[ymv]

I'm interested in the Stax SR-007 omega II and possibly one of its amps, and had some questions about it. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Given the huge prices of Stax stuff locally (Australia), have people had good experiences ordering from the Japanese sites? The ones I know of are pricejapan, audiocubes, and EIFL.

Any particular recommendations?

Would it be the same product that is exported? I see in terms of the amps that some end in A (ie. SRM-007tII and SRM-007tA). Would it matter if its the Japanese version?

Would the amplifier come with a power cord?


And just generally,

In terms of using the omega II, about how long is its charge-up? Are short listening sessions okay?

Would it be okay if I auditioned CD players at stores? I guess it just needs its time to charge, then its good to go?

Also, I'm not sure about etiquette, is it fine to walk into a store with a headphone system and ask to try out their cd players?

In terms of a headphone system like this, is there a certain amount I would want to spend on a cd player to get the most out of it? Or players that are recommended?

Thanks for any help,

Tim

 

[Balisarda]

I recommend you go to the headphone reviews section (http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/forum...?s=&forumid=19), look for reviews of the STAX Omega II, and e-mail the owners of those 'phones who wrote the reviews.

 

[Solude]

EIFL or PriceJapan for Stax.

EIFL does take PayPal despite his website not saying so. Prices are comparable but EIFL is faster lately for Stax O2 shipments, PJ averaging a month for the O2.

 

[krmathis]

1. I bought my Omega II System at a local dealer. But I have bought other Stax stuff from AudioCubes, and am very pleased with them. Good price, fast shipping, ...
2. Since I only know AudioCubes, I cant comment how it compares to the other dealers. Only good experience with AudioCubes so far.
3. The voltage might be different. Japan use 100 volts, US 110 volts, Europe 230 volts. No idea what voltage you use in Australia though. A voltage converter might be needed.
4. Yes, the 007t comes with a power cord.
5a. Not sure about charging. But the amplifier sound best after warming up for ~30 minutes.
5b. Short listening sessions are ok. Just don't expect it to perform 100% from first minute.
6 and 7. I certainly would not bring my Omega II System to a store, to audition CD players. I would borrow the CD player, and take it back home.
8. I spent about the same amount of money in the source as the amplifier (around USD 2000). Other ones might have a specific CD player recommendation.

 

[sclamb]

On the subject of CD players, I don't think there is a bigger bang for the buck than the Ayre CX-7e. It opened up my O2s significantly over my old Arcam CD-73T player. There are plenty of reviews on the internet that all state this CD player is better than many costing two to three times more.

Also, a balanced source is good with the O2s. And don't skimp on the interconnects. They too can make a difference. People say that the O2s with the 007t amp can sound dark, but in my set-up the O2s are anything but dark.

Simon

 

[John Buchanan]

EIFL are fast and cheap - shipped without problems to Perth (O2 and SRM 717). They also sent the correct voltage version, rather than using a transformer