Stax SR-X1 (new entry model)

[MousoMachineGun]

Just got mine too!

Here is my first impressions, hooked up with RME ADI-2/4PROSE, and SRM-006tA:
I overall agree with @mtthefirst impressions above. So just to add a few things, I posted the PEQ adjustment below to illustrate better. (Note: Tuned to my hrtf. I don't have any measurement rig so I do this by ear. And Harman is bright to my ears just to make my bias clear)

-Bass: just as mentioned, bass is light in quantity but it does exist and the quality is there , so I just added about 4dB total in subbass and a +1.5dB low shelf midbass

- Mids: there is a peak at around 7kHz that makes vocals sound unnatural, so I applied a slight dip here.

-Highs: there is no sibilance, but above 12kHz it seems to be boosted a bit much, so I applied low shelf here. I suspect burn-in or amp synergy issues here. Because I didn't recall hearing this in the demos with the new set amp.
UPDATE: The peaks seem to have gone away after I ran it playing music overnight. Also seems to sound smoother now. I'll need to listen further, but very happy with where this is heading.

Technicalities: I think detail retrieval is about on par with the L300LTD I had back then by memory. Ofc this is not at all x9000 level and I think L700mk2 is still a bit more resolving.
Soundstage is narrow, kinda like og L300.

Again this is early first impressions, I'll update as I go along. Cheers!

 

[icnaiwhimor1975]

does someone has already compared
x1 with the l300 and l700
the removable cable this is of course a plus
but the main thing is
what about sound they have

 

[Degru]

I'm very interested in comparing against older Lambdas, such as the original Professional. Particularly the bass extension and level of detail. I find that the L series Lambdas don't really stack up.

 

[GREQ]

Tried these out in High End Munich.
Despite the booth, there was still plenty of noise getting in, so pinch of salt n all that...

I think they sounded half-way towards planars.
It sort of reminded me of the MM100 in it's overall presentation.

It didn't have a strong bass presence, like other e-stats but it does dig fairly deep. So not a strong roll-off.
I couldn't detect anything piercing or harsh up top, which is unfortunately exactly what I heard from the L700.

 

[justin w.]

We will be receiving the SRS-X1000 in the US soon (we've been told to expect them mid-May) and we're taking pre-orders now: https://www.headamp.com/products/stax-srs-x1000

We'll also have the SR-X1 earspeaker separately, if you're looking to try them with another amp (shout-out to alegar and the BHSE!), as well as the SRM-270S driver unit alone.

Just wanted to update this -- we're supposed to be receiving the SRS-X1000 system, SR-X1 headphone, and SRM-270S amps from STAX around Wednesday this week. We still have a few available that can be pre-ordered!

 

[Lochaves]

Waiting for comparisons with the L300/L500/L700...

 

[SHAMuuu]

Tried these out in High End Munich.
Despite the booth, there was still plenty of noise getting in, so pinch of salt n all that...

I think they sounded half-way towards planars.
It sort of reminded me of the MM100 in it's overall presentation.

It didn't have a strong bass presence, like other e-stats but it does dig fairly deep. So not a strong roll-off.
I couldn't detect anything piercing or harsh up top, which is unfortunately exactly what I heard from the L700.

As long as it's closer to the smooth x9k sig and not on thinner and bright that would be awesome

It would be nice to have round stax.

I cannot help but wonder if 007/x9kx pads would fit on them as they both feel nice

Sr-5 allowed for every pad imaginable since it accommodated your typical 100mm pad with stretchy lips

 

[GREQ]

As long as it's closer to the smooth x9k sig and not on thinner and bright that would be awesome

It would be nice to have round stax.

I cannot help but wonder if 007/x9kx pads would fit on them as they both feel nice

Sr-5 allowed for every pad imaginable since it accommodated your typical 100mm pad with stretchy lips

I heard the X9000 shortly after the X1.
They're kinda worlds apart.
X9000 actually sounded more full bodied.
Not really a fair comparison.

I think the X1 is closer to the SR-5 (black and gold) then the x9k.
(Pinch of salt n all that)

 

[SHAMuuu]

I heard the X9000 shortly after the X1.
They're kinda worlds apart.
X9000 actually sounded more full bodied.
Not really a fair comparison.

I think the X1 is closer to the SR-5 (black and gold) then the x9k.
(Pinch of salt n all that)

Having the sr-5nb (Gold) and hearing the x9k , your explanation is clear to me.

Though one can influence sr-5 with different pads.

So I am hoping that the X1 also can have that luxury in case the pads are not up to snuff

I'm other words it would be awesome if the x9k pads worked nicely with the X1

Sr-5 I've tried 007 pads, 1540 alcantara, brainwaves, dekoni velour etc

Which was fun to experiment

 

[ludoo]

SR-5 drivers are held back by the pretty terrible cup design. Which the SR-X1 do not share of course.

 

[justin w.]

I just unopened a SRS-X1000. Unboxing impressions:
- The amp chassis is very sturdy, a smooth volume knob with a nice quality on/off switch
- The headphones are smaller than I expected. They are also extremely light. Even though the ear pads are round, the opening on the inside is an elongated rectangle. Still, my ears fit like a glove inside of the opening. For people with larger ears it's possible they will fit somewhere between an on-ear and over-ear, but I would expect it to always be comfortable given the soft pads and light weight. The pads feel reminiscent of a 90s pair of Sony MDR-V6, and the light assembly reminds me of a pair of the plastic Grado SR-series, but with higher quality materials and much more pleasant pads. Someone is going to want this just for the weight and comfort.

 

[Kabeer]

Extremely early new toy impressions (DAC> SRM-D10) (under 30 mins):
Super light, the headphone is not so dissimilar in weight to the cable. Comfy on the head. Great simple and minimalistic design.

I respectfully disagree with the assertions that this lacks bass. I find it is actually a bass-centric headphone as far as electrostatic headphones go. More so than any in the Lambda and smaller round driver series (not comparing this to the Omega series), from memory at least. I don't feel any lack of bass, and im somewhat of a basshead (in the planar and stat world at least, i wont compare to dynamics), in fact I really like the bass and bass doesn't seem to need any EQ from this very early listening session. The treble has no etchyness or peaks, very smooth. If anything I would have thought for most peoples tastes (and the direction Stax has been in recent years) people would find this on the warm side of things. I like it.

YMMV, also need to try these on my proper amps tomorrow but im sure this has given me enough of the flavour.

Side by side with the SR-Xmk3

 

[catscratch]

I am going to click "buy" and feel a mild twinge of regret.

Does anybody have squiggles? I love me some squiggles.

 

[trellus]

Extremely early new toy impressions (DAC> SRM-D10) (under 30 mins):
Super light, the headphone is not so dissimilar in weight to the cable. Comfy on the head. Great simple and minimalistic design.

I respectfully disagree with the assertions that this lacks bass. I find it is actually a bass-centric headphone as far as electrostatic headphones go. More so than any in the Lambda and smaller round driver series (not comparing this to the Omega series), from memory at least. I don't feel any lack of bass, and im somewhat of a basshead (in the planar and stat world at least, i wont compare to dynamics), in fact I really like the bass and bass doesn't seem to need any EQ from this very early listening session. The treble has no etchyness or peaks, very smooth. If anything I would have thought for most peoples tastes (and the direction Stax has been in recent years) people would find this on the warm side of things. I like it.

YMMV, also need to try these on my proper amps tomorrow but im sure this has given me enough of the flavour.

Side by side with the SR-Xmk3

Ooooo...I like the look. This is the first pic I've seen from an actual owner.... I almost pre-ordered from Headamp but they also had an open box L500 MK2 so I pulled the trigger on that instead, but still curious about this round-cupped new entry-level model.

 

[Bingturong]

Extremely early new toy impressions (DAC> SRM-D10) (under 30 mins):
Super light, the headphone is not so dissimilar in weight to the cable. Comfy on the head. Great simple and minimalistic design.

I respectfully disagree with the assertions that this lacks bass. I find it is actually a bass-centric headphone as far as electrostatic headphones go. More so than any in the Lambda and smaller round driver series (not comparing this to the Omega series), from memory at least. I don't feel any lack of bass, and im somewhat of a basshead (in the planar and stat world at least, i wont compare to dynamics), in fact I really like the bass and bass doesn't seem to need any EQ from this very early listening session. The treble has no etchyness or peaks, very smooth. If anything I would have thought for most peoples tastes (and the direction Stax has been in recent years) people would find this on the warm side of things. I like it.

YMMV, also need to try these on my proper amps tomorrow but im sure this has given me enough of the flavour.

Side by side with the SR-Xmk3

A comparison with the SR-Xmk3 would be greatly appreciated~