The Stax Thread III

[timb5881]

Good option for people with good existing speaker amps

Very true. Even if one does not have any to begin with, you can buy a top quality amp, and if it is a no go, much easier to to sell.

 

[bearFNF]

Have any of you considered the transformer option? Woo Wee, Spritzer refurbish the SRD-7 and also has his new Lundahl C core transformers version. This way is much easier to get the sound you need want by just swapping various amps and preamps. That’s what I do. Although I am down to one amp, with a couple needing repair. Right now I am using an ARC LS-7 preamp into a Cary Rocket 88 amp. This combo gives a middle sound to me, with the Golden Tube SE40 being more “tubey” sound. The Aragon 8008 is about the most neutral sounding, better bass detail. And I also use an Adcom GFP-565, which is solid state and the ARC is all tube.

I listened via my SRD-7/SB (with Lambda NB earspeakers) for many years (198?-2015/16 or so) off of various amps with very good results and then a WooWee for a bit while waiting for my BHSE and Cavalli LL2SS (when I also got the SR-009 and SR-007 MKII, and the Voce). Need to use caution when using he WooWee for various reasons.

 

[TheAbyss2022]

I listened via my SRD-7/SB (with Lambda NB earspeakers) for many years (198?-2015/16 or so) off of various amps with very good results and then a WooWee for a bit while waiting for my BHSE and Cavalli LL2SS (when I also got the SR-009 and SR-007 MKII, and the Voce). Need to use caution when using he WooWee for various reasons.

Does the Voce do anything better than the 009 & 007?

 

[bearFNF]

Does the Voce do anything better than the 009 & 007?

It is actually the one I listen to the most, it is not as bright as the 009, it is more "engaging" than the 007, and it has surprising "separation" or "layering" that I do not hear with any of my other stax earspeakers. If you search for "Voce" and filter by my user name you will see several posts I did comparing them. There is also an impressions thread that has several comparisons.

 

[Svperstar]

Have any of you considered the transformer option? Woo Wee, Spritzer refurbish the SRD-7 and also has his new Lundahl C core transformers version.

The only issue I have seen with this setup from multiple measurements is you will have ruler flat performance, but when you get to 200hz and below the bass just drops off, making already bass lean estats even leaner. Someone is working on a project getting a custom Lundahl transformer that doesn't behave this way. Patiently waiting to see the final product

 

[icnaiwhimor1975]

are there any other ways to get STAX SR-Ω (SR-Omega) besides Japanese auctions? I saw several sold in 2024, but they are all in "not tested" condition

I personally know one person who bought such an "omega" and it did not work properly for him

so the choice is not easy - either put "blindly" 3-4-5-6-7k or buy a proven pair for 10+

the further I chase HE90 or the first omega
the more I understand
that most likely I will never decide to buy either one

x9000 and HE60 are the best I have heard so far

but maybe there is something else - there should always be something else, further..

 

[TheAbyss2022]

are there any other ways to get STAX SR-Ω (SR-Omega) besides Japanese auctions? I saw several sold in 2024, but they are all in "not tested" condition

I personally know one person who bought such an "omega" and it did not work properly for him

so the choice is not easy - either put "blindly" 3-4-5-6-7k or buy a proven pair for 10+

the further I chase HE90 or the first omega
the more I understand
that most likely I will never decide to buy either one

x9000 and HE60 are the best I have heard so far

but maybe there is something else - there should always be something else, further..

There is one on sale right now which Birgir is selling - https://mjolnir-audio.com/used-headphones/

He wants $10,000 with a replacement headband that doesn't have a serial number and no original box so it's a bit sketch. For that price I would expect everything original and included.

 

[icnaiwhimor1975]

There is one on sale right now which Birgir is selling - https://mjolnir-audio.com/used-headphones/

He wants $10,000 with a replacement headband that doesn't have a serial number and no original box so it's a bit sketch. For that price I would expect everything original and included.

I saw omega at auctions for 2-3-4k
I don't think that someone will ever give 10k for it

 

[number1sixerfan]

There is one on sale right now which Birgir is selling - https://mjolnir-audio.com/used-headphones/

He wants $10,000 with a replacement headband that doesn't have a serial number and no original box so it's a bit sketch. For that price I would expect everything original and included.

I absolutely would not spend anywhere near $10k even on a pristine pair with everything NOS included.

 

[TheAbyss2022]

I saw omega at auctions for 2-3-4k
I don't think that someone will ever give 10k for it

Yeah better buying one from like Japan as they seem to sell them for cheaper. The only vintage headphones that sell for around $10k is Sennheiser HE90 and Sony MDR-R10.

 

[icnaiwhimor1975]

The only vintage headphones that sell for around $10k is Sennheiser HE90

the cheapest I've found right now are HE90 - $22000
if with HEV90 - about $25,000-$27,000
there's no point in that

 

[TheAbyss2022]

the cheapest I've found right now are HE90 - $22000
if with HEV90 - about $25,000-$27,000
there's no point in that

Do you have a MK1 007? That would be a cheaper and maybe a better choice for a really good vintage headphone.

 

[AMerePerson]

are there any other ways to get STAX SR-Ω (SR-Omega) besides Japanese auctions? I saw several sold in 2024, but they are all in "not tested" condition

I personally know one person who bought such an "omega" and it did not work properly for him

so the choice is not easy - either put "blindly" 3-4-5-6-7k or buy a proven pair for 10+

the further I chase HE90 or the first omega
the more I understand
that most likely I will never decide to buy either one

x9000 and HE60 are the best I have heard so far

but maybe there is something else - there should always be something else, further..

As someone who’s been watching the Omega market for quite a while, Yahoo auctions on Japan are where they most frequently show up (still <10 a year)

The two current listings are one on a Polish website and the one on Mjolnir Audio, the first at ~$12k and the second at $10k. Historical listings here are in the $6k-10k range- generally higher. They have probably sold for under the list price. I’d expect the “fair” market value is going to be anchored around the MSRP of the X9000 at $6k-$7k

It’s been almost 30 years since the Omega was discontinued, so we’re seeing these headphones bought by businessmen in their 30s-40s sold by them or their family to further fund their retirement. I wouldn’t expect all of them to be keeping up with head-fi so they end up on an auction site. These would then be bought by audiophiles/collectors who would hold on to them for more years to come. After that they’d get resold on secondary markets. I’d expect the Japanese auction frequency to lower rather than increase.

I think the main factor in keeping auctions cheap is that they’re so time limited. If there are 3 guys wanting to buy an Omega for $7k, but 2 of them forget to check for a couple weeks, then the one guy who bids could be facing weaker competition and get a steal. I recall bidding on one pair of Omegas a while back and then seeing a post here from the winner of the auction.

 

[icnaiwhimor1975]

Do you have a MK1 007?

no
never tried them
their prices are too high for regular 007

i had 007A
i don't think the regular 007 sounds much different than 007A
i like the high frequencies in the sound like HE60
007 will never have that

 

[TheAbyss2022]

no
never tried them
their prices are too high for regular 007

i had 007A
i don't think the regular 007 sounds much different than 007A
i like the high frequencies in the sound like HE60
007 will never have that

I'm not 007 expert but people say the 007A version is one of the worst.

Probably a good idea to give the 007 another shot and get an 70xxx or 71xxx version. If you still don't like it, you could sell it for the same price you bought them for.