FOUND STAX SR-40 in basement! Wh

[Valtert]

Hello! 
 
I was in by basement today, and i found a pair of STAX SR-40! 
I'm new to this whole 'highendsound' thing but when i googled them i found that they were very pricey indeed! 
 
The connection is very weird. and it only connects to a adaptor i also found, SRD-7/SB.
 
How do i use these headphones? And is it possible to find some kind of converter to a 3.5 mm jack?
 

// Valter

 

[idletime1213]

They have their own eletrostatic amplifiers, you can't connect them to ordinary headphone amplifiers.

 

[dcpoor]

eh, did you find a sr-40 or a sr-404? completely different headphones. and a sr-404 found with a srd-7/sb would be an odd pairing. the srd-7/sb is a normal bias amp while the sr-404 is a pro bias headphone/earspeaker.

 

[Posam]

I will offer you TWO internets for your find.
But yes as others were saying they are really good high end headphones that need a special amp.

 

[catscratch]

The energizer box should connect to the output of a speaker amp. No, they won't work from a headphone jack. The SR-40 is an electret IIRC while the 404 you pictured is a full electrostat, though keep in mind that there are a LOT of headphones that look like the 404, so you're really better off asking in the Stax thread in the high-end forum.

 

[NamelessPFG]

The SR-40 is an electret that should come with an SRD-4 transformer box, which needs speaker-level input. (Oddly enough, you got an SRD-7/SB instead, but functionally, it's much the same except that you have the option to upgrade to Normal bias electrostatic sets.)
 
You can't plug any Stax headphone into a standard TRS headphone jack due to how differently they function (electrostatic amps are the main reason they're so expensive), though there are non-Stax electrets floating around that do use TRS jacks and small transformers somewhere along the cable, or in the headphones themselves.
 
You can try searching around the local thrift stores for an old receiver/integrated amplifier. That should do the trick, though it'll require a lot of desk space.

 

[ri_toast]

This "found a Stax setup in my basement / attic" seems to come up a lot.
I went to the basement and didn't find any....whats up with that!?
 
i have a couple srd4's if someone finds a Stax earspeaker without the adapter/transformer

 

[nick n]

Great find whichever it is. Free is always good.

 

[Valtert]

Ok. i now understand that it's only possible to have them sitting down. haha
The little "black box" has a gray cable coming out of if with 4 small cables inside.. one white, one red, one blue, and one green... what do i do?

 

[spritzer]

Those wires connect to a speaker amp and the pinout is explained on the back panel of the SRD