Listened to the PA-1 plus and it sounded really good but didn’t really want or need the built in DAC etc as I’m already running a Qutest / M Scaler front end, so I went with the Icon Audio HP8 signature and more than happy with the result, this pairing won’t be going anywhere ….
I went back to the leather pads with these and I realized I was wearing the headphone a bit too low on my head, with headband being stretched by 3 or 4 clicks. It sounds better now with the headband being entirely retracted. The sound is simply snappier and the tonality more focused. It sounds quite good I must say lol. And the fit is more secure too (quite excellent for the weight).
Listened to the PA-1 plus and it sounded really good but didn’t really want or need the built in DAC etc as I’m already running a Qutest / M Scaler front end, so I went with the Icon Audio HP8 signature and more than happy with the result, this pairing won’t be going anywhere ….
Hey there. I saw this and thought of you. Someone more creative than I has jerry-rigged a Pilot Pad onto the Heddphone with some velcro cable ties. It leaves a little to be desired in the looks department, but it seems like it's fixing his comfort issue. The headband on the Quads are nearly identical, so this solution should work for them too.
I liked this headphone right out of the box, but the more I listen, the better it gets. (Burn-in?) So well-balanced/even-handed yet still engaging. It excels at keeping me listening with a satisfying amount of dynamic and detail, yet really non-fatiguing (well, with a little EQ for my tastes). A beautiful headphone.
I liked this headphone right out of the box, but the more I listen, the better it gets. (Burn-in?) So well-balanced/even-handed yet still engaging. It excels at keeping me listening with a satisfying amount of dynamic and detail, yet really non-fatiguing (well, with a little EQ for my tastes). A beautiful headphone.
These days I’ve been re-evaluating my gear and questioning if I really need to keep my beloved Stax 007A. It sounds amazing with that ethereal Stax sound, but the Quad really just sounds so fun, without needing a bulky amp or inconvenient cabling, the diminishing returns are real.
I find myself listening to the Stax more often than the Quad moreso to justify it to myself, but I think I’d be happy with just the Quad. Am I crazy?
These days I’ve been re-evaluating my gear and questioning if I really need to keep my beloved Stax 007A. It sounds amazing with that ethereal Stax sound, but the Quad really just sounds so fun, without needing a bulky amp or inconvenient cabling, the diminishing returns are real.
I find myself listening to the Stax more often than the Quad moreso to justify it to myself, but I think I’d be happy with just the Quad. Am I crazy?
Its always good to re-evaluate the gear owned, but do you really want to sell a "beloved" headphone and regret that later? Since these are very different kind of headphones maybe there is place for both still in your collection. Are there genres/tracks you always hear exclusively with one of both, because you like them better? If so, there might always be a feeling of missing something on these tracks. But on the other hand the Quad is universal enough to fit all genres and types of music. Tough decision.
These days I’ve been re-evaluating my gear and questioning if I really need to keep my beloved Stax 007A. It sounds amazing with that ethereal Stax sound, but the Quad really just sounds so fun, without needing a bulky amp or inconvenient cabling, the diminishing returns are real.
I find myself listening to the Stax more often than the Quad moreso to justify it to myself, but I think I’d be happy with just the Quad. Am I crazy?
Yup,
Me too … tend to use the ERA-1 exclusively with the HP8 valve amp and also have older Stax Lambda pro’s in the system too, then AKG K702 that gets some various use in the main system, plus phone, iPad etc via a Dragonfly red, the K702‘s sound good through the HP8 but if I’m going to wait a few minutes for it to warm up and then listen for a while I always go to the ERA-1…
If it’s casual listening for a few songs only I’ll use either the Stax or the AKG’s, three distinct sound differences but all three are likeable on certain music, and also gives me “one of each” Planar, Electrostatic and Dynamic,
In the end if I had to get rid of one it wouldn’t be the Quad’s but I wouldn’t be totally happy not having either of the other two,
So I’m keeping all three, and without the desire to listen to other headphones spend the $$ on more music instead ..
These days I’ve been re-evaluating my gear and questioning if I really need to keep my beloved Stax 007A. It sounds amazing with that ethereal Stax sound, but the Quad really just sounds so fun, without needing a bulky amp or inconvenient cabling, the diminishing returns are real.
I find myself listening to the Stax more often than the Quad moreso to justify it to myself, but I think I’d be happy with just the Quad. Am I crazy?
Not crazy no, I also have some electrostats (including the SR-007 but no amp to drive it properly) and I find myself using planars 99% of the time. I take electrostats out of the closet just for the sake of comparing them with my planars. IMO the SR-007's detail retrieval and tonal balance are unmatched but the Quad can definitely rival with some of the Stax Lambdas technicalities, while providing better impact and tonal balance. I don't know how the Quad sounds versus a properly driven SR-007 though.
For sure the Stax scale very well with better amplification, my old set came with the entry level driver unit with the wall wart PSU and after loaning to a friend who inadvertently used the wrong PSU I did some work on the drive unit, Stax PSU connection is polarity reversed to the majority of “standard” units and on inspection the voltage regulator chip was open circuit, from the numbers on the reg it was a basic $1.99 1A max chip, so with the next one up the ladder costing a “whopping” $3.99 being a 5A unit with reverse polarity protection fitted it came back to life, having a 1A linear PSU I tried it vs the stock 300ma version and in return there was a significant improvement in bass and dynamics, while in there replaced the stock caps with some Black gate ones I had from another project and finally some heat sinks on the op amps for good measure,
For sure there are some things the Stax do better, and even some things the K702 does better than the Quad’s but, especially when driven by a good valve amp the Quad’s have a nice top to bottom balance and a wonderful midrange with exceptional detail and timbre, which in my opinion is what makes them so special …
Hifi-freaks is back in business and our favorite headphone is back on sale: https://hifi-freaks.se/quad-era-1.html
I have no idea if they're shipping to other countries, I know that at least someone here in this thread bought from them outside Sweden before the bankruptcy.
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