[gilency]

I agree with Defqon.  No burning needed. This issue has been discussed many times.

 

[kiertijai]

I don't know this one against common knowledge, it did improve their SQ a lot after the burnin.
At first listening may be 2-3 wks before I decided to purchase I don't think it's that good
but when I listened to it again then I decided to get it. It was the same old pair demo using
the same amplifier playing music via the same meridian server so I don't know. May be they tweaked
something that I don't know. People there also explained that it needed burnin for 200 hours, so
I don't know I will try this one and will know soon because I will not change the setup.

 

[DefQon]

It is just your brain adjusting to the sound as there are no moving parts to the extent that is present in dynamic and planar-magnetic headphones.
 
Also 15-30 minute meet impressions greatly differ to when you have the actual item in house with your own setup and unlimited amount of time you spend to understand the headphones itself.
 
But it could be a possibility that the meet used a prototype headphone and amp so may reflect on differences compared to the final product that is being sold now.

 

[gilency]

If it has no rational basis, it doesn't ring true.
Your brain may adjust to a different sound, so in a way, perception of  sound may change, not the headphones themselves. Then there is the placebo effect.
I rather not discuss this issue here since many people are very sensitive to this topic.

 

[rawrster]

So it sounds like this is a no go?
 
I wish I heard the prototype when Drew from Moon Audio had them at a meet in NYC over the summer. I get really intrigued when opinions on a headphone are bad for some reason...

 

[DefQon]

Since Stax has been the optimus prime in the field of the electrostatic headphones and have been for a very very long time, we use any new/modern off the shelf product(s) using the same technology to compare against Stax and/or Koss as they are the benchmark baseline.
 
If Stax can produce a $500-700 basic electrostatic system package and with no shortcomings of problems and sound great at the same time, than it is no excuse that another company can do the same or similar, unfortunately newer stuff such as the Jade (plagued with build and reliability issues) and now this (design issues) it is a case of disappointment.

 

[spritzer]

There is no such thing as burn in.  If a change that is dramatic enough for us to hear it is occurring then why can't it be measured?  Our ears are pretty much terrible for anything but side by side comparisons but we have equipment that can measure things we couldn't even dream of detecting.  All in all this is just a line manufactures use to make people listen to gear longer as first impressions are often incomplete at best. 
 
In some way the M-10 and M-20 amps are burning in as the PCB's are being cooked.  I'd call it a miracle if these amps will last 2 years with normal usage. 

 

[DefQon]

I want to see some exploding SMD cap's, never seen that before. 

 

[Operakid]

Spritzer is so correct about burn-in.  A concept used by dealers and manufacturers to keep folks from returning things, and to get them to become used to the colorations of their gear so that other gear sounds wrong.  
 
I especially like his last line about the boards literally cooking.  A real case of burn-in indeed! 

 

[spritzer]

While waiting for my large lot of different replacement earpads to arrive I installed some old Stax SR-007 units.  They fit perfectly and now the odd echo effect is gone but the bass is also more subdued.  It's more neutral though so lean when it should be and more bloom when the source material calls for it. 
 
I will probably crack the drivers open soon to make sure they are connected correctly.  There are some small phase issues so it's worth looking into. 

 

[SIGcollector]

  So it sounds like this is a no go?
 
I wish I heard the prototype when Drew from Moon Audio had them at a meet in NYC over the summer. I get really intrigued when opinions on a headphone are bad for some reason...

 
I listened to the prototype pair twice during the NYC meet and was impressed both times with direct comparisons against the HE-500 and LCD2, so needless to say I've been very surprised by the strong negative reactions to the audio quality. I have no doubt that MLE's suggestion of a Stax bias here is accurate to some extent, but with THAT many poor reviews it does make me wonder what changed from the setup I demo'd. I suppose it's certainly possible that Drew was running a custom EQ for them at the meet, but I would be surprised if there were significant design changes made for the production models. The only reason that I personally went with the LCD2's instead of the KS a few months back is because I was concerned with the build quality, longevity, and customer support on a brand new product. Speaking strictly from the descriptions of those that have dissected the SS amp and the headphone, I'm glad I went the direction that I did. If there's a pair of unmolested KS headphones at the fall meet, I'll be first in line for a direct comparison with my LCD2.2 setup.
 
 

  Not to mention the early impressions posted here were meet/demo impressions from a few "not so experienced" posters. 
 

Spoken like true Stax Mafia. 

 

[wink]

The Stax Mafia are experienced in good sonic representations, and not newbie converts to headphones who are gobsmacked and astonished at the quality of Beats, Bose and other basic headphone models.

 

[SIGcollector]

  The Stax Mafia are experienced in good sonic representations, and not newbie converts to headphones who are gobsmacked and astonished at the quality of Beats, Bose and other basic headphone models.

 
I sincerely hope you're not attempting to insinuate that I'm a "newbie convert." That would be a gross miscalculation.

 

[wink]

Nope, just correcting any chance of a misconception.......

 

[spritzer]

Spoken like true Stax Mafia. 

 
No, spoken like somebody who knows meet impressions are utterly useless and easily manipulated.  If CanJam hadn't died in 2010 we would have setup a test to showcase this in 2011.