[Peter_S]

Yes. Keep us informed. I plan to try it with the output of an ayre v5se, an also with the output of my DNA stratus ( I assume the stratus has enough juice as it can drive k1000s but I need to confirm this).

I will be driving Stax SR007 mki's

 

[Tom Blake]

Had a great day auditioning all kinds of high-end headphones at my friend's house today. He is a big Stax collector and has 009's and 007 Mk. I's with a Mjolnir Audio KGSSHV Carbon amp ($4.6K). I also brought the iFi Pro iESL and iCAN duo. First off the KGSSHV Carbon is amazing! However, the iESL + iCAN duo got in the ballpark driving my L500's plus also the 009 and 007 Mk. I. I would say the iESL got to about 80% of the KGSSHV Carbon's level. The Carbon was more resolving, dynamic, warmer, and had a huge soundstage. Truly an impressive amp, but it can only drive Pro bias Stax estats. The ifI Pro duo acquitted itself quite well and at $3.1K for the entire stack can drive any headphone on the planet. It drove the 009'S and 007 Mk. I's quite well. I was truly impressed when we were driving BOTH the 007 Mk. I's from the iESL AND the HE-6 from the iCAN. This was on the +9 dB setting with X-Bass and 3D sound off or at the lowest setting. Both units easily drove both very difficult loads at the same time! My friend also had some older Normal bias Stax headphones that the iESL drove quite well. The flexibility of this unit is beyond compare. At the end of the day I am very happy with the iFi pair even going up against such top benchmarks as the KGSSHV Carbon. I like the 007 Mk. I a lot and am probably eyeing them for an eventual upgrade from my L500's. Need to hear the L700's first though. From what I heard today the iESL paired with the Pro iCAN has no problems driving anything in the Stax stable. Oh it also drove Koss ESP950's quite well also (with a Stax adapter cable). Those were pretty interesting and matched up quite well with the my L500's. My iESL had about 100 hours of burn-in time on it prior to today.

 

[Peter_S]

Had a great day auditioning all kinds of high-end headphones at my friend's house today. He is a big Stax collector and has 009's and 007 Mk. I's with a Mjolnir Audio KGSSHV Carbon amp ($4.6K). I also brought the iFi Pro iESL and iCAN duo. First off the KGSSHV Carbon is amazing! However, the iESL + iCAN duo got in the ballpark driving my L500's plus also the 009 and 007 Mk. I. I would say the iESL got to about 80% of the KGSSHV Carbon's level. The Carbon was more resolving, dynamic, warmer, and had a huge soundstage. Truly an impressive amp, but it can only drive Pro bias Stax estats. The ifI Pro duo acquitted itself quite well and at $3.1K for the entire stack can drive any headphone on the planet. It drove the 009'S and 007 Mk. I's quite well. I was truly impressed when we were driving BOTH the 007 Mk. I's from the iESL AND the HE-6 from the iCAN. This was on the +9 dB setting with X-Bass and 3D sound off or at the lowest setting. Both units easily drove both very difficult loads at the same time! My friend also had some older Normal bias Stax headphones that the iESL drove quite well. The flexibility of this unit is beyond compare. At the end of the day I am very happy with the iFi pair even going up against such top benchmarks as the KGSSHV Carbon. I like the 007 Mk. I a lot and am probably eyeing them for an eventual upgrade from my L500's. Need to hear the L700's first though. From what I heard today the iESL paired with the Pro iCAN has no problems driving anything in the Stax stable. Oh it also drove Koss ESP950's quite well also (with a Stax adapter cable). Those were pretty interesting and matched up quite well with the my L500's. My iESL had about 100 hours of burn-in time on it prior to today.

I wonder how it compares to a 727ii amplifier? Any sense of that?

 

[Tom Blake]

I wonder how it compares to a 727ii amplifier? Any sense of that?

My friend has 2 Stax amps. An older T1 and a 353X. We didn't listen to those today. He does not have a 727II amp, although that would be interesting as it is close to the iESL in price. Since I already have the Pro iCAN it is an easier decision for me to go with the iESL as they work so well with each other. My friend who is a real Stax expert was very impressed with the iESL.

 

[Slim1970]

Look what came in the mail yesterday. I haven't fired it up yet but it's the beginning of my journey into my first pair of electrostatic headphones. It will either be the Stax SR-007 MK2 or the new Mr. Speakers ES when it comes out.

 

[Tom Blake]

You'll love it! I have the same stack. Mine sounds phenomenal with Stax L700's.

 

[Slim1970]

You'll love it! I have the same stack. Mine sounds phenomenal with Stax L700's.

iFi definitely has a winner of a combo with the Pro series. We are 1/3rd away from completing what I think is shaping up to be the ultimate desktop rig. Since I haven't tried iESL yet does the bass boost and 3D+ features from the iCan Pro work with the iESL? Also, does the Stax L700's have bass?

 

[Tom Blake]

Yes to both questions! The X-Bass control really helps Stax out as they can sound a bit thin in the bass. The L700 is pretty good in the bass department though. I am very happy with the L700. It is a tremendous value in the Stax line. I expect the Mr Speakers electrostat to be nearly double the price. It will have to really outperform the L700 to even tempt me. If you are considering the 007's make sure you audition the L700 also! The iESL drives the L700s beautifully with iCAN set to +9 dB gain. I don't have to go above 12 o'clock on the volume control. This is at the 64 ohm impedance setting on the iESL.

 

[Slim1970]

Yes to both questions! The X-Bass control really helps Stax out as they can sound a bit thin in the bass. The L700 is pretty good in the bass department though. I am very happy with the L700. It is a tremendous value in the Stax line. I expect the Mr Speakers electrostat to be nearly double the price. It will have to really outperform the L700 to even tempt me. If you are considering the 007's make sure you audition the L700 also! The iESL drives the L700s beautifully with iCAN set to +9 dB gain. I don't have to go above 12 o'clock on the volume control. This is at the 64 ohm impedance setting on the iESL.

Good to know that the X-Bass and 3D+ settings work with the iESL. I figured they would but I wanted to be sure. The Stax L700's do look like a bargain in the electrostat world. I'm going to do some research on them and look for some reviews and comparison videos. Pricing hasn't been set on the Mr. Speakers ES yet. All that's being said about pricing is it will be below $3,000 dollars. But they have been shown off at various can jams already and have be winning awards. The owner at Mr. Speakers has an iESL on hand so it should be interesting if he's tuning them to match it.

 

[Peter_S]

Impressions anybody??????

 

[Andrew Nguyen]

How do these compare to the 353x? I'm looking into getting the L700s and the 353x was the end game amp for them. But I was wondering how do these compare as I can use other cans with these, not just electrostatics.

 

[Allanmarcus]

Is there at advantage using the iESL with dynamic (balanced) headphones vs a headphone amp feeding the iESL? Or is the dynamic balanced out of the iESL pretty much there to convert speaker out of full amp into headphone out?

 

[Fastnbulbous]

My electrostatic headphone transformer-coupled energiser arrived at work just a few minutes ago. Unfortunately I have to lock it up as I am doing a track workout right after work today, but I'll lug it (it feels heavier than the iCAN) home tomorrow! I'll try it with my HE-6, and then anxiously await for MrSpeakers to ship.

 

[Slim1970]

On my iESL the power light stays green, it should be orange. Is my unit defective?

 

[Peter_S]

I just ordered one on Music Direct for only $839. I don't know why they are selling so discounted, but with a 60-day trial period, I'm looking forward to giving it a try. There have been scant reviews on this unit, which makes me nervous, but I will review when it comes. The lead out time is 4-8 weeks, so it could be a while, unless they get it to me earlier. Best, Peter