The Entry Level Stax Thread

[miceblue]

First of all cool thread.

So K_19. I really find your descriptions helpful and easy to follow along. Can you talk to me more about the transient response (speed of the drivers). Are they greater/same/less than the LCD-2 R2? Which one offers better transparency/micro-details of the music? And exactly how bad is that bass roll off? Are we talking like AKG K701/HD598 bad?

IMHO,
To me, the SRS-2170 sounds like a "fixed" or "improved" Q701:
deeper, fuller bass
less coloured midrange
smoother, flatter, purer treble
more detail, more transient snap
It's just a more nautral sounding, less mechanical sounding headphone system

I've heard it said that the Q701 &K70x sound much better with a high end amp, which sounds a bit odd to my way of thinking: using a very expensive amp to drive a mid priced pair of AKG cans!

I've tried my K 701 on a Woo Audio WA7...nothing special to me; it's a nice piece of art though. Likewise for the Lyr/Asgard. I found the K701 to sound more airy and detailed with the Objective 2.

I dunno, maybe the K 701 NEEDS 10 GW of power to really shine and magically transform to have a similar sound to the SR-009. Or maybe I need to buy a KGSS Blue Hawaii-modded amp. XD


Relating to the comfort of the SR-207, I don't have any serious issues with it but yes the earcups are a bit shallow and the pleather earpads are a bit stiff an they do get hot/sweaty easily. I tend to wipe the earpads with a tissue after long periods of use.

 

[Chris J]

I've tried my K 701 on a Woo Audio WA7...nothing special to me; it's a nice piece of art though. Likewise for the Lyr/Asgard. I found the K701 to sound more airy and detailed with the Objective 2.

I dunno, maybe the K 701 NEEDS 10 GW of power to really shine and magically transform to have a similar sound to the SR-009. Or maybe I need to buy a KGSS Blue Hawaii-modded amp. XD


Relating to the comfort of the SR-207, I don't have any serious issues with it but yes the earcups are a bit shallow and the pleather earpads are a bit stiff an they do get hot/sweaty easily. I tend to wipe the earpads with a tissue after long periods of use.

 
Interesting comments WRT the O2 and Q701! Somewhere on Head Fi someone had posted that the Bryston BHA-1 really made their Q701s come alive. Interesting observation, I'm sure it's true, but I'm sure you are also aware that the Bryston is approx. $1300! Yikes...............

 

[davidsh]

Better sub

 

[Solshock]

Does this thread apply to vintage stax as well (sr3,etc)?

 

[DairyProduce]

I guess it's for any stax that don't cost too much? 

 

[miceblue]

I've tried my K 701 on a Woo Audio WA7...nothing special to me; it's a nice piece of art though. Likewise for the Lyr/Asgard. I found the K701 to sound more airy and detailed with the Objective 2.


I dunno, maybe the K 701 NEEDS 10 GW of power to really shine and magically transform to have a similar sound to the SR-009. Or maybe I need to buy a KGSS Blue Hawaii-modded amp. XD



Relating to the comfort of the SR-207, I don't have any serious issues with it but yes the earcups are a bit shallow and the pleather earpads are a bit stiff an they do get hot/sweaty easily. I tend to wipe the earpads with a tissue after long periods of use.

Interesting comments WRT the O2 and Q701! Somewhere on Head Fi someone had posted that the Bryston BHA-1 really made their Q701s come alive. Interesting observation, I'm sure it's true, but I'm sure you are also aware that the Bryston is approx. $1300! Yikes...............

Ew. Yeah, no. I'm not going to spend 4 times the price of a headphone for an amplifier.

 

[Dafo]

I've heard it said that the Q701 &K70x sound much better with a high end amp, which sounds a bit odd to my way of thinking: using a very expensive amp to drive a mid priced pair of AKG cans!

That might seem odd, but does it really matter? Don't worry about the resonable pricing of the akg's, just be happy about it

Even though I haven't compared my k701 directly to the sr202, I doubt they will beat the stax when compared directly. The akg's are good, but they will never become an electrostat. The akg's imo have a somewhat better tone to them in the mids, but I'm sure most people would go for the stax if they had the choice

 

[Dafo]

Ew. Yeah, no. I'm not going to spend 4 times the price of a headphone for an amplifier.

With the prices on the akg's accidently being low and given the great potential in soundquality, it does not make sense to add things up like that, but always keep the price of a 2170 in mind when buying something new though

 

[Chris J]

Last Head Fi meet I attended there was a guy with a balanced pair of Sennheiser HD600 driven from a balanced headphone amplifier (I think the brand name was Headroom) and a high end DAC. The amp and DAC were worth approx. $4,000.00 total and the system sounded amazing, but I wouldn't spend that much on an amp and DAC for a pair of mid-level headphones!

 

[Dafo]

Well... neither would I

 

[SoupRKnowva]

Last Head Fi meet I attended there was a guy with a balanced pair of Sennheiser HD600 driven from a balanced headphone amplifier (I think the brand name was Headroom) and a high end DAC. The amp and DAC were worth approx. $4,000.00 total and the system sounded amazing, but I wouldn't spend that much on an amp and DAC for a pair of mid-level headphones!

 


You have to remember though, that until a couple years ago when the HD800s came out, it was the 880s, 650/600s, and the 701s or like stax's. the current line of like thousand dollar range cans didnt really exist, so they upgraded to get better sound wtih what they had.

Though building a rig now, it seems silly to spend on that money on a mid range can like those

 

[DefQon]

The HD600/650 still does more right than a lot of the other TOTL gear. Not  to mention they benefit from amplification greatly.

 

[cswann1]

Quote:

The HD600/650 still does more right than a lot of the other TOTL gear. Not  to mention they benefit from amplification greatly.

 
 
I couldn't agree more. I keep only a couple of dynamic headphones these days and the HD580 (same as the HD600...but not as silly looking) is one of them.
 
I really don't participate in gear discussion threads anymore, but I saw this thread and thought I'd pitch in and tell you folks why. It has to do with this threads subject.
 
I really love sparkly detailed highs and resolution. The only dynamics I ever owned that really excelled in these areas were the K701's. But the anemic bass and funky and uncomfortable design left me wanting more.
 
As you can see I joined Head-fi right before the top end of dynamics went through the roof (relatively).  Between 2009 and 2011 I spent a lot of money on headphones.  The priciest pair of cans I bought was the Denon D7000.   They were extremely good but I just can't bring myself to love closed cans.
 
So, knowing what I like, my mission was clear.  I needed to try some electrostatics.  About the time I started to realize this, Woo Audio introduced the Woo Wee.   So I ordered a SR-404 and a Wee from Jack and when I got everything going I knew I was done.   In the end I guess I have about $1600 in my home rig.  Not chump change, and maybe beyond entry level, but this is a figure I can live with without feeling guilty.  The Stax phones and Wee were about a grand.  I incorporated these into my dynamic system which has a nice disc player, my Little Dot MK-IVse which now runs as a pre-amp into my Sonic Impact Super T-amp, which I got from Skylab for only the cost of shipping (thanks again! ). 
    To me, this fairly modest (for this crowd) system sounds wonderful.  That's why I don't hang out and participate in equipment threads anymore. No need. I have what I want and these days I don't even listen to my headphone gear, I just listen to my music. 

 

[DairyProduce]

cswann have you tried any other stax models? or only the 404

 

[miceblue]

Oh the Wee is from Woo Audio? People in the other STAX thread failed to mention it...and I was going to say Woo Wee for no reason.

I was going to call out for a High Voltage Woo Wee Kevin Gilmore Solid Blue Hawaii State Electrostatic Amplifier (read: HVWWKGSBHSEA). XD