[Lv100Pidgeot]

Anybody listen to this at RMAF? I'm sitting here dying for new info and its been weeks upon weeks.

 

[TonyNewman]

Anybody listen to this at RMAF? I'm sitting here dying for new info and its been weeks upon weeks.

+1.

Is this going to be the Stax-009/007 killer? Or just another headphone?

 

[Jodet]

+1.

Is this going to be the Stax-009/007 killer? Or just another headphone?

A good question. Another good question is.... what happened to all the amps that were coming out to run this? Has there been ANY announcement by other companies of their ES amps? If it comes down to pay three grand for this can and then buy a six thousand dollar Blue Hawaii amp this is going to be a non-event.

 

[Thaudiophile]

+1.

Is this going to be the Stax-009/007 killer? Or just another headphone?

Why will this headphone be a stax sr 009/007 killer? This headphone is targeted for a different audience, it's completely subjective.When this headphone is released, there still will be people who love stax headphones more while Mrspeakers ether electrostatic headphone will have it's own amount fans who will love it more than the stax.

 

[Monsterzero]

A good question. If it comes down to pay three grand for this can and then buy a six thousand dollar Blue Hawaii amp this is going to be a non-event.

+1

It would be nice for an electrostat to come out and not require a BHSE to sound epic....

 

[TonyNewman]

A good question. Another good question is.... what happened to all the amps that were coming out to run this? Has there been ANY announcement by other companies of their ES amps? If it comes down to pay three grand for this can and then buy a six thousand dollar Blue Hawaii amp this is going to be a non-event.

KGSSHV Carbon. "Only" $4,600 USD.

If you go BHSE finding top of the line NOS EL34s (Phillips / Mullard etc) will be an increasingly difficult and expensive proposition.

 

[TonyNewman]

Why will this headphone be a stax sr 009/007 killer? This ....

It wasn't a serious comment.

 

[TSAVJason]

KGSSHV Carbon. "Only" $4,600 USD.

If you go BHSE finding top of the line NOS EL34s (Phillips / Mullard etc) will be an increasingly difficult and expensive proposition.

That’s an interesting statement. We aren’t having any issues finding EL34’s for the BHSE at reasonable prices to our customers. Maybe your search is looking in the wrong places?

 

[zolkis]

IMHO pretty much every 580V bias Stax headphone sounds better with the BHSE... but IMHO they will sound good with cheaper amps too. Diminishing returns, but they get magnified as you get used with the current sound and your audiophool instinct starts craving for better and better, and you convince yourself the amp will be a big jump forward... then the next headphone comes to market and you start again.

Regardless of the headphones, I would buy or build a good amp. It makes sense - and the Stax threads on the major headphone sites contain a lot of good suggestions. Neither of those is cheap.
Now whether you need the BHSE, it's a subjective question. I don't think it's worth its asking price, but it's hard to top it, so... let the market, your wallet and preferences decide.

Also, IMHO dynamic headphones are catching up, and their amplification needs are usually cheaper, but there is no upper limit for upgraditis.

 

[mrspeakers]

We don't want the headphone to be seen as a "killer," for some it may be for others not. Our goal is simple; to provide a great headphone at an attractive price the either allows existing owners of pro-biased gear to have a different type of voicing to experience with their gear, or to attract people who had not connected with gear that was already on the market.

 

[TonyNewman]

That’s an interesting statement. We aren’t having any issues finding EL34’s for the BHSE at reasonable prices to our customers. Maybe your search is looking in the wrong places?

Great - what's your price for a quad of Phillips EL34? or Mullard?

 

[TSAVJason]

Great - what's your price for a quad of Phillips EL34? or Mullard?

Starting with JJ EL34’s at about $15 ea. up to Siemens at $109 ea. We don’t do Phillips and we are looking for a better more consistent source for the Mullard.

 

[nvfan]

+1.

Is this going to be the Stax-009/007 killer? Or just another headphone?

Its a Stax killer in terms of weight, headband durability and IMO tonality. It's not a 009 speed killer but I think sounds better in a wider range of music. Vocals were a little shouty from my last audition so might need a little EQ still.

 

[zolkis]

Vocals were a little shouty.

That's a tendency with nearly all e-stats (factory and DIY), and measurements agree. It most often can be sufficiently approached by tuning the pads, but in bad cases it may require structural changes.

 

[Fastnbulbous]

It would be cool to see the final version compared in a blind test with the other major electrostats maybe at the next SoCal TOTL Electrostatic Festival hosted by The Source AV. Maybe include the Sonoma Model One too!