Seeking some basic information: Stax vs dynamic

[Forty-Seven]

I have some Stax SR-5s which I love but which seem to have come to the end of their natural life. Can someone compare the sound of a good dynmaic phone like the AKG 701 or Senn HD650 to a current relatively inexpensive Stax, such as the 303? Thanks

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This has become an interesting thread, but for those who are looking for dead SR-5s for parts, let me say that it turned out that I had an ear infection and my SR-5s are still alive and kicking. I bought the AKG 702 in the meantime anyway, and I love it. Very detailed; not like the Stax, but fine for my purposes and easier to live with in a system that's used mostly with speakers.

 

[Keithpgdrb]

you should post this in the stax thread. search for it. lots of stax owners have dynamics as well.

 

[krmathis]

Yeah, I recommend you head over to the Stax thread.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f113/s...ad-new-223263/

To my ears neither the HD650 or K701 come close to the SR-303, SR-404, ...
They simply lack the speed, details and clarity of the Stax'en, and also the imaging.

 

[Comfy]

After K701, HD650, K1000, RS1, RS2, W5000, and a bunch of lesser cans, I finally settled on a pair of 20 year old Stax SR-Lambdas.

Everything just sounds right. And lightning quick. And effortless. And unfatiguing.

Just get yourself a pair before spending a lot of money messing around with dynamics. Due to their intrinsic qualities, there are always ups and downs to every dynamic model. You might find something perfect for you, but if you want just ups and no downs, you need a pair of 'stats.

 

[Nocturnal310]

But i heard Electrostats do not have that Bass which dynamics have?

 

[member1982]

I just read from the wiki page, where it mentions the STAX dont have the bass, the bass are not punchy but detailed.

Also how fast is the stax sound compared to dynamics.

 

[vvanrij]

Stax have plenty of bass! the only real complaint from people who have actually heard them, is that they don't have the impact of dynamic headphones. I prefer stax for this reason 9/10 times, the other 1/10 times I use my dynamic cans.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Forty-Seven /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have some Stax SR-5s which I love but which seem to have come to the end of their natural life. Can someone compare the sound of a good dynmaic phone like the AKG 701 or Senn HD650 to a current relatively inexpensive Stax, such as the 303? Thanks

I'm not too experienced with electrostats, so I won't make any comparisons based on limited listening.

However, if you're considering dynamics, the amplifier you use makes a huge difference in performance. For example, the Sennheiser HD-650 will go from veiled and sluggish to lightning fast, depending on your amp. What you use will change the character of your dynamic headphones.

So if you're thinking about going dynamic, be sure to consider the amp you're going to use with your setup.

 

[krmathis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by member1982 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I just read from the wiki page, where it mentions the STAX dont have the bass, the bass are not punchy but detailed. Also how fast is the stax sound compared to dynamics.

Which Wiki do you refer to?
There are no Head-Fi Wiki, and there are no such claims in Stax Earspeakers - Wikipedia.

Stax sure have bass. May not have the punch of the most punchy dynamics, as the L3000, DT880, ... but certainly on par with most others. The extension, details, accuracy are at least on par though.

 

[mark_h]

Stax have a substantial amount of detailed bass, like dynamcs there are a great number of energizer/tube/earspeaker combinations enabling you to tailor the sound you require. Coming from the RS1 MSPro I have not for one second found my Stax bass light.

 

[troymadison]

Seriously, don't believe in anything people say here until you try both yourself. I have vastly different opinions about electrostatic and dynamic headphones than the majority here.

 

[member1982]

Quote:

Originally Posted by krmathis /img/forum/go_quote.gif Which Wiki do you refer to? There are no Head-Fi Wiki, and there are no such claims in Stax Earspeakers - Wikipedia. Stax sure have bass. May not have the punch of the most punchy dynamics, as the L3000, DT880, ... but certainly on par with most others. The extension, details, accuracy are at least on par though.

its just the Electrostatic loudspeaker - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia general design of the Electrostatic.

 

[vvanrij]

"Disadvantages include a lack of bass response (due to phase cancellation from a lack of enclosure, and the difficult physical requirement to reproduce low frequencies with a vibrating taut film with little excursion amplitude)"

Phase cancellation from a headphone would mean you would have to put your face against a wall! And it would also mean every open headphone would suffer from this disadvantage. So this is not relevant at all. Anyone who has heard a electrostat has heard the bass anyway, nuff said.

 

[moonboy403]

Vintage Stax SR-Lambda and my W5000 are relatively close to each other in terms of overall performance.

 

[mypasswordis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Comfy /img/forum/go_quote.gif After K701, HD650, K1000, RS1, RS2, W5000, and a bunch of lesser cans, I finally settled on a pair of 20 year old Stax SR-Lambdas. Everything just sounds right. And lightning quick. And effortless. And unfatiguing. Just get yourself a pair before spending a lot of money messing around with dynamics. Due to their intrinsic qualities, there are always ups and downs to every dynamic model. You might find something perfect for you, but if you want just ups and no downs, you need a pair of 'stats.

I've pretty much drawn the same conclusions. Electrostats aren't for everyone, but the OP already has had the SR-5 and liked it.

Hey Forty-Seven, want to sell me your broken SR-5?