[Jono3642]

Okay here is what I have narrowed it down to:

Stax 3030 System- $800

Obviously this will be ultra-detailed and forward but I worry that on some of my recordings on my cd's which admittedly are not good, i worry that it will make a percent of my collection unlistenable, will it?
Any stax owners have any opinions. Has anyone tried both the 4040 and 3030, differences?

Senn HD-650 + Emmeline XP7 $900

Senn HD-650 + Perreaux SXH-1 $800

This will be smoother, better bass, more dynamic

etc. I worry that they will have the same recessed treble that drove me crazy on the HD600 (stock cable) I never upgraded the cable on the HD600 and always felt like the music was coming from another room. I felt the veil big time. Recessed

I like all types of music but am not ultra-classical or on the other side of the spectrum crazy rock.

I need a generalizer that sounds fantastic but doesn't destroy me on bad recordings. I hate harsh-ness, I like forward headphones but cannot stand bright harshness.

Source would be Linn Karik + Numerik

Think an older version of todays Linn Ikemi, I prefer the Karik Numerik combination.

Any ideas

 

[strohmie]

Just a pricing note - the Senn HD650 and Perreaux combination shouldn't be anywhere near $950. The Senns cost, what, $450 new, and the Perreaux is only $300 (a bargain, IMO). If you were then to buy one of the upgrade cables new, *then* the price might be about $950.

But just HD650 + Perreaux should be $750-$800

 

[Wmcmanus]

I cannot comment on any of those exact combos, as I have not heard them and suspect that very few people (if any) have heard even 2 out of the 3 combos you've listed. My suggestion would be to read as much as you can about each piece of gear that you are considering by searching the head-fi archives. Pay especially close attention to the electorstat dymanic types of threads.

You should also check your prices because I'm pretty sure the XP-7 is more expensive (about $499) than the SXH-1 (around $349 if I'm not mistaken). IMO, the XP-7 is a tremendous value for it's price (which I own), but many people feel the same way about the SXH-1 (which I have not heard).

Edit: I hadn't seen strohmie's comments about pricing. He seems to be more up to date than I am, so trust his numbers. $950 would be accurate for the HD650 / XP-7 combo.

 

[Wmcmanus]

I heard the HD650's very briefly at the NY meet in October and they WAY WAY WAY impressed me for a $500 headphone. They did a lot of things right, and nothing in particular wrong. I can see why so many people are happy with these cans. In my estimation, they represent a huge improvement over the HD600's (even the HD650's with stock cables best the HD600's with the Cardas replacement cable).

 

[ServinginEcuador]

IMHO, go for the Stax at this price point. You already have the source to run them well, and MAN OH MAN do they sound nice. They are not too bright, but definitely forward in their presentation. (I own the SR404 cans, not the SR303, BTW.) Nice bass and great overall sound. Instrument separation is better than anything else I have heard short of the R10 and CD3K, but sounds more natural.

 

[Hajime]

I actually own equiptment pretty close to the two you're comparing. I own the Stax SR-404 earspeakers with the SRM-313 driver unit and a pair of HD650's with an Emmeline HR-2. I prefer the sound of the HD650's because of the way it does vocals. Both setups have their good points. If you'd like I can post some further comments.

 

[Jono3642]

I would love it if you could post some further comments, please be as verbose as you like

 

[Hajime]

I don't have much time right now due to school work but I'll listen and give some detailed comments tomorrow afternoon.

 

[gpalmer]

I have the 650 and HR-2 combination and it is a very nice combination, if you like it's sound you will have to drop a lot more money to beat it! I have seen enough comparisons of the HR-2 and the XP-7 that state they sound very similar I will assume it's true. This combination is particularly nice in the areas of detail, smoothness, the blackness of the background, the dynamics, and it's speed is very good also. Possible down sides -> Everything is a little smoother and more polished than in real life (may be a plus or a minus). This affects things like acoustic guitars where the edge of the plucked note will not be as sharp as it might be in real life, and electric guitars might not have quite the bite they do in real life. Harmonics of notes and textures are conveyed accurately and realistically although you are at some distance from the instrument since the top end is definitely rolled off. I particularly like the overtones on the bass notes of a piano, the reverberation and power of a piano seems to get caught quite nicely. Frequency extension is not quite as great as something like a Gilmore (it's still very good and very balanced though).

I've seen a number of posts that thought that the 3030 system did not really compare to dynamic phones a the same price level, but I haven't heard it, don't know this of my own experience. So as you have probably guessed, I voted 650 - XP-7.

 

[Sean H]

So far there is one vote for the Perreaux/HD650, wonder who's that is??

Being a Perreaux/HD650 owner myself I can vouch for this great combination that little if any other than myself has heard. The sonic signature of both the HD650 and Perreaux are quite similar and with that they form an extremely coherent and natural synergy. It's an amazing pair. Ironically I have a hankering to try the XP-7 and have plans to after the holidays blow through but there's a part of me that wants to forgo that because I can't imagine actually getting rid of the Perreaux- I like it so much. It's too bad this amp has not got more popular here at Head-Fi, especially among HD600/650 owners. You would not believe how well the Perreaux gets the all important midrange right in spades. But then again I hear nothing but praise for the XP-7 too. All I can say is I can vouch for the HD650/Perreaux pairing and can tell you it is fantastic.

 

[Uncledan]

vote for HD650 here, since you can upgrade your amp later if you choose HD650 combo. On the other hand, STAX system is pretty hard to upgrade. If you want to upgrade your STAX system, you have to upgrade your system in combo, since it is hard to resale your amp/headphone alone.

 

[Geek]

The HD600 actually sounds slightly forward and bright if they are driven properly, but thats an issue with the source. I think that an HD650 has fewer treble bumps, but overall a slightly more aggressive sound especially in the midrange which is full of energy and excitement.

If you thought the HD600 sounded dull I would probably dodge the HD650 though. It has an organic signature to it which will probably drive people nuts.

The 650s have the most powerful bass response of any headphone I've listened to, smashing the DT770s to bits.

Cheers,
Geek

 

[Spent&Bent]

I agree with SIE, the stax system sounds great, just give it a fair listen for at least a few hours if not days.

 

[pikawel]

...and there you go, everyone has a different opinion

 

[tom hankins]

The Stax 3030 system is the only stax I've heard and it didn't impress me the way the HD650's do. I have not heard any of the other amps you are looking at but the HD650 is a winner.