Stax 001 - Improved comfort?

[Vargtass]

Hello.

I find the stax 001's have a very detailed and smoth sound, though a little passive and lacking a bit in the upper register. At least for 239$ including amp they're impressive.

But, i'm wondering is there a way to improve the comfort? I find the plastic tip fit quite akward. Do you know of any alternatives to these tips?

I wrote a mail to sensaphonics and asked if they could make custom sleeves similar to the etys sleeves. They weren't familiar with the stax,
but suggested i sent them to their lab to see if they could come up with a solution. I live in Norway so the whole affair with shipping and being without headphones a couple of weeks isn't ideal.

Anyways, i'd be happy for suggestions.

Vargtass

 

[Vargtass]

bump

Any advice? The fitting issue with these phones is bothersome..

 

[aeriyn]

There's a specific way to wear the SR-001's, and if you don't wear them that way, they're really uncomfy. My experiences with these phones are limited, so I never actually got the best comfort with them. I imagine that after a while, though, you will get used to how they feel.

 

[catscratch]

Yes, the position in which you wear them definitely matters. I thought about getting custom tips for them myself, and once I get the IE3 I'll probably send them to Sensaphonics or some other custom-tip manufacturer to take a look at (can't stand not having high-end sound on the move

)

The position I find to be most comfortable is wearing them with the cables downwards and slightly forwards, and inserted pretty deep into the ear canal, then pulled slightly out. Basically, you know that they're in the right position when you're getting the most bass quantity/extension. Play a track and wiggle them around inside your ears, and the position in which they sound bassiest is the right one.

The comfort problem is largely due to the fact that the tube that extends into your ear canal is simply too large, together with the tips. They stretch your ears out more than they are used to, and over time, your ears start protesting. But, over time your ears also do get used to them, and will protest less, and eventually not at all (mine don't, but it took me a couple of months to get there).

P.S. Don't wear them on the headband. But you probably knew that

 

[JohnRich]

ok, well if you get hold of some siligum (silicone moulding paste; essentially the same stuff that ear impressions are taken with), you can make your own ear pieces which seal better and fit more comfortably than the standard fittings.

http://www.homecrafts.co.uk/html/pro...=634&cat3=4424

you basically mix the two parts together in a suitable size to form an ear plug which seals the outer ear. whilst it is setting (about 5-10 mins), press the tip of the stax into the paste to form an outline for the ear piece to fit into.

Once the paste is set, you can use a dremel or a small drill to create a bore through the silicone, and you are all set to listen. If it works (it worked fine for me; bass is fantastic and the rest of the sound improved a bit too, as did isolation), you'll know whether it's worthwhile to order something more permanent from sensaphonics.

 

[Vargtass]

Thanks a lot for the response. I appreciate it.

I'll try to make impressions if I don't decide to return the phones and get a pair of alessandro ms2's instead.
(1 day left to notify Audiocubes.com)

Vargtass

 

[mrsl]

Hi JohnRich,

making own ear pieces with siligum for the Stax 001 sounds interesting.

I have been thinking of getting a Stax 001 for portable listening for quite a while but so far I have hesitated from doing so because they do not isolate as stated in a few posts here.

Now, after making your siligium ear pieces, how well do your Stax 001 isolate ?

I do not need a "perfect isolation" as the Etys provide for example. But a little bit of dampening the outside noise in a train or airplane would be important for me.

Besides, how do the Stax 001 compare to your Etys ? Do the Stax 001 sound as thin as the Etys or more "powerful" as for example shure phones (more bass) ? How do the Stax 001 compare to your HD-580 ?

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnRich ok, well if you get hold of some siligum (silicone moulding paste; essentially the same stuff that ear impressions are taken with), you can make your own ear pieces which seal better and fit more comfortably than the standard fittings. http://www.homecrafts.co.uk/html/pro...=634&cat3=4424 you basically mix the two parts together in a suitable size to form an ear plug which seals the outer ear. whilst it is setting (about 5-10 mins), press the tip of the stax into the paste to form an outline for the ear piece to fit into. Once the paste is set, you can use a dremel or a small drill to create a bore through the silicone, and you are all set to listen. If it works (it worked fine for me; bass is fantastic and the rest of the sound improved a bit too, as did isolation), you'll know whether it's worthwhile to order something more permanent from sensaphonics.

 

[JohnRich]

Hi

With the siligum ear pieces the isolation is improved but not to Ety levels; I didn't do any systematic testing; With music playing it was good enough to block out the television completely at normal listening levels; the fan noise from the computer (4 fans) was blocked as well. Comparing to full size headphones i'd say isolation improved from grado levels (ie none to speak of) to slighly better than the Ex51/EX71 type earphones. Isolation would improve with deeper ear pieces but they would be more effort to create.

In terms of the bass performance and sound quality, with the moulded ear pieces the bass has significant weight and easily matches what i get from amplified grado s80s or HD600; it doesn't seem as precise as the Sensaphonics but goes about as deep based on the recordings I compared.

I'd still hesitate to recommend them for extensive portable use, as the SR001 wires seem so frail, but perhaps not a problem for air travel etc if you pack them securely as you would be fairly static whilst using them. Also the siligum ear pieces are effective, but I'd expect to get better results with a professionally produced custom ear mould from sensaphonics etc, as the material is more suited to the application, and there'd be a wider opening for the sound to travel through from the Stax to your ear drum.

 

[catscratch]

The reason why the 001 doesn't isolate is that it's actually an open design. The membrane is only 1.5 microns thick, and is shielded by a pair of stators and wire-mesh dust covers on either side, and that's it. There's virtually nothing there to physically block out sounds. Whatever you do with the ear-mold, you're not going to overcome the basic design concept, which doesn't allow for significant isolation. It will give you some isolation, about as much as an open pair of headphones, but that's it. But, I don't have custom molds, so I can't say what kind of a difference they make.

On the other hand, even without custom molds, the 001 sounds full and rich enough (with the right music) that it drowns out outside noise at moderate listening levels. The 001 will play loud, but considering the amount of sonic ear fatigue it can cause, that's probably a bad idea.

It's not going to replace an isolating canalphone under high-noise situations. It is ideal for low/medium-noise and silent environments. As a transportable system to be used at work, in college, while traveling, etc., it is perfect.

 

[randytsuch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnRich ok, well if you get hold of some siligum (silicone moulding paste; essentially the same stuff that ear impressions are taken with), you can make your own ear pieces which seal better and fit more comfortably than the standard fittings. http://www.homecrafts.co.uk/html/pro...=634&cat3=4424 you basically mix the two parts together in a suitable size to form an ear plug which seals the outer ear. whilst it is setting (about 5-10 mins), press the tip of the stax into the paste to form an outline for the ear piece to fit into. Once the paste is set, you can use a dremel or a small drill to create a bore through the silicone, and you are all set to listen. If it works (it worked fine for me; bass is fantastic and the rest of the sound improved a bit too, as did isolation), you'll know whether it's worthwhile to order something more permanent from sensaphonics.

Hi John
I too, am interested in you custom molds. Just got my 001's a week or so ago, and I like the sound, but am still trying to find the best way to wear them. I was trying to figure out how to make a custom mold when I found this post.
Could you take pictures of your molds? I am struggling a little with how you made them, and what they look like.

Thanks,
Randy

 

[edstrelow]

Re: comfort
These phone have two sizes of tip. The smaller will give more pressure on the inside of the ear than the large size, so you might try the larger size.
Also it is my impression that some people have them pressing too hard on the ear. By bending the top metal band outwards you can reduce the pressure significantly and thereby improve comfort. They do not require significant pressure to work, just enough to keep them on the head.

Re: Isolation. They provise quite significant isolation. I can listen to mine on the beach close to breaking surf, or even in a car on the freeway with the windows down. I am sure that many canalphones provide more isolation, but these certainly provide more isolation than the typical supra aural phone, almost as good as some sealed circumaurals.