[graham508]

 

hi, I'm hoping Staxperts can help guide me on which to get....
 
Does anyone know which sounds better, Stax SR-5 Gold or SR-X Mk III?
 
AFAIK both produced in the same year, 1975. The SR-X was 'reference standard' (http://www.stax.co.jp/Export/History.html) but how does SR-5 Gold compare?
 
Also, how do you tell the 'Gold' version from the normal SR-5? Is it just the gold colour on the side labels? The lettering looks the same from pictures I've seen... 
 
Thanks. 
​

 

[padam]

I am using the SR-5 Gold with upgraded Pro drivers and although I had many Stax phones before, at the moment I think this is the one I like the most.
 
Yes it is the Gold lettering which is the giveaway, both white and black versions exist and they use the same thinner drivers.
 
The SR-X Mk3 is more accurate, the SR-5N / SR-5NB is warmer, more fun - and for many people, probably much more comfortable as well because the pads are a fair bit bigger.

 

[graham508]

Thanks padam, most helpful advice. These clearly are both classics.
 
Incidentally, I found out that Savant Audio, New Jersey, does a high-end version of SRD-7 starting at $2900. Wow!
http://www.savantaudio.com/index.html

 

[padam]

The SRD-7 is an adapter which you can use to connect the headphones to speaker amps, I guess that is a direct drive amp which does not need a speaker amp and drives the headphones directly.
 
The SR-X Mk3 can be bought for cheaper, but because many of these were used heavily as studio monitors, it is more likely to come across one with a faulty driver - mine had it as well
Actually, I'm keen to re-visit these again, now that I have a proper source.

 

[graham508]

I ended up buying SR-X Mk3 and SRD-6 SB from an expensive seller. Described as 'mint' and has original manual, box etc. I agonised about it. I've got the same rig currently on loan from a friend - which started me totally obsessing about this headphone. In my experience so far they sound uncannily fast and detailed, despite the limited bass - which I don't mind (best left up to loudspeakers imho). Fantastic for CD reviewing, which I do a lot of. 
 
I'd be keen also to explore what drives these phones best, using more recent adapters/amplifiers. Anybody know about all this? 

 

[shaggy]

Quote:

 
The SR-X Mk3 is more accurate, the SR-5N / SR-5NB is warmer, more fun - and for many people, probably much more comfortable as well because the pads are a fair bit bigger.

So I heard that the SR-5/NB is sometimes referred to as the "grado stax". Which Grado model in particular is it most comparable to? Are there other headphones to which these are similar?

 

[padam]

They probably say that because it is quite forward so close to the action compared to Lambdas, but sound-wise it is not too much like a Grado. For example, the highs don't have a tendency to sound harsh (they are smooth and extended) and because they are stats it means better speed, too. Also, I noticed that stats do represent 'air' very well compared to other phones. With the SR-X Mk3 the highs can be a bit of a problem if the source or recording is not up to their level but in a good system they will sing.
 
So I would say there are probably very few headphones similar to these (I read that some very rare orthodynamics like the Fostex T50V1 are similar to the SR-X Mk3).
 
 
Graham, you might want to replace the adapter with an SRD-7 Mk2. Or there are some modified units on sale in the forums as well which are probably even better, one of them has a normal bias connector which you need. It will sound a quite a bit better than the SRD-6/SB no matter what speaker amp is used. There is a nice, long write-up about the SR-X Mk3 here: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/172611/long-meandering-comparison-of-stax-404-and-stax-x-iii-episode-i

 

[ESL-1]

I ended up buying SR-X Mk3 and SRD-6 SB from an expensive seller. Described as 'mint' and has original manual, box etc. I agonised about it. I've got the same rig currently on loan from a friend - which started me totally obsessing about this headphone. In my experience so far they sound uncannily fast and detailed, despite the limited bass - which I don't mind (best left up to loudspeakers imho). Fantastic for CD reviewing, which I do a lot of. 
 
I'd be keen also to explore what drives these phones best, using more recent adapters/amplifiers. Anybody know about all this? 

I first had a set of SRX MkIII's in the 70's when they were current. Sold them in the 80's and regretted doing so very quickly. Got a set around 2001 and then another a couple of years later. I have the Stax SRM 1 and SRM T1 amps and find on most music I prefer the SRM T1 tube unit better. Still at the top of my list, don't want to ever be without them again.