[BenF]

How would you guys say the L300 stack up against the HD650? What I love about the HD650 is how inoffensive it is to my ears - all my other headphones can be a bit fatiguing in one way or another. The HD650 is just sillky smooth. I am hoping for something similar or better in the L300. What do you guys think ? General SQ comparison would be very much appreciated.

I have HD600, and it's a complete opposite of L300. L300's standout features are hyper clarity and very extended and detailed treble. You can make it smoother and warmer by installing L700 pads, but it's still so different from HD600, that I wouldn't recommend you to buy L300 without auditioning it first.

 

[AudioThief]

I have HD600, and it's a complete opposite of L300. L300's standout features are hyper clarity and very extended and detailed treble. You can make it smoother and warmer by installing L700 pads, but it's still so different from HD600, that I wouldn't recommend you to buy L300 without auditioning it first.

Well, auditioning is not an option - and its already been purchased. I enjoy TH 900 so I doubt the treble will be too much - but I do hope that they are as neutral and natural as people say they are.

 

[BenF]

Well, auditioning is not an option - and its already been purchased. I enjoy TH 900 so I doubt the treble will be too much - but I do hope that they are as neutral and natural as people say they are.

HD600 is neutral in the sense that it throws all the sounds in a blender and then serves them to you all mashed together - nothing stands out.
L300 is neutral in the sense that all the frequency ranges sound so clear, that you don't even ask yourself if they at the same SPL or not.

L300 is much clearer than even TH900, but you can forget about that great bass.

 

[AudioThief]

HD600 is neutral in the sense that it throws all the sounds in a blender and then serves them to you all mashed together - nothing stands out.
L300 is neutral in the sense that all the frequency ranges sound so clear, that you don't even ask yourself if they at the same SPL or not.

L300 is much clearer than even TH900, but you can forget about that great bass.

That certaintly sounds very appealing. A grown up TH 900 i.e technical capabilities while being more even keel sounds perfect. If the L300 manages to surpass TH 900s clarity I will be a very happy man.

 

[Music Alchemist]

Tax and voltage; the japanese amps at 100/110v while we need 220/240v over here.

The import fees are understandable and there isn't much you can do about that...but the voltage issue is easily dealt with by getting either a voltage transformer or an aftermarket power supply. It has to be the right one, of course. (If you get the wrong power-related equipment, you risk frying the amp. When in doubt, consult experts in the other STAX threads.)

In my case, I got a regulated linear power supply and a reverse polarity converter. (For reference, I'm in the US.)

https://www.jameco.com/z/DDU120100H...ngle-Output-12-Volt-1-Amp-12-Watt_170245.html
https://store.truetone.com/1-spot-reverse-polarity-converter

How would you guys say the L300 stack up against the HD650? What I love about the HD650 is how inoffensive it is to my ears - all my other headphones can be a bit fatiguing in one way or another. The HD650 is just sillky smooth. I am hoping for something similar or better in the L300. What do you guys think ? General SQ comparison would be very much appreciated.

The nice thing about the HD 650 is that pretty much any recording sounds good on it. It's close to neutral, but on the slightly warm and dark side. Good clarity but not overbearing. As far as high-end audiophile headphones go, it has a "normal" level of performance, but doesn't commit the blunders that are common with so many headphones that are clearly better but with compromises.

I think STAX in general (and particularly the L300) is higher performance. There's something about electrostats that give them a certain magical transparency I have not encountered in other headphones. The lightness of the diaphragm along with other aspects of the technology give it very low distortion and rapid transient speed.

The Lambda series are more linear than nearly all other headphones (as evidenced by frequency sweeps and measurements) but, as with any headphone, still have deviations. The most prominent peaks are in the 7-10 kHz range. This is beyond the presence region and much less of a problem than if the peaks were around 3-6 kHz, which is not uncommon in dynamic drivers. Since they're already so neutral, it's not difficult to equalize them.

Both the L300 and HD 650 have some roll-off in the sub-bass measurements, but thankfully, this was not an issue for me during listening. I realized that they could extend deeper than the measurements suggested, and I could hear all the bass just fine with nearly all music. They also have moderate bass humps, so with most music, they come off as more slightly bass-heavy than slightly bass-light. You can always fill in the deepest gaps and trim down the humps with EQ. (Just be sure to reduce the gain in your player by at least the amount of your largest boost/cut to avoid distortion.)

Here's a frequency sweep you can play in a video player: https://www.dropbox.com/s/pyi1gug2s2jumzq/sweep.mp4?dl=0

 

[Pahani]

That certaintly sounds very appealing. A grown up TH 900 i.e technical capabilities while being more even keel sounds perfect. If the L300 manages to surpass TH 900s clarity I will be a very happy man.

I use modded TH-X00 Purplehearts as a compliment to my L700. I think you'll find the Fostex bass is a VERY complimentary pairing with Stax

 

[YonnyMestampo]

Hello folks. I purchased the SoCas plates for the ZMF pads like half a year ago, the combination of the two makes the headband stretch too much on my head because the pads are a lot thicker than the originals from Stax. The headband is in high tension to the point it broke on me while I was listening to music last week. The headband broke down on the left side next to the slide adjuster making the speaker hang by the soft leather band only.

So I have been looking for a replacement for the headband only but so far this looks like an impossible task. It should be quite simple to detach the headband to the speakers but of course I won't be using the mod again in the future but instead get the L700 pads because the frame can't be in tension, the plastic although flexible is too stiff to cope with the size of the earpads.

 

[BenF]

Hello folks. I purchased the SoCas plates for the ZMF pads like half a year ago, the combination of the two makes the headband stretch too much on my head because the pads are a lot thicker than the originals from Stax. The headband is in high tension to the point it broke on me while I was listening to music last week. The headband broke down on the left side next to the slide adjuster making the speaker hang by the soft leather band only.

So I have been looking for a replacement for the headband only but so far this looks like an impossible task. It should be quite simple to detach the headband to the speakers but of course I won't be using the mod again in the future but instead get the L700 pads because the frame can't be in tension, the plastic although flexible is too stiff to cope with the size of the earpads.

Are you sure that you have fully extended the headband before using the thick pads?

I bought 3 different SoCas adapters and have about a dozen of different sheepskin/lambskin/alcantara pads that I want to try.
A few months ago I tried the old SoCas adapter with ZMF lambskin pads, but the sound wasn't as good as with L700 pads.
Still hoping I can find a better combination though - especially for L700.

 

[Ojisan]

Hello folks. I purchased the SoCas plates for the ZMF pads like half a year ago, the combination of the two makes the headband stretch too much on my head because the pads are a lot thicker than the originals from Stax. The headband is in high tension to the point it broke on me while I was listening to music last week. The headband broke down on the left side next to the slide adjuster making the speaker hang by the soft leather band only.

So I have been looking for a replacement for the headband only but so far this looks like an impossible task. It should be quite simple to detach the headband to the speakers but of course I won't be using the mod again in the future but instead get the L700 pads because the frame can't be in tension, the plastic although flexible is too stiff to cope with the size of the earpads.

The L series headband can be ordered, at least in Japan, through dealers or support. They are about US$150.

 

[AudioThief]

Just received my SRS 3100 system. Been listening for about 30 minutes now.

Comfort is good, my ear is not touching the headphones at all. The guy I bought it from sent some ZMF pads as well, but I won't be using them both because of people breaking their headbands doing that, but right now comfort seems great.

Sound wise, coming from the LCD 2s which I've been enjoying the past few days, they are definitely much brighter. The L300s detail and resolution is truly mind blowing. When comparing the TH 900 with the LCD 2, the TH 900 is a bit more crisp, but the treble drowns out a lot of detail. So when you go to the LCD 2s, you will gain a lot of detail in the midrange. The L300 is much more detailed across the spectrum, and especially microdetail is quite incredible. I am also very happy about the presentation - i.e staging. Its not that the soundstage is absolutely incredibly huge, but the sound envelops me in a great way.

I saw someone on reddit describing the L300 as n-shaped, i.e mid focused. I can't say I agree. The treble seems quite well extended to me.

BTW, silly question (I'm new to e-stats!), but I see people coupling their Stax amps with regular amps? Is that a thing? And if so, why would you do that?

 

[nazrin313]

Also ordered the SRS3100 system, pretty stoked now. Will update y'all once I get it, could be a 1-2 from now

 

[hpeter]

30x thinner that hair, and no glued heavy coils to diafragm..
i guess it will play back any detail u throw at it....

i modded mine for more bass https://www.head-fi.org/threads/stax-sr-l300-impressions-thread.813511/page-8#post-13424289

 

[AudioThief]

Upon further listening, some notes:

- L300 is the first headphones where I really understand what "realism" actually means. Especially drum kits /hi hats just ooze realism. Its as if they're being played live.
- While the bass is sometimes lackluster (TH 900 is much more satisfying in this regard), other times it really impresses me with its speed and impact. Overall the bass is much better than I thought it was gonna be

I am puzzled as to why more people aren't getting the SRS 3100. I can't imagine a better deal existing out there in terms of sound quality. This handidly beats any top dynamic headphone I've ever heard.

 

[BenF]

Upon further listening, some notes:

- L300 is the first headphones where I really understand what "realism" actually means. Especially drum kits /hi hats just ooze realism. Its as if they're being played live.
- While the bass is sometimes lackluster (TH 900 is much more satisfying in this regard), other times it really impresses me with its speed and impact. Overall the bass is much better than I thought it was gonna be

I am puzzled as to why more people aren't getting the SRS 3100. I can't imagine a better deal existing out there in terms of sound quality. This handidly beats any top dynamic headphone I've ever heard.

Totally agree, L300 is a great value.
Clarity/realism wise, only AB-1266, Elear, Pro 82 and HD700 could compete with it (from the top headphones I've heard).
HD800S wasn't even close, nor was Utopia.
Hell, even Stax L700 is getting no use because of L300.

Get yourself L700 pads, they'll improve comfort and bass response.

 

[AudioThief]

Totally agree, L300 is a great value.
Clarity/realism wise, only AB-1266, Elear, Pro 82 and HD700 could compete with it (from the top headphones I've heard).
HD800S wasn't even close, nor was Utopia.
Hell, even Stax L700 is getting no use because of L300.

Get yourself L700 pads, they'll improve comfort and bass response.

I was already considering L700 pads before the L300s got here because of the issues with comfort I read about. As of right now comfort seems fine. But I will very likely get L700 pads in the future simply because I think they look much better and more luxurious. When you say improve bass response, what exactly do you mean? Add bass weight? Or refines the sound? Impact?