[DefQon]

People who think stat's don't have bass or is bass-anemic is full of crap as they probably have never had experience with Stax headphones. 

 

[tdogzthmn]

Can anyone recommend a good DAC which does 24/192K and has balanced outputs?  I would like to utilized the XLR connections on my SRM-600, unless going balanced it not a big sonic difference.

 

[dukeskd]

Quote:

People who think stat's don't have bass or is bass-anemic is full of crap as they probably have never had experience with Stax headphones. 

+1

 

[cjfrbw]

Quote:

People who think stat's don't have bass or is bass-anemic is full of crap as they probably have never had experience with Stax headphones. 

That's true.  I have a pair of old 3n with 5n drivers, supposed to be bass shy, and they are producing some of the best and most impactful bass I have heard from headphones, albeit with a transformer coupled 50 watt SET amplifier.  I would not call my 507's bass deficient, either, 

 

[DefQon]

Yeah my Sr-5's have a strong impactful mid bass, before getting them I thought that they were going to be poor performers in the bass department. Fed some class a 85wpc power through an srd 7sbmk2 energizer and its rocking out with its Johnson out.

 

[tdogzthmn]

I've spent some more time now with my SR-507 + SRM-600 combo and find it to be an incredibly satisfying combination.  The SR-507 is wonderfully clear and detailed but doesn't come off sounding bright or shrill in any way.  I've thrown every genre of music I have at these and found so sound satisfying with everything, which might be a first for me.  Sure the HD800 or K1000 might have beat these on a few aspects on a few songs but they were not as consistent in the level of performance (especially in the bass).  The signature of this combo is very neutral sounding but still musically engaging similar to the K1000 but has all the detail of the HD800.  The soundstage is great and is generally appropriate to the recording, where the HD800 or K1000 might have inflated to come off as more spacious sounding.  It's worth noting that my SRM-600 was modified by its original owner who upgraded several of the lack luster components in the amp with better performing audiophile components.  I can't comment on the sound of the stock amp, but what ever was done seems to have only improved it.  It's great when you get new gear that really shows off new details and nuances in the music rather than just hearing the same stuff but just presented differently.  It's generally hard for me to be satisfied with a single headphone, the HD600 + Bottlehead Crack being another great generalist pairing which exhibited great synchronicity.  For my first Stax purchase I'm very impressed and satisfied with the results.  I'm still very curious to try some of the more famous vintage Stax Lambda models but I'm pretty skeptical that they will perform on the same level as the SR-507 with all music leaving me with a headphone which is just marginally better with only a handful of songs.  
 
Can't be sure until I've tried it for myself though....

 

[Audiolic]

What is the best amp for the SR-507 with a very high resolution neutral dac (like audio gd Master7)
 
in the range of 1000-2000$
in the range of 2000$-3000$
 
What about with the Woo Wee with ATI 60w amp .. anybody think this could do it for cheaper price? 

 

[Chodi]

I went down this route with the 407's and the 006t. I added the 507 pads to the headphones and they became 507's as far as I could hear (yes I compared them with a borrowed pair of 507's). Like an earlier poster I found both the 407 and 507 pads very uncomfortable. I also found the sound less engaging than my T1's. I was happy for the experience but in the end I sold the stax setup and stayed with my T1's. In comfort level alone there is no comparison. I couldn't wear the stax for more than an hour without my ears burning. The ear cups are designed for very small ears. I could not get my ears inside those cups without touching far too much of the surface. At least I got a taste of what all the stax reviews are about. I still prefer my T1's. 

 

[Audiolic]

this is funny since after tons of web crawling and reviews and everything.... i bought a used T1.. and seriously didn't like it at all for the money..
 
it was harsh sounding with mostly everything compared to my ESP-950 even with a otl tube amp.. ( maybe i had one of those wrongly made T1) 
 
And details wasn't up to the ESP-950 in my opinion.. and they were heavier, less comfy..
 
Maybe i should just buy a better amp for my ESP-950 after all.. 

 

[Chodi]

Quote:

this is funny since after tons of web crawling and reviews and everything.... i bought a used T1.. and seriously didn't like it at all for the money..
 
it was harsh sounding with mostly everything compared to my ESP-950 even with a otl tube amp.. ( maybe i had one of those wrongly made T1) 
 
And details wasn't up to the ESP-950 in my opinion.. and they were heavier, less comfy..
 
Maybe i should just buy a better amp for my ESP-950 after all.. 

Can't comment on the comfort as I haven't tried the 950 but I can tell you that the T1's are not harsh in the least. You must have had a defective pair. That's no to say that someone might not like the 950's better, everyone has their own taste, but no way are the T1's harsh. They are very revealing of the rest of the chain. Really sounds like you bought some else's problem T1's.

 

[mongeddavid]

Ive just got a pair of new 507s and I am wondering about burning in. Dynamic drivers form experience require it but is this the same with new Stax Phones. They sound very good as is with only about five hours on them and I have read comments some saying they improve some saying they will not. hat is your experience? Thanks for the help.

 

[tdogzthmn]

From what I have gathered STAX headphones generally have a short break in time compared to dynamic headphones.  My SR-507 was second had so it had already seen some action from the previous owner.  I've not noticed any major changes in sound since I've owned them.  Which amp are you using with your 507?

 

[mongeddavid]

Im using an old T1 amp which sounds pretty good IMHO

 

[Miracles]

What do you think of its comfort? May get one as an upgrade sooner or later from my HD650 (which is super comfortable).

 

[mongeddavid]

Ive not had the 650s but had the 595s and yes a very comfortable headphone indeed. I find the STAX are similar , very light weight ( although the 507 is heavier than my other Lambdas ). My ears fit inside the pads and dont touch at all. I like the fit and feel of the real leather pads  I find they do not make my ears sweat / get hot which happened a little with the 407s pleather pads. The only real gripe I have is they are not the sort of headphones you could fall asleep with or lie down with very easily. The Arc is rather large on the 507 but it is well made and thought out. The simple click mechanism makes a substantial difference as no further adjustment is required once set up. ( not sure why they didnt do this years ago ).
 
Im enjoying them nice out of the head sound well balanced although not as weighty in the bass or midrange as Grados for example. I have heard a few things that my main system hasn't revealed in recordings and that's kind of cool and unexpected. Good tonality to instruments all in all very happy with them.