newworld666
Headphoneus Supremus
I don't know if it will help people who are looking for a really mobile audio system (with 20 hours or more battery life).. but ...because, I real enjoy the stax SRM-003MKII, I just write a few words about my own experience with the SRM-003MKII with a Kingsound M03 amp.
Basically I was using a NW-WM1A + Z7M2 .. for a bit more than year .. end of last year (2018) I tried a Kingsound KS-H4+M03 for my office use and I bought quite a few weeks later a SRM-003MKII because I really enjoyed the electrostatic sound compared to the Sony Z7M2. The KS04 is open and to noisy for other people around me (for train/plane use).
It's not a really expensive gear, so I didn't expect so much from it. Straight away, after plugging it on the M03, I was so surprised that the SRM-003MKII was so homogeneous from low to high frequencies, I expected to loose a lot low frequencies with the Stax (particularly compared to the Sony Z7M2), but that's absolutely not the case. It's a really equilibrated listening compatible with a lot of type of music.
Because the Z7M2 was a bit muzzled in the middle high and higher frequencies, I tried to apply some equalization via Neutron Music Player (with an Hiby R6 pro player, but after a time I found that equalization is too limited in real life if we want to keep DSD or MQA modes)
Because the Stax SRm-003MKII din't really need any sound adjustments (at least less than the Z7M2). So to avoid the equalization of the Z7M2, I completed a few months ago my walk-anywhere setup with a closed ultrasone edition 15 veritas to get one of the best flat closed headphones usable in planes/trains to replace my Z7M2.
The Ultrasone is really impressive and is actually a real upgrade (unfortunately the price is 4 times the Z7M2 price) .
So my actual combo for travelling is :
1) NW-WM1A + µSD of 1Tb for Flac and DSD files (I still have the Hiby R6 Pro, but it's too limited with less than 5 hours listening in balanced mode and 15hours flac files, while the Sony NW-WM1A is minimum 19 hours for same 5 hours DSD files listened )
2) Iphone Xsmax + dragonfly Cobalt for Tidal and MQA decoding (120/150MB playlists downloaded) + Bluetooth remote control (for streetwalking)
3) SRM-003MKII + M03 (11 to 12 hours time listening at 80% volume) for street/underground/buses (with iphone+dragonfly).
4) Closed Ultrasone edition 15 Veritas for long travel (planes/trains) with NW-WM1A.
5) In my office the best open headphones sound in my combo comes from the electrostatic KingSound KS-H4 .. it's comfortable to wear them for 8 to 10 hours a day and the sound is also impressive with a huge soundstage.
Even if I really enjoy the M03 + Stax SRM003MKII, I think I will probably evaluate in the future either the Sony IER-Z1R or the Sure KSE1200. I am still not really sure if it will be a noticeable upgrade from the Stax.
I Maybe expect :
-> some more comfort for my ears (physically) The stax are really totally hermetic in the ears and can needs some accommodation to compensate the pressure inside the ears.
-> or some wider soundstage with the KSE 1200 ? The Stax soundstage is bit too narrow compared to the KS04 and even compared to the Ultrasone edition 15 veritas which similar to the Z7M2.
-> The Sony IER-Z1R are far more compact than the M03+SRM003MKII... it would be comfortable to go on travel with an IEM like the Sony and the Ultrasone (when I have to stay hours sitting)... but I am afraid I will miss too much the electrostatic sound "speedy" signature of the Stax.
At last, I would say, the Stax SRM-003MKII + M03 is a real pleasure to listen to and not badly limited in the lower frequencies (as we read so often)... Of course it's doesn't seem to be comparable, in the low end frequencies, to closed gears like my Sony or my Ultrasone, but, in real life, in less than two minutes, we actually don't miss anything to listen with those electrostatics gears. (We can just say that all instruments, are after all there, really present and where they should be without any emphasis of any sort but good impacts when needed).
I would say sound is so rich and equilibrated that we can just enjoy fully the music we are listening too (With the stax on trip,in fact, I am more missing the larger soundstage of the KS-H4 than the low and extra low frequencies of the Sony or Ultrasone).
In short worth to own and use it !
Basically I was using a NW-WM1A + Z7M2 .. for a bit more than year .. end of last year (2018) I tried a Kingsound KS-H4+M03 for my office use and I bought quite a few weeks later a SRM-003MKII because I really enjoyed the electrostatic sound compared to the Sony Z7M2. The KS04 is open and to noisy for other people around me (for train/plane use).
It's not a really expensive gear, so I didn't expect so much from it. Straight away, after plugging it on the M03, I was so surprised that the SRM-003MKII was so homogeneous from low to high frequencies, I expected to loose a lot low frequencies with the Stax (particularly compared to the Sony Z7M2), but that's absolutely not the case. It's a really equilibrated listening compatible with a lot of type of music.
Because the Z7M2 was a bit muzzled in the middle high and higher frequencies, I tried to apply some equalization via Neutron Music Player (with an Hiby R6 pro player, but after a time I found that equalization is too limited in real life if we want to keep DSD or MQA modes)
Because the Stax SRm-003MKII din't really need any sound adjustments (at least less than the Z7M2). So to avoid the equalization of the Z7M2, I completed a few months ago my walk-anywhere setup with a closed ultrasone edition 15 veritas to get one of the best flat closed headphones usable in planes/trains to replace my Z7M2.
The Ultrasone is really impressive and is actually a real upgrade (unfortunately the price is 4 times the Z7M2 price) .
So my actual combo for travelling is :
1) NW-WM1A + µSD of 1Tb for Flac and DSD files (I still have the Hiby R6 Pro, but it's too limited with less than 5 hours listening in balanced mode and 15hours flac files, while the Sony NW-WM1A is minimum 19 hours for same 5 hours DSD files listened )
2) Iphone Xsmax + dragonfly Cobalt for Tidal and MQA decoding (120/150MB playlists downloaded) + Bluetooth remote control (for streetwalking)
3) SRM-003MKII + M03 (11 to 12 hours time listening at 80% volume) for street/underground/buses (with iphone+dragonfly).
4) Closed Ultrasone edition 15 Veritas for long travel (planes/trains) with NW-WM1A.
5) In my office the best open headphones sound in my combo comes from the electrostatic KingSound KS-H4 .. it's comfortable to wear them for 8 to 10 hours a day and the sound is also impressive with a huge soundstage.
Even if I really enjoy the M03 + Stax SRM003MKII, I think I will probably evaluate in the future either the Sony IER-Z1R or the Sure KSE1200. I am still not really sure if it will be a noticeable upgrade from the Stax.
I Maybe expect :
-> some more comfort for my ears (physically) The stax are really totally hermetic in the ears and can needs some accommodation to compensate the pressure inside the ears.
-> or some wider soundstage with the KSE 1200 ? The Stax soundstage is bit too narrow compared to the KS04 and even compared to the Ultrasone edition 15 veritas which similar to the Z7M2.
-> The Sony IER-Z1R are far more compact than the M03+SRM003MKII... it would be comfortable to go on travel with an IEM like the Sony and the Ultrasone (when I have to stay hours sitting)... but I am afraid I will miss too much the electrostatic sound "speedy" signature of the Stax.
At last, I would say, the Stax SRM-003MKII + M03 is a real pleasure to listen to and not badly limited in the lower frequencies (as we read so often)... Of course it's doesn't seem to be comparable, in the low end frequencies, to closed gears like my Sony or my Ultrasone, but, in real life, in less than two minutes, we actually don't miss anything to listen with those electrostatics gears. (We can just say that all instruments, are after all there, really present and where they should be without any emphasis of any sort but good impacts when needed).
I would say sound is so rich and equilibrated that we can just enjoy fully the music we are listening too (With the stax on trip,in fact, I am more missing the larger soundstage of the KS-H4 than the low and extra low frequencies of the Sony or Ultrasone).
In short worth to own and use it !
Last edited:
