[watchluvr4ever]

I have been entertaining the idea of getting the Stax SRS-3030 Classic II package. From all of the pics I have seen of the Stax "earspeakers", I must say they appear to be cheaply made. How do they justify their high price? Do they feel as cheap as they appear? Thanks.

 

[Duggeh]

What is it that looks so cheap about them? Just because theyre ugly? They certainly arnt badly made. And dont "feel cheap". They justify their high price because the manufacturign tolerences for the drivers are very very high. The drivers are difficult to make, and they do not make many compared to larger companies such as Sennheiser.

 

[Jahn]

My Lambda Pros have been kicking it since 1984, and they're still going strong!

 

[Spare Tire]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duggeh the manufacturign tolerences for the drivers are very very high

Should that have been "very very low"? Since tolerance as i understand it is to tolerate flaws.

 

[Duggeh]

High is the unintended word, I meant tight. Although as I understood it, high tolerance meant a lower figure, and lower tolerance a higher figure. So high is also correct.

High tolerance in missiles, low tolerances in washing machines. No?

 

[catscratch]

They may look cheaply made in photos, but there's nothing cheap about them in person. The quality of the SR-404 is obvious from the moment you put it on your head, even before you press play, and this isn't even the top model.

Stax quality control, from what I've heard, isn't the best. But, the stuff that passes quality control is really reliable. Just look at the amount of old 'Stax phones on ebay or other auction sites. Now name me another company that has this many phones per production run that are still in operational condition after this many years.

 

[lmilhan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jahn My Lambda Pros have been kicking it since 1984, and they're still going strong!

Ditto.

The only thing that has failed is the inner earcup foam, which has deteriorated over the years. This is a normal occurance for STAX phones of this vintage, and has no impact on their performance from what I understand. Although I could replace the Earpads/foam for around $35, in the end I chose not to because the earpads are in great condition, and I wanted to keep everything stock for as long as possible. As such, I run my Lambda Pros without any inner ear foam, with no ill side effects.

Of corse it all comes down to how you treat your equipment - I have seen people simply abuse their gear, and then they get all pissy when they end up breaking it by abusing it.

 

[watchluvr4ever]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duggeh What is it that looks so cheap about them?

Let's see...the hinges that hold the speakers, the headband and the speaker enclosure look cheap. I'm not trying to cause an argument but that certainly does not look like quality craftsmanship and that is my opinion. I am interested seeing and hearing some Stax if anyone lives in my area???

 

[Jahn]

It doesn't look THAT cheaply made - does it?

 

[nsjong]

Quote:

Originally Posted by watchluvr4ever Let's see...the hinges that hold the speakers, the headband and the speaker enclosure look cheap. I'm not trying to cause an argument but that certainly does not look like quality craftsmanship and that is my opinion. I am interested seeing and hearing some Stax if anyone lives in my area???

Not after that comment.

If you think Stax is made cheap, I'd like your opinion on Bose.

 

[watchluvr4ever]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nsjong Not after that comment. If you think Stax is made cheap, I'd like your opinion on Bose.

If you must I think bose sucks and everything they make is totally overated.

 

[krmathis]

For what its worth I am more than happy with the build quality of my Stax gear.

 

[Jahn]

For the record, I think the HP2 is overbuilt, the Triports underbuilt, and the Stax just-right-built. The Lambdas you toss on your head and forget about, and they won't cause you any trouble for decades. Not the sexiest design but they won't break if you sneeze on them, and they'll do right by you if you do right by them.

edit - totally unrelated but my wife put the Lambdas on for the first time yesterday because she REALLY wanted to hear "Under Pressure" after watching 60 Sunset, and since the Melos is gone it was Stax time. She grooved on em and sang along, and unfortunately focused a little on my rig and said "Don't you have too many headphones? Why are there three on the table?" uh oh. BTW yes, she looked ridiculous with those cans on, so I can just imagine what I look like every day. They won't win any beauty pageants, but they'll get the job done.

 

[Jahn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by watchluvr4ever Finally an intelligent post. That's exactly what I was looking for...a Stax owner to say that they are happy with the build quality.

Uh oh, I fail the intelligence test

 

[Jahn]

But I pass the "posting Faster than Light" test