[Driftwood]

I received the above mentioned in-the-earpeakers today in the mail. It is too early to say very much about these yet except my first impressions.

The package is very small. The driver unit is definately pocket sized. However, It is definately plastic, and a lot lighter than I expected, which is good I suppose since you would probably want to carry it around with you. I wish it came with a cover for the driver unit though so it didn't get scratched.

The in-the-earspeaker itself is also larger than I expected. These are no sony earbuds. However, they are very light and are not a nuisance.

The other oddity is that it has the capability for a AC adapter, but none was included. I guess it is off to radio shack again for me.

..ok, so one comment on the sound... WOW.
nothing, NOTHING, I have heard, including my HD-600s are this clear. And this is with 2 minutes of break-in.

Wheee, electrostatics for me!

Driftwood

 

[RickG]

Cool,...Driftwood. I've been on the verge of buying this set for quite some time, now. How do they feel (fit)?....where did you purchase them?

Just curious,....

 

[Neruda]

hey, that's pretty cool! these are the little portable headphones, right? I've been wondering how they sound...

 

[Driftwood]

hi!

yep, these are the little portable ones. They are a lot more comfortable than I would have thought. You can wear them with or without the headband. I read somewhere that you really need to wear them with the headband, and I would agree. They fit a lot more snug with it on, and you get a lot more bass extension. However, the sound is more than acceptible without the band.

I purchased mine from EIFL exports. Mr. Koji Wakabayashi was truly a pleasure to work with. His english is first rate, he is prompt in his responses to email, and he was very helpful. He took the time to answer all of my questions, and he kept in constant contact. I initially was a little hesitant to order something from japan, but he made me feel more than comfortable. The price is much cheaper than buying it stateside. It was $248 for the unit, $40 for shipping, and a 6% credit card surcharge (which can be avoided if you send an international money order instead) so the total came to around $305 with some change.

While I feel that they should be made out of carbon fibre or something for $300, they do feel really solid, and I think they are worth the money... they are honestly staggering. I feel like I have a pair of martin-logan speakers in my room now.

Everything you have heard about electrostatics is true. You can hear so many more minute details, everything is so clear... it is incredible.

But I don't want to say too much until I have given them time to break in a little.... expect a review in a few days.

Driftwood

 

[Driftwood]

looking at my reply, I really don't think I made it clear how much of a pleasure it was to work with EIFL. If given a choice in the future of anywhere else vs. EIFL, I would order from EIFL every time.

I VERY highly recommend them.
Oh, and shipping was quite quick. (2 days in transit)

EIFL Exports

Driftwood

 

[setmenu]

Hi Driftwood
I too have a pair of these, great little things aren't they!
A few things I have observed:

When putting them on to get the best bass try inserting them and
with music playing turn the earpieces so the leads point slightly
forward[this obviously depends on personal ear shape etc].

If in a hot enviroment or doing anything that will make you sweat
try to keep the transducers dry I have had one short out before
it took a long time to recover .

Stax say this unit should be run on no more than 4volt dc so check
any 4.5 volt transformer when under load or use a stax one.

These phones sound MUCH better when run on 4v dc than the
3v onboard cells.
I never use the onboard cell option,instead use a battery pack
supplying 4v, 3x AA pack is a good option with Nimh 1.2 v battery.
Do not use 3 AA dry cell as they are 1.5v and as I said 4.5= bad.

On sound quality I generaly like them but would prefer less roll
off on the top end, but most people seem to like that so it's very
much personal taste.

Interconect between source and amp make a difference so experiment, I played with different types by using a cheap RCA pair to 3.5 mm jack adapters then made up a custom mini jack
terminated cable.
In fact I have converted the amp to RCA socket.

And they do go loud so watch it in noisey enviroments.

Thats my 2cents worth

Happy listening

Setmenu

 

[Driftwood]

setmenu:

yeah, these little things rock! I still think I could expect a little more out of the materials used to build them for as much as these things cost, but they seem pretty sturdy and it certainly isn't cheap.

I find that tilting the leads slightly forward does make them more comfortable and make them sound the best.

I think I read your earlier post about getting them sweaty... I will be very careful.

Can you tell me more about the power options? Mine didn't come with an AC adapter, but you say that stax makes one? I would be interested in getting one because when I am not on the move I would rather not pay for batteries.

How did you construct your external battery pack? that isn't a bad idea, because anything I can do to improve sound even more is welcome, as well as having the batteries rechargable will save me the $$ that I am lacking now having purchased these.

Unfortunately, I didn't give a lot of thought into my interconnects ahead of time, and so now I am using about the cheapest possible solution. I ordered a markertek interconnect which I hope will be a little better solution.

I'd be afraid to mod the amp. Did you do it yourself, or did you have someone else do it? Having RCAs would be nice, but only if it looked professional and I didn't risk killing the thing...

I am more than happy with them so far. If you get them in right, you can't even really tell they are there. Definately better at the office than my (cheap) harmon-kardon computer speakers.

Driftwood

 

[setmenu]

Driftwood
On the power front I use 4 sanyo 4/3 au 3800mah cells making up
a 5v pack regulated to 4v[my dac uses 5v so I have 2 identical
packs to make things easier].
definitely use rechargeable cells as big a capacity as you are prepared to haul around,my pack gives about 10 hours run time.
Use fast charge cells + correct nimh charger and you can refill in
1.5hrs.
I find batteries quieter than a standard transformer and never use one.
You should be able to find a comercial supplier of packs who will
be able to advise on chargers etc, in the model electric flight hobby field.

On the rca conversion front ....a bit mad really as it adds bulk but
suited my needs regarding coupling my fave interconnect to my dac.

see pic.

Setmenu

 

[RickG]

Waaay too cool, set....

 

[Driftwood]

lol! that is a crazy mod!

I am still not quite following you on the battery pack though...
maybe I can have you make me one?

10 hours sounds REAL nice....

hehe

Driftwood

 

[setmenu]

Driftwood
I am sure somebody here could help with a battery pack.
My pack was made up and supplied by a company called
Overlander based in the uk. They specialise in power for the model aircraft/ rc car hobbies.
My battery charger is an LRP quadra used for model car battery pack charging it has adjustable charge current etc.
I am certain you could find simillar companys in the US.

The picture shows the DIY 'bit' the battery connector is a Deans
ultra plug again sourced from model car suppliers[but any good
polarised plug will do].
Also to be seen is the regulator/power meter bar display.
The dislpay is usefull ,at the press of a button it tells me exactly
how much capacity remains ..I am never cought short on the power front!

But do remember 4volts max for the amp.

setmenu