[daytrader]

In terms...

Since there is only a 270 dollar price difference, there are a couple of things to consider:

The l700 in this case is the better deal. It is worth more than the l500 new, and so if you were to sell it used in the future, you could even make money.

If you were to never sell it, getting the l700 would likely hold you away from "upgraditis" since it is the more valuable product, and so the ich to hear the l700 if you went for the l500 wouldnt be there.

If how ever you know you want to keep the headphones, and you know you would enjoy the more even sounding l500, I would say get the l500. Chances are that you will be more happy with the l700 at that price point because it is more flashy, more "fun" and at a bargain price.

I Completely agree with this comment,

 

[catscratch]

I think 007 and l700 are also quite different in terms of sound presentation. Omega 007mk2 ( I didn't have a chance to listen to mk1 version) is the closest to the "planar" type of sound from all stax headphones I've heard, and at the same time it has less "electrostatic feeling" to my ears. Few major differences that can be spotted immediately after you put them on:

1) bass - 007mk2 has it much bigger in quantity as well as it goes deeper than any lamda headphones. I mean the difference is pretty huge. Base in 007mk2 is impressive taking under account it's coming from estat headphones.

2) soundstage : 007mk2 has it significantly deeper, but l700 has the soundstage wider (it can come from the first plan positioning, pls see point below)

3) first plan is quite far away from you in 007mk2 hence there is an impression you hear sound from a little distance. while it is much closer to your face in L700.

4) music coming from 007mk2 is much more relaxed, it's a laid back presentation, however still very detailed, while lambda headphones (like l700 or l500) always try to "bring something to your attention " and keep you focused

I guess choosing between 007mk2 and l700 would be a matter of preferences. I can't speak about omegas in general because I don't have experience with 009, but from opinions I heard, it's very different than 007 in terms of sound.

It's worth to mention that stax headphones are generally sensitive to the source - so the setup and the 2 variables ( dac + Energizer) will also have strong impact on the final sound.

Agree with all of this. Though you can, to some extent, use EQ to sculpt the sound more to your liking. Bringing up the upper mids on the 007 does bring the vocals closer, dropping the 1.2khz peak on the L700 does make the mids less shouty and a bit more even, etc etc.

007 Mk1 is more natural sounding than the Mk2, but a little bit less punchy. The Mk2's upper mids are more recessed and its treble is unbalanced, the lower treble is a bit recessed and the upper treble is emphasized, so you have less body in things like cymbals but more shimmer. The Mk1 is more even-handed throughout all of this, and the highs, as well as the mids, sound more natural. But the Mk2 is a bit punchier and more dynamic. The Mk2 also has resonances in the mids, around 900hz and 1.4 khz or so, which make the mids slightly nasal sounding at times. The Mk1 also has them but they're lower in volume. Both can be fixed with EQ. Those are pretty much the main differences, otherwise they're quite similar. And with modding, the Mk2 gets closer to the Mk1.

Also not all Mk1s are created equal, there are reported differences between the 70XXX serial number ones, 71XXX, and the later SZ-1 models especially.

Anyway, not trying to bog this thread down with minutiae.

Spoiler

he says, while totally trying to bog the thread down with minutiae

 

[salgado]

Agree with all of this. Though you can, to some extent, use EQ to sculpt the sound more to your liking. Bringing up the upper mids on the 007 does bring the vocals closer, dropping the 1.2khz peak on the L700 does make the mids less shouty and a bit more even, etc etc.

007 Mk1 is more natural sounding than the Mk2, but a little bit less punchy. The Mk2's upper mids are more recessed and its treble is unbalanced, the lower treble is a bit recessed and the upper treble is emphasized, so you have less body in things like cymbals but more shimmer. The Mk1 is more even-handed throughout all of this, and the highs, as well as the mids, sound more natural. But the Mk2 is a bit punchier and more dynamic. The Mk2 also has resonances in the mids, around 900hz and 1.4 khz or so, which make the mids slightly nasal sounding at times. The Mk1 also has them but they're lower in volume. Both can be fixed with EQ. Those are pretty much the main differences, otherwise they're quite similar. And with modding, the Mk2 gets closer to the Mk1.

Also not all Mk1s are created equal, there are reported differences between the 70XXX serial number ones, 71XXX, and the later SZ-1 models especially.

Anyway, not trying to bog this thread down with minutiae.

Spoiler

he says, while totally trying to bog the thread down with minutiae

Many thanks for sharing this! A lot of useful info that I was not aware of.

 

[apmusson]

i am looking for a new headphone, to compliment my he-500.
I am looking for a headphone with a good soundstage, imaging and details. I find that my he-500, are lacking a bit in those areas.
Could that be a l500 or l700?
I have never head Stax before. I am interested in experience the resolution, clarity and speed of Stax.
Is it a big difference from planars?

In my experience Stax are unlike dynamic or planar headphones. They have a speed that makes music feel natural and easy. Not as much slam as planars but with a speed and delicacy that is unmatched IMO.

 

[EJSorona]

In terms of which one you would enjoy the most, I think it comes down to whether you prefer a more dynamic and lively sound (l700) vs a more flat, even tempered sound (l500). I do not think there is any objective difference in terms of sound quality.

With that being said, the differences are very small. They are very similar sounding.

Since there is only a 270 dollar price difference, there are a couple of things to consider:

The l700 in this case is the better deal. It is worth more than the l500 new, and so if you were to sell it used in the future, you could even make money.

If you were to never sell it, getting the l700 would likely hold you away from "upgraditis" since it is the more valuable product, and so the ich to hear the l700 if you went for the l500 wouldnt be there.

If how ever you know you want to keep the headphones, and you know you would enjoy the more even sounding l500, I would say get the l500. Chances are that you will be more happy with the l700 at that price point because it is more flashy, more "fun" and at a bargain price.

That's precisely why I chose the L700 Mk II and the 353X over the SRS-3100 combo or even the SRS-5100 combo. Not only they were the best I could afford, but the L700 is the top-end of the Lambda series and it's still much more affordable than the Omegas.
It's really a good way to start out in the Stax world. Maybe in the future I will go for either one of the Omegas or for a vintage set, like the SR-X Mark III and SRD-7 combo I mentioned several times plus a speaker amp or a receiver.

 

[windcar]

i am looking for a new headphone, to compliment my he-500.
I am looking for a headphone with a good soundstage, imaging and details. I find that my he-500, are lacking a bit in those areas.
Could that be a l500 or l700?
I have never head Stax before. I am interested in experience the resolution, clarity and speed of Stax.
Is it a big difference from planars?

The staxs are really fast. After accustomed to l500 sound, swapping with LCD-X I can immediately hear a loss of speed and clarity, a loss of fidelity. I have sold my Utopia a long time ago and based on memory, I think the stax is still faster. I have no interest in dynamic and planar headphones anymore.

 

[capetownwatches]

Listening to Stax is a singular experience and different to planars and dynamics, for all the good reasons mentioned above.
Personally I love Stax for what they can bring to the party, but I love my dynamics and planars as well.
I tend to listen to certain genres on Stax as a special treat: Jazz, Classical and Acoustic mainly. Nothing does these better.

However, when it's Death Metal time...out come the LCD2F and TH-X00 MH!

 

[AudioThief]

That's precisely why I chose the L700 Mk II and the 353X over the SRS-3100 combo or even the SRS-5100 combo. Not only they were the best I could afford, but the L700 is the top-end of the Lambda series and it's still much more affordable than the Omegas.
It's really a good way to start out in the Stax world. Maybe in the future I will go for either one of the Omegas or for a vintage set, like the SR-X Mark III and SRD-7 combo I mentioned several times plus a speaker amp or a receiver.

I think you will experience that the L700 is a better experience in terms of a well rounded experience compared to the older stax!

As for L700 vs the 007, I think they are so different in terms of presentation that they can't be compared. 007 are a lot more laid back and relaxed sounding. Someone mentioned "sepia filter" while describing them. While it is a bit harsh, I found it to be somewhat correct. Great headphones but just a tad bit too relaxed for my taste. The 009 are more similar sounding to the L700 imo, and a more true "upgrade" so to speak. With that being said, I definitely wouldn't say its an upgrade in any objective regard. It has more resolution and a more impressive soundstage, but that is about it.

 

[daytrader]

I’ve listen to the 007,009 and the 700. The 700 paired the right dac and energizer are so good, one has to wonder why an upgrade is even needed, other than just to satisfy bragging rights.

I think Stax has taken the Omega series to perfection within its sound signature. The 007 & 009, having my thoughts but won’t go into here, as to why they were brought to market, are good but seem to want to play in a different headphone group, which to me seems to step away from the pure Stax house sound. Maybe it’s a new direction Stax is going to, an new blend, I just don’t know, but I do know if I want a planar sound I’ll buy planars.

 

[hks777]

What music genres is the Stax sound best suited too?
I listen most to rock and metal.

 

[daytrader]

What music genres is the Stax sound best suited too?
I listen most to rock and metal.

Most Rock listeners seem to prefer planars to which I’d agree if that’s pretty much your only thing. But I listen to everything from classical to jazz to blues to small ensemble pieces to rock as well, and find that the Staxs does a nice job if the music is recorded properly and listened to at a proper volume level.

 

[AudioThief]

What music genres is the Stax sound best suited too?
I listen most to rock and metal.

I think the "Stax sound" is too wide of a playing field to attempt to define it to certain genres - i.e., the differences within the Stax line of headphones are such that where one Stax headphone might excel at certain genres, other Stax headphones do those genres and more, while some headphones again are weaker in those genres but stronger in others.

The following is all my subjective opinion.

My belief is that the most well rounded headphone of the Stax lineup is the SR-007. The reason they are the most well rounded is because they are the headphones which are the least fatiguing(less treble energy) and have the most body of any stax headphone. After the SR-007, the SR-009 follows in terms of versatility.

The SR-009 has body similar to that of the newer lambdas, but a lot more than the earlier lambdas. The SR-009 are a bit less well rounded than the 007 because of its treble energy, making them starkly contrasting headphones in certain genres, especially classical music with violins/cello etc. My personal inclination is that the 007 are better for long term listening use, while the 009 is better in terms of bent forward, intense listening. Simply because I find the sound more immediately engaging. The differences in resolution etc. are very, very small, however I think most people will find the 009 more immediately impressive in terms of detail resolution etc, however once you stop listening for the minutae in every track and just listen to normal music, the differences are completely nonexistent even between the 009 and the lambdas.

I think the 007 is the most well rounded headphone, closely followed by 009 and new lambda lineup. The 009+SR-L series sounds great with almost any genre, however they are exceptional with classical music, acoustic music, ambient music, instrumental (like post rock) music and similar. The 007 loses out in these genres, but are clearly better to my ears when it comes to heavy metal and its many sub genres, hip hop, bass music etc. Many hip hop / bass tracks have snares that are produced in such a way that they may become sibilant on other stax headphones, and bass that are only done justice via the 007. The added body and heft of the 007 makes intense metal music like meshuggah or similar more engaging and less fatiguing. When it comes to more middle ground musical acts like Opeth, Porcupine Tree and similar prog, it is pretty close. I probably still prefer 007 for these genres.

Moving on to the new lambdas vs older lambdas, my experience is that the new lambdas are very much developed in terms of how well they do with genres overall. The new series are much more "all rounders" than the older lambdas, which to my ears were a lot thinner sounding, lacking body and soundstage in comparison. Overall resolution is probably similar, however my experience was that the new lambdas felt a lot more "grand" and with more "depth" in terms of soundstaging. The L300 is in somewhat of a middle ground, being a clear upgrade from the older lambdas yet a bit more "thin" or "narrow" sounding, likely because of the ear pads. NOTE: when I say "older lambdas" I mean like pre 2000 era. I haven't heard the 507 etc.

To answer your question directly:

If you listen to rock and metal, I would very much recommend you get Stax over any other headphone sound. If you told me you were ONLY listening to heavy metal, I would say either get a SR-007 or a planar like the LCD 2. Not that they are similar sounding, however for death metal in particular, I think the Stax sound overall lacks body and heft to make it sound perfect, with the SR-007 being the exception.

Since you mention rock, I think going the way of Stax even if you get a 007, 009 or lambda is a good decision. Even the older Lambdas does a good job with rock, and no Stax are "bad" with any of the genres. Certaintly better than most if not all dynamic headphones I've listened to.

 

[windcar]

The one big reason why I am no longer interested in planar and dynamic HP that is they are generally going into ridiculous pricing territory, with little or no technical improvement, especially true for TOTL HPs. Take Sennheiser for example, from their HD800 to HD820, the same transducer is used while charging more than twice the price. The analogy will be charging different TV models for 3 times the money for the same LCD panel. Planar technology isn’t improving much either as they have already done all they can with this type of transducer, i.e. thinner diaphragm, tighter diaphragm, stronger magnets, single size/dual size magnets etc. I guess the only thing left for planar to do is to slap in a beryllium diaphragm (beryllium planar).
Now these HPs are charging upwards of $6k, $8k and even more in future, I just don’t see them worth the asking price anymore, even if the price is dropped by half.

 

[AudioThief]

The one big reason why I am no longer interested in planar and dynamic HP that is they are generally going into ridiculous pricing territory, with little or no technical improvement, especially true for TOTL HPs. Take Sennheiser for example, from their HD800 to HD820, the same transducer is used while charging more than twice the price. The analogy will be charging different TV models for 3 times the money for the same LCD panel. Planar technology isn’t improving much either as they have already done all they can with this type of transducer, i.e. thinner diaphragm, tighter diaphragm, stronger magnets, single size/dual size magnets etc. I guess the only thing left for planar to do is to slap in a beryllium diaphragm (beryllium planar).
Now these HPs are charging upwards of $6k, $8k and even more in future, I just don’t see them worth the asking price anymore, even if the price is dropped by half.

Since higher prices fool the market to believe that sound has been improved, that is the only thing they can do to innovate.

 

[EJSorona]

Since higher prices fool the market to believe that sound has been improved, that is the only thing they can do to innovate.

And it's not even diminishing returns at that point. Seems that manufacturers need to recoup for all that R&D, marketing and *cough* *cough* paid reviewers.