[ahmedie]

Hello everyone. I have modded my L700 in various ways and i will report I now get the STAX fart. The bass is far more linear but I did lose some of that warmth that the L700 had due to the imperfect seal. Bass seems to be of way higher quality now though! Although less impact is felt extention is better. Overall it sounds a lot like the 009 now, uncannily so. I want to bring it with me sometime to put it right next to the 009 and A/B test it. It does still of course carry some of the Lambda series quirks still. Upper mids still have a rise for example and it still has that relaxed soothing character of the L700 in the highs. For me I suppose it really is a hybrid between the 009 and the Lambda series in sound, almost like a more laid back 009 with some weeb tuning in its bones

Well I failed to mod l700 since they always lose that smooth tuby sound whenever I moded anything. Cannot wait I hope you share details/photos about mod!

 

[Hi-Fi-Apricity]

Pretty much I have a thick double sided tape closing the baffles and I have custom made pads that are slightly deeper but not overtly so. They also aren't all leather they have cloth contacts and are perforated on the inside. They give a lot of leave and are mounted using the aforementioned tape and compressed on. They do lose a bit of that tubed sounding nature as you lose some of the warmth and fullness of the L700 and it most definitely resembles the 009 more closely. Which is both a shame and a blessing. Wonder if the 009S is able to have the smooth tube sound of the L700 with the linear quality bass of the 009.

Edit: one thing to note is seal is absolutely important now. If I don't get a perfect seal it gets super mid bassy even more than holding the ear speakers off your head. While I put them on I move my jaw around to make sure I get impeccable seal or else the sound is just awful! I prefer this mod to stock but I'm also a 009 fan. It does sound more ethereal much like the 009 and less tubed although the stage remains the same or slightly larger. I wish I could have both in one but does not seem to be a possibility

 

[Yoram Diamand]

Hi, this is my first post on head-fi. I have tested the L500 and L700 first at the recent Fujiya Avic headphone festival in Nakano in October, and then again yesterday at Yodobashi Camera in Shinjuku. When I first tried the L700 at the headphone festival my immediate thoughts were they nailed the tone, it doesn't have the grating treble of the SR-009 and isn't darkish like the SR-007. It sounded just right. I then switched to the L500 and thought that it sounded muddy in comparison. I know, quite a statement to say about Stax but these were my initial impressions. I was testing the L500 and L700 on the SRM-353X and the SRM-006tA.

Currently I run a 007 Mk2 off the SRM-007tA, female vocals are stunning. I spent quite a bit of time at Yodobashi testing the L700, L500 and SR-507. Firstly, it's obvious after testing that the L700 is a very high end headphone, it's voiced well to the 353X and is satisfying but does sound a little thin. The L700 and the SRM-007tA do not sound good together, there's just no synergy and the music sounds lifeless with no body or grip.

The L500 sounds good with both the SRM-353X and SRM-007tA, however it's a very noticeable step down in terms of tone and resolution. After trying the L700, it would be hard to purchase the L500 knowing the L700 just needs the right amplification. I also tested the 507 and will say it's on par with the L500, the main difference is the width of the soundstage, the L500 has a wider soundstage with a more balanced sound and less treble. My view is the L700 would be a no brainer with the right amplification.

Hi, isn't it strange that the SR-L500 is a better match with the SRM-007A than the SR-L700???. I have now the T1-S as amp, for the L700...what would be a great upgrade? I thought of an import SRM-007A and a transformer from Japan to Europe: https://airlinktransformers.com/product/japan-europe-voltage-converter-eu-ja0500 but you say it is a mismatch. Has anyone other experiences with the L700 combined to the 007A? They say the L700 scales up, you can get an expensive amp and hear the L700 is great. Best wishes Yoram

 

[padam]

Hi, isn't it strange that the SR-L500 is a better match with the SRM-007A than the SR-L700???. I have now the T1-S as amp, for the L700...what would be a great upgrade? I thought of an import SRM-007A and a transformer from Japan to Europe: https://airlinktransformers.com/product/japan-europe-voltage-converter-eu-ja0500 but you say it is a mismatch. Has anyone other experiences with the L700 combined to the 007A? They say the L700 scales up, you can get an expensive amp and hear the L700 is great. Best wishes Yoram

It's not a big upgrade over your current amp, just not worth the expense in my opinion.
So, as stated earlier, if you are looking for a big upgrade, you need to consider going aftermarket instead of the Stax amps (and people say the improvement is not as dramatic as with the SR-007 or SR-009 series) but these are tough to find for a decent price.

 

[KaiserTK]

After reading through this thread I understand that the 353X is probably the best bang for the buck option for the L700.
However after listening to that combo for a few hours, I can’t help but wonder if detail and soundstage gets any better paired with the KGxx amps.

 

[padam]

The improvements are there, mainly with bass, dynamics and soundstage, and a more linear frequency response - from the amp's side at least.
But they are not that easy to quantify. Some will say that the differences are really big, some will say they aren't, especially with the L700 as opposed to SR007 or SR009 which benefit more from it.
And that the differences between headphones are more significant compared to the amps.

L700 + Carbon vs SR009 + 717/727 would be an interesting comparison for instance.

 

[azabu]

Hi, isn't it strange that the SR-L500 is a better match with the SRM-007A than the SR-L700???. I have now the T1-S as amp, for the L700...what would be a great upgrade? I thought of an import SRM-007A and a transformer from Japan to Europe: https://airlinktransformers.com/product/japan-europe-voltage-converter-eu-ja0500 but you say it is a mismatch. Has anyone other experiences with the L700 combined to the 007A? They say the L700 scales up, you can get an expensive amp and hear the L700 is great. Best wishes Yoram

It's not a big upgrade over your current amp, just not worth the expense in my opinion.
So, as stated earlier, if you are looking for a big upgrade, you need to consider going aftermarket instead of the Stax amps (and people say the improvement is not as dramatic as with the SR-007 or SR-009 series) but these are tough to find for a decent price.

I agree with Padam, if you're happy with the current amp then it's probably not a huge step up. Honestly, even with your amp I wouldn't go the L500, the L700 is that much better and will serve you when you want to upgrade.

I have the BHSE now and still have the SRM-007tA. The Stax has less dynamics and grip compared to the BHSE, but still a wonderful, mellow amp. Good for late night listening sessions.

 

[azabu]

After reading through this thread I understand that the 353X is probably the best bang for the buck option for the L700.
However after listening to that combo for a few hours, I can’t help but wonder if detail and soundstage gets any better paired with the KGxx amps.

Yes but at much greater cost. If anyone needs a mint SRM-007tA just send me a PM. It's a 100V Japanese model (I live in Tokyo).

 

[KaiserTK]

Yes but at much greater cost. If anyone needs a mint SRM-007tA just send me a PM. It's a 100V Japanese model (I live in Tokyo).

I have the SRM-727A with a step-down transformer still up on sale as well.

I envy the fact you live in Tokyo. I was there a few months ago and spent a lot of time at Yodobashi and E-Earphone just demoing STAX. It’s weird that I can listen to an hour straight and noone is waiting for a turn (most of them just made a strange face at the shape of the L700 and tried something else).

 

[Jacques Lolive]

Hello

Following the acquisition of another model, I stored my old headphones Stax SR 207 in a furniture because it was unused for a few months. Here in Brazil the atmosphere is humid and a small mold has settled on the protective grid of the transducers. How to clean it?

Thank you very much for the answers

 

[ahmedie]

just found out many places are selling stax l300 limited again !

 

[BenF]

just found out many places are selling stax l300 limited again !

"Limited"

 

[xevman]

Waiting for my L700 to arrive. I have a set of SR009 and keep hearing the L700 being touted as the mini SR009. I can't wait to do an in depth comparison between the two on my humble little setup, and then once again when I inevitably get a KGSS. I doubt the amp will make that big of a difference though.

 

[Rhamnetin]

Waiting for my L700 to arrive. I have a set of SR009 and keep hearing the L700 being touted as the mini SR009. I can't wait to do an in depth comparison between the two on my humble little setup, and then once again when I inevitably get a KGSS. I doubt the amp will make that big of a difference though.

A KGSS might not. Wait till you get a KGSSHV Carbon and a really high end DAC though. The SR-009 will turn into a completely different headphone.

 

[xevman]

Its a huge spend though. Many times more than what I paid for these. I have a local retailer who have a BHSE thats avaliable to audition and other high end gear. Might be in my best interests to try both the L700 and Sr009 out there.