[Lord Rexter]

Wondering if there are any direct comparisons between D50 and 353X, appreciate some insights.

 

[alphanumerix1]

Wondering if there are any direct comparisons between D50 and 353X, appreciate some insights.

same

 

[JimL11]

Wondering if there are any direct comparisons between D50 and 353X, appreciate some insights.

According to Kevin Gilmore, "The 353 is a SRM-717 with all of the extra transistors removed. Very similar to KGSS. D50 is identical to 353 running at slightly lower power and lower voltage." So I would expect them to sound fairly similar.

 

[Lord Rexter]

According to Kevin Gilmore, "The 353 is a SRM-717 with all of the extra transistors removed. Very similar to KGSS. D50 is identical to 353 running at slightly lower power and lower voltage." So I would expect them to sound fairly similar.

Great thanks for your response Jim. Appreciate it

 

[noirceurfg]

Serious question : Why the Sr-L700 is more easy to drive than the 009/007 ? It's sound like audiophile bull/myth to me.
L700 and 009 uses the same drivers technology. I've sent a email to STAX and they told me that the L700 membrane is tighter than the 007 and technically better with the new stator technology of the 009.

 

[Hi-Fi-Apricity]

Serious question : Why the Sr-L700 is more easy to drive than the 009/007 ? It's sound like audiophile bull****/myth to me.
L700 and 009 uses the same drivers technology. I've sent a email to STAX and they told me that the L700 membrane is tighter than the 007 and technically better with the new stator technology of the 009.

007 in particular is not only higher impedence with the non perforated outer edge but since it's tension is lower the stator gap is larger which means you need more power to have a proper hold on the diaphragm as the electrostatic field would be weaker on a lower power amp. Also tighter membrane doesn't mean better.

 

[noirceurfg]

Thanks for the information.
For the 007 i can agree, but with the 009 ? Stax told me that the L700 is basically a Sr-009 with cheaper plastic materials. So, why the 009 is harder to drive than the L700 ?

 

[Hi-Fi-Apricity]

Thanks for the information.
For the 007 i can agree, but with the 009 ? Stax told me that the L700 is basically a Sr-009 with cheaper materials. So, why the 009 is harder to drive than the L700 ?

That one I cannot really answer but for what it's worth despite posted specs 009S required more volume on 353X and also exhibits a bass rolloff on the 353X. Nicer amplification doesn't exhibit the same rolloff which is interesting. I think some of it may be because the L700 is ported and already rolls off heavily sub 60hz or so. So the apparent sub bass roll off from under amping is less apparent on L700 or not present? I cannot confirm this but maybe it has something to do with the "hole" in the middle of the stator on 009 and 009S that isn't on L700s stator and the fact that the 009,009S seems to have more active surface area. I'm doing pretty heavy speculation here so take it with a grain of salt

 

[noirceurfg]

Thanks !
Haha ! It's funny because Zeos who loves the L700 better and don't like the sound of 009/007 said the L700 is better (and the best headphone on the earth) because the driver surface is bigger than the 009/007

 

[Hi-Fi-Apricity]

Thanks !
Haha ! It's funny because Zeos who loves the L700 better and don't like the sound of 009/007 said the L700 is better (and the best headphone on the earth) because the driver surface is bigger than the 009/007

The driver is slightly taller but horizontally much thinner. I do think the L700 is an absolutely amazing headphone though, very musically enjoyable and really just absorbs you into the music. The 009 / 009S don't quite have the addictive and rocking tone that the L700 has but their detail retrieval is incredible along with separation. L700 is a pretty intimate presentation but the 009/009S push it out a lot and never really sound intimate even when the music calls for it (which is part of the reason I got rid of my 009S). 007A/007Mkii/007 I felt still exhibited more details than the L700 by quite the margin but while the L700 is very detailed, its one of the more smoothed over in the detail departments as far as the higher end Stax are concerned (not a bad thing just a subjective thing when we are talking about as much detail that is present in all of these headphones). Now something that is interesting is because of the shape of the L700 driver its almost like the separation is much lesser because the size of instruments are way bigger sounding than the 009S. As if you were sitting right next to the instrument a foot away playing. I think this is what Zeos is hearing when he says the L700 "sounds bigger". But on a scale thing the 009S/009 sound bigger in the orchestra sense of the word. Its like sitting in a circle of the instruments but they are all about 10 feet away from you. They sound much more separated but the sound is more distant, instruments dont have that "full" powerful sound that the L700 exhibits. It sounds more real and closer to reproducing live music. For what its worth I think the 009S was an amazing orchestrat,classical,quartet,ambient etc.... headphone but the L700s tone and intimate presentation was just more enjoyable for Rock, Metal, HipHop, Alternative etc.... which Is what I mostly listen to. Oh also weirdly the 009S was really REALLY good at electronic music, the bass texture on that headphone is absolutely insane and breathtaking.

 

[noirceurfg]

Oh i agree with you for the L700. I can't speak english very well but, for me, the L700 sound like real life, and i was disappointed when I heard the 009 with good amp for the first time. Yes the 009 has more details, but this sense of detail is not realistic (like the Focal, Utopia), visually it just add contrast to the source, it's impressive and i understand why people can love it, but it's not realistic.

The l700 do nothing to the source, it's honest, sounds so ethereal and vivids. It's not the soundstage, i can hear this celestial sound when i use the L700 like a speakers not on my head. As speaker, the 009 still don't have this sound. It's not the frequency response, and i think the L700 lack of bass quantity is real. No, it's about the texture of sound, the L700 is unique to my ear, on my head this headphone disappear and let me alone with the music.
I'm happy, the best sound headphone to my ear is not so expensive. I think electrostatic elitist has to reconsider this high-end Lambda. They don't know, because is not officially the Stax flagship, but it is.

 

[JimL11]

Serious question : Why the Sr-L700 is more easy to drive than the 009/007 ? It's sound like audiophile bull****/myth to me.
L700 and 009 uses the same drivers technology. I've sent a email to STAX and they told me that the L700 membrane is tighter than the 007 and technically better with the new stator technology of the 009.

I think it has more to do with the frequency response curve of these headphones. If you look at the sensitivity at 1 kHz, most of the Stax headphones produce around 100 - 101 dB at 1 kHz with a 100 VRMS input. However, the 009 has a few dB more output in the 2-4 kHz range than the 007, and I would bet that the L700 also has more dB output at 2-4 kHz. The 2-4 kHz range is the major determinant of how "loud" something sounds, so for the same input, the L700 and 009 sound louder than the 007, thus the 007 seems harder to drive. Now as far as the 009 vs L700, I haven't seen comparable FR curves but I wouldn't be surprised if the L700 has a bit more output in that 2-4 kHz range than the 009, which would make it subjectively easier to drive.

 

[buzzlulu]

As a relative newcomer to Stax I started with the L300 Limited / 353XBK and now have a 009S/Carbon. I was going to sell the L300 Limited and 353 however with all of this L700 talk I just might keep the L300L and just move on the amplifier. After all - the L300Limited has much in common with the L700

 

[Pahani]

I think it has more to do with the frequency response curve of these headphones. If you look at the sensitivity at 1 kHz, most of the Stax headphones produce around 100 - 101 dB at 1 kHz with a 100 VRMS input. However, the 009 has a few dB more output in the 2-4 kHz range than the 007, and I would bet that the L700 also has more dB output at 2-4 kHz. The 2-4 kHz range is the major determinant of how "loud" something sounds, so for the same input, the L700 and 009 sound louder than the 007, thus the 007 seems harder to drive. Now as far as the 009 vs L700, I haven't seen comparable FR curves but I wouldn't be surprised if the L700 has a bit more output in that 2-4 kHz range than the 009, which would make it subjectively easier to drive.

As always, Jim, I learn a lot reading your posts! I don't post much, but I lurk every day. What you stated makes perfect sense to me, even though I'm just an average person with very little practical knowledge of electronics.

+1 for logic

 

[noirceurfg]

As a relative newcomer to Stax I started with the L300 Limited / 353XBK and now have a 009S/Carbon. I was going to sell the L300 Limited and 353 however with all of this L700 talk I just might keep the L300L and just move on the amplifier. After all - the L300Limited has much in common with the L700

I've never heard the L300 Limited, but i know it use the L700 stator but not the same membrane. I never heard the 009S too. All I can say is, don't pay attention to what we say about the L700 and just trust your ear..

How your 009s sound compared to the L300 L ?