[Scgorg]

I got my L300 limited two days ago and thus entered into the world of Stax. I am really liking these. I auditioned two amps - the 252S and the 353X limited and since I heard no differences, decided to keep the 252S also due to it's friendlier form factor. Now a couple of questions to the other owners.

1) Have you applied eq to these? There's a recent discussion about this in the ASR forum here. I have an ADI-2 DAC I could use to eq it with 5 bands. If any of you have done this, could you please share your eq values?
2) I could try the L700 pads since many seem to like these -> does anybody have a used pair to sell?
3) A black front plate would look much nicer on the SRM-252S instead of silver. Do these exist? I emailed this question to Stax also.

1) EQ is definitely a plus, even if it is just to relax the 1k shout a bit. If you search for Oratory1990's EQ you should find harman target compensated EQ for both L300LE and L300LE with L700 pads. These measurements/EQ is on another forum which I won't link here, should be easy to find though.
3) There is no alternate colors for most stax amps (only T8000 comes to mind), this includes the 252S, sadly.

 

[Soundwave76]

One friendly user just posted 5-band eq values basd on those Oratory's measurements and I just set my ADI-2 eq to those values -> clearly better sound! I commented this more in that ASR thread.

 

[DecentLevi]

I am getting my Stax L300 limited edition soon. For my Stax SRM 1 MK2 amp, does anyone know if I can should only connect it to the "pro only" plug or also to the normal output? Thanks

 

[JimL11]

The L300, like all recent Stax phones, is designed to be driven from the Pro output. There is no harm in connecting to the normal output but you won't get the best efficiency or sound (basically the diaphragm will be biased with the lower normal bias voltage (approximately 230v vs 580v for the Pro bias), so efficiency will be decreased).

 

[DecentLevi]

Just got my L300 Limiteds, new unopened. Nice build, immaculate even the clean smell, seems built to last decades.

Fed by my Stax SRM-1 MK2 energiser I'd say it sounds almost as good as with the SRM D 50 energiser which so happens to be newer and smaller. Still a very resolute, expansive, resolving, linear sound of audiophile fame, and nearly effortless. I learned quickly that a tube buffer is a M-U-S-T. Getting a sense initially of a somewhat sterile / thin sound I discovered quickly also that tube rolling makes an extravagant difference with the L300's - in a very very positive direction depending on the amp and pairing of tubes. Rolling my top 3-4 pairings that sounded good off the Euforia tube amp directly into my HD-600 with silver aftermarket cable, I found 1 of the 4 that stood out much farther than the others when it came to the L300 Limiteds (via the Euforia tube amp as a tube buffer). The sound I'm getting now is darn balanced, engulfing and very well resolving; this being one of my slightly darker tube pairings I'm beginning to question whether the mod for added bass is even necessary or not, since I can dial in the sound by tube rolling

These babies really are romantic sounding, and I'm not even talking about just in a laid back sad way, but such an aural feast it transfixes beyond the sonic perception all the way to emotional merits - sensational and even moving! I'd just love to see how these babies can shine even better on a better energizer (e-stat amp) and DAC - even think I'm just using my middle-of-the-road Schiit modi 2 multibit DAC (coaxed along with series of both USB interface + USB decrapifier). I did also compare to directly from the DAC to the energizer and yes that was sterile, shouty even shrill and nearly piercing highs, vs. a sound now that is seductive, period.

Do these improve with burn-in? Because they do sound better than initially by a great bit, albeit the tube-buffer is doing some SUPER magic on that front!

 

[DecentLevi]

And whadd'ya know, the first album I played on these limited edition Lambda's just so happened to be best of the Eagles... with the infamous Hotel California to boot. I guess that makes a true audiophile by definition LOL.

PS - does the blu-tac mod on the L300 limited pads do anything to dynamics, or just bass? My bass is quite fine with tube rolling though!!

 

[Soundwave76]

Congrats on the L300 Limited! New owner here as well. Be sure to read this ASR thread on applying EQ to them. I did and it improves the sound in A HUGE WAY, trust me. Try at least.

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...sponse-of-the-stax-l300-limited-edition.6909/

 

[DecentLevi]

Thanks. Well it's late now, I've lost sleep already with the spectacular performance of these. It's bar-none a sound I haven't experienced thus far in any at-home setup, with resolution and speed that just doesn't stop, more detailed too than any dynamic or planar headphone. If I had any gripe though the dynamics take a step behind the HD-600 - not the initial transient response though - drums are taut and up to spec but maybe don't seem to hit quite as hard.

 

[tigon_ridge]

Dynamic phones all have a (slight) bass hump FR-wise, so while they have more energy, they lack accuracy. Planars are much more easy to drive than estats, so that comparison is only fair once you have a very capable estat amp, and the new lambdas are modded to improve the bass extension. I think estats like the HE 400/500 are ever-so-slightly faster transients-wise than estats, but the level of transparency and imaging of estats is a step ahead.

 

[VRacer-111]

Thanks. Well it's late now, I've lost sleep already with the spectacular performance of these. It's bare-none a sound I haven't experienced thus far in any at-home setup, with resolution and speed that just doesn't stop, more detailed too than any dynamic or planar headphone. If I had any gripe though the dynamics take a step behind the HD-600 - not the initial transient response though - drums are taut and up to spec but maybe don't seem to hit quite as hard.

A nice DAC, warm amp with some oomph behind it, and a little EQ and the subbass is quite decent on the L300 Limited, definitely more oomph with kick drums than a stock HD58X. Nice youtube video I like to use to demo my L300 Limiteds:

 

[Soundwave76]

^ Thanks. I am listening this now with the L300 Limited and sounds indeed nice. As you say, sub bass definetly needs some EQ.

 

[Ojisan]

A nice DAC, warm amp with some oomph behind it, and a little EQ and the subbass is quite decent on the L300 Limited, definitely more oomph with kick drums than a stock HD58X. Nice youtube video I like to use to demo my L300 Limiteds:

Awesome drummer, thanks!

 

[DecentLevi]

I mentioned they look "built to last decades" prematurely. Certainly the earspeakers are built well, but I noticed the headband is just plastic, and somewhat thin. Makes me wonder how long until they break or the clamping force is reduced which would also impact the sound. I got mine from HeadAmp Audio and they said they cover any defects in the first month; 1st year Stax covers it under their warranty and after that Stax covers it out of warranty. I'll be careful though, at least I've never broken headphones that others have reported being fragile, such as the Soundmagic HP-100 mine's still intact years later.

Also these outdo my former Koss ESP 950 earspeakers to the point they are barely even comparable

 

[Scgorg]

Someone saying stax are built well is new. They are certainly adequate for what they are (e.g. a precision tool for home use) but the plastic doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. At least they are light. As for the headband it should not stretch noticably over time. I have a couple very old stax sets which still clamp as if they were new.

 

[mmichii]

Someone saying stax are built well is new. They are certainly adequate for what they are (e.g. a precision tool for home use) but the plastic doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. At least they are light. As for the headband it should not stretch noticably over time. I have a couple very old stax sets which still clamp as if they were new.

the newer l700 v2 uses a metal cage. however its the drivers themselves that are susceptible to dust. i keep my stax inside a sterilite box with a few silica gel packs. i wanted to get a pair of martin logans but i realized i would have to make covers for them because of the dust in my apartment. i read that some people would have to gently wash theirs with soap and water to get the dust off. electrostats are home use only. i even wait till my hair drys completely after showering before i will use them. on the flip side i have not heard anything that sounds like electrostats in headphones or speakers. properly setup martin logans are just magical. i pretty much stopped listening to my other headphones for music.