When using electrostatics in general Is it normal to hear a very very faint hum when there is no music playing?
The Stax Thread III
chocolates
100+ Head-Fier
i think i'm normally very sensitive to faint hums, but i've never heard any even with the pot turned way up. which electrostatic and energizer are you using?
Sr-007 mk2 and a spritzer modified srm-717. I seem to recall the same thing on the old srs-3030 system I had a few years ago. It’s really really faint and only audible when there is no music playing as in there has to be absolute silence to hear it but wondered if it was normal.
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I don’t think that’s something normal I have so far 4 electrostatic cans over the last decade(SR001Mk2, SR009,404LE& SR007Mk1) but none of them exhibit such a problem, except for the right channel noise issue before my last kgss blew up and some channel imbalance which cause by either the pot not sync well at low volume level or just didn’t use the can for too long
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theweezle
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So.... I have heard a buzz like you talk about on my 252s and my 207 twice!
First when I moved to my last apt. I plugged my wall wart into my APC I had for my PC, and it went away. This is realistically the best solution if you have a noisy power line.
Eventually, I started getting a buzz on my 207s. I bought L700s to replace them and the buzzing went away. put the 207s back into the amp, and its there again. I think the phones just develop a buzz with several (10+) years of aging.
You can of course have buzzing from anything though (an amp cap drying out, dying dac, etc).
If youre having the same buzz across multiple amps, and multiple phones, then its most likely the DAC or wall power.
TLDR:
In your case, try plugging the energizer into an APC and a different DAC.
First when I moved to my last apt. I plugged my wall wart into my APC I had for my PC, and it went away. This is realistically the best solution if you have a noisy power line.
Eventually, I started getting a buzz on my 207s. I bought L700s to replace them and the buzzing went away. put the 207s back into the amp, and its there again. I think the phones just develop a buzz with several (10+) years of aging.
You can of course have buzzing from anything though (an amp cap drying out, dying dac, etc).
If youre having the same buzz across multiple amps, and multiple phones, then its most likely the DAC or wall power.
TLDR:
In your case, try plugging the energizer into an APC and a different DAC.
I had the similar issue with my SRM-252S before I changed the caps on the power sections and change the crappy wall wart to a linear one with higher amp.
6PANDEMONIUM6
100+ Head-Fier
The capcacitors probably need to be replaced.
chocolates
100+ Head-Fier
something i've been curious about is what sort of power is needed to give the O2s, since it seems to get loud enough from the SRM-252S, which is pretty low power as far as stax energizers go. it honestly doesn't sound as compressed/harsh as people make it out to be?
it certainly sounds different on the 007t, but part of that seems to be the tubes (or maybe the 007t's relatively poor design?)
it certainly sounds different on the 007t, but part of that seems to be the tubes (or maybe the 007t's relatively poor design?)
theweezle
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So I had a question.... I have been using my L700 on my 252S for a while now, and To my current ears I cant hear any problems....
I cant really demo it in a store, but I was wondering if a 323S or 353X or 727A would really make a big difference.
Any Opinions?
I cant really demo it in a store, but I was wondering if a 323S or 353X or 727A would really make a big difference.
Any Opinions?
Never tried the L700 with 252S so I guess I cannot comment the particular setup, but for electrostatic headphone in general is the amp which play a major factor compare to normal dynamic ones, the energizer will bring out the characteristic of the headphone more than anything would do. For example the SR007, can sound muddy and roll off with STAX amp because its not producing enough voltage per second to swing it up to it true performance not even the 727, therefore something like a BHSE is needed. However, for me most STAX energizer(amplifier) are underrated, the 006t/007t/717/727 is actually quite good with the lambda series headphone(I used to have 404LE) and they are very budget solution even for omega owners since a Carbon or BHSE cost at least 4X the price of a 727/007t. hope this help.
I think it will all depend on how loud you wanna go and if you want to EQ your headphones.
I'm not an audiophile so my opinion is of a common consumer trying to get the best bang for your buck in my hobby.
I think between a 252S, a 353X, 727A will at best have a slight difference in sound quality/sound signature but prob unnoticeable to most ears, specially on a Lambda series.
Power is the main thing here. I like bumping up the subbass (20Hz-60Hz) region to get that rumbling and slammy bass that you find in many songs from artists like NIN, Hans Zimmer.
Problem here is that just bumping for example 30Hz by 7-9dB on the 252S to get that rumbling bass won't get you anywhere near a high volume.
It starts clipping whenever the bass kicks in... it just can't provide enough juice to the headphones.
I haven't tried things like a KGSSHV, Carbon or BHSE. I don't doubt these will be beneficial but for that kind of headphone but I wouldn't go for anything higher than a 353X or a Mjolnir amp of similar price range unless you own picky headphones like the 007, otherwise you won't gain much out of it for the pretty penny they cost.
I'm still looking around for a cheap custom amp for mine, but I think I'll settle for a new 353X or Mjolnir amp. Prob 353X is the best choice here and recommended by my local dealer for the Lambda series over more pricey amps. Can get some used 353X for a very good price shipped from Singapore.
I'm about to pull the trigger this weekend, but I'll go to the dealership and try both the D50 and 353X. The looks, features and size of the D50 look enticing but they recommended me the 353X if I'm not getting enough power out of the 252S. When it comes to specifications they seem to have the same power output.
The only downside of Mjolnir and I haven't inquired, but I'm guessing after shipping such a brick and paying taxes I might be better off with a 353X.
But that's my opinion, value and budget is important to me and then after a certain point is diminishing returns for the equipment I own and what satisfies me.
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go to can jam or any local meet try the O2 with anything like the T8000/WES/BHSE/Carbon and you might be surprise.
A good second hand speaker amp + energizer has the best price/performance ratio among all possible Stax solutions.You need way more current than what 353X or others can offer to get the best out of your lambdas. Speaker amps & energizers can deliver abundant amount of current.(possibly with a 100W into 8 ohm amp you can get more power than Carbon to drive your headphones) Assuming you'll get a good linear vintage amp for a good price, you'll get much closer to audio nirvana than any other solutions for the price you'd pay for 727A. And Yes, putting a transformer at the end of the signal path has it's downsides, that's why I don't say it's the endgame solution.
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I know this is out of topic but is interesting that L700 second hand price is similar to SR007Mk2 in japan? And funny enough some L700Mk2 is cheaper than normal L700...I remember years ago the SR007Mk1 used to be affordable as well but now is similar to a the SR007A(2.9)...
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