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- Nov 26, 2002
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hi everybody,
I just came back from a trip to Japan during which I had the opportunity to go to Hakihabara - Electric City, in Tokyo. My goal was to listen to some Stax stuff, hopefully compare it to a rig with the Sennheiser HD600, and decide if I should come back home 20 pounds heavier ;o).
It turns out that I left the store puzzled, not knowing what to buy... I posted something in the amps section on the subject:
http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showt...threadid=29338
So, I had the chance to compare three Stax systems with a high end Denon CD player, whose reference I did not note:
A. Stax SR-404/SRM006t (tube amp) = SRS-4040 combo
B. Stax SR-404/SRM-717 (solid state amp)
C. Stax Omega 2 / SRM-007t (tube amp)
Now, the impressions. Please note that the listening conditions were far from optimal with quite a bit of background noise.
Overall:
I found that the stax Omega 2 system was very dark sounding, with a very very forward bass. This is relative to the SR-404 cheaper earspeakers systems.
Soundstage:
The soundstage of the Omega 2 felt really narrow compared to the SR-404. In old jazz recordings with poor balance, I preferred the SR-404 over the Omega 2 regarding the soundstage, because it was more airy, as when I turn on the cross-feed on my PreHead. But for good recent recordings, the Omega 2 soundstage was very nice, very precise, real.
Bass:
In terms of bass, I liked the Omega 2 much better than regular earspeaker, because it had much more impact, but there seemed to be too much of it! I did not expect that from a Stax system, because many people here had said those guys "felt" bass shy compared to electro-dynamic sound. What I liked to the most with this bass is that it sounded like a good loudspeaker, not like a headphone. The bass felt real.
Mid-highs:
I noticed something that seemed wrong with the SR-404 earspeaker. It sounded like a bump somewhere between 2-4kHz. The detail was incredible, but it did not sound natural too me. For some recordings, it just sounded strange, particularly the voice. This feeling was less pronounced when listening to the tube amp (SRM-006t) compared to the solid state amp (SRM-717). This is cliche, but the tube amp really sounded warmer, rounded off at both ends, and was a better fit to the SR-404 earspeaker. The only exception was for really good recording where the solid state amp had an extension in the highs that was unbelievable, and very pleasant sharpness and control. So, I guess the SR-404 / SRM-717 is not much forgiving but it will please you if you indulge it with top notch recordings / source.
The Omega 2 was much much less pronounced in the highs. And this strange feeling I had with a sort of bump with the SR-404 was totally gone. I actually found the Omega 2 too relaxed, too quiet. Probably not the best for those who want punch.
Conclusion:
I wish I could have listened to the Omega 2 with the solid state unit (SRM-717) (the sales guy did not want to!?!). The tube amps seem to really have a tube signature, while the solid state amp is rock solid and very extended in the highs. This is all cliche, I am sorry... Unfortunately, I could not listen to the HD600 in that store. However, the other store I went to on the same day had the HD580. I compare a lower end Stax model (SRS-3030) to the HD580/Luxman P-1 in the other thread listed above.
In the end, what I heard in the first store was not enough to convince myself to ditch my HD600 / PreHead combo and throw the big bucks on the Stax system. But, even if I had wanted to, the sales guy did not want to sell me the Stax units, saying it was for domestic market only!?! That was the second store around Tokyo who refused me that because I am foreigner.
Arnaud.
I just came back from a trip to Japan during which I had the opportunity to go to Hakihabara - Electric City, in Tokyo. My goal was to listen to some Stax stuff, hopefully compare it to a rig with the Sennheiser HD600, and decide if I should come back home 20 pounds heavier ;o).
It turns out that I left the store puzzled, not knowing what to buy... I posted something in the amps section on the subject:
http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showt...threadid=29338
So, I had the chance to compare three Stax systems with a high end Denon CD player, whose reference I did not note:
A. Stax SR-404/SRM006t (tube amp) = SRS-4040 combo
B. Stax SR-404/SRM-717 (solid state amp)
C. Stax Omega 2 / SRM-007t (tube amp)
Now, the impressions. Please note that the listening conditions were far from optimal with quite a bit of background noise.
Overall:
I found that the stax Omega 2 system was very dark sounding, with a very very forward bass. This is relative to the SR-404 cheaper earspeakers systems.
Soundstage:
The soundstage of the Omega 2 felt really narrow compared to the SR-404. In old jazz recordings with poor balance, I preferred the SR-404 over the Omega 2 regarding the soundstage, because it was more airy, as when I turn on the cross-feed on my PreHead. But for good recent recordings, the Omega 2 soundstage was very nice, very precise, real.
Bass:
In terms of bass, I liked the Omega 2 much better than regular earspeaker, because it had much more impact, but there seemed to be too much of it! I did not expect that from a Stax system, because many people here had said those guys "felt" bass shy compared to electro-dynamic sound. What I liked to the most with this bass is that it sounded like a good loudspeaker, not like a headphone. The bass felt real.
Mid-highs:
I noticed something that seemed wrong with the SR-404 earspeaker. It sounded like a bump somewhere between 2-4kHz. The detail was incredible, but it did not sound natural too me. For some recordings, it just sounded strange, particularly the voice. This feeling was less pronounced when listening to the tube amp (SRM-006t) compared to the solid state amp (SRM-717). This is cliche, but the tube amp really sounded warmer, rounded off at both ends, and was a better fit to the SR-404 earspeaker. The only exception was for really good recording where the solid state amp had an extension in the highs that was unbelievable, and very pleasant sharpness and control. So, I guess the SR-404 / SRM-717 is not much forgiving but it will please you if you indulge it with top notch recordings / source.
The Omega 2 was much much less pronounced in the highs. And this strange feeling I had with a sort of bump with the SR-404 was totally gone. I actually found the Omega 2 too relaxed, too quiet. Probably not the best for those who want punch.
Conclusion:
I wish I could have listened to the Omega 2 with the solid state unit (SRM-717) (the sales guy did not want to!?!). The tube amps seem to really have a tube signature, while the solid state amp is rock solid and very extended in the highs. This is all cliche, I am sorry... Unfortunately, I could not listen to the HD600 in that store. However, the other store I went to on the same day had the HD580. I compare a lower end Stax model (SRS-3030) to the HD580/Luxman P-1 in the other thread listed above.
In the end, what I heard in the first store was not enough to convince myself to ditch my HD600 / PreHead combo and throw the big bucks on the Stax system. But, even if I had wanted to, the sales guy did not want to sell me the Stax units, saying it was for domestic market only!?! That was the second store around Tokyo who refused me that because I am foreigner.
Arnaud.
