[Earspeakers]

So I put in an order for a pair of SR-009's from head amp, yay, to be delivered with a BHSE some time in the future. I was alarmed to find this thread
 
 
Ants in my Stax
http://www.head-fi.org/t/609792/ants-in-my-stax-should-i-worry
 
Nasty, I don't generally have a problem with ants but it's not a place I want to leave open to chance. For my 407's I have a Stax stand and cover, but am considering more (apologies if this has been beaten to death but I haven't found many threads)
 
Questions for posters 

1. How do you protect your Stax? Any ideas for a simple way to bug proof them when not in use? 
2. How often do you clean them?
3. How do you clean them?

 

[icebear]

Do you have a pest problem in your house

???
 
If your house is reasonably clean and no ant food (any juicy sugary stuff, fruits etc.) is lying around then you won't have to waste any thoughts about protecting your headphones from ants, simple as that

 

[Earspeakers]

  Do you have a pest problem in your house

???
 
If your house is reasonably clean and no ant food (any juicy sugary stuff, fruits etc.) is lying around then you won't have to waste any thoughts about protecting your headphones from ants, simple as that

No, as I said generally not. However we got a few ants during a big rain recently, as that poster said. Regardless as I said while I'm not particularly worried, I don't even want it to be an option. 

 

[Tachikoma]

Ants... are not generally what you worry about lol. I keep my headphones on the desk when I'm using them, and in a drawer when they aren't in use.

 

[astrostar59]

  So I put in an order for a pair of SR-009's from head amp, yay, to be delivered with a BHSE some time in the future. I was alarmed to find this thread
 
 
Ants in my Stax
http://www.head-fi.org/t/609792/ants-in-my-stax-should-i-worry
 
Nasty, I don't generally have a problem with ants but it's not a place I want to leave open to chance. For my 407's I have a Stax stand and cover, but am considering more (apologies if this has been beaten to death but I haven't found many threads)
 
Questions for posters 

1. How do you protect your Stax? Any ideas for a simple way to bug proof them when not in use? 
2. How often do you clean them?
3. How do you clean them?

Not ant proof, which I get on the floor in summer but not on my desk (yet), I have a bell jar. Works are treat for dust. I could put some pepper around the base to ward of ants if required.
 

 

[Earspeakers]

  Not ant proof, which I get on the floor in summer but not on my desk (yet), I have a bell jar. Works are treat for dust. I could put some pepper around the base to ward of ants if required. ...

 
Genius! What is the diameter of the bottom?

 

[astrostar59]

   
Genius! What is the diameter of the bottom?

Thanks dude. I was worried it looked kinda creepy? Like a stuffed Stax headphone Ha Ha. The diameter if the glass is 20 cm, and the height is 34. Thus it has enough clearance for the 009s frame and the height of the stand I used. The is an entry hole for the flex at the base, so some free air can get out in case of humidity on the ear cups.
 
So far it has worked a treat, no dust. And I can see the phones instead of hiding them in a crinkly (ugly) Stax slip case. If you had more phones, a well made piece of furniture with glass sliding doors any work, but it all needs to be gap and draft proof, or fine dust will drift in. Fine dust also gets attracted by any static of course.
 
I hang the 009 frame by the plastic band, not the leather head band.
 
The glass dome/wood base was cheap, about 40US.

 

[Jones Bob]

I've got Beatles in my Stax. ;D

 

[icebear]

  Not ant proof, which I get on the floor in summer but not on my desk (yet), I have a bell jar. Works are treat for dust. I could put some pepper around the base to ward of ants if required.
 

How about the ventilation under that glass dome

?
May mold due to humidity will become a problem faster than ants doing any damage....

 

[jackskelly]

I might get this, but I haven't had any problems with my SR-009 since I bought it almost two years ago. When I'm not using it, I just fit back on a Sieveking Omega stand. I live in Houston, which gets very hot and humid during the summer, and fortunately I haven't had any problems so far. But I'd like to be safe than sorry. 

 
 
 

Not ant proof, which I get on the floor in summer but not on my desk (yet), I have a bell jar. Works are treat for dust. I could put some pepper around the base to ward of ants if required.
 

 

[Music Alchemist]

  So I put in an order for a pair of SR-009's from head amp, yay, to be delivered with a BHSE some time in the future.

 
So...you won't receive the SR-009 until you receive the BHSE? That is a long time to wait!

 

[Earspeakers]

   
So...you won't receive the SR-009 until you receive the BHSE? That is a long time to wait!

Justin asked whether I wanted the 009's now or with the BHSE, I opted to wait. Here's my story ...
 
I'm a ex professional classical musician who has been an audiophool for some 20 years (after I became an engineer and could afford it!) I've run the gamut too, horns, planers, SET, the peak was when I had a system I designed and built from start to finish (designed the TT, SS+tube phono preamp, line, SET then horn). Finally got disgusted, sold it all and bought a brand new top drawer grand piano with the proceeds. You see the problem was I couldn't find anything that would truly reproduce the sound of most classical music. 
 
I'm sorry but I have to chuckle when people worry about getting the sound they want from some popular music like the Beatles. That stuff is easy, it's so electronic and mixed that it's not difficult to get it to reproduce on speakers or whatever. It was designed for that, whereas Quatuor pour la fin du temps was written to be played at a Nazi concentration camp. Nothing could remotely reproduce the sound of strings, a large ensemble, or a piano. Until a few months ago, after a many year break, when on a whim I tried Stax. 323s & 307 combination. Well I finally found it. Ensembles sounded like real ensembles. The piano like the piano, and strings like the strings. I was deeper into the recording, the performance than ever before. It is enough to trick my ears into believing it's the real thing, while nothing else does it. 
 
At any rate to cut this short the 323s/307 is actually enough for me, to tell you the truth I'm quite happy with the combination. Looking at the Gilmore schematic of the 323s I'm impressed too, quite an audiophile design. So why more? Why not? I've gotten to Everest base camp One, might as well make it to the peak. I got all the parts for a KGSSHV and am in the process of building it (and having a lot of fun), and put a 009 & BHSE on order. 
 
But I'm probably the only customer who is in no great rush to get one, though I would prefer it to be a year, no longer than two

 

[Music Alchemist]

It's great as long as you don't mind the wait!

 
When I get the SR-009, I will probably get the Cavalli Liquid Lightning 2. I was lusting after the BHSE, and even dreaming about getting someone to build a DIY T2 for me, but the LL2 should probably be more than good enough for me. Plus, I can get the Smyth Realiser A8 with the "savings" to emulate the sound of speaker systems on top of it all!

 

[Earspeakers]

  It's great as long as you don't mind the wait!

 
When I get the SR-009, I will probably get the Cavalli Liquid Lightning 2. I was lusting after the BHSE, and even dreaming about getting someone to build a DIY T2 for me, but the LL2 should probably be more than good enough for me. Plus, I can get the Smyth Realiser A8 with the "savings" to emulate the sound of speaker systems on top of it all!

Sounds good. 
 
The Blue Hawaii, KGSS and even some aspects of the 323s capture everything I learned from the many circuit experiments I did previously
 

1. Coupling caps are the biggest evil in an audio circuit. Teflon only if you must (or DC coupling if you can as for Stax!)
2. Load your plates (or emitters) with CCSs (Constant Current Sources), not resistors or inductive loads!
3. Differential if you can. It won't sound much different but will have a bit more punch and less interference.
4. Low noise CCS driven FET (2SK389/2SK170BL) on the input circuit (though admittedly using that in a non phono preamp input is pure beautiful overkill)
5. DC coupled grounded grid (possible with the STAX)

 
Given all this I know the BHSE and KGSSHV will be the closest thing to wires with gain I'll ever find. 
 
Anyhow I'm sure the CLL2 will be awesome too and you'll love it. 

 

[kevin gilmore]

low noise input fet is not overkill. In fact phono preamps and stax amps have similar gain at low frequencies.
And the stax amps need to be flat gain to 20khz, something phono preamps do not do.