The Stax Thread III

Feb 18, 2022 at 6:13 PM Post #21,826 of 28,131
DIY t2 by George P and another DIY Kerry made but in silver. Epic stuff.

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Feb 21, 2022 at 11:29 PM Post #21,827 of 28,131
Greetings everyone;

Was told someone here is looking for a pair of normal bias Sigmas, thought i'd register so as to offer mine.
Now i have all the red flags going for me what with a brand new account, so no pictures posted, no pricing, all that belongs in the buy/sell thread which i can't post in. But maybe we could split this into two parts; starting with the headphones, followed by the why?

+ Original first owner; am that old am afraid.
+ 'Bout 20, 30(?) hours playtime total. Crazy as that sounds given the current year (more on that in a bit). Exceptional condition.
+ Original box, inner packaging, instruction manual, the lot, all stock and in good condition. Not exceptional here, as outer box has a few black spots, the telltale signs paper gets when dragged in and out/in between other cardboard boxes? Still white though if that tells you something.
+ Stored in a smoking/odour-free, 24/7 humidity controlled room. My guitars are there, the rest of my electrostatics are in there.
- Re-foamed. Polymer-based flimsy stuff (it's not really foam, don't know why everyone calls it so), nothing will save it from time, not even a vaccuum as you may know. However; they were re-foamed by me (i do HiFi equipment repairs), at an environment conducive to working on/around Stax drivers and were re-foamed using a non-polymer based higher quality material.
Should all give you a preliminary idea.

But to the more important stuff.

I'm a hoarder. Very meticulous, very, very thorough and careful. I take care of all my things, even those i don't use or like, such as this pair of Sigmas; had to buy me a pair back then and did and while for classical music one admits to a certain number of qualities, i found they lacked sufficiently in others; their being so bulky also meant i coudln't have them 'out' all the time, two pairs of headphones right next to me was and remains a bit of a hyperbole for my liking. But, i'm a hoarder, i did have the space, so naturally i kept them through the years. Why not.
This potential sale begins with our recently having finished paying the loan for our old house -the value of which has skyrocketed through the decades- and consequently selling it for a profit, moving on to a better one. I finally have my manspace! Only it's not exactly cavernous..
A de-humidifier plus a humidifier, two racks for my HiFi gear, one PC and related paraphernalia, two chairs and one desk kinda fit the space real quick.. Stuff needs to go.
Can't move electrostats to the warehouse, because humidity's only controlled in my manspace, can't keep them, don't have (living) friends that would actually care to have them. Sure ain't throwing them away either.
I don't think i can send/receive PMs here, so i was thinking -presuming anyone cares to verify all this rather than just ignore me- that you could mail me or i could mail you?

My proper email is real life name and surname, am thus wary of typing it here. But i used losthismarbles@mail.com to register here, so if willing, send there syaing only you're interested (you don't even have to give me a name, so safe), i'll reply and give you my real email, my real name and my cell phone; so you know, we can have a proper talk, by mail or phone, plus you get to see some pictures. You decide.
Thank you for reading and my apologies for an admittedly very dodgy first post.

I'm not going to pretend by posting 9 or 11 more inane postings only so i'm qualified to "sell". Too hypocritic for me.
Bless you all for your patience and again, sincere apologies. To all the regulars about to decry this, no offense taken, have at me ^^
 
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Feb 22, 2022 at 4:38 AM Post #21,828 of 28,131
Btw, I am going to sell my KGSSHV Carbon, if anyone is interested. Eyeing an upgrade.
Hi Sajid, I would not sell the Carbon and buy a CC.
My friend also owns a Carbon with a range of STAXes and as you called it "They have a lovely, warm tonality, and a deep soundstage."
Yes, indeed they have. Carbon is magnificent.

I had the chance to audition to my friend's 009 and 009s with the Carbon and I was fascinated. Especially if directly compared to the combo with some STAX amps that were much thinner, had less body, less aura.
I liked that Carbon combo so much that I'm now really jealous as I think it (unfortunately) outperforms my beloved (and well powered) Susvara. Susvara is really great (one of the best) but it does not quite reach the pinpoint accuracy and technical quality level of the Carbon/SR-009/009s combo.
If one very much likes the individual tonality characterisitcs of a Susvara, this can be adjusted with an EQ for the STAX as well, as my friend already tried out. But in general why? I did not miss my Susvara's tonal characteristics at all.

The Carbon is a magificent amp and I'm not sure if the CC will fulfill the high expectations. The output power and specs are exactly the same as I heard.
There are some more expensive cables and components in there and that's it.
If it does not change the sound signature it should be fine, of course.

But if it does, one cannot be sure that it makes the sound characteristics better for your taste.
One should carefully audition the CC versus Carbon before blindly buying.
Else it could be a disappointment.
I have gone through many experiences in the past, when I had to figure out that more new equiment, i.e. later release, so-called "upgrade" was worse, unfortunately, a step back.

Because Carbon is already spread among so many audiophiles worldwide and its high quality and extremely well fitting sound signature is widely anticipated and reported.
I did not yet hear much about the CC.
Is it better? Maybe. Is it worse? Maybe, too. Is it same? May also be.
Too little proof on the web, yet.
So, my take would be, not buying it before self comparing it to the classic legend "Carbon".

But regarding the DIY T2, yes, this might be a step up as also there so many people reported how excellent it is.
So, there I would guess that it could indeed outperform the classic legend "Carbon". And T2 is even much more a classic legend :wink:
Regards, Andreas
 
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Feb 23, 2022 at 2:15 AM Post #21,829 of 28,131
Aahh.. you dont get it, do you?
It falls under conspicuous consumption. No need to justify this is better than that.

At this rate I am sure by mid 2022 SA will have BHSE, CCC, T2, Megatron, and two sets of electrostat cfa.
 
Feb 23, 2022 at 3:48 PM Post #21,830 of 28,131
In the market for a new headphone setup. Ive realized planars and dd headphones while good, arent the same as stax which is the sound i prefer.

So decided to get an amp (on the way) and recently had a chance to try out both sr 007mk2 and l500mk2 with some rock, electronica, classical, blues and jazz

Overall l500mkii was much more forward, transparent and a little more shouty / in your face presentation .. maybe what people call brighter

The sr007mk2 much more well rounded with better bass and warmer / relaxed listening experience overall

With a budget of 2k for headphones torn if i should get 2 pairs : the l500 plus another vintage stax series or maybe nectar hive or just one pair with sr007.

(The only thing is if i wanna listen with someone i wont have a spare set with the 007s)

Curious what led you to purchase your electrostatics and if you have any personal insight to share.
 
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Feb 23, 2022 at 6:43 PM Post #21,832 of 28,131
@lostrockets

try not to get the L500. no good. Get 404, LNS, and the older lambdas instead.

Overall, try to aim for 007mk2 or 007A. The A is better. Dont know why but it sounds better to me. But the MK2 black looks nice.
 
Feb 23, 2022 at 6:51 PM Post #21,833 of 28,131
In the market for a new headphone setup. Ive realized planars and dd headphones while good, arent the same as stax which is the sound i prefer.

So decided to get an amp (on the way) and recently had a chance to try out both sr 007mk2 and l500mk2 with some rock, electronica, classical, blues and jazz

Overall l500mkii was much more forward, transparent and a little more shouty / in your face presentation .. maybe what people call brighter

The sr007mk2 much more well rounded with better bass and warmer / relaxed listening experience overall

With a budget of 2k for headphones torn if i should get 2 pairs : the l500 plus another vintage stax series or maybe nectar hive or just one pair with sr007.

(The only thing is if i wanna listen with someone i wont have a spare set with the 007s)

Curious what led you to purchase your electrostatics and if you have any personal insight to share.
It's been a while but AFAICR, I liked the warmth of the 007 vs the 500, did not care for the L700 either.
What amp do you have coming? This would also be an important data point for people to know for better feedback.
 
Feb 23, 2022 at 8:37 PM Post #21,834 of 28,131
It's been a while but AFAICR, I liked the warmth of the 007 vs the 500, did not care for the L700 either.
What amp do you have coming? This would also be an important data point for people to know for better feedback.

An antares from high-amp.de . From what I’ve researched its similar to a stax t1. i know for some people its been said the 007s require high power amps to get the most out of the hard to drive omegas and thats fine. Maybe there is. but for my casual listening im not willing to drop over 2k just for a headphone amp with way more power than ill ever use. I guess im a bit stubborn there and tbh id rather just go see some live shows with the 2k saved instead!
 
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Feb 24, 2022 at 7:48 PM Post #21,836 of 28,131
In the market for a new headphone setup. Ive realized planars and dd headphones while good, arent the same as stax which is the sound i prefer.

So decided to get an amp (on the way) and recently had a chance to try out both sr 007mk2 and l500mk2 with some rock, electronica, classical, blues and jazz

Overall l500mkii was much more forward, transparent and a little more shouty / in your face presentation .. maybe what people call brighter

The sr007mk2 much more well rounded with better bass and warmer / relaxed listening experience overall

With a budget of 2k for headphones torn if i should get 2 pairs : the l500 plus another vintage stax series or maybe nectar hive or just one pair with sr007.

(The only thing is if i wanna listen with someone i wont have a spare set with the 007s)

Curious what led you to purchase your electrostatics and if you have any personal insight to share.

The L500mk2 will sound more transparent until you do Spritzer's bass port mod, then the 007 will sound more transparent.

I wouldn't get two headphones. Use the extra money for a better energizer because unlike every other type of headphone, electrostatic amps actually make a difference.

There is also the L700MK2.

Based on your preferences, I'd get a Nectar Hive and a really good energizer (like a Mjolnir Octave 2 SE or above), then upgrade the Hive later on.

As far as electrostats go, I've owned the Hive, L700, L700MK2, 007A, 007MK2, 009 (twice), and the Voce.
The 009 and Voce are my favorites. Best value goes to the Hive, the L700MK2, or a used Voce.

For amps/energizers, I've owned the Koss E90/X, SRM-717, SRM-353X, Mjolnir Octave 2 SE, Mjolnir KGSSHV, Mjolnir Carbon, and the SRM-D50 (four of them).
Here are my impressions on comparisons I've made with the energizers:

Koss E90/X -> SRM-717 = I think I prefer the E90/X. Very similar though.
SRM-717 ->SRM-353X = About the same. Maybe the slightest bit more bass from the SRM-353X.
SRM-353X -> SRM-D50 = About the same. Maybe the slightest bit more bass from the SRM-D50.
SRM-353X -> Mjolnir Octave 2 SE = The Octave 2 SE is quite a bit better in terms bass and bass extension.
SRM-D50 -> Mjolnir KGSSHV = The KGSSHV is quite a bit better in terms bass and bass extension.
Mjolnir Octave 2 SE -> Mjolnir Carbon = The Carbon has a wider soundstage, smoother treble, more bass, and a more tube-like sound.
 
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Feb 24, 2022 at 9:48 PM Post #21,837 of 28,131
Aahh.. you dont get it, do you?
It falls under conspicuous consumption. No need to justify this is better than that.

At this rate I am sure by mid 2022 SA will have BHSE, CCC, T2, Megatron, and two sets of electrostat cfa.

Definitely get this perspective, I do. But this is also a really exciting time for e-stats. For the first time in a LONG time, there are new and really exciting TOTL offerings.. some better than the 009/007 that have long been the standard. Unfortunately they are a bit more expensive (and some extremely hard to drive), and when you spend that type of $ on them I absolutely get spending the money to get the most out of them.

I can't wait until the T2 gets here. I promise I will give a really honest idea of the difference I can hear vs. the BHSE. But I already can see a valuable and discernible difference between the mini T2 and the BHSE even though it's only a bit more expensive than it. That said the BHSE is still really amazing and I'm sure the same is true for the Carbon, which I hear nothing but praise for in similar fashion.
 
Feb 27, 2022 at 7:24 AM Post #21,838 of 28,131
Thoughts on the 007 MK2 (2.9) off a iFi iESL as a first foray into Stax?

iESL can be driven off my desktop speaker amp. At the moment its a little Class D thing, 100W into 8 or so.
 
Feb 27, 2022 at 1:41 PM Post #21,839 of 28,131
Thoughts on the 007 MK2 (2.9) off a iFi iESL as a first foray into Stax?

iESL can be driven off my desktop speaker amp. At the moment its a little Class D thing, 100W into 8 or so.
Garbage in -> garbage out, KGSSHV is highly recommended for the 007.
I'd rather choose a Lambda with a cheaper amp (not the current ones, but that's an entirely different matter)
 

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