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Good work
After spending a lot of time with electrostats, most dynamics are hard to listen to.
Good workAfter spending a lot of time with electrostats, most dynamics are hard to listen to.
I haven't heard the 2170 system. The Omega needs to be properly amped (with a BH) to have dynamics, so I can see why you would prefer the 2170. SRM-323 with SR-507 has plenty of dynamics - a lot of oomph - has a certain palpability with basslines and drums. The SRM-323/SR-507 setup is also rather warm and smooth sounding even though the amp is SS. The SR-507 combines the best of LCD-2 and HD800 and adds more (although HD800 soundstage is better). The sound signature tilt is toward the bright side - but there don't seem to be any abnormalities in response which would cause ears to bleed.
purrin: ... presents the sounds as if they appear and disappear in complete darkness makes the soundstage sound more impressive to me. No non-electrostat I´ve heard has managed that (and I think that´s what impresses me most)...
>amp I'd worry about tube life.
didn't someone say around 3-4-5k hours depending on use.
>T1 I've read about people having a hard time turning the trimmers inside when biasing the tubes because they are glued or something like that.
same on SRM-1/mk2. You gently loosen the glue and that's about it. (although spritzer says the carbon pots are really fragile and breaking them is not a good idea)
>SRM-600LTD
heard it at the melb meet with my SR-507 and yukari's SR-404LE. Aside from being slightly more mellow, in meet conditions couldn't really tell much of a difference to my former SRM-1/mk2 with swapped electrolytics and diodes/film caps.
Maybe I'm a pleb
To me, this "blackness" is the really scary good part about the STAX. Everything else appears to be a shade of grey.
Looks like quite a lot of people (these is not the only time I´ve seen people say so) seem to actually prefer the Lambdas if driven by one of the current Stax amps... Unfortunately I haven´t heard the SR-007mk1/mk2, so I can´t comment much on that. From what I´ve read though the O2 is a really power hungry beast, so all signs do indeed point in the direction that unless you are ready to get a KGSS/BH, stay with Lambdas. With Lambdas the whole amp discussion also gets a different angle, as some for example prefer the Stax tube amps even to the 717/727. But it all depends on taste.
Ultraviolet88: I´d audition the SR-507 + SRM-600 combo (would definately recommend the combo, I´m very happy with it at least - haven´t missed my LCD2 or HD 800 for a second after I got the new electrostat gear). Stax used those together in recent demos when the SR-507 was launched. The O2 is a very different animal compared to the SR-507. The Lambda is much, much easier to run and it´s very punchy and transparent (sounds very modern to me) with an SRM-600. I´ve briefly heard one of the smallest Stax Lambda rigs (not sure which model it was, but I think was the predecessor to the 2170), and at least compared to that the SR-507 is definately the same sound signature, but just on steroids/a more sophisticated version.
The 507 is less bright than the small Lambdas judging by that one brief experience, has among other things more bass punch, better instrument separation and just overall more control in my experience. By the way, the SRM-600 has an output power of 340V, so it´s 40V more than the stock 006tII that´s included in the combo set with the 407. Oh and not sure if you know this, but if you don´t the SRM-600 deserves a special shout out for being a limited edition (only 600 made). Unfortunately I haven´t heard the SRM-323 so I have no idea about that. On paper, and judging by forum experiences it´s a fantastic little amp though. To be honest, I don´t think you can go wrong either way. Lambdas run very well on all the current official amps. As for brightness, it depends on what you´re comparing to. For example a Lambda that I once tried, the bright by reputation 404 Signature sounded neutral to me compared to gear like DT 880, HD 600, HD 800 and Beyer T1.
purrin: As a former owner of the HD 800 and LCD-2, I fully agree with your characterization. Best of both worlds and added bonus stuff like the dreamlike presentation. The only minus against those two is indeed the soundstaging vs HD 800 (the LCD-2 is at least a league behind in soundstaging compared to the SR-507 IME), which is clearly larger and more expansive on the HD 800. However, the way SR-507 presents the sounds as if they appear and disappear in complete darkness makes the soundstage sound more impressive to me. No non-electrostat I´ve heard has managed that (and I think that´s what impresses me most). It would be earth shattering to someday hear the HD 800 soundstage size with the presentation of the SR-507. Actually I think HD 800 owners in particular will like Stax. Many HD 800 owners seem to be annoyed by the fatiguing/sibilant sound. The SR-507 manages to be ultradetailed also in the highs, without having to roll them off like the HD 650 and LCD-2 do. And at least with the SRM-600, there is never any fatigue. I consider that a miracle, as they pull way more detail out of my DAC than any other headphone I´ve tried. There is also a touch of the same dreamlike etherial style in the Sennheiser´s delivery - if one is a fan of that, one can think of it as a McDonalds happy meal. Stax provides the full Big Mac meal.