Stax SR-X1 (new entry model)

[Kabeer]

thank you very much....
I'm not really in my place here among headphone enthusiasts...
I don't use much listening to headphones, just sometimes in pro control or in reference so as not to get lost in DIY development...
I allowed myself to push the door, it's because I saw the CE SR-X1 the opportunity to upgrade to something new, break the bank...
I actually have some old 340-240 sextet (and historical DT-48) on pro sound device headphone amp..or old stax with more or less problems marked with balance..olds srxmk3 or lambda on srd7 mods... but basically I have no experiences.... the same in peq correction.. .
but I know on the other hand that these approaches of target curves determined by statistical research are more "cultural"... for example for many the notion of timbre is a very very relative notion given what they listen to etc etc..
but typically, and the few experiences that I have encountered have convinced me...this desired accepted bump zone has a heavy impact on the timbres...
this is therefore seriously discussed..I am sensitive to it...but respect those who doesn't care a bit and is looking for other things
I will follow with interest your discussions of measurements of this helmet..which I will certainly buy....having a primary affection for the mk3 more than the lambda...
thanks again, -)

To be honest, if you have the SR-X mk3 and a NB Lambda, they are some of the best vintage Stax around...
X1 has more extended bass, is smoother and a bit warmer than both of these imo.

If you are primarily into acoustic music though, not sure what great benefit you would get vs getting a new headphone. I suggest getting a better amp!

 

[caneton]

To be honest, if you have the SR-X mk3 and a NB Lambda, they are some of the best vintage Stax around...
X1 has more extended bass, is smoother and a bit warmer than both of these imo.

If you are primarily into acoustic music though, not sure what great benefit you would get vs getting a new headphone. I suggest getting a better amp!

but they are unbalanced,( I have several mk3... )
see, I will have to measure them, which I do not have, but I fear that they are unbalanced l/r not in a linear way in fr.... (the lambda which corresponds to me somewhere the least being the almost correct one...)
and other amps won't change anything... I encounter these problems among friends who also have other old SRXs etc.


this is why the arrival of this "affordable" round made me react...
(I had given up on the idea of a personal stax... if I need a use "pro" I can borrow the big recent models if I really need it...in the meantime I often use an old k340 which, it's certain, deserves to be corrected via measurement and peq )

let's forget all that, very personal.. I will read you with interest regarding this headphone in the future... ,-))

 

[caneton]

(to read between the lines....does not seem to create any real enthusiasm for this headphone... I saw it as an interesting “modern” electrostatic base even if via pec ....)

 

[catscratch]

I'm not sure where you're getting "no enthusiasm" from since that's more or less the opposite of the picture I'm seeing online.

Yeah this is not a glitzy high-dollar headphone that will make every summit-fi customer weak at the knees, but I'm willing to bet it'll sound quite a bit better than some of what they'll spend their money on. You won't see this headphone reviewed in every sellout audio rag like some high-dollar flagship but those reviews are worth less than the time it takes to click on them anyway.

Regarding the 1-2khz bump and other things, fit matters in an electrostatic and that'll affect sound quality a lot, so your best bet will be to see if you can find some place to try these things out firsthand. Alternatively, if you're using a PC as source, APO is free. What you don't want to do though is look at a graph and dismiss something outright, unless that graph is egregiously bad, and this isn't even close to it.

I do agree though that FR through the mids is very important and affects tembre, and even a small adjustment of a few decibels can make or break midrange realism. That's why it takes a while to make a good EQ curve.

I've actually been using the X1 as main listening headphone for the last week or so and it's displaced the HD650 in that role, at least so far. I find it less fatiguing to listen to while sounding quite a bit better. It's not as comfortable nor is it as easy to use as the HD650 since I prefer to store it somewhere away from the dust and sunlight while the HD650 just lives on the desk, but it's pretty much the first time in over a decade that something has displaced the HD650 in any role. So that says something.

Aside from the soundstage, which is not as good as other, more expensive electrostats, and the need to EQ, which I do with every single headphone anyway, this thing has been performing well above expectation. I've spent some time comparing it to my modded L700 and while the L700 is fuller, richer, a bit more resolving up top, and certainly more holographic, it also sounds downright muddy in the bass and lower midrange in comparison, and is less realistic through the mids. It's also sharper and more fatiguing in the highs. I hate to say it but right now I'm preferring the X1 even though that's probably new toy syndrome speaking. But the L700 beat the OG Utopia for me so draw your own conclusions.

 

[Brandfuchs]

To be honest, if you have the SR-X mk3 and a NB Lambda, they are some of the best vintage Stax around...
X1 has more extended bass, is smoother and a bit warmer than both of these imo.

If you are primarily into acoustic music though, not sure what great benefit you would get vs getting a new headphone. I suggest getting a better amp!

I am a bit curious, it seems all the Stax amplifiers currently in production only have pro bias outputs. Is it possible/ any way to use NB Lambda on a pro bias, or do you have to purchase another amplifier with NB output?

 

[catscratch]

You have to use a NB amp. Overbiasing the driver by that much risks arcing the driver and burning holes in the diaphragm. Your best bet is to find a 007t or similar amp that has a NB socket that has been reconditioned, recapped and CCS modded.

I don't know if there is a way to mod the drivers, I believe the driver/stator gap and other fundamental things were different in NB drivers.

 

[Miiksu]

@Brandfuchs Or get HiveX. It's pro bias and quite similar fr.

 

[Brandfuchs]

Got it, many thanks for your answers!

 

[caneton]

sdr7 mods "mk2".... with normal and pro bias...

my interest is real..(especially since I can switch to peq 10 bands)
but whether in this thread or in mp..some advise me to stick with my olds stax (which is hardly possible given the aging problems that I personally have encountered or noticed in friends, like net unbalance)...
(and it is impressive to have unbalance problems on new or very very recent headphones (see problems on the electronics too) of this price....)

 

[icnaiwhimor1975]

Or get HiveX. It's pro bias and quite similar fr.

has anyone compared them with any lambdas?)
are they better than any lambda such as l700?)

 

[Miiksu]

has anyone compared them with any lambdas?)
are they better than any lambda such as l700?)

According to SBAF user yes. That comment was Nectarsound Hive thread at page 3. I don't have any personal experience of Stax.

 

[padam]

 

[ludoo]

Nice review, a frequency chart on screen would have been useful though. I still can't get over the 1.5k peak and subsequent trough, will let them play for a bit and then relisten/remeasure. I really really wanted to like these...

 

[Miiksu]

Nice review, a frequency chart on screen would have been useful though. I still can't get over the 1.5k peak and subsequent trough, will let them play for a bit and then relisten/remeasure. I really really wanted to like these...

You can try these pads: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33057605882.html

Just choose the right size. It lowered the frequency response noticeably 600-1500Hz on my HiveX.

Edit. Unfortunately that is not anymore available but some other sellers still sell it. Also the price almost doubled.

 

[icnaiwhimor1975]

HiveX.

are they better than any square stax? signatures with a 1 micron membrane or l700?