Stax SR-X1 (new entry model)

Sep 30, 2024 at 7:08 PM Post #196 of 242
I haven't read this whole thread, what is the consensus right now, if you already own a L300/500/700 are these worth picking up?

Yes, if you EQ them. But that's also true for the Lambdas.

These are lighter, way more comfortable, and they have a more laid back sound in the mids with better bass. With some EQ to tame the highs and 1-2k they'll have a warmer sound that's better for casual, laid-back listening. The Lambdas are more forward and engaging but the bass is worse.

I've been using the X1 non-stop as an all-around headphone for gaming, youtube, etc, with some music in between, and it's been great.

Have there been any more channel balance issues with the new batches?
 
Oct 5, 2024 at 1:05 PM Post #197 of 242
Listened to these for a short while on my Pro bias modded SRA-3S and SRM-717.
Greatly preferred the 717. Helps with bass and diffusing the stage. Plus, keeps a bit of sweetness, and brings those laid-back upper mids a bit closer.
Although this amp is still a bit warm, so with a quick attack and decay, top-end feels a little rolled-off (compared to what I'm calibrated to anyway) otherwise quite good overall balance.
Very much reminds me of modern Staxes with more a "dry" tone and an emphasis on speed, detail and separation. Vintage Staxes have more of an organic warmth to them with more air. Much less "busy", more relaxing to listen to than an X9000, so well done on that, especially for the price.
 
Oct 6, 2024 at 11:58 PM Post #198 of 242
Listened to these for a short while on my Pro bias modded SRA-3S and SRM-717.
Greatly preferred the 717. Helps with bass and diffusing the stage. Plus, keeps a bit of sweetness, and brings those laid-back upper mids a bit closer.
Although this amp is still a bit warm, so with a quick attack and decay, top-end feels a little rolled-off (compared to what I'm calibrated to anyway) otherwise quite good overall balance.
Very much reminds me of modern Staxes with more a "dry" tone and an emphasis on speed, detail and separation. Vintage Staxes have more of an organic warmth to them with more air. Much less "busy", more relaxing to listen to than an X9000, so well done on that, especially for the price.
I like the way you describe it and I agree. X1 is less busy than L300 too. I was saying it's "less detailed", but it is clearly detailed, just presented in a way that isn't as impressive.
 
Oct 22, 2024 at 7:27 AM Post #199 of 242

Seems to be in line with what I heard, except that I'm really not sure if any of those three amps are worth it - and I don't have affiliate links to share with you (go figure).

I may be able to borrow them for a little longer, I was thinking of using the SRM-T1S this time, comparing with these from my collection:
SR-X Mk3, SR-Lambda, SR-5NB Gold, SR-207
Or maybe I just use the SRM-717 and the SR-207.
 
Oct 28, 2024 at 5:56 PM Post #200 of 242
IMG_5004.jpeg

IMG_5005.jpeg

^ L500 and SR-X1

- pleasantly lightweight which means the simplistic headband is perfectly adequate
- the ear pads are on the small side, but seem to be acceptable for me
- the plastic construction and/or design seems to be a little sturder on SR-X1

The diaphragms seem to crinkle whenever positioning the headphones on head and its pretty loud. Otherwise is silent when just listening. I wouldve figured the driver baffle vents (see @spritzer photos) would prevent this crinkle. Anyone else have this issue? The ventilation is one of the reasons I prefer the current gen Lambda because they dont have any crinkle (ime).

First listening impression is not too bad:
- effortless treble but light on bass
- SR-X1 seems to have the same 1kHz peak as Lambdas. Applying some EQ specifically to reduce 1kHz (like I do with L500) is immediately appreciated as now sounds more natural to me.
- SR-X1 doesnt present as large a soundstage as L500, SR-X1 soundstage sounds like typical headphone which is good and bad.

Ill add more notes later. Im going to pull off the pads and see if the baffle is indeed vented.

- EQ provided by Schitt Lokius
- Amplification provided by Schitt Rekkr and SRD7mk2 (modded)
- Digital to analogue conversion provided by Schitt Eitr + ModiMB
 
Oct 28, 2024 at 10:47 PM Post #202 of 242
Some stuff that i left out from first impressions because was being lazy or cautious.:

- I was hoping these would be slightly warmer than L500 and with sturdier built chassis.

- I do not like the tonal response, but that is my experience with all Stax Ive tried. EQ must.

- Slightly sibilant, but I didnt want to have to explain that that might be related to the SRD7 transformer possibly effecting frequency response. Ill explain later possibly but otherwise you may find the info in the current general Stax thread in the high-end sub-forum. Mostly I wanted to highlight the build quality and diaphragm crinkle.

- The small ear pads and light clamp I imagine make seal pretty inconsistent from person to person which would cause great variance in individual impressions as Kabeer demonstrates here. Im guessing I get a good seal on my head due to impression of light bass and diaphragm crinkle.
 
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Oct 28, 2024 at 11:02 PM Post #203 of 242
Some stuff that i left out from first impressions because was being lazy or cautious.:

- I was hoping these would be slightly warmer than L500 and with sturdier built chassis.

- I do not like the tonal response, but that is my experience with all Stax Ive tried. EQ must.

- Slightly sibilant, but I didnt want to have to explain that that might be related to the SRD7 transformer possibly effecting frequency response. Ill explain later possibly but otherwise you may find the info in the current general Stax thread in the high-end sub-forum. Mostly I wanted to highlight the build quality and diaphragm crinkle.

- The small ear pads and light clamp I imagine make seal pretty inconsistent from person to person which would cause great variance in individual impressions as Kabeer demonstrates here. Im guessing I get a good seal on my head due to impression of light bass and diaphragm crinkle.
If you want a warmer sound that doesn’t have the usual stax sound I’d recommend the 007. I personally love them but they are very expensive so I understand if you don’t want to make the jump
 
Oct 28, 2024 at 11:03 PM Post #204 of 242
I should mention Stax IS working on a 007 replacement. I know this for a fact. I’ve been told this to be the case and it’s no surprise. So they will most likely release an “x7000” or whatever they decide to call within the next two years
 
Oct 29, 2024 at 10:56 AM Post #205 of 242
RE: venting

Padrolling options arent plentiful for criteria of 90mm, round, vented, and circumaural. Some pads I found seem close but I dont want to throw money at it until I get lucky. Ill try 3DPrinting a pad adapter / baffle plate with built-in functional venting and could design for common+larger 100mm pads.
 
Oct 29, 2024 at 11:45 AM Post #206 of 242
So first impressions from yesterday was right straight out of the box and brief after having not used any Stax in awhile... Now Ive let the SR-X1 play overnight for breaking-in despite not believing in break-in because I wanted to claim I had warmed up all the gear prior to a/b comparisons. Anyways, this morning SR-X1 sounds much better than recall from yesterday but is that gear break-in or brain break-in (adjusting expectations and memory).

Some mehsurements:
Stax SR-X1 variance.jpg

^ greater seal = decreased mid-bass quantity and increased bass extension

1kHz peak is not as bad as described earlier and this morning I agree subjectively. I think what threw me off yesterday was I havent listened to such (relatively) bass-light headphones in awhile including L500 because normally stays in storage so SR-X1 sounded heavy mid-forward compared to what Im used to. Sense of any sibilance gone too, perhaps that was an issue with my yesterday’s equalization (Lokius wiiide Q) which I am using none now.

IMG_5016.jpeg

^ pad seal was difficult to achieve on Minidsp EARS so used a velcro strap to hold in place.

Too lazy atm to get external hard drive with past measurements for overlaying graphs so for now here are links to some other of my headphone measurements for reference.
2023 HD600 and HD650 link
Various Stax Lambda link
 
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Oct 29, 2024 at 12:18 PM Post #207 of 242
RE: venting

Padrolling options arent plentiful for criteria of 90mm, round, vented, and circumaural. Some pads I found seem close but I dont want to throw money at it until I get lucky. Ill try 3DPrinting a pad adapter / baffle plate with built-in functional venting and could design for common+larger 100mm pads.
The pad seal on my head is evident to me as I feel slight sensation of air pressurization which for me causes ear fatigue and headache. I had this feel after yesterday’s brief listen and this morning’s. So I will pursue making a 3DP baffle, prob this weekend.
 
Oct 29, 2024 at 5:38 PM Post #208 of 242
Pad adapter braintstorm:

1. The driver baffle / pad mount is one piece which make designing for much more complicated than expected. Let’s avoid.

2. I could install a simple pad mount on top of stock baffle by removing stock screws then replacing with longer screws to compensate for new secondary pad mount. I just checked and I dont have the right kind of aftermarket screws, the threading on stock screws is different so will have to figure that out. Let’s skip this for a moment.

3. Just print a circle that fits into the current pad lip / mount points of stock baffle. Basically like ZMF does with their Grado pad adapters but instead of 3DP they use foam. Printing now…

…Not bad first attempt. Measurements were a little off but works.:

IMG_5025.jpeg

IMG_5027.jpeg


edit: more pics
IMG_5038.jpeg

^ needs improvement but works

IMG_5040.jpeg

^ full-sized comfort
 
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Oct 30, 2024 at 2:28 PM Post #209 of 242
The above pads (Harmonicdyne Athena) are semi-vented Alcantra + (p)leather (?). They sound pretty nice and seem to be an improvement over stock, more balanced frequency response (in my unqualified opinion). I think the physically larger ear opening allows subjectively larger soundstage and for more highs. Sub-bass loss is probably more related to the perforations in the pad ear chamber, pros/cons. I've a bunch more 100mm pads I could try...
SRX1 vs SRX1 Athena pads.jpg

^ Measurements were averaged. Athena pads had a consistent seal on EARS.
 
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Oct 31, 2024 at 7:45 PM Post #210 of 242
Ya i did it!:
IMG_5061.jpeg


As you can see the difference is small. I realize now you could easily install 100mm pads on stock baffle though they may mount a bit loosely.

edit: I dont know if its safe to use non-vented pads with Stax. Stock is non-vented but the pad’s ear chamber is so small that I assume the designer’s assumed risk is minimized though might explain reports of channel imbalance (?). Installing deep 100mm pads with zero venting could risk damaging the drivers (?). What say you, @HeadAmpTeam ?
 
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