The Stax Thread III
Mar 30, 2016 at 11:26 PM Post #8,477 of 25,570
Any IEC-compliant cable for your power grid will work, and it won't "hurt" anything. But a better cable will get you better power, and that's one of the things that is often easiest to hear.
 
Mar 30, 2016 at 11:46 PM Post #8,478 of 25,570
  Hello all,
 
Just received my beautiful purple amp from Justin - i have (i thought) everything i needed - including the cardas cables balanced for pono recommended by the great folks here...but i did not receive a power supply cable - i have the umbilical and i have researched to see if i was supposed to receive the cable - but i have nothing to plus the power supply into the wall...am i supposed to - can i just use a regular desktop computer cable that fits fine?
 
In researching this i also saw this link to this video that i had no idea i was supposed to be doing....
 
 video 
 
so this makes me nervous to use this computer cable - can somebody let me know so i can listen?!?!??!?!?!  lol - soooo ready - its been like 2 years!
 
and ps - is there anything else i need/should be doing to maximize this equipment?
 
thank you all for your continued learning and support!

 
Any standard IEC 15amp power cable will do.  The heavier the gauge of the cable and the quality of the wiring or design, perhaps you can get better prevention of interference and other anomalies. Some premium cables may even make your BHSE sound better.
It's really a personal matter as many have debated the benefits of power cables over the decades.
Why don't you listen for a bit with that computer cable and when you get a chance, order from Amazon a fancier cable.  With them, you can try and send back very easily.
 
As for biasing the tubes, you probably need not do it now.
 
Enjoy your new amp.
 
Mar 31, 2016 at 7:44 AM Post #8,479 of 25,570
Hello all,

Just received my beautiful purple amp from Justin - i have (i thought) everything i needed - including the cardas cables balanced for pono recommended by the great folks here...but i did not receive a power supply cable - i have the umbilical and i have researched to see if i was supposed to receive the cable - but i have nothing to plus the power supply into the wall...am i supposed to - can i just use a regular desktop computer cable that fits fine?

In researching this i also saw this link to this video that i had no idea i was supposed to be doing....

 [COLOR=FF4400]video[/COLOR] 

so this makes me nervous to use this computer cable - can somebody let me know so i can listen?!?!??!?!?!  lol - soooo ready - its been like 2 years!

and ps - is there anything else i need/should be doing to maximize this equipment?

thank you all for your continued learning and support!

First off, CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Second, like others have said standard power cable will work. Upgrade if you feel like it.

Third, I talked to Justin about the biasing and he said no need to do it as he tested the amp with the tubes he sent. If you change tubes you should check the bias and adjust if needed.

Happy listening!!!
 
Mar 31, 2016 at 5:48 PM Post #8,480 of 25,570
Hello all, very new here first time post but been reading around for a while.
 
I recently bought a new SRM-353x and the SR-L500s. Went to audition a pair of the Oppo pm-1s and the HD800s and ended up walking away with the Stax instead along with a Chord Mojo to pair with it from my pc.
 
Got it home and everything set up. PC running via USB to the mojo then running to the 353x and all was running smoothly for the first hour or so. Left it running while I went to have some dinner etc and came back to hear it sounding significantly quieter than when I left. Thinking it was the song I turned it up only to notice something was wrong, everything sounded flat and harsh and there was no low end. Changed songs, changed the input problem still persisted that night so I left it for the night. Came back the next morning briefly before work to try it again. Worked fine for the first few minutes then started to notice the music fading in and out, wasn't as bad as the previous night as I didn't have long to listen but was definitely noticeable. First thought was something to do with the Mojo but I have my AV receiver/stereo set up right next to this and that was running just fine. 
 
I called the shop I bought it from explaining the issue to them and they seem as confused as I was, so I packed everything up and took it back to them to have a listen to. Having had the issue happen to me a number of times before I took it back to them I was certain it would happen again once there, but lo and behold just to prove me wrong set everything up at the shop and all runs smoothly. Left it running while looking at other speakers while there, no problems. Ran through their CD player, no issues. Connected my mojo through both the CD player and the laptop they had there, still nothing. Narrowed it down to must be something causing the issue at my house, gave me a number of suggestions to try and change and go from there. 
 
First suggestion was to try running power cable directly to wall outlet rather than through a power board as there may have been something restricting in there which I found odd given my tv, stereo etc all runs through it with no issues. So I tried it and after an hour or so of listening with no issues that it had worked, or so I thought. Hadn't listened to it for a few days and came back on Monday to listen again only to find the issue had resurfaced where I could hear the music fading in and out like it wasn't receiving enough power/signal. Tried everything I could think of, different usb cable, different wall outlet, different interconnect cable between Mojo and Stax amp. Even tried running from Mojo to receiver and using the headphone output on there to run to the Stax, still same issue. Then tried running some music via av receiver and ps4 removing the mojo from the equation and didn't notice the problem any more. Moved everything back to where I originally had it plugged mojo back into pc and problem started almost straight away again. I should add that through out this whole time I had been running the mojo in line level mode as recommended by the Hifi shop. Thought what the hell seeing as I was out of ideas and turned the volume up a few clicks on the Mojo, and noticed the problem disappeared. Turned it back down and the problem returned, just the music fading in and out. Tried again last night, turned everything on, turn Mojo up a little bit after, only takes 3 clicks above where its been set and had no issues the whole night. 
 
Now I'm glad that everything seems to be working properly at the moment but would like to figure out what the main problem may actually be and whether this is just more of a band aid fix and may have issues pop up again when I least expect it. I am very new to the world of electrostats so still have plenty to learn and understand about them. I tried running both Foobar and jriver with ASIO, WASAPI and kernal streaming and all presented with the same problem. 
 
Sorry for the wall of text, any help is appreciated
 
Thank you
 
Mar 31, 2016 at 6:14 PM Post #8,481 of 25,570

I m glad you sorted it. The Stax amp must need a certain level to work correctly? What is the line level on the Mojo? You need 2.5v really, or 6v balanced. Are you using balanced or RCA?
 
Yes, the Stax world is an aural drug for sure, so much so I look forward to getting home to listen to music! I now it is sad, but who cares if we enjoy it. I think it is a close to a concert in your house as you can get without spending 200K on speakers and having a HASBO in the process (needs to be loud).
 
I am close to the end game set-up now, 20 years later from my LSN and my little SRD-7. Unless of course Stax bring out an SR-011. Though I am not sure how they can improve on the 009, maybe a bit warmer, but pretty perfect in my book. IMO Stax HPs needs a great front end with a bit of warmth or some tubes to get to the higher levels of what it can do....
 
Mar 31, 2016 at 6:26 PM Post #8,482 of 25,570

I just realised, your Chord Mojo is a headphone amplifier only, no line out. The Mojo should not be used as a pre-amplifier to feed your Stax.
 
It has the wrong output level and there impedance is way too low. You will get bandwidth limiting and the sound will be coloured / constricted.
 
I would STRONGLY recommend you source a true USB DAC with line out 2.5v. I use a Metrum Octave MK2 with my 007s which is fantastic, I would recommend that for sure.
 
Then you will be amazed by the sound level, it will be a lot better trust me.
 
Mar 31, 2016 at 7:47 PM Post #8,483 of 25,570
In regards to the first post, this is what I was thinking it required a certain level. According to the manual the line level out is supposed to be 3v I believe. Yea I'm looking to expand slowly, think headphones was a good choice for the time being and hopefully in the future upgrading the stereo as well, nothing better than just being able to sit on the lounge and enjoy some music. Funnily enough, got to listen to the B&W 802 D3s when I was listening to speakers, quite amazing however something I'll probably never had as its hard to justify spending so much on a sound system. For now anyway, maybe if I win the lotto...
 
Anyway, back on topic. Yes it is a headphone amplifier been using a headphone output to RCA as sold by the guys at the shop. Never thought it would be an issue, but as problems kept happening thought I would ask those with more knowledge than myself. 
Makes sense about the output level, bit of a bummer though. Had this horrible thought that the one you suggested was going to be a $7000-$8000 piece of equipment, glad to see its not haha. Will look into it. This is the local reseller, anything on there you might recommend? prefer to buy local when possible. http://www.mirandahifi.com/collections/digital-audio-players/DACs the PRIMARE DAC 30 is around the same price range as the one you suggested, $1700 AUD although found the Metrum online for $1200 at the moment.
 
I'll have to try and see if I can return the mojo, not really much point keeping it if it's not going to work for this as I'm unlikely to carry it around anywhere with me. Thank you for the help, much appreciated
 
Mar 31, 2016 at 8:07 PM Post #8,485 of 25,570
Well this is mildly frustrating, had a whole post typed up but wouldn't let me post because of a link. Instead of letting me remove the link deleted my whole past, lets try again.
 
The mojo is supposed to have a line level out of 3V when put in that particular mode, but still has to run from headphone out to RCA.
I think anything audio is rather addicting. The day I took these back to the shop to figure out the problem got to listen to the B&W 802 D3s they had set up. Were very nice, maybe one day if I win the lotto I can get some.
 
Back on topic, Yes it is a headphone amplifier guess we just all thought it would still be appropriate, but if it's not definitely going to have to get something else. Had this horrible thought the one you recommended was going to be 7-$8000 or something but luckily much more reasonable. I'll shall have a look into it,also found PRIMARE DAC 30 on the website of the local dealer know much about it, always prefer to buy local if possible and seeing as I'll be trying to return the mojo anyway. Is there anything in particular I should be looking for with a DAC to help run these as best possible?
 
Thank you again for all the help
 
Mar 31, 2016 at 11:20 PM Post #8,488 of 25,570
From the MOJO manual.

Line Level Mode
Mojo has been optimised for portable use, but can also be used as a system DAC. Please note that the design of Mojo means that power is always taken from the battery so, in certain circumstances, you may deplete the battery faster than it can recharge. Therefore it is recommended that you switch off Mojo when not in use so the battery can have a full charge cycle ready for the next listening session. Mojo should not be permanently switched on.
To set the output level to 3V (line level) for connection to a preamplifier press both volume buttons together when switching on the unit. Both volume balls will illuminate light blue. This mode is not remembered so when you switch Mojo off it will reset back to the previous volume stored for safety reasons.
 
Apr 1, 2016 at 1:38 AM Post #8,489 of 25,570
Hi Bear
 
Yea I've made sure that there is always sufficient charge in the Mojo and was aware that you need to set the line level each time I turn it on. Unless I'm doing something wrong when setting the line level which I find hard to believe given it only has 3 buttons but stranger things have happened, I even turned the volume up once before turning it off to make sure the lights were changing to the right colours for Line output. Although I feel like their light blue is more of a purplish or I'm just colourblind (I did google other people doing it to make sure I was getting the same colours)
Beginning to feel like taking it back to get something else might be better and just spend a bit more. Seeing as I didn't get the Mojo for portability anyway, it's only going to be connected at home so I won't lose anything in that regard. 
 
Apr 1, 2016 at 1:41 AM Post #8,490 of 25,570
 
 
I just realised, your Chord Mojo is a headphone amplifier only, no line out. The Mojo should not be used as a pre-amplifier to feed your Stax.

Mojo has line out put mode (3V). 

I am using my Mojo as a Pre Amp to my Genelec monitors from last 2 months :)
No issues till now and still feeling heavenly every day of my life :)
 

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