[Pokemonn]

yes, more companies... its good idea. but sony? I feel chilly with my idea. lol

 

[raypin]

Mm..nothing prevents Sony from making its own Hidh-end estat series. But perhaps the reason for not doing that is the market for high-end estat is just too small a market for Sony to even bother itself with. Even here, I'd be surpised if even 1% of membership own a set. I think the problem is the relatively high barrier to entry. It costs a lot more because it needs a dedicated amp. It is always a set. Big disadvantage.

 

[erik701]

Mm..nothing prevents Sony from making its own Hidh-end estat series. But perhaps the reason for not doing that is the market for high-end estat is just too small a market for Sony to even bother itself with. Even here, I'd be surpised if even 1% of membership own a set. I think the problem is the relatively high barrier to entry. It costs a lot more because it needs a dedicated amp. It is always a set. Big disadvantage.

That's exactly the reason. Most people thinking about electrostatic headphones already own some dynamic or planar-magnetic headphones and some amp able to drive them. Electrostatic headphones would be much popular if we could just purchase one and use with current amp. That's exactly my situation.

It doesn't matter only when somebody is starting with this hobby and needs headphones as well as amp, but how many people are starting any hobby with one of the top end and most expensive option?

Maybe solution would be headphones with integrated amp in body, kind of Sennheiser HE-1, but compatible with classic tube or solid state amps. I don't know if something like this is even possible today, maybe in the future...

 

[JimL11]

Mm..nothing prevents Sony from making its own Hidh-end estat series. But perhaps the reason for not doing that is the market for high-end estat is just too small a market for Sony to even bother itself with. Even here, I'd be surpised if even 1% of membership own a set. I think the problem is the relatively high barrier to entry. It costs a lot more because it needs a dedicated amp. It is always a set. Big disadvantage.

That's exactly the reason. Most people thinking about electrostatic headphones already own some dynamic or planar-magnetic headphones and some amp able to drive them. Electrostatic headphones would be much popular if we could just purchase one and use with current amp. That's exactly my situation.

It doesn't matter only when somebody is starting with this hobby and needs headphones as well as amp, but how many people are starting any hobby with one of the top end and most expensive option?

Maybe solution would be headphones with integrated amp in body, kind of Sennheiser HE-1, but compatible with classic tube or solid state amps. I don't know if something like this is even possible today, maybe in the future...

Actually, it's not such a high cost if you're willing to buy used. Some of the old Stax headphones such as the SR-5, Lambda normal bias, etc, can be gotten used with a Stax energizer for not a lot of money on eBay.

My first (and only, for many years) headphones were Stax SR-5s with SRD-6 energizer, which can be hooked up to any speaker amp, for $95 used in the 1980s, which is less than $250 in today's terms.

 

[raypin]

Mm....Stax 002 is budget Stax (I have one) but have you seen the design? It is not a popular model but I can see the reason for it: Stax trying to mainstream the estat hp. I wish Stax would up its game by improving its design. Sonoma's design work is just beautiful. HFM is attempting the same with the SGL Jr. But unfortunately, the problem is still the price points. They need to figure out how to bring the cost down in order to make estat headphones more mainstream than the outliers that they are.

 

[Sanfasteryler]

Listened to this headphones today along with the big boy, Shangri-la today.
Gonna say it sound pretty good, but for $8k, I don't think it really worth the price.
Same goes for the shangri-la. In terms of build quality, comfort, is still no match for the sennheiser Orpheus. The AMP part is really big but with no apparent reason other than making it easier to reach to volume wheel. And the glossy material of the unit soaks up fingerprints. Making it kinda gross to look at.

 

[mulveling]

This electrostatic headphone "niche" is kinda what the whole headphone hobby used to be like, before that all exploded in the mid 2000's. It's kinda nice, if you ask me. They can keep all that chaos and mediocre-product churn over on the dynamic/planar side of things.

 

[ToroFiestaSol]

This electrostatic headphone "niche" is kinda what the whole headphone hobby used to be like, before that all exploded in the mid 2000's. It's kinda nice, if you ask me. They can keep all that chaos and mediocre-product churn over on the dynamic/planar side of things.

Game, set and match.

 

[raypin]

Mm...perhaps but the churn, as you put it, has led to excellent headphones like the Focal Utopia and the LCD 4. Or even the LCDi4. More exciting, imo.

 

[Matez]

Mm...perhaps but the churn, as you put it, has led to excellent headphones like the Focal Utopia and the LCD 4. Or even the LCDi4. More exciting, imo.

So it's not only my observation that as far as sound quality goes, things are better than ever. Good to know

 

[FastAndClean]

This electrostatic headphone "niche" is kinda what the whole headphone hobby used to be like, before that all exploded in the mid 2000's. It's kinda nice, if you ask me. They can keep all that chaos and mediocre-product churn over on the dynamic/planar side of things.

i know what you mean lol, i tried entry level Stax before, but back then i was liking bass heavy headphones with warm tuning, but now when i like more neutral and smooth sound i remember the sweet entry level Stax system, electrostats are in my future for sure

 

[Matez]

i know what you mean lol, i tried entry level Stax before, but back then i was liking bass heavy headphones with warm tuning, but now when i like more neutral and smooth sound i remember the sweet entry level Stax system, electrostats are in my future for sure

On some level I can resonate with that. Estats will probably never be my first choice, but as an addition to what I already have, why not?

 

[astrostar59]

i know what you mean lol, i tried entry level Stax before, but back then i was liking bass heavy headphones with warm tuning, but now when i like more neutral and smooth sound i remember the sweet entry level Stax system, electrostats are in my future for sure

Great bass and dynamics awaits with the 009 and Carbon and the right choice of DAC. You CAN have it all, trust me.

 

[ubs28]

That's exactly the reason. Most people thinking about electrostatic headphones already own some dynamic or planar-magnetic headphones and some amp able to drive them. Electrostatic headphones would be much popular if we could just purchase one and use with current amp. That's exactly my situation.

It doesn't matter only when somebody is starting with this hobby and needs headphones as well as amp, but how many people are starting any hobby with one of the top end and most expensive option?

Maybe solution would be headphones with integrated amp in body, kind of Sennheiser HE-1, but compatible with classic tube or solid state amps. I don't know if something like this is even possible today, maybe in the future...

For me too. It was either going with the Focal Utopia or the SR-009. In the end I went with the Focal Utopia since it could be used straight out of the Chord Dave which SR-009 cannot do. Definetly was not interested in buying a special amplifier for 1 headphone.

 

[astrostar59]

IMO as you get 'more' from any HP or high end speaker there is a price, and I am not talking cost. If we hear more, reveal more, get closer to what is on the recording or the attempted reproduction of what is on the recording, we hit more buffers and it can be, simply another annoyance to overcome. In my Stax journey, I found such things a distraction, annoying on some material, but overall something kept me interested and kept me using the Stax gear on a regular basis.

So all the 'problems' or shall I say weaknesses in the original Lambda series, the Lambda Pro, then the LNS. I liked the LNS the best at that point. But kept going into the 007 MK2 (dull and slow) to 009s (fast and revealing) and then another 007A 2015. Amonst all of this typical Stax journey so many have made, I moved amps from various Stax units to a KGSShv, (and ordered and cancelled the BHSE twice), then the KGSShv Carbon. Then amongst all that chaos, I moved DACs from various units to a range of Audio Note DACs till I got the DAC 5, which is a super smooth tubed NOS type DAC.

Finally, heaven, really a sound I can't fault in any way, everything sounds right to me. It gives me a wow moment every time I put them on, and I can listen at volume for hours with no fatigue or 'getting bored', track swopping.

In my mind it is all down to synergy. At Can-Jam I heard other phones (Audeze, Focal) with a great sound that really was balanced and real sounding, not hyper detailed (false) or digital (as in nothing like real music). But at that show and in some cases, on the more expensive systems the sound was way off where I would want to be or enjoy long term, just plain off.

This to me shows we bolt stuff together and hope we hit the jackpot. Stuff made by a variety of manufactures and listen to it, see if that beats the last one we heard. It is not just the HP, the amp or the DAC, it is how they all go together, the sum of the parts. And as the speaker, or in our case the HP gets better, the upstream gear matters even more, and if it isn't right, it can sound horrendous TBH. What bugs me is why one manufacturer can't make a top HP AND amp and DAC, that really blows us away. Maybe that has happened with the HE-1? I heard it in a poor demo situation at Can-Jam, it showed promise, but didn't shine then. And the price of that system leaves pretty much everyone out of the picture.

But this is not a negative point, it is the journey we seem to go on. But one we need to get to an end point,. more or less. Then forget the gear and talk about the music instead.

Anyway, my rambling for today.