[mudihan]

I have a pair of 6-pin Stax SR-Lambda that's driven by an amp + SRD-6. The left side, however, has minimum bass. There is little channel imbalance or any observable distortion on the left side, just a lack of bass. I have switched speaker cables, reversed channels in my computer, even resoldered all the joints on the phones, but still could not solve the problem. I understand that old Stax drivers may develop a channel imbalance, but mine are fine balance(volume)-wise.  Any insights as to how I may solve the problem? 

 

[NamelessPFG]

Do you notice the lack of bass when you try to wear them backwards? (Even though the angled design of the earcups means it's not quite the same fit, you'd probably notice the driver imbalance switching sides.)
 
It would also help to try out different headphones and listen for similar issues. If you have a known-good set and notice the same dips and peaks throughout a given frequency range on each side, no matter what headphone you're using or if you're wearing it properly or backwards...your own ears might just be imbalanced.
 
That said, vintage Stax drivers aren't always in the best of condition, and those sort of frequency imbalances are always a risk...

 

[mudihan]

Quote:

Do you notice the lack of bass when you try to wear them backwards? (Even though the angled design of the earcups means it's not quite the same fit, you'd probably notice the driver imbalance switching sides.)
 
It would also help to try out different headphones and listen for similar issues. If you have a known-good set and notice the same dips and peaks throughout a given frequency range on each side, no matter what headphone you're using or if you're wearing it properly or backwards...your own ears might just be imbalanced.
 
That said, vintage Stax drivers aren't always in the best of condition, and those sort of frequency imbalances are always a risk...

Just tried that. While sound does change a bit for both channels, the left (now the right) is still clearly bass-deficient -- it sounds as if it simply is incapable of producing any sound below 120hz (not much mid-bass either). 
 
I guess my best bet is to get another working driver. 

 

[davidsh]

Sounds a bit like a loose connection. Does the bass-less side sound bad in general? It's the same thing that can happen to me with my cheap-ass chinese 75 ohm 3.5->3.5 impedance adapter, that I use with my Etymotic hf2 when I move the TRS while plugged in. Literally no bass at all and the sound gets tinny in the right side.
 
How is the general condition of the 'phones and the drivers? The driver should look flawless. Also, go post in the Stax thread.
 
@Nameless What do you think about Lambdas against 'phones as the hd598 and k701 for gaming? It throws me a bit off that MLE rates the 407 as he does, compared to the before mentioned headphones, while you indirectly state that the Lambdas is the best for gaming. Sorry for off-topic.

 

[NamelessPFG]

Quote:

@Nameless What do you think about Lambdas against 'phones as the hd598 and k701 for gaming? It throws me a bit off that MLE rates the 407 as he does, compared to the before mentioned headphones, while you indirectly state that the Lambdas is the best for gaming. Sorry for off-topic.

 
It's more that I've never had the chance to audition the HD598 or K701 (or their offshoots), and the Lambda line happens to be the best for competitive gaming that I've used.
 
My benchmark before then was the AD700, which is already no slouch at gaming, and I honestly felt that the SR-Lambda made the AD700 completely and utterly irrelevant for me as a primary headphone, outclassed at everything.
 
Also note that Mad Lust Envy's numerical scores are NOT to be compared between different models; he's said so himself many times in the guide thread. It's more of a "price-to-performance ratio" thing, and more expensive headphones tend to be judged more critically.
 
Finally, remember that we all hear differently, hence the debates on which headphone surround technology is best, how to configure a sound card for PC gaming, etc. In the end, nobody's objectively right or wrong; they just find something that works better for them personally.

 

[davidsh]

Just figured he most think the k701 is perfect since he says so, but didn't say so with the lambdas, so the k701 must be better to him. Personally I haven't tried my lambda sigs for gaming, but I am positive they must lack a bit in soundstage depth

 

[mudihan]

Quote:

Sounds a bit like a loose connection. Does the bass-less side sound bad in general? It's the same thing that can happen to me with my cheap-ass chinese 75 ohm 3.5->3.5 impedance adapter, that I use with my Etymotic hf2 when I move the TRS while plugged in. Literally no bass at all and the sound gets tinny in the right side.
 
How is the general condition of the 'phones and the drivers? The driver should look flawless. Also, go post in the Stax thread.
 
@Nameless What do you think about Lambdas against 'phones as the hd598 and k701 for gaming? It throws me a bit off that MLE rates the 407 as he does, compared to the before mentioned headphones, while you indirectly state that the Lambdas is the best for gaming. Sorry for off-topic.

Probably not a loose connection, as I have resoldered all the joints inside and twisted the cable left and right. Your hf2 situation may have to do with temporary shorting, which would have caused a much more serious problem with stats. 
 
Will post in the Stax thread.

 

[davidsh]

Have you actually switched the left/right cables?
 
Do you ever hear any rattling?

 

[mudihan]

Quote:

Have you actually switched the left/right cables?
 
Do you ever hear any rattling?

Yes, both at the amp side and the headphone side (I actually resoldered the headphone cable as well).
 
No rattling, no distortion, little volume imbalance (other than that caused by the lack of bass).

 

[davidsh]

I doubt you can do much about it then, since the drivers aren't exactly reparable AFAIK. You could either sell the headphone for parts, or buy a driver from someone.