[wkumar]

Hello all, I just joined and this is post #1. There is a lot of debate here between these two..."tastes great, less filling" sort of thing. After reading it all it's still not clear so I thought I'd ask the question....

I'm making the plunge into a headphone setup and have a chance to buy either of these. O2Mk1 on audiogon for $1350 or O2Mk2 on ebay for $1600. Which one would you buy?

I'm surprised the Mk1 isn't less....I guess enough people like it as much as the current O2Mk2.

 

[spritzer]

Pretty much everybody that has compared the two favors the Mk1 and for good reason.

 

[GuyDebord]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spritzer /img/forum/go_quote.gif Pretty much everybody that has compared the two favors the Mk1 and for good reason.

Sorry spritzer, but i disagree with your generalization. You are the most respected Stax'er in the forum, however im sure that you hear different than "everybody" but most importantly, the music you listen to is for sure different than the one I play, so possibly it is different from "everybody's". There are many people from this forum that contradict your statement as well as the important ears of stax employees.

In my case, I had both for a 6 weeks period, mostly because of your influential opinion on this forum and the other. I first bought the mk2 (A) and then arranged for the mk1, I wanted to be sure I had the best sounding model for me. After side by side listening for all this period I chose to keep the mk2 (007A) I thought they rendered piano slightly better, specially on atonal complex passages (Conlon Nancarrow, Luc Ferrari, Cornelius Cardew, Giacinto Scelsi, etc.) the last reverberation of a keystroke was sustained with more presence.

I have been a serious hifi enthusiast for almost 20 years, consequently, my ears have been well trained (at least I think so), as Im sure yours are too. And I can tell you that it was not an easy comparison, I found the two models much more close to each other than what I initially had thought, again, influenced by your strong opinion and some others. For my ears, the difference was subtle, the famous mid-bass hump is not really that apparent and I am sure that any of the two models would make anyone ultra happy. I would have been with the mk1 but I liked the mk2 slightly more

 

[boomana]

Had a chance to spend some time in my rig (APL modded Phillips SACD 1000/BHSE) with both the MK1s and MK2s. I liked them both, but preferred the MK1s due to the MK2s mid-bass emphasis. Had I not had the two for side-by-side comparisons, I can honestly say, I could be very happy with the MK2s. I don't know how either sounds in comparison to each other in other rigs.

 

[WilCox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wkumar /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hello all, I just joined and this is post #1. There is a lot of debate here between these two..."tastes great, less filling" sort of thing. After reading it all it's still not clear so I thought I'd ask the question.... I'm making the plunge into a headphone setup and have a chance to buy either of these. O2Mk1 on audiogon for $1350 or O2Mk2 on ebay for $1600. Which one would you buy? I'm surprised the Mk1 isn't less....I guess enough people like it as much as the current O2Mk2.

wkumar,

What's not necessarily apparent in all the debate about which is better, O2Mk1 or O2Mk2, is that both of these are at the top of the headphone pyramid. They are more alike than different and the differences are subtle.

Note that the opinions that you get from people are just that -- opinions, not fact. If we had standard, agreed upon ways to measure "headphone goodness" then we could put this debate to bed. Unfortunately we don't, so this is a subjective arguement not objective.

You should try to listen to both to determine if one "flavor" sounds better to your ears than the other and make the decision yourself. That's the best way to assure the highest satisfaction with your purchase.

By the way, I own both and enjoy them equally as well.

 

[krmathis]

I would just go for the SR-007 MKI.
Never heard the MK2 myself, but been a happy SR-007BL owner for 3 1/2 years so far and have read quite a lot about the MK2. Impressions, comparisons, reviews, ...

...and of course welcome to Head-Fi!

 

[spritzer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GuyDebord /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sorry spritzer, but i disagree with your generalization. You are the most respected Stax'er in the forum, however im sure that you hear different than "everybody" but most importantly, the music you listen to is for sure different than the one I play, so possibly it is different from "everybody's". There are many people from this forum that contradict your statement as well as the important ears of stax employees.

I said pretty much everybody, not everybody (as in 100% of users). I only judge transducers on how neutral they are and the Mk2 simply isn't. You may like the bass hump and the etched midrange(there are people that buy Ultrasone headphones so stranger things have happened) but the headphones aren't neutral. There is a reason for both of those colorations and if you think Stax intended for them to be there, you are wrong. They are simply a byproduct of Stax making the phones "more user friendly".

 

[Jon L]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spritzer /img/forum/go_quote.gif (there are people that buy Ultrasone headphones so stranger things have happened)

That's a good one.

Of course, there are those who feel O2 MkI isn't exactly "neutral," either..

 

[spritzer]

Their neutrality really depends on the amp used. Some amps become very bass heavy when driving 'stats and that's due to inadequate design and not something the transducers are responsible for. With the correct amp (BH or T2 being the best I've heard) then the SR-007 will recreate what it is fed while adding very little to the mix. No other headphone I've heard can pull off this disappearing act. This special quality makes it rather fun to listen to the very different recordings side by side. Going from, for instance, grado like soundstage to something huge just a track away.

 

[GuyDebord]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spritzer /img/forum/go_quote.gif I said pretty muchThere is a reason for both of those colorations and if you think Stax intended for them to be there, you are wrong. They are simply a byproduct of Stax making the phones "more user friendly".

1. you make them sound as if they were sooo different from each other, and that is not true. That bass/mid bass thing that you keep on repeating is variable on both models. Possibly a graph would help the argument

2. so a top of the line, 2k+ sota headphone manufacturer is looking for "user friendliness" common! you can do better than this argument, seriously, can you please discuss your japanese sources, I would really like to read about this crazy sounding possibility...

3. Neutrality... such a vague word in the context of these two stax models

 

[Deadneddz]

My experience with an stock MKII vs MKI is that they sound very similar in presentation. The MKII from my listening has more mid-bass emphasis and its midrange is more foward. But listening straight from something like a Jade or HE60 results in a "yup thats an SR-007 alright," as soon as you put them on. The differences between the two can be enough for those who like the SR-007 to choose the MKI for its more neutral presentation. It simply adds less of its own character. But in the end they are very similar headphones in my opinion.

 

[majkel]

If the SR-007 didn't exist, I would go for SR-404 + SRM-007tII instead of the SRM-007tII / SR-007A combo. The SR-007A has overwhelming bass for me, and is not so alluring like the SR-007. MkI all the way.

 

[spritzer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GuyDebord /img/forum/go_quote.gif 1. you make them sound as if they were sooo different from each other, and that is not true. That bass/mid bass thing that you keep on repeating is variable on both models. Possibly a graph would help the argument 2. so a top of the line, 2k+ sota headphone manufacturer is looking for "user friendliness" common! you can do better than this argument, seriously, can you please discuss your japanese sources, I would really like to read about this crazy sounding possibility... 3. Neutrality... such a vague word in the context of these two stax models

The devil is in the details. The SR-404 would be a fine headphone if the midrange wasn't a shouty mess. Same thing with the SR-007's, the Mk1 is a clear heir to the SR-Omega as the best headphone in the world but the Mk2 introduces flaws which were not there before. The Mk2 does have some good points but the it's all wasted on trying to fix things that weren't broken in the first place.

I really can't see why I need to prove my argument since a wide majority of those that listens to both headphones concurs with my findings. They are easy to spot even if you have just a limited experience with the phones and I know exactly what caused it. Stax opened up a port to get rid of the fart "issue" and raised the height of the earpads so that people whose ears protrude more then the norm would be comfortable wearing them.

As for a Japanese source, try Stax. They state exactly what they did in the brochure for the phones and I've also torn both models apart to confirm it. You think I just happened to find a way to turn a Mk2 to into a Mk1?

Ohh and neutrality is far from vague. Either the transducer accurately reproduces what it is fed, or it doesn't.

 

[hentai]

I don't feel the sr007a having too much bass or very forward midrange by itself. It is very revealing on the type of cable being used. Any difference from changing interconnects or powercords can be easily heard through the stax. I don't have the mkI to compare with ( only heard them briefly but didn't compare it with the mkII) but either of them should do good.

Cans like hd650, d7000, gs1000 are more bassy I feel. Their sound has more issues than the stax imo.

Metallica and tool sound really good on the stax , much better than the grados which are very popular for rock and metal music.

 

[wavoman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hentai /img/forum/go_quote.gif Metallica ...sound really good on the stax

OMG x2. I'm older, never really "got into" Metallica. Just purchased the DVD-A (black album), and did a 24/96 rip of Sandman. Moved it to my server, and played it thru 007a with Spritzer mod driven by a KGSS.

My jaw hit the floor. Man, that was some listen! Did this last night, blew my mind.

You can rip/listen to three versions: stereo from title 2, stereo downmix from the sub-stream of 5.1 from title 1, or 5.1 from title 1 fully ripped and downmixed by your player (e.g. Windows Media 11).

With the 007a's I can hear subtle differences. I don't know which is my fave yet.