[Nick R]

 
 
 
 
Can someone tell me a little bit about these? If they are any good or not. They have a 5 Pronged cable and I don't know what I can plug that into. They are my Dad's from back in the day, so I'm guessing they're from the mid 80's but I could be wrong. Any information on these would be great

 

[Nick R]

UPDATE: I found the adapter, but the end of the cable is exposed with Red, Black, Green, and White cables. How do I get this ready for use? what do I need to do?

 

[goodvibes]

They get connected to an amp's speaker out. Don'r recall the color code but the internet is your friend. SR-30s were the least expensive Stax and electret so not as informative as their electrostatic models.

 

[ri_toast]

ok, good you've got the transformer. should be directions on the back. they connect to the speaker outputs of a stereo right input; red is + black is - left input white is + green is -
hook it up, lower the volume, turn it on, adjust slowly, report back. enjoy

 

[ri_toast]

an sr3 sold on ebay today for 188.00 / untested / as is / no returns, might not be the same model; http://www.ebay.com/itm/200692974984?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

 

[Nick R]

Quote:

ok, good you've got the transformer. should be directions on the back. they connect to the speaker outputs of a stereo right input; red is + black is - left input white is + green is -
hook it up, lower the volume, turn it on, adjust slowly, report back. enjoy

I'm such a rookie at this, what do I put on the ends of the wires? I have some banana clips I think and then I have pin connectors. Do i put each wire in it's own connector?

 

[ri_toast]

on the back of your receiver you have left / right speaker connectors each channel has a (+) and (-) for the time being don't use the bypass, just see if the earspeakers work. make sure the box is set to headphones not speakers, if you have it hooked up right you'll hear.
 
you should just be able to unscrew the posts and slip the wire to the correct terminal

 

[NamelessPFG]

 
Quote:

an sr3 sold on ebay today for 188.00 / untested / as is / no returns, might not be the same model; http://www.ebay.com/itm/200692974984?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

 

That's an SR-X/Mk3, not an SR-3 or SR-30 (the last of which is an electret that needs no bias voltage, but doesn't perform quite as well as the "true" electrostatic designs). It's said to be one of the better pre-SR-Lambda models, though, for those who don't mind the supra-aural design (as opposed to circumaural like most Stax earspeakers).
 
Quote:

I'm such a rookie at this, what do I put on the ends of the wires? I have some banana clips I think and then I have pin connectors. Do i put each wire in it's own connector?

The A/V receivers I've worked with (which are basically speaker amps with integrated tuners and so forth) have screw posts, two for each channel. You basically unscrew the posts, put the exposed wire underneath them and around the screw shaft, then screw the posts down tight so you get a good connection. Then again, those aren't banana clips (never worked with those)...
 

 

[Nick R]

Hooked em up, they sound good. One question though, I'm bot sure if I got the plus or minus right because they are no markings for it, would it work if I got them wrong, because they work anyway.

 

[obobskivich]

You could put banana jacks on each wire (one per wire, they're single conductor) and plug those into a compatible amplifier; but it would have to accept bananas. There's no advantage other than the convenience of being able to plug and unplug the wires more easily. Bare wire is "best" in terms of conductivity, and if you've got an amplifier with binding posts, probably also the best in terms of physical security (banana plugs can be pulled out very easily; I'd avoid pins and spades to be quite honest with you). 
 
If you're using a modern AVR or something else that has bass management and other EQ/processing - you'll need to disable and bypass all of that (you want a full range 20-20k stereo signal, nothing else). I would also preference amplifiers able to deliver at least 50wpc, but that isn't to say lesser amplifiers are not suitable. 
 
Needless to say, do all of this with all of the equipment off. 
 
If there's a GND post on the Stax box (there should be) and a GND post on the amplifier device, run a lead between those two as well. 
 
As far as +/- being incorrect; they would be completely out of phase. There would still be a signal, just the inverse of what the source produces. They would likely lack bass and sound very "large." It would not damage anything.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

[ri_toast]

Quote:

Hooked em up, they sound good. One question though, I'm bot sure if I got the plus or minus right because they are no markings for it, would it work if I got them wrong, because they work anyway.

usually red and black, red being (+)
now raise your right hand and repeat after me..........i love my stax setup
 

 

[Nick R]

Quote:

 
As far as +/- being incorrect; they would be completely out of phase. There would still be a signal, just the inverse of what the source produces. They would likely lack bass and sound very "large." It would not damage anything.
 
 
 
 

I think they are in backwards, I will go swap them and then come back and let you know.
 

 

[Nick R]

I switched them back and forth but they seem to be lacking something, very muffled sounding.

 

[obobskivich]

The "lacking" or "muffled" arrangement is likely out of phase - you want it the other way around.