[chinsettawong]

Pics or it didn't happen

No pictures to show yet, but I don’t take so many phones with me like you. I only take along one of my DIY phones (normally Orpheus clone) and a small Stax amp, SRM252S.

 

[chinsettawong]

Found it!

 

[purk]

Your Orpheus clone sounds amazing !! How do you like the 252S? Do you run it off battery?

 

[BenF]

Found it!

Orpheus (even a DIY one) with 252S???
If Axel Grell was dead, he'd be spinning in his grave at neck-breaking speed right now.
He is probably burping non-stop now.

Nice pic though!

Who else is crazy enough to travel with estats?

 

[chinsettawong]

Your Orpheus clone sounds amazing !! How do you like the 252S? Do you run it off battery?

No, I don’t.

 

[Hubert481]

Haha - 2 questions - one answer - Bingo!

 

[chinsettawong]

Oops, sorry! 252S sounds just OK. I really don’t expect much from this little amp. And no, I don’t run it off a battery pack.

 

[BenF]

Found it!

I'll see your beer, and raise you some caviar

If anyone was wondering, red caviar works best with L300, black with Perun. Pro 82s are less picky, any caviar will do
Not that anyone really was wondering...

 

[SteakWay]

You might like more your SR-Lambda, and it goes well with the SRD-7 (non-pro) + any power amp. You can compare it to the SR-507 (which will sound slightly different and quieter from the Normal bias than from a Pro bias socket) and eventually sell either the SR-Lambda+SRD-7 and buy an energizer, or keep them and sell the SR-507. I would likely go with the SRD-7 + SR-Lambda + eventually L700 pads (later, when you need to change pads), but your ears and your choice.

So I got a new pair of the original Lambda’s in excellent condition, even the yellow foam on the outside of the driver is in great shape.

If I want to decide to change the pads to the L700 pads, is there anything I need to know? Will I need to glue them myself? Will they be the exact same size? Are there any known differences in sound? Is the comfort increase worth the price?

Thanks!

 

[cjeong]

So I got a new pair of the original Lambda’s in excellent condition, even the yellow foam on the outside of the driver is in great shape.

If I want to decide to change the pads to the L700 pads, is there anything I need to know? Will I need to glue them myself? Will they be the exact same size? Are there any known differences in sound? Is the comfort increase worth the price?

Thanks!

SR-L700 has a different pad mounting system than the SR-Lambda, which means that they won’t work unless you remove the pad from the plastic underlay and glue it onto the driver. Honestly, SR-507 pads would work way better.

 

[catscratch]

That and the shape of the pads is different, L700 uses square pads and the older style pads were contoured. Also the older style Lambdas have a very different driver angle and mounting new pads on them will probably change the driver angle from what the original design.

Basically, use older style pads.

 

[SteakWay]

SR-L700 has a different pad mounting system than the SR-Lambda, which means that they won’t work unless you remove the pad from the plastic underlay and glue it onto the driver. Honestly, SR-507 pads would work way better.

That and the shape of the pads is different, L700 uses square pads and the older style pads were contoured. Also the older style Lambdas have a very different driver angle and mounting new pads on them will probably change the driver angle from what the original design.

Basically, use older style pads.

Gotcha so SR-507 pads. If the original pads are in good shape is it worth changing them still? They feel fine, but I don’t have the new ones to compare to.

 

[catscratch]

That depends. Older style Lambdas should create a seal between the headphone and your head. This seal affects the quality and quantity of the bass. If the bass sounds linear and you can hear down to below 30hz, then the pads are probably fine. But if there's a bump in the bass response around 70-100hz and a steep rolloff below 50hz then that's a classic case of the seal not being good. In this case changing pads may be advisable, but you have to be sure that the new pads will also seal properly. They may not.

Some headphones also will make crinkling noises from the drivers when you push in on the headphones while they're on your head. This is from the pressure inside the earcup moving the diaphragm, and a sign that the headphones are sealing correctly. However I don't know if first-gen Lambdas do that. I think I remember my SR-404 doing that? I'm not sure, it's been 15 years.

Also wearing glasses will interfere with the seal and may affect bass response, depending on how thick the rims are. Lastly, some people prefer the sound without a good seal, and Stax has started designing its headphones this way on purpose in some cases, like the newer Lambdas.

 

[Ali-Pacha]

Gotcha so SR-507 pads. If the original pads are in good shape is it worth changing them still? They feel fine, but I don’t have the new ones to compare to.

Original pads are better than 507's ones, even if the latter are leather : 507's pads are too thin and too soft IMO.
Go get SR-207 pads whenever you have to change them on Lambda / Lambda Pro (and even Signature..too bad for the colour )

Ali

 

[Don Quichotte]

So I got a new pair of the original Lambda’s in excellent condition, even the yellow foam on the outside of the driver is in great shape.

Are there any known differences in sound?

Yellow foam? Shouldn't it be grey? Maybe it changed color in time, although my 14 years old's SR-303 didn't. What about the foam on the inside of the driver, the one that is actually a part of the pad?

In my experience, the pads do influence the sound quite a lot. New pads are not necessarily better sound wise (see below).

That depends. Older style Lambdas should create a seal between the headphone and your head. This seal affects the quality and quantity of the bass. If the bass sounds linear and you can hear down to below 30hz, then the pads are probably fine. But if there's a bump in the bass response around 70-100hz and a steep rolloff below 50hz then that's a classic case of the seal not being good.

Lastly, some people prefer the sound without a good seal, and Stax has started designing its headphones this way on purpose in some cases, like the newer Lambdas.

So the new style Lambdas all have this uneven bass and limited extension? Sorry if this is common knowledge. I definitely prefer to have a good seal on my 303's, breaking the seal makes the sound loose much of it's charm! Still, the SR-L 700 are highly regarded...

Original pads are better than 507's ones, even if the later are leather : 507's pads are too thin and too soft IMO.
Go get SR-207 pads whenever you have to change them on Lambda / Lambda Pro (and even Signature..too bad for the colour )

The SR-307 / 407 pads have been a clear downgrade from my original SR-303 pads with open cell foam not only in terms of comfort (they are thinner) but also sound. However, at least one member here switched a few years ago from the originals to SR-507 pads and found them to sound better (while also agreeing with me that SR-307/407 pads sound worse). Never heard the 207 pads...