[Rhamnetin]

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.

Very nice, it's rare to be able to audition a BHSE. I'd try to ask to use a Chord Hugo 2 or maybe DAVE DAC with it (since they are fairly common and amazing). And good interconnects are a must because I can tell you first hand that cheap interconnects like Audioquest Forest will completely ruin it!

 

[pbui44]

@xevman If you want to save time and money, check out CanJam@Shanghai, which is November 3rd-4th. They should have quite a few electrostatic amps and many other things for demo.

 

[Arniesb]

Very nice, it's rare to be able to audition a BHSE. I'd try to ask to use a Chord Hugo 2 or maybe DAVE DAC with it (since they are fairly common and amazing). And good interconnects are a must because I can tell you first hand that cheap interconnects like Audioquest Forest will completely ruin it!

Ok man. So what if i decided to upgrade rca interconnects for 400 to 500 what you recommend then?

 

[Rhamnetin]

Ok man. So what if i decided to upgrade rca interconnects for 400 to 500 what you recommend then?

400 to 500 isn't totally necessary, but considering how many good options there are from companies like Kimber Kable, Cardas, Audioquest, Tara Labs, I'd try to borrow some from The Cable Company. I am in this process right now actually, so far I prefer the $167 Kimber Hero but there's more to test. You can also save a lot buying used.

 

[Arniesb]

400 to 500 isn't totally necessary, but considering how many good options there are from companies like Kimber Kable, Cardas, Audioquest, Tara Labs, I'd try to borrow some from The Cable Company. I am in this process right now actually, so far I prefer the $167 Kimber Hero but there's more to test. You can also save a lot buying used.

Alright thanks.

 

[491838]

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.

Looking forward to that. The SR-009 THD graph looks awesome. There are no reliable measurements for the L700 unfortunately.

I have a Stax related question. Is it possible to get an energizer without the amp part and simply buy the amp separately without sacrificing any sound quality? I'm asking because I want to get an NFB-28.38 but buying the 323x energizer\amp seems like a waste since I would already own an amp. Also pairing two amps adds unnecessary distortion, however minimal.

 

[Rhamnetin]

Looking forward to that. The SR-009 THD graph looks awesome. There are no reliable measurements for the L700 unfortunately.

I have a Stax related question. Is it possible to get an energizer without the amp part and simply buy the amp separately without sacrificing any sound quality? I'm asking because I want to get an NFB-28.38 but buying the 323x energizer\amp seems like a waste since I would already own an amp. Also pairing two amps adds unnecessary distortion, however minimal.

The energizers are made to be added onto speaker power amps, so I don't think a headphone amp like the Audio-GD would suffice.

 

[491838]

Are they that power hungry? How does the portable Stax energizer\amp\DAC even work then?

 

[FinBenton]

I believe zeos (youtube guy) used some energizer with regular headphone amp and it worked great if I remember correctly.

 

[raband]

I believe zeos (youtube guy) used some energizer with regular headphone amp and it worked great if I remember correctly.

I believe zeos (youtube guy) used some frankenstein pads and said it worked great. Now they're a legit option.

/s

He's entertaining, but wouldn't base a purchase decision on him.

I think he tried the Woo Wee?? and thought it was "on par" to the 353X? Not sure which amp he fed it with.

 

[tigon_ridge]

Are they that power hungry? How does the portable Stax energizer\amp\DAC even work then?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but are you assuming that Stax headphones require a transformer box (so-called 'energizer') paired with an amp? Electrostatic amps are amps, not transformer boxes. 'Energizer' can mean either. The SRM-252s only requires a 4W power adapter, so no, they're not necessarily power hungry. That efficiency comes with compromise, however. No doubt that Stax's D10 is compromised as well, as is the case with ALL portable electronics, which is not to say that it necessarily performs poorly.

 

[highfilter]

I just recently got the L700 and it's mighty impressive (even though the build quality feels like these things will implode whenever I pick them up). It's my first electrostat experience and I think I might be hooked!

The speed, immediacy and overall tonality is addicting. Much closer to speaker/2-channel listening (which I prefer to headphones) and less of the constraints of typical headphone listening. What a unique experience.

 

[organ_donor]

I just recently got the L700 and it's mighty impressive (even though the build quality feels like these things will implode whenever I pick them up). It's my first electrostat experience and I think I might be hooked!

The speed, immediacy and overall tonality is addicting. Much closer to speaker/2-channel listening (which I prefer to headphones) and less of the constraints of typical headphone listening. What a unique experience.

What do you think of L700 vs HD800?

I have a L700, thinking of getting the HD800 too.

 

[pbui44]

What do you think of L700 vs HD800?

I have a L700, thinking of getting the HD800 too.

Both have similarities, the most prominent of which is that both need a tube amp to sound euphoric. However, since both require different amp types, a tube pre-amp will work, like a Schiit Freya.

This pairing will get along better than a SR009 and HD800 pairing. The L700 soundstage is smaller than an HD800 soundstage, but the sound of the L700 is more intimate and detailed/micro-detailed than the HD800. The SR009 soundstage is already still slightly smaller than the HD800 soundstage, so this is actually okay for the L700 to excel in what it is intended. The HD800 can be used for a sound that requires dynamics or a huge soundstage, and the L700 can be used for a more up-front-detailed sound or just a need for micro-details in general.

 

[organ_donor]

Both have similarities, the most prominent of which is that both need a tube amp to sound euphoric. However, since both require different amp types, a tube pre-amp will work, like a Schiit Freya.

This pairing will get along better than a SR009 and HD800 pairing. The L700 soundstage is smaller than an HD800 soundstage, but the sound of the L700 is more intimate and detailed/micro-detailed than the HD800. The SR009 soundstage is already still slightly smaller than the HD800 soundstage, so this is actually okay for the L700 to excel in what it is intended. The HD800 can be used for a sound that requires dynamics or a huge soundstage, and the L700 can be used for a more up-front-detailed sound or just a need for micro-details in general.

I m surprised with that L700 is more detailed than the HD800.

My L700 is doing very good with a KGST but I m still curious of the HD800, mainly for its out of the world soundstage. How about the low impact and the transient speed between this two? Thanks.