[ZarakiSan]

I sold my Audio Technica W5000's. I sold my Beyerdynamic DT880's.
 
I heard the Stax 404LE + SRM 323 (not sure on the amp) set at a local meet a year ago and I loved it. It was by far my favorite of all the headphones there, which included an L3000, LCD-2, The R10 and an unfortunately broken HE60 (was going to be repaired soon).
 
Is there anything near the price point of the SRS-2050 set (or the 2170 set, albeit that one is slightly more expensive) that I should look into? I know there's not much out there that sounds quite like an electrostrat, but I'm still curious: would you choose something else for the same kind of money (520 dollars is what I can find the SRS-2050 for, but let's say 650 max) above this set?

 

[orkney]

If you crave that Stax sound, nothing else will do, IMO. I've owned the 404LEs and now have the 2050As as my office system and couldn't be happier with them. The entry-level Stax system is very fine and a little less demanding than some of its higher-end cousins, I think. You might also be able to pick up one of the older Stax setups for well under your budget. Lots of very knowledgeable Stax Folkx here to help you on your path to enlightenment. I'm not sure how different the 2170 is to its predecessor.
 
good luck,
 
o

 

[ZarakiSan]

I was afraid that would be the only answer. And when I say afraid, I mean that I was expecting it to be the only answer.
 
I'm going to see if any good reviews on the new 2170 set show up soon, and otherwise I'll just order the 2050 set.
 
If anyone else does have anything to contribute with, be my guest.

 

[tuanhung303]

recommend for the denon ahd2000 owners, you should buy 2 elastics. By holding the position of the earcups and headbang, it will support the scews, they will not loose . Just in case if you don't want to repair them

 

[sennheiserhd485]

Could someone please answer the OP's original question? I am also looking into the 2050II system. Does it surpass any dynamic headphone in terms of sound quality? Also, would I be able to use it with a Zune? Lastly, how does the energizer connect with the source?

 

[scompton]

Quote:

Could someone please answer the OP's original question? I am also looking into the 2050II system. Does it surpass any dynamic headphone in terms of sound quality? Also, would I be able to use it with a Zune? Lastly, how does the energizer connect with the source?

There is no answer for the OP's original question.  To some people's taste, any stat beats any dynamic period, some people hate stats.
 
As for using with a Zune, that's a low end source but the Stax amp will have line in so if the Zune has line out, you can use it.

 

[sennheiserhd485]

My Zune doesn't have a line-out. What kind of cable do I need to connect the energizer to the line-out of my source? Also, is a regular CD player a low-end source? Is a turntable a high-end source? What about a SACD player?  

 

[scompton]

The Stax amp has RCA inputs so the cable you need has to have RCA on one end and whatever your source needs on the other. 

 

[sennheiserhd485]

Is a regular CD player a low-end source? Is a turntable a high-end source? What about a SACD player?  

 

[scompton]

A CD player is a fine source as is your computer with a decent DAC.  The reason I suggested the Zune is a low end source is I was pretty sure it didn't have line out.  Plus if you have low bit rate tracks, it might not sound as good when you step up to the Stax.  It will be much more revealing than your AD700 and HD485.

 

[sennheiserhd485]

Does this mean that I would get significantly better sound if I used the line-out on a $1000 CD player? Is that possible without an amp? I am confused...

 

[sennheiserhd485]

If I did buy the Stax, I would probably only use Vinyl, CD, and SACD. Would Lossless WMA be acceptable?

 

[scompton]

The SRS-2050 comes with an amp.  With stats you have to either have a stat amp or a transformer box connected to a speaker amp's speaker output. 
 
Lossless is fine, or a CD player, or clean LPs.  The stats will  reveal LPs that aren't in the best of shape.