I think that it is the perfect kind of bass for rock, metal, etc where speed and tightness are a priority rather than huge impact and quantity. I really couldn't ask for better bass on these phones, for the genres I listen to.
Treble... well I'm not good at describing treble, but I would describe it as decent. It definitely can sound too aggressive or loud compared to the rest of the mix, depending on the track. I don't have audiophile trained ears, but I'm sure that the treble is a bit boosted in one area or another.
Since I know that they're not a hugely popular 'phone, I'll do my best to answer questions and keep this thread updated... I feel like they're a really underappreciated or off-the-radar 'phone that deserves more popularity. I truly cannot think of a setup I'd rather have for ~$250 than the SRD-6/SR-5 combo... It just trounces my $215 SR225i and $290 HF-1 in every way.
Questions, comments, requests, etc: Fire away!
