[nvfan]

I see lots of articles saying people are driving 007s and 009s out of the Kingsound M03 portable amp.

On the other hand on Head-Fi Spritzer supposedly said its dangerous and you need to install a resistor to do it.

Which is true? Is it just a precaution that isnt' necessary?

 

[jcn3]

I see lots of articles saying people are driving 007s and 009s out of the Kingsound M03 portable amp.

On the other hand on Head-Fi Spritzer supposedly said its dangerous and you need to install a resistor to do it.

Which is true? Is it just a precaution that isnt' necessary?

trust what @spritzer says. he knows more about stax equipment than almost anyone else on head-fi.

 

[Whitigir]

trust what @spritzer says. he knows more about stax equipment than almost anyone else on head-fi.

That is exactly it ! You do not want to fry your 007 or especially 009

 

[JimL11]

I agree with the others. Also, based on Kevin Gilmore's published schematics of the Kingsound M10 and M20, I would much rather buy a used or new Stax portable amp - the Stax solid state designs of the 1990s were better than the M10 of today IMO. The Stax SRM252 is very good as a semi-portable amp (you need a wall-wart PS), and the SRD-Xh battery powered amp is a discontinued design that shows up on eBay from time to time.

 

[miko64]

I agree with the others. Also, based on Kevin Gilmore's published schematics of the Kingsound M10 and M20, I would much rather buy a used or new Stax portable amp - the Stax solid state designs of the 1990s were better than the M10 of today IMO. The Stax SRM252 is very good as a semi-portable amp (you need a wall-wart PS), and the SRD-Xh battery powered amp is a discontinued design that shows up on eBay from time to time.

Just a comment, you can easily transform srm252 into a portable device (as I did) by buying a 12V battery using a correct plug. Add. benefit there is no residual ac noise.

 

[musicday]

There is a Headfi member that with Kingsound M03 and 009 and he use it quite often without problems, and i don't think he installed the resistor.

 

[JimL11]

There is a Headfi member that with Kingsound M03 and 009 and he use it quite often without problems, and i don't think he installed the resistor.

People drive around without seat belts all the time, too.

 

[nvfan]

People drive around without seat belts all the time, too.

My understanding is not even all Stax amps, nor necessarily all third party amps like from Cavailli, have that resistor either, so it may be something that's overblown, otherwise people would be blowing up 007s/009s with older Stax amps and 3rd party amps all the time.

 

[stersa]

Hi.
I use it with all lambdas series,and sometimes with 009 and 007.

No noise,no popping,no issues.
Its a recommended gear for a portable use.

It s a powerful amp and longtime battery duration. I like it.

Regards

Sisco

 

[JimL11]

My understanding is not even all Stax amps, nor necessarily all third party amps like from Cavailli, have that resistor either, so it may be something that's overblown, otherwise people would be blowing up 007s/009s with older Stax amps and 3rd party amps all the time.

The older Stax amps don't have output and bias supply resistors, but the newer ones do, so I assume there's a good reason for that. However, the main thing they are there for is in case something goes wrong - as long as things are working properly, no problem. Just like seat belts - as long as nothing goes wrong, no problem. Hence my analogy. I still wear seat belts.

 

[wink]

My understanding is not even all Stax amps, nor necessarily all third party amps like from Cavailli, have that resistor either, so it may be something that's overblown, otherwise people would be blowing up 007s/009s with older Stax amps and 3rd party amps all the time.

.
So, pull out all your fuses from your power distribution board and replace them with solid copper links.
No problem... until something goes wrong, that is........

 

[arjuna93]

Hi.
I use it with all lambdas series,and sometimes with 009 and 007.

No noise,no popping,no issues.
Its a recommended gear for a portable use.

It s a powerful amp and longtime battery duration. I like it.

Regards

Sisco

How does it compare to basic-level Stax drivers?

 

[alexdemaet]

I am happy that I have decided to keep my electrostatitic headphone. I have already sold an iFi IESL. I sold almost all my estat gear because I find estats hard to drive.
Now I am waiting to receive a Kingsound M-03.
I am planning to connect the Kingsound M-03 to a Topping LA90. I do not know if this will work out fine. Maybe the M-03 will not require the power from a speaker amp.

 

[JimL11]

I am planning to connect the Kingsound M-03 to a Topping LA90. I do not know if this will work out fine. Maybe the M-03 will not require the power from a speaker amp.

That really is NOT a good idea. The Topping LA90 is a power amplifier, which can put out up to about 30V RMS. The Kingsound M-03 is a portable stat amp (conceptually similar to a Stax SRM252), which is rated at an input level of 0.3V RMS. That is 100-fold lower voltage than what the LA90 can output. That means that you would have to crank the volume control of the M-03 almost down to zero to achieve a decent (i.e. not ear-damaging) level. As with all analog volume controls, the channel imbalances are invariably worse at low levels. The M-03 is designed to take a line-level voltage input, NOT a power amplifier level voltage.

 

[alexdemaet]

That really is NOT a good idea. The Topping LA90 is a power amplifier, which can put out up to about 30V RMS. The Kingsound M-03 is a portable stat amp (conceptually similar to a Stax SRM252), which is rated at an input level of 0.3V RMS. That is 100-fold lower voltage than what the LA90 can output. That means that you would have to crank the volume control of the M-03 almost down to zero to achieve a decent (i.e. not ear-damaging) level. As with all analog volume controls, the channel imbalances are invariably worse at low levels. The M-03 is designed to take a line-level voltage input, NOT a power amplifier level voltage.

Thanks. It is always best to ask some info before trying stupid things. Maybe there is a reason/logic that estats are not meant to sound as loud as dynamic headphones