The Stax Thread III

[a1uc]

I'm using the Chord Dave with the Abyss / Utopia and just trying to
figure out if this is a good detection and of you heard my current 2
hp ? thoughts

 

[Redwingnine]

Although I'm somewhat new to the world of high end Stax phones, it's pretty obvious that there seems to be a wide range of "opinions" as to the relative merits of of the various incarnations of the SR 007 vs the SR 009, along with the amps to drive them.   Certainly, when someone with an extensive background in music such as Mr. Katz recommends/uses a specific setup he is happy with, that is at least worth some consideration.  
 
Whenever a given person assigns levels of truth as to the merits of products such as the high end Stax headphones, it seems to me that this is a mixing of opinions with perceived truth.  What is valid for one is not valid for another.  While experience over time with these products helps making determinations as to which is best for them, that does not necessarily mean it will be best for another.
 
The diversity of opinions with the SR 007 and SR 009 expressed here makes for interesting reading.  I've certainly gained a fair bit of background knowledge from reading these threads.  Very much looking forward to the headphone journey going forward, as a SR 007 will arrive next week.  Will also look into other amp options such as a KGSS to evaluate the differences from the SRM 007 tA.

 

[nemomec]

 

   
009=brighter, not more transparent

 
Fixed that for you

I think you haven´t understand my post and it´s make no sense for a further serios discussion with you.

 

[thinker]

   
Sorry thats not true, i haven´t heard any SR-007 there are more transparent than a SR-009. With a little more Stax experience it´s easy to make following order:
The SR-009 is the most source depended headphone that i known and scales tremendously with the setup in both directions from worse to outstanding, that´s one reason for most people to choose a easier handling SR-007.
 
For technicans its easy to verify the transparency of SR-009, take a Smyth Realizer and measure the above headhones in a very good loudspeaker setup and make a listen and decide which headphone the loudspeaker including room sounds most real.My si

My order is this on top electrostatics:
 
QA Float latest tweak/Transdyn power active supply-seriously yes if the whole chain is perfect
Orpheus HE-1
SR-Omega 1/slightly above SR- 009 considering it as a whole it has more authority and musicality than SR-009
Stax SR-009/not as musical as SR-007
Stax SR-007 MK1 first series up to SN: 70xxx/with pad mods above SR-009
Orpheus HE-90/ would be almost on top if not diffusive
Stax SR-007 MK1/ some people consider this above HE-90 i would say 50/50
Stax SR-007 MK2 SN: SZ2-xxxx
Stax SR-007 MK2 SZ3-xxxx
Stax L-700
HE-60

 

[ToroFiestaSol]

 
I think you haven´t understand my post and it´s make no sense for a further serios discussion with you.

 
Wise decision.
I don't like to discuss when I'm right.

 

[JimL11]

  The issue is more availability than price, really. BTW, they are more or less at MSRP (around $6000) when they pop out.
Pricejapan used to be a reliable source for 009, but it looks like they went radio silent, and Stax's policy about grey market becomes tougher these days...

Ali

Not to mention, with the potential of 009s that are out of balance (a reported problem but nobody knows how prevalent it is), if you buy gray market and get one that becomes defective, you have to send it back to Japan for servicing.

 

[MacedonianHero]

   
Fixed that for you

 
007=darker, and less transparent.  <--- there we go...fixed. 

 [I keed, I keed]
 
I own both, (007Mk1 and 009), love both, but the 009s are in my top 3 or 4 headphones of all time. The 007s are in my top 10 and get considerably less head time. Heard them both on KGSSHV (used to own...both versions), LL2, LL2T, BHSE and even a DIY T-2.
 
 
YMMV of course...

 

[ToroFiestaSol]

Deafinitely not agree 

 
Hope the new Stax flagship will be a tremendous improvement over anything ever made, so finally we can agree on something
 
However, 009 could be much worse, it could be a Lampizator DAC 

 (okay, I stop here)

 

[Ali-Pacha]

Please, no urinating contest there, some do prefer 009, some others do prefer 007, everything's fine...as long as no one does praise Audeze 

 
Ali

 

[ToroFiestaSol]

  Please, no urinating contest there, some do prefer 009, some others do prefer 007, everything's fine...as long as no one does praise Audeze 

 
Ali

 
Or Lampizator 

 

[Jones Bob]

Please, no urinating contest there, some do prefer 009, some others do prefer 007, everything's fine...as long as no one does praise Audeze 

Ali

Audeze does have a very efficient repair return process.

 

[gnnett]

Hi
 
Just searched and could find no reference to this schematic here. I suspect the thought of using transformers is viewed as a backward step by many, but thought it might interest some.
 
http://peteslab.blogspot.com.au/2015/11/stax-2a3-se-amplifier.html
 
Regards
 
Grant

 

[JimL11]

Well, he specifies 250 VRMS as max output, which is a bit on the low side.  Even the Stax SRM-T1 specifies a max output of 300 VRMS, the SRM-727 goes to 450 VRMS, the BHSE over 560 VRMS.  My SRX Plus also puts out at least 300 VRMS and is less expensive (no expensive transformers or expensive 2A3 tubes, although it is for stat headphones only).

 

[yaluen]

  I have a new reference in tonality and timbre: the Gamma Pro with protein leather Bose ear pads.
It has displaced my modded (in Purrin style) HD650 and 009 in that, both of which measure excellent, but sound-wise the modified Gamma Pro slaughters the HD650 in every respect.
The 009 (and 007) is still better overall (bass, stage, fine dynamic gradation etc), but the Gamma has no problems with the highs, it sounds so natural, full, energetic, and velvet-smooth - especially cello and piano sound so real. I've spent much of the night listening to cello+piano .
The Omegas have more bass slam, but the modded Gamma Pro does not lack in bass.
 
It is interesting that when used with normal bias, the Gamma Pro sounds much like the normal-bias Gamma, that is quite much worse (especially in the treble) than the Gamma Pro with pro bias.
 
FR doesn't mean that much any more to me (e.g. based on measurements alone, the modded HD650 should sound way better than the others), but here we go. Disregard everything below 40 Hz and above 8 kHz, the data there depends on so many things. I judge those areas mostly by ear.
 
I have tried about 8-10 pads with the Gamma Pro. I selected the best sounding ones, the somewhat smaller Bose ear pads. The Stax 007 pads were also working well, with less bass.
 
Green: original Gamma Pro + pads: open, nice midrange, not much bass.
Violet: HD650: sounds a bit bland compared to the original Gamma, but still good.
Yellow: Gamma with cleaned up back (nothing but the drivers) + Bose QC15 ear pads. Quite much more bass slam than with the original pads, but ain't 007 yet. Nevertheless, enough to not miss anything, from orchestra to EDM. A new reference.
 

 
I am going to make some custom ear pads to the Gamma Pro, let's see if it can improve still. BTW the driver seems to be usable in almost any type of loading, including closed designs. 
I also have the itch to make a TH900-like enclosure for it (with larger, damped cups), as the driver alone sounds much better than the TH900 driver.

 

  Speaking of mechanical damping, I really like the ugly plastic headband on the Gamma Pro, with continuous adjustment, almost no mass and most of all, no ringing! .
Also, I had to remove the thin wool sheet and foam layer from the back of the driver because they were decomposing and losing particles, and noticed it sounds much better without them (with no big FR change). For what is worth, the 007 (and 009) don't have anything behind the drivers (except the metallic mesh).

 

  If it's going to be a 80 year anniversary statement product, with a price tag to match, I'd probably stay with the modded 007, and eventually try to get an SR-Omega... though I am still so enamored with my modded Gamma Pro that at the moment it really fills the gap for having a second view to music .

 
Hey, great to hear someone else with an appreciation for the Gamma Pro!
 
I'm in agreement with you about the relative pros and cons of the Gamma Pro vs Omegas. To add, I hear it as sitting in between the 007 and 009 in terms of tonal balance. Bass has a more immediate presence (tradeoff of textural nuance unfortunately), less accurate but more satisfying. In fact, its overall presentation is more upfront vs the Omegas and other over-ear Stax (I guess to be expected given its smaller construction). Makes for a different kind of listening experience, less grand but super engaging. Perhaps my favourite Stax headphone

 
For pads, I have a set of these (http://www.e-earphone.jp/shopdetail/000000102586/) installed on an Alpha Pro. Ear cavity is a bit snug but my ears fit inside just fine. They're also thicker than stock pads so I end up having to adjust the headpad to its top-most setting for the cans to fit my head. However, my ears no longer touch the baffle, and situating the drivers further away seem to alleviate some shout that occasionally crop up in male vocals. Now the main differentiating feature is that a quarter of the pad is slightly thicker than the rest for better seal to the lower rear jaw. Perhaps something to consider for your custom pads? Stax themselves tried this with the pads for the followup Alpha Pro Excellent model, here are a couple comparison photos:
 

 

 

[zolkis]

Those pads on the right look good! Since then I've changed the pads from Bose to Brainwavz flat leather pads, just a little softer in bass, but very comfortable! For the new pads I am looking for similar pads as the Bose, just slightly larger diameter. Or similar pads as the original, just higher. The Brainwavz provide that and they are thicker and softer too, while keeping the ear side volume similar. That helps keeping bass impact. With the larger volume 007 pads the driver loading changes and there is less bass impact.
I can try to get some of these pads and measure them.