Stax SR-80 troubleshooting
Dec 25, 2009 at 4:38 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 11

Oya?

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I recently got an SR-80 with an SRD-4, which had been working beautifully until today when I was listening to it and the right driver suddenly went quiet. There's some light crackling as well. When I wiggle the cable entering the baffles it doesn't fix it but it almost seems to be doing something.

Does this sound like something I can fix? I don't know how to dismantle these phones or what I'm actually supposed to look for so any help would be appreciated. I can't quite figure out how the plastic backing is supposed to pop out from looking at the pics in this thread. Hoping it's a loose joint (or something) and not a dead driver. Thanks!

EDIT: Got it open! Should I post a pic? The membrane is taut and there's not really anything that looks weird...
 
Dec 25, 2009 at 6:01 PM Post #2 of 11
OK... somehow I fixed the right driver. I was playing around with the volume and it just suddenly jolted back up, now it sounds fine.

Problem is now the left side has a bad joint! I'm not getting any continuity through one of the wires and I don't know where the damage is. Gonna be a pain if it's in the plug cause then I'd need to get a new one.

img2404xe.jpg


Any ideas? If I have to make a totally new cable I can probably use a 4 or 5 pin DIN connector right? Does the cable need to be a certain voltage rating?
 
Dec 25, 2009 at 7:58 PM Post #3 of 11
Sounds similar to the problem I have with my SR-40. I never could verify what the problem was. Everything worked fine when I took it apart. There's a kink in the cable in the ear cup that I suspect is the problem. I don't believe there's a voltale requirement for the wire since the bias is already applied to the drivers.

What's the red arrow pointing to? I can't really tell in the picture.
 
Dec 25, 2009 at 8:21 PM Post #4 of 11
That's the wire that's not working. Well, *wasn't* working. After an hour fidgeting with stuff the phones just started running perfectly again!
mad.gif
Both channels are fine. But everytime I tried to measure that wire it never gives me anything, it's so bizzare.

Oh well, hopefully it'll keep working. Now I can hunt down some foam sheets to stick inside.

My set is missing those yellow discs behind the drivers, are they important? Any idea as to a good subsitute? I was just planning on putting soft thick foam or stuffing inside the baffles.
 
Dec 25, 2009 at 8:38 PM Post #5 of 11
I don't know if they yellow pucks do all that much. It's fiberglass. Felt can probably be substituted. You would need open cell foam behind the felt to hold it to the driver.
 
Dec 25, 2009 at 11:53 PM Post #6 of 11
Cool, I went and bought a sheet of foam and it works wonderfully inside the baffle. It's too thick for the front of the driver though (dulls the sound) so I used some kind of paper-fabric thingie there.
smily_headphones1.gif


Also I've been able to replicate the original problem I had by turning the volume some ways past normal listening levels. I think it's the membranes flexing too far, hitting the stators and 'discharging'? It's really easy to fix by playing around with the volume.

Back in action! (Sorry for the dust!)

sr80a.jpg


sr80b.jpg


(Can't believe they spelled 'earspeaker' wrong!)
 
Dec 25, 2009 at 11:56 PM Post #7 of 11
Voltage rating for the wire is crucial, there might not be any bias but the transformers are producing hundreds of volts.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oya? /img/forum/go_quote.gif
(Can't believe they spelled 'earspeaker' wrong!)


That's Stax for ya.
 
Dec 27, 2009 at 7:17 AM Post #8 of 11
I've got another question: the transparent membrane that can be touched are just protective films right? The actual sound-producing membrane is between the stators? I can see a small tear in the rear of one of my drivers.
 
Mar 10, 2012 at 7:04 PM Post #11 of 11
 
Tell me, you can connect headphones to the amplifier Stax SR80 Stax SRM-600 ?
Do not they burn ?
 

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