[Golfnutz]

  Thank you
 
Now if i can find a dealer within 60 minutes of Kitchener Ontario i can tote this along with me to test
 
It may be a fill in until i decide on an amp
 
Cheers

You're probably 10 minutes or less to a Stax dealer.
 
Talk to Mark at Soundstage Fine Audio on Regina Street in Waterloo.
 
He has a room dedicated to Headphones, including some Stax gear.

 

[Rozeqloud]

 
You're probably 10 minutes or less to a Stax dealer.
 
Talk to Mark at Soundstage Fine Audio on Regina Street in Waterloo.
 
He has a room dedicated to Headphones, including some Stax gear.

Thanks

 

[JimL11]

 
Tube amps are going to have a tough time properly driving the 007 until you get to a BHSE or DIY T2. The L700 is a different kettle of fish and it works brilliantly out of the smaller tube amps (of which I have a KGST and DIY balanced hev-90, the latter being better). 

Oh, I dunno.  I think my lowly SRX Plus DIY tube amp does a pretty good job of driving the 007 at non-ear-bleeding volumes, although I have to admit I haven't compared it with a BHSE, T2 or carbon level amp.  However, a couple people who have built it seem to feel it is on a similar level with Kevin Gilmore amps they have built including KGST, KGSSHV, Megatron and Carbon.

 

[jibzilla]

  Actually the KGSSHV Carbon is a superior sounding amp to any KGSSHV variants out there for both the SR007 & SR009.

 
I'm sure it is a superior energizer. It's just that from what I read it was designed with 009 in mind. Please correct me if I'm wrong. With that in mind I think it's reasonable that 007mk1/kgsshv is very end game. At least for me it is very end game, to the point where I do not regret passing on the Carbon. I was originally going to get a Carbon but fell short financially.

 

[JimL11]

   
I'm sure it is a superior energizer. It's just that from what I read it was designed with 009 in mind. Please correct me if I'm wrong. With that in mind I think it's reasonable that 007mk1/kgsshv is very end game. At least for me it is very end game, to the point where I do not regret passing on the Carbon. I was originally going to get a Carbon but fell short financially.

Actually, I think you misunderstand Dr. Gilmore's design process.  If you think about it, as a third party designer, it does not make sense to design ANY amp for ANY particular headphone, as the designer has no idea what headphone the end user will choose, and designing for a particular headphone significantly cuts down your "market."  
 
His goal as I understand it, is to design as linear and neutral an amp as possible, and one that can drive any electrostatic headphone.  I believe that has been his goal since his original all-triode amp, which is the basis of the Woo GES, and it has continued through the KGSS, Blue Hawaii, KGSSHV and KGSS Carbon.  He does not design with a particular headphone in mind.  At the time the KGSS was designed the top headphone was the Stax SR007, so it was designed to drive it as well as possible, but NOT in the sense that it was designed to compensate for any perceived faults or weaknesses in that phone.  The same goes for his other designs.  The Carbon is designed to duplicate in solid state terms the output topology of the Blue Hawaii and T2 which use a grounded grid output stage, as that is the most linear way of implementing an output stage, with the hope that it might be more compatible with the 009, but again, it was not designed to address any particular subjective weaknesses in that phone.  As a result, it should drive any electrostatic headphone to its best, including the SR007, SR009, HE90, Koss 950, etc.  Now, whether you like that sound or prefer that sound to those phones being driven by other amplifiers is a subjective decision, as none of these is perfect (just as no amp is perfect), and the best subjective combination may or may not result from using the "best" amp and "best" headphone.  For example, a number of users prefer the Aristaeus driving Sennheiser HE90s even if the Blue Hawaii is objectively a "better" amp.

 

[mulveling]

Hey Mulveling, does your Carbon have Kevin's GR-LV replacing the stock PS boards 7815/7915 voltage regs? I tested the dual GR-LV that I built up for my Carbon in my my KGST. Geez, that really cleaned up a lot of SQ issues that I did not even know existed. So much so, my Carbon build has put been on the back burner. Maybe it's time to git 'er done.

I actually don't know. I'd have to contact my builder to be sure, but if I had to hazard a guess, I'd say that it doesn't have the GR-LV (since it was an early build). I know my KGST doesn't have that, and it's a bit shy of KGSShv-level performance.
 

 
I'm sure it is a superior energizer. It's just that from what I read it was designed with 009 in mind. Please correct me if I'm wrong. With that in mind I think it's reasonable that 007mk1/kgsshv is very end game. At least for me it is very end game, to the point where I do not regret passing on the Carbon. I was originally going to get a Carbon but fell short financially.

Yes, what you read was speculation before the amp was finalized. Since built units have been out, nobody who's heard one has been saying that the Carbon is specifically matched to the 009. Nobody. It takes both the 007 Mk I and 009 to the next level until you take it even further (e.g. maybe BHSE and DIY T2). The 007 certainly scales beyond the capabilities of a KGSShv (though yes, that pairing sounds very good), and any reasonable listening session with a Carbon, BHSE, or DIY T2 will make that quite clear. Your setup doesn't qualify for summit-fi "end game", and neither does mine for that matter. I think hearing a 007 Mk I w/ BHSE would be an eye opener for you.
 

Oh, I dunno.  I think my lowly SRX Plus DIY tube amp does a pretty good job of driving the 007 at non-ear-bleeding volumes, although I have to admit I haven't compared it with a BHSE, T2 or carbon level amp.  However, a couple people who have built it seem to feel it is on a similar level with Kevin Gilmore amps they have built including KGST, KGSSHV, Megatron and Carbon.

I'm sure your SRX plus is an absolutely killer value, despite not yet having heard one. But to lump a KGST in with Carbon as being at a similar level might be a stretch for those who have heard both! Even a 007 w/ KGST sounds really good, coming from traditional dynamic headphone -- but for me the differences are significant as you scale further up the electrostatic food chain.

 

[3X0]

There is such a wild variance of opinions (even those from experienced ears) that I would advocate listening for yourself to determine suitability.

Oftentimes the airfare to an appropriate meet might be less than what you stand to lose reselling a piece of equipment that does not meet expectations.

While a meet environment is rarely conducive to critical listening it is usually sufficient to determine whether you like something or not, perhaps even relative to another product when you apply sufficient controls. Unfortunately the Carbon still seems to be a somewhat rare amp at meets these days.

JimL11 I'm a little curious about the SRX Plus as it seems to be the de facto "low-cost" DIY option of today and it certainly seems to be getting much more love than the Egmont or eXStatA ever did. Despite this subtle popularity I don't even know what a completed build looks like...

 

[JimL11]

 
I'm sure your SRX plus is an absolutely killer value, despite not yet having heard one. But to lump a KGST in with Carbon as being at a similar level might be a stretch for those who have heard both! Even a 007 w/ KGST sounds really good, coming from traditional dynamic headphone -- but for me the differences are significant as you scale further up the electrostatic food chain.

Yes, I know the general consensus is that the Carbon is the best solid state Gilmore design to date, and I'm not disagreeing with that at all.  I would note that most KGSTs in circulation have the earlier constant current source loads and use the simpler KGBH PS.  I suspect that the KGST with cascade constant current output loads and upgraded PS (KGSSHV high voltage and GRLV low voltage) would be significantly closer to a Carbon (which also uses the cascode current source loads, and most, if not all of which have the upgraded PS as well).  As you yourself have noted, the better power supplies in the full size KGSSHVs vs the mini KGSSHVs also improved the sound in terms of detail and dynamics - I would expect the same of a KGST, as Jones Bob says in his post.  Given the variation in DIY builds the only way to know how much the amp circuit contributes would be to build different amps with the best possible power supplies.  The KGST, as a "budget" amp, tends to be built with a budget PS whereas the KGSS Carbon tends to be built with a best PS as well.  
 
As far as I know, nobody has ranked the SRX Plus vs any of Kevin GIlmore's amps directly, but the couple of people who have built a few of his amps as listed in my previous post, along with the SRX Plus, seem to like it about as well, which is really all I was claiming.  Since they didn't rank their builds, all I can do is lump them in the same general class, even though some are recognizably better than others. 
 
I will say that a couple friends and I recently compared my SRX Plus with a KGST built by one of them - the latest version with cascode constant current loads, choke input raw power supply, KGSSHV PS and upgraded LV PS which is probably equivalent to the GRLV PS.  This PS gives it the best chance to show what the circuit can really do - I would guess it sounds better than most KGSTs out there by virtue of the upgraded PS.  Using both a SR007 Mk I and the latest SR007 Mk II with spritzer's port mod, we found them to be very similar, my amp was very subtly more "liquid", while the KGST was lower noise and maybe bigger soundstage due to the more sophisticated, quieter PS.  There is someone one state over who is building a DIY T2 so I'm hoping after it is done, that we can get together to compare a [the] state of the art amp to my lowly SRX Plus.  Of course, at 10% the parts cost, I expect to lose. The question is, by how much?

 

[Arthrumus]

 
Actually, I think you misunderstand Dr. Gilmore's design process.  If you think about it, as a third party designer, it does not make sense to design ANY amp for ANY particular headphone, as the designer has no idea what headphone the end user will choose, and designing for a particular headphone significantly cuts down your "market."  

 
According to spritzer the Carbon design was started in an attempt to "tame the rough top end of the SR-009" but naturally grew to be what he and Kevin consider to be the best solid state amplifier they have designed and on equal ground with the Blue Hawaii and T2. It seems that it's exceptional performance in general makes it the best SS amp for any Stax headphones in spite of the fact that to some degree it was tailored to the SR-009. 
 
I haven't happened to read Kevin's side of the story though.
 
Quote:

  For example, a number of users prefer the Aristaeus driving Sennheiser HE90s even if the Blue Hawaii is objectively a "better" amp.
 

And this is also a case of an amp being tailor made to compensate for the shortcomings of a particular headphone.

 

[JimL11]

There is such a wild variance of opinions (even those from experienced ears) that I would advocate listening for yourself to determine suitability.

Oftentimes the airfare to an appropriate meet might be less than what you stand to lose reselling a piece of equipment that does not meet expectations.

While a meet environment is rarely conducive to critical listening it is usually sufficient to determine whether you like something or not, perhaps even relative to another product when you apply sufficient controls. Unfortunately the Carbon still seems to be a somewhat rare amp at meets these days.

@JimL11 I'm a little curious about the SRX Plus as it seems to be the de facto "low-cost" DIY option of today and it certainly seems to be getting much more love than the Egmont or eXStatA ever did. Despite this subtle popularity I don't even know what a completed build looks like...

Hi,
If you look on the other web site's DIY section under SRX revisited you can see some pictures of my build, as well as an all-the-gory-details description of the circuit design and modifications.  It's named the SRX Plus in honor of the original Stax SRX circuit which was designed as a DIY circuit in the late 60's-early 70's, and the Plus indicates the modifications to bring it up to modern standards.  It can drive any of the Stax headphones including the SR007 (which I own), and which the Egmont and eXstatA were not designed to drive.  The Egmont cannot do an adequate job due to its resistor output loads which suck up too much of the standing current, and the eXstatA simply lacks the standing current - around 6 mA per channel vs 14 mA for the SRX Plus.
 
I also published the design in the Nov and Dec 2015 issues of AudioXpress magazine.

 

[3X0]

Ah, I missed that one -- mostly saw just the circuit diagrams up until now.
 
Looks pretty cute! I'm tempted.

 

[Spork67]

Well, I'm a little disappointed, but not really surprised.
I bought a pair of SR-507's off ebay at a price that seemed too good to be true.
It turns out that the price was too good to be true.
The HP's haven't arrived and I haven't been sent a tracking number or any other confirmation that they have been sent.
I will now go through the ebay  / pay-pal refund process.
Having shelled out for a STAX amp I guess I'm committed to getting some headphones to use with it.
The amp has both standard and pro bias output, so I'm not really limited to what HP's I get, other than my budget.
My budget isn't huge. I was (unrealistically perhaps) hoping to join the ranks of STAX owners for < $1000 AUD) (HP's AND amp).
On the positive side (You always have to look for the positive, right?) I may have a little time to: save more $, and to research.
I would really like to keep the headphone $ to < $1000 (AUD). < $600 would be ideal... 
I'm happy to buy used / second hand if they have been well looked after.
 
So - to my question: Which STAX would you lfolks recommend for me? I listen to a wide range of genres, but mostly rock, indie and metal.
I'd also like the option of using them for a bit of casual gaming, but music would be the primary purpose - I can keep using my ATH-AD900x for gaming if I need to.

 

[Michgelsen]

Well, for your budget it would have to be a Lambda.
 
I would search for a (used) 202 or 207. Cheap, but very good. Best bang for the buck. Other contenders would be a Lambda Nova Signature or 404 Limited Edition, which I haven't heard but are supposed to be good.
Although it has its followers, I personally do not like the Lambda Signature, because of its infamous treble 'etch'.
 
You could of course also just buy a new L500 or L300, depending on budget, perhaps via PriceJapan.

 

[joseph69]

How are the people making out who ordered/e-mailed from PJ within the past month or so?  
Has PJ shipped/responded since?

 

[Arthrumus]

  Well, I'm a little disappointed, but not really surprised.
I bought a pair of SR-507's off ebay at a price that seemed too good to be true.
It turns out that the price was too good to be true.
The HP's haven't arrived and I haven't been sent a tracking number or any other confirmation that they have been sent.
I will now go through the ebay  / pay-pal refund process.
Having shelled out for a STAX amp I guess I'm committed to getting some headphones to use with it.
The amp has both standard and pro bias output, so I'm not really limited to what HP's I get, other than my budget.
My budget isn't huge. I was (unrealistically perhaps) hoping to join the ranks of STAX owners for < $1000 AUD) (HP's AND amp).
On the positive side (You always have to look for the positive, right?) I may have a little time to: save more $, and to research.
I would really like to keep the headphone $ to < $1000 (AUD). < $600 would be ideal... 
I'm happy to buy used / second hand if they have been well looked after.
 
So - to my question: Which STAX would you lfolks recommend for me? I listen to a wide range of genres, but mostly rock, indie and metal.
I'd also like the option of using them for a bit of casual gaming, but music would be the primary purpose - I can keep using my ATH-AD900x for gaming if I need to.

The Normal Bias Lambda. It's my favorite Lambda out of the ones I've owned. You can usually find them for under $300 USD, and at that price they are unbeatable.