[deadlylover]

 

  deadlover:  I have an unmodded pair of Fostex T50 RPs and do not hear any noise.  Are these considered sensitive headphones?

 
Try the free earphones that you get when buying a phone or mp3 player, they are much more sensitive, just use whatever IEMs you have lying around.
 
If you do happen have noise issues with the STAX, you can always just use a cheap DAC to get you by until you splash out for a 'proper' one, there's no need to make a big deal out of it.

 

[AManAnd88Keys]

It might be better to settle for a lesser Stax setup and get a proper dac

I'd suggest the same: go for a less expensive Stax system and spend the rest of the money on a nice dac.

 

[Nemeske88]

Dear Forum,
 
Do anybody have a set of NB-Sigma for sale at a reasonable price?

 

[shipsupt]

  shipsupt:  The jack on the rear of the IMAc is an S/PDIF stereo 3.5 mini-phono jack.  What would be the correct interconnect?
 
 
 

 
Essentially you just need one of these. 
 

 
http://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-Premium-3-5mm-Stereo-Plated/dp/B002K8A75I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1384978512&sr=8-1&keywords=3.5mm+to+rca

 

[DefQon]

I get loud humming using a rca to 3.5mm straight from my mac to my 323S.

 

[glorkaglickflic]

deadlylover:  I have a pair of Ultra Ears and have listened to some DDD classical music and do not hear any noise worth mentioning when plugged into the rear headphone jack of my Mac.

 

[shipsupt]

YMMV... FWIW... and all that good stuff...
 
I just moved a 717 next to my iMac and connected it with a 3.5mm to RCA.  Dead quiet. Music plays.
 
 
 
Extra info... fine print... I just couldn't resist adding...
I was just listening to the same set up but using a NAD M51 DAC.  I'd like to say there is no big difference, but there is a big difference.  The direct analog out from the Mac is probably pretty good, until you hear something much better.  There are some super cheap DAC options that are sure to beat it.  Don't understate the importance of a good source.  Ok, off the soap box.

 

[DefQon]

I think there is a grounding issue with macbooks.

 

[mechgamer123]

Maybe get one of these until you can afford something better?
http://hifimediy.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=107

 

[baxter97]

  glorkaglickflic:  A Stax rig is pretty resolving. You'd want to do better than just use the headphone output of your Mac. I'd also avoid JRiver as seem to be perpetually in beta and full of bugs. It wont be an improvement over iTunes especially out of the headphone jack. 
 
Maybe more usefully, please tell us why you decided on Stax and not other headphones?

 
 
Even with an adequate DAC, would the SR-407, for instance, be suitable for Rock recordings, or is it just too resolving, would there be better options? I listen to mostly Rock and Reggae (and some Pop) from the 60's, 70's, 80's, and 90's. Thanks. 

 

[arnaud]

I can understand why someone new here has a hard time making decisions as the scale of product value is completely skewed.

For instance, we often read how critical the amplifier is. Pushed to the extreme, we get the silly argument that you should pick an amp first and a transducer next. The truth is, a lot of this is often related inflatuation to justify expensive purchases else heavily influenced (i.e 2nd hand) opinion based on too much reading these forums.

We don't hear such claims about the source being critical as often and my best guess here is that it's because there are many more amp builders adversiting here (directly or through word of mouth) than high end source makers.

To answer the OP about the pairing of an imac line out with a lamdba rig. Considering you have made your mind about the type of sound you're looking for, I can only encourage you to pursue this.

Surely, I can imagine that the limiting factor will be the source but the good news is that it won't suck nevertheless (read about David1961's pairing of an ipod line out with a BHSE/009 rig). You'll have plenty of choices to explore new source later on.

If you start with an average transducer, no amp and no source in the world is going to transcend it. In terms of resolution, cleanliness, precision, there is no question estat is the way to go, whatever you read in the forums about the latest and greatest dynamic, isodynamic and other BA.

Also, my best advice is to take the active/hot product discussions here with a good pinch of salt as the posted impressions often are heavily tainted by new toy syndrome / self-justification / sheep mentality.

The stax threads are not immune either. We get so much propaganda about how critical it is to pair a 009 phone with a 5 grand aftermarket amp. Truth is, once you do the test yourself, you realise it may not be so, at least to your ears. For me, from direct experience, I am now more keen on spending 5 grands on the source than upgrading the amp. Thing is, there are many more stat amp vendors / posters related to the vendors here than people related to dac/source vendors...

So in the end, by all means, keep you own mind open, and try the gear by yourself. For all I know, you might hate the "thin" sound / lack of body from stat sound (the most common reason for people to prefer orthos to stats).

 

[padam]

I've always stated that the source is more critical than the amp but since I never had a had the chance to compare the modded 727II (a really solid amp) with a BHSE I still cannot be sure about how significant the upgrade can be.
But I think a certain characteristic of the headphone will still be kept (for instance an O2 will have much better controlled bass and less dark but it will always be a bit dark compared to the others etc. etc.)
 
I agree that it is technically more advanced in preserving the details etc. but how our mind reacts to this kind type of presentation is a different thing - in my experience anyway.
 
What I (noticed only a few weeks ago, oddly) this that even if the SR Lambda is capable of resolving quite a bit above my HD250 Linear Mk1 headphones, sometimes with the latter my mind still manages to pick up detail that I didn't notice with the Stax as it revealed so much that it slightly shifted focus to different things. So in that regard I wouldn't necessary call the former a more detailed despite the fact that it would dominate on measurements and stuff.
Also, I think the slower pacing of the dynamic headphone may have a role in this and it doesn't hurt that it is sealed as well (if they re-consider developing a 4070-like headphone I think there would be a lot of demand for it)
It is very interesting and I think I think I couldn't live without either. Sometimes less equals more (and not just for older recordings)
 
So in my opinion all three types of transducers have their own places, but the electrostats are certainly still too under-appreciated compared to the other ones.
And that's because not only they are only produced by one small company (for the moment, I don't know how serious Sennheiser is going to be), it is not being marketed nearly as heavily as other products. Maybe some changes are going to happen under the new ownership, who knows.
So if you think about this being embedded in the pricing of other products, you are getting more for your money's worth by buying a Stax in this sense (especially with the headphones, if I remember right I read that their profit is mainly gained by the amps and not the headphones).
Just something to keep in mind, when the next "newest, best thing" is going to be introduced.

 

[DefQon]

IF you want a heaps of bass from an SR-5, remove the wool dampening and place 1 layer or tissue paper. S hitloads of bass and the mid range is less dampened. This is purely for fun.

 

[Currawong]

Arnaud, I've said it before, but I think it comes down, a lot of the time, to what type and how good the music is that people listen to and, importantly, how loud they listen to whether a lot of expensive gear is "worth it". That, and spending money wisely and in good proportion is a lot harder than just spending a lot of money and hoping for an improvement.
 
padam: I think that, essentially, Stax can build more daring products now they don't have to worry about bankrupting themselves as they may potentially have done with the SR-009s without outside funding.
 
baxter97: I think for good recordings Stax are great. Funnily enough, Michael Jackson's recordings are excellent and I know at least one 'stat owner here who listens to '80s music.

 

[SoupRKnowva]

I listen to roughly 70% metal of all varieties, 15% rock/alternative and 15% pop...none of those genres are known for being particularly well recorded, but I still love the 009s