[wualta]

Yes, I thought you'd get a kick out of the CRT charging setup. But where else did we have access to 25kV in our homes? Happy days.

 

[nick n]

Back in the days before lawsuits for things like breathing at the wrong time, or looking at me funny.
 
Maybe there's finally a use for all those CRT monitors found in all the ditches and empty lots and curbsides these days.
 I pointed this out to a fellow DIYer so maybe it will peak some interest and we'll see a custom one soon.

 

[QuickOperator]

I have restored a STAX SR-5 electrostatic headphone "earspeaker" (new cable) with this PWB connector (no power supply required !) coupled with Amphony microFidelity Model 200. This setup has a amazing sound !

 

[nick n]

Quote:

I have restored a STAX SR-5 electrostatic headphone "earspeaker" (new cable) with this PWB connector (no power supply required !) coupled with Amphony microFidelity Model 200. This setup has a amazing sound !

Thanks for posting and wow your first post too!
Welcome to Head-fi.

!!! so you mean you use the PWB adapter box?
Can you post some pictures of whatever the setup is? I'd love to see it either way.
You might convince me to hack up my SR-5 as well...
 
I sucessfully transplanted "new" matched electret drivers into one of the PWB Black models.  It is of the exact same time period and has the integrated damping pad under the rear driver crossmembers, but this set of drivers has a nice moisture guard on the front of them as well so this should help protect themfor the long term.
Harvested from an uber rare AT-707. Identical drivers to the PWB Black electrets and of course all Stax electrets as well , except the AT's are the only ones that have the integrated yellowish rockwool/fibreglass damping pad on the rears, Stax do not. Identical otherwise.
The slightly varying frequency response specs posted online and also in my AT sales brochure, and NOS AT-705 manual of the time are simply a matter of what is driving them I fully believe, as the AT-707 were a TRS jack which was limiting the drivers. This was proven by the fellow head-fi'er I got them from who tore out the useless tiny transformers in the earcups and recabled for an actual electret adapter unit, completely transforming them to their full potential, minus whatever housings they were in of course.
A similar effect was seen in my Philips EM-6721 Balanced Electret recable to a Stax adapter electret cable scavenged from a set of SR-40's. And a mod or two to those Philips of course. Completely different from stock.( run off either the SRD-6 or SRD7Pro )
 
The other black PWB set will be taken care of asap.
  Just an incredibly gorgeous sound in these housings compared to my AT-705, and those aren't really slouches.

 

[nick n]

Oops quoted my own post.  Anyhow was thinking of ringing the driver housings with PWB rainbow foil strips for kicks on the next ones.

 

[QuickOperator]

i can't add image... "There was a problem submitting this to the server. Please try again." !?!

 

[NevilleM]

I'm reminded that I bought a pair of the black PWB headphones around 1977. I also bought the upgrade transformer. I remember seeing that in the top of a wardrobe a few months ago so I'll look see what else I can find.
There was also a prototype full length (6ft) narrow speaker from PWB featuring about 30 small drive units I remember seeing at 1979 Harrogate Hifi show.

 

[nick n]

Sounds great!
Please be sure to post pictures as well if you don't mind, I would really like to see their upgraded adapter unit for the black models. There might be others interested as well.
 
I will be tackling the driver replacement of the spare black pair here finally. Just had the source of those drivers arrive today. Similar years of the driver so this should be what PWB sourced out at the time exactly if not indistinguishable. Physically it sure is identical. Except for the Magic Red Pen dot in the right side on the dust-guard
 Not sure there will be any $ spent for one of those, but I just might to make it all official before it gets glued down like stock was.
 
Thanks for the post, appreciated.
 
* you won't be able to post pictures yet until you have posted a few more times, so if you want message me and I can give you my email address to send something there which i can then post up here. Up to you.
 
That prototype speaker you saw at the Audio Show was most likely his Orthodynamic speakers. That would be an incredible experience , good or bad

 

[QuickOperator]

I try to post pictures, but i have same error again...

 

[QuickOperator]

I will try another time later !

 

[QuickOperator]

Hi, i post my pictures on my Dropbox account here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/fysvegfv0jkds9g/PHBK4hT987

 

[nick n]

Quote:

Hi, i post my pictures on my Dropbox account here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/fysvegfv0jkds9g/PHBK4hT987

Thanks for that set of pictures. I will post them up here for you.
A couple of questions:
 

1. some older SR-3 based electrostatic headphones sometimes use different pin arrangements on the end of the plug. So you are simply using the regular Stax  cable on these SR-5s as it is normally ( the same wire arrangements), or did you have to trace the pins and change the connectors inside at all? Isit  simply plug and play?
2. do you recall much of a difference from the stock Stax adapter box ( was it SRD-6/7/other? ). If so can you basically describe the change you hear or remember at all: anything however small is of interest.

 
I am pretty excited since if it is the stock ready to go plug and play arrangement I can just go use my SR-5's also since i have the identical PWB unit there, and I would imagine, ( unless you say differently ) given Peter Belt's extreme nature that the PWB unit will give an improved sound...
 
 


 

 

 

 

 

[QuickOperator]

Quote:

Thanks for that set of pictures. I will post them up here for you.
A couple of questions:
 

1. some older SR-3 based electrostatic headphones sometimes use different pin arrangements on the end of the plug. So you are simply using the regular Stax  cable on these SR-5s as it is normally ( the same wire arrangements), or did you have to trace the pins and change the connectors inside at all? Isit  simply plug and play?

 
I use original STAX cable connector and splice joint to new cable because my original cable are broken.
 

1. do you recall much of a difference from the stock Stax adapter box ( was it SRD-6/7/other? ). If so can you basically describe the change you hear or remember at all: anything however small is of interest.

 
I don't have original STAX adapter box (SRD), because i receive as is from my oncle... So, i can't compare !

 

[NevilleM]

Found the box in the loft, empty - but found the Black PWBs (circa 1978) and the State Of The Art box in the back of a wardrobe. I'll get some photos put up.
 
Plugged them into my head amp. (I think I had a headphone plug added to the speaker inputs - rather than them coming that way - so I could listen to the Aiwa cassette deck without having the Nytech CTA252XD Mk II amp on). The UK headphones always came with a DIN plug - not sure if that was the same elsewhere. There was an annoying tendency to use DIN over phono plugs in the 70s/80s.
 
Sounded quiet nice tonight - first time in 25 years they've been used. It was clear they need more power to drive them then a headphone socket.

 

[nick n]

NevilleM graciously sent me some pictures of his setup here with the fancy adapter box, so I can post them up .
Check out those transformers.
Thanks.
It is nice to see a few more people with these.