[ericj]

Thanks for your reply. I totally get that part. I was hoping for any recommendations on models. I really don't know too much about which ones are good or bad... Any recommendations on specific speaker amp models to look for?

 
Transformer boxes for electrostatic headphones need very little power. 
 
Somewhere on audiokarma.org in the vintage solid state forum there is a thread about the best low-wattage amps. It might be worth digging up. 
 
From personal experience i can recommend any of the small Rotel amps as well as vintage Kyocera. Many people like old Yamaha "Natural Sound" amps. 
 
But yeah, small T-Amps work too. The only qualm is that they are designed for a 4-ohm load, and the transformer boxes are 8-ohm. 
 
 

Seems more likely to me that the srd-7 will be the compromised part rather than your amp of choice, though I can imagine that some amp designs with negative feedback might not like the srd-7 as load (just speculation).

 
Pretty much anything will drive the SRD-7. It's a pair of transformers that are behind some resistors, and the grounds do not meet. The transformers themselves have an impedance around 1 ohm, iirc. 
 
fwiw the old koss transformer boxes have a common ground at their input, which makes them incompatible with many amps. Stax boxes don't have that problem. 

 

[ericj]

   
Yes, I've read your posts to that effect, but no one else has suggested such a clear superiority. In fact most of the comments focus on comparisons with the usual suspects--DT880, HD600/650, AKG K701 etc--as if it were a matter of taste which one you preferred. Given that the Stax here in Oz is 3 times the price of those others, I'd certainly expect clear superiority.

 
If you go far enough down the dynamic vs. planar rabbit hole, it devolves into arguments about psychoactoustics, euphonics, etc. You may as well try to explain the harsh realities of the RIAA equalization curve to a die-hard vinyl fan who is going on about "real bass". 
 
IMHO, a normal bias Lambda plus an SRD-7 and any non-terrible amp beats all of the dynamic headphones you listed, by a wide margin. 
 
But like any other audio transducer, there is a response curve to be considered, and some will prefer one response curve strongly over another. 
 
For speed and clarity, you have to spend a whole lot of money on a dynamic headphone to get anywhere near any stax product. 
 
I've heard, briefly, at meets, several high-dollar dynamics that to my ears sounded nice, but not so nice as to make me want them substantially over the electrostatics i already have. 
 
Except for Beyer's T-1. They should be ashamed. I'd never consider owning one, even for free. 

 

[gefski]

Seems more likely to me that the srd-7 will be the compromised part rather than your amp of choice, though I can imagine that some amp designs with negative feedback might not like the srd-7 as load (just speculation).

I agree. Since I've had lots of amps in my speaker system through the years, I've used Sonic Frontiers, Quicksilver, VTL, PS Audio, Decware, and NAD with transnsformer boxes for Stax Cans and while all were pristine and detailed, none had the texture, timbre, and relaxed musical flow of a good Stax amp.

So I would use any old amp, receiver, etc. to to drive the box while keeping my eyes open for a real Stax amp. With patience, they can be found used, are high quality, and will last a long time.

 

[pp312]

@miceblue: That's quite a rap. I notice you've replaced the earpads. Did that make much sound difference, or was it just for comfort?
 
@ericj:  Also quite a rap. But I wonder why you hate the Beyer T-1 so much. I know it polarises opinion, but that's the most extreme opinion I've read so far.

 

[miceblue]

@miceblue: That's quite a rap. I notice you've replaced the earpads. Did that make much sound difference, or was it just for comfort?

It was mainly for comfort. Some have claimed that it makes a difference in the bass, but my guess is that the softer pads formed a better seal on their head. Innerfidelity re-measured my unit with the leather earpads on them and the measured frequency response and bass response are pretty similar. They aren't posted quite yet, but hopefully they will be in the next measurements update post.

For now, all I have is the scanned sheet that was included back in the shipping box.

 

[ericj]

 
@ericj:  Also quite a rap. But I wonder why you hate the Beyer T-1 so much. I know it polarises opinion, but that's the most extreme opinion I've read so far.

 
Nasal. Congested. Lack of warmth. 
 
I tolerated it on my ears for about 30 seconds. Terrible. 

 

[Chris J]

  
Yes, I've read your posts to that effect, but no one else has suggested such a clear superiority. In fact most of the comments focus on comparisons with the usual suspects--DT880, HD600/650, AKG K701 etc--as if it were a matter of taste which one you preferred. Given that the Stax here in Oz is 3 times the price of those others, I'd certainly expect clear superiority.

 
Some perspective:
Based on Canadian prices, I prefer the Stax SRS-2170 headphone and amp system over my favourite DT880 system, which consisted of:
 - DT880 cans
 - La Figaro 336C OTL tube amp
 - and a couple of NOS tubes for the 336C
 
The SRS-2170 was cheaper than the DT880 and amp, but the SRS-2170 sounds better to my ears, the Stax makes the DT880 sound grainy by comparison. 
 
Much as I still like and use my Q701, it sounds coloured compared to the Stax SRS-2170.
 
Ask five people for opinions you will get five different answers.

 

[Chris J]

  
Nasal. Congested. Lack of warmth. 
 
I tolerated it on my ears for about 30 seconds. Terrible. 

 
Personally, I can't hear much superiority in the T1 over the DT880.
The T1 should cost 20% more, that's about it.
Plus the T1 is too "tizzy".
 
Warning, folks:  YMMV.

 

[pp312]

 
Ask five poeple for opinions you will get five different answers.

 
Well, I've got 3 answers so far and they hardly differ. 2 more and we've got a quorum.

 

[Chris J]

Well, I've got 3 answers so far and they hardly differ. 2 more and we've got a quorum.

Hey, it's your money, fell free to burn it any way you want to! :wink_face:

 

[pp312]

The 2170 is already on its way, along with the stepdown transformer recommended by PriceJapan. Hopefully there'll be no wisps of smoke or sudden pops at switch on and I'll soon be back in the arms of Stax reliving the glory days of the 80s. Ah, bliss...
 
However, I'm not sure some of my mp3 files are going to do the equipment justice. Even the DT880 sometimes turns up its nose.

 

[Chris J]

The 2170 is already on its way, along with the stepdown transformer recommended by PriceJapan. Hopefully there'll be no wisps of smoke or sudden pops at switch on and I'll soon be back in the arms of Stax reliving the glory days of the 80s. Ah, bliss...

However, I'm not sure some of my mp3 files are going to do the equipment justice. Even the DT880 sometimes turns up its nose.

The MP3 files:
I understand.
My SRS-2170 didn't like my FiiO E17 DAC.

 

[Hansotek]

 

Nasal. Congested. Lack of warmth. 

I tolerated it on my ears for about 30 seconds. Terrible. 

Personally, I can't hear much superiority in the T1 over the DT880.
The T1 sound cost 20%, that;s about it.
Plus the T1 is too "tizzy".

Warning, folks:  YMMV.

+1. The T1 has far less grain in the treble, better imaging and a bigger soundstage (compared to the DT880), but everything else about the sound is straight-up broken. The treble is the the shrekiest, most sibilant high end I've heard. There is no bass impact, and any attempt to EQ some in will blur right into the mids. And the mids are far too cold to be transparent. An utter fail in every way.

 

[Veamoth]

Is there a difference between the SR-407 Classic and the SR-407 Signature?

 

[Hansotek]

Seems more likely to me that the srd-7 will be the compromised part rather than your amp of choice, though I can imagine that some amp designs with negative feedback might not like the srd-7 as load (just speculation).

I agree. Since I've had lots of amps in my speaker system through the years, I've used Sonic Frontiers, Quicksilver, VTL, PS Audio, Decware, and NAD with transnsformer boxes for Stax Cans and while all were pristine and detailed, none had the texture, timbre, and relaxed musical flow of a good Stax amp.

So I would use any old amp, receiver, etc. to to drive the box while keeping my eyes open for a real Stax amp. With patience, they can be found used, are high quality, and will last a long time.

Yeah, I just picked up a Topping TP-22 to hold me over for now. I definitely plan on grabbing a legit Stax amp in the near future, but this should hold me over in the short term.