Stax SR-L300 Impressions Thread

[nazrin313]

..The L300 envelopes your head in music, and its soundstage and imaging seems pretty damn awesome to me. Soundstage is both wide and deep, but manages to seem intimate as well.. I'll say its more intimate than it is "massive".

Ok this statement has got me excited. One of the things I look for is this character.

.. but they are also AWESOME for music listening. I think I expected some strange monitoring equipment that was meant to inspect recordings or something, I didn't consider that they were going to be awesome to listen to music of all genres with. But that is what they are.

Yeap another thing I look into. I dont like headphones or iems being analytical or too neutral or COLD adn this takes the Soul away from the music.

 

[nazrin313]

It's the cheapest SQ upgrade you can do.

Found one for about 120usd....https://www.stereo.com.sg/stax-l700-replacement-earpads.html

I think i will bite

 

[AudioThief]

Ok this statement has got me excited. One of the things I look for is this character.



Yeap another thing I look into. I dont like headphones or iems being analytical or too neutral or COLD adn this takes the Soul away from the music.

I definitely think you are going to like the L300s (as would anyone with functioning ears IMO!)

Depending on what you've heard before, they might seem "too neutral".. - They certaintly are incredibly well balanced and realistic to my ears. And while the LCD 2s are more obviously emotional to my ears, the L300s convey emotion very well too. They are certaintly NOT "lifeless" or "dull".

For me, I'm just sitting here tapping my feet and grinning like an idiot at how detailed these headphones are. How can all these headphone manufacturers charge us thousands of dollars and then just gloss over all these details hidden in tracks? And its not just that the L300 picks up the details - they are represented individually. I am hearing things I thought my brain was unable to process anyway, and its changing so many tracks for me lmao

 

[nazrin313]

I definitely think you are going to like the L300s (as would anyone with functioning ears IMO!)

Depending on what you've heard before, they might seem "too neutral".. - They certaintly are incredibly well balanced and realistic to my ears. And while the LCD 2s are more obviously emotional to my ears, the L300s convey emotion very well too. They are certaintly NOT "lifeless" or "dull".

For me, I'm just sitting here tapping my feet and grinning like an idiot at how detailed these headphones are. How can all these headphone manufacturers charge us thousands of dollars and then just gloss over all these details hidden in tracks? And its not just that the L300 picks up the details - they are represented individually. I am hearing things I thought my brain was unable to process anyway, and its changing so many tracks for me lmao

arrggh damn dude..have to wait a couple of weeks for this!! you're killing me

 

[AudioThief]

arrggh damn dude..have to wait a couple of weeks for this!! you're killing me

Damn. That is pretty damn brutal. I seriously feel bad for you lmao.

 

[nazrin313]

Damn. That is pretty damn brutal. I seriously feel bad for you lmao.

haha yeah I just ordered it yesterday from the Ebay guy that this forum has suggested

 

[BenF]

Found one for about 120usd....https://www.stereo.com.sg/stax-l700-replacement-earpads.html

I think i will bite

That's way cheaper than what I did - buying L700...

 

[nazrin313]

That's way cheaper than what I did - buying L700...

Your lucky, not everyone buys PADs that happens to have a headphone attached to it. LMAO

 

[BenF]

to each own, its all about the preferred signature. I love how its lush, smooth, dark but hits you with tons of details and nuances. Nothing like ive ever heard.. but back to the L300!!! hahah

L300 isn't going to be a good match for your preferred signature.
L700 would be a better match.
Putting L700 pads on L300 will help, but I don't think it will be enough. You may need a tube pre-amp, like NS-02E (I use it sometimes).

 

[nazrin313]

L300 isn't going to be a good match for your preferred signature.
L700 would be a better match.
Putting L700 pads on L300 will help, but I don't think it will be enough. You may need a tube pre-amp, like NS-02E (I use it sometimes).

Thanks for the information, yeah I dont wanna jump into the L700 straight, wanna get a feel for for electrostats 1st with the 3100...see how it goes, will give you my impressions once i spend a few days with it

 

[BenF]

Did you miss my avi? Hehe. I own the TH 900s. They are more impactful indeed, but the L300 is clearly much more balanced and detailed to my ears.

I thought your nick sounded familiar

Hmm, nobody but you can answer that question.

I'll say that based on the headphones I've heard, if we put the TH 900 and Audeze LCD 2's way into the "euphonic" territory on the one side, and the Senn HD650 way into the "dull and boring" territory, the L300 is about slap bang in the middle. It is somewhat of a cross between the LCD 2 and TH 900 for me. The LCD 2 is smooth, intimate and cozy, but lacks the dynamics and impact compared to the TH 900, which kicks down the door and fires up a party no matter what. TH 900 is fast, aggressive and has a ton of life. But the TH 900 is also abrasive and rude, and lacks balance.

The L300 strikes a balance. Its not as smooth or laid back as the LCD 2 is - it is much too disciplined, fast and accurate. But it never gets abrasive like the TH 900 does. Or, I shouldn't say never. The treble is more sparkly than a lot of other cans, so depending on how sensitive you are, they might carry a bit too much energy up high.

If we say that TH 900 adds a ton of life and energy into a recording, and the LCD 2 adds a ton of uh... honey and warm hugs into recordings, the L300 is more on the analytical side of things to my ears. The main objective of the L300 seems to be to represent the music as it is, with a magnificent balance. It does not seem to emphasize anything in particular. As such, it is a technical masterpiece comparing it to the fostex and audeze. I would also say that it is much, much more versatile - for a one headphone kinda guy like you, I can't imagine something that is more versatile than this.

But I don't want to say the L300 is dull or lifeless. I think that a bit about the HD650, and I don't feel the L300 is the same way. There is more energy, more impact and life in the L300s.

Please remember that I just recieved my unit today, so take everything I am saying here with a gigantic grain of salt.

If you consider TH900 to be "way into euphonic territory", you are probably not using the best pads and amp/DAC.
I'm way past my "euphonic" stage - used to love ATH-ESW9A and FAD Heaven IV/VI, can't listen to them anymore.
I am a clarity/coherence whore now. TH900MK2 can be almost as clear as Pro 82 or L300.

Wait till I'll publish the pads comparison in the TH900 thread - they make a huge difference.
Also, if you can find a used Oppo-HA2 to use instead of DF Red/Atrox v2, you may experience another huge difference.
Alternatively, you can use Oppo-HA2SE as DAC and O2 as an amp.
With HA2, TH900 isn't euphonic even with the default pads.

 

[Rossliew]

Listening to an L300 on a KGSSHv mini has been a wonderful experience.

 

[AudioThief]

I thought your nick sounded familiar


If you consider TH900 to be "way into euphonic territory", you are probably not using the best pads and amp/DAC.
I'm way past my "euphonic" stage - used to love ATH-ESW9A and FAD Heaven IV/VI, can't listen to them anymore.
I am a clarity/coherence whore now. TH900MK2 can be almost as clear as Pro 82 or L300.

Wait till I'll publish the pads comparison in the TH900 thread - they make a huge difference.
Also, if you can find a used Oppo-HA2 to use instead of DF Red/Atrox v2, you may experience another huge difference.
Alternatively, you can use Oppo-HA2SE as DAC and O2 as an amp.
With HA2, TH900 isn't euphonic even with the default pads.

I think the Atrox V2 is a very capable amplifier. But I am looking to upgrade my DFR, probably to a modi MB. I am using the stock pads, DFR is a bit V-Shaped as far as DAC goes IME. But I still think the headphone is the most important factor, and to my ears, while the TH 900 is very fast and clear, its mids is too far back in comparison to the treble, which hides details in recordings comparing it to the L300. Euphonic might be the wrong word, I'm not that adept with the lingo - I think the TH 900 puts fun above accuracy. Simply because the headphone overall lacks balance. I don't think its partcularly colored overall.

 

[Karl2009]

Found one for about 120usd....https://www.stereo.com.sg/stax-l700-replacement-earpads.html

I think i will bite

Maybe you can ask also a discount for head-fiers, probably there are more people interested (including me).
I have the L300 since one week and they are really magic. I have noticed an off-peak at 7-8KHz and also the bass decay from 50Hz that I am patching with the Foobar dsp as player.

 

[nazrin313]

Maybe you can ask also a discount for head-fiers, probably there are more people interested (including me).
I have the L300 since one week and they are really magic. I have noticed an off-peak at 7-8KHz and also the bass decay from 50Hz that I am patching with the Foobar dsp as player.

yeah good idea, a group buy of some sorts..