[SeaWo|f]

Hugo 2?

 

[AudioThief]

Stax SRM 727ii is in house. It sounds absolutely lovely, huge upgrade from the 252s.

However, I feel like I'm leaving sound quality on the table if I don't do the feedback mod. Does anyone have any resources on how to perform the modification? Googling came up with nothing for me except people talking about it.

 

[TypodCrowd]

Stax SRM 727ii is in house. It sounds absolutely lovely, huge upgrade from the 252s.

However, I feel like I'm leaving sound quality on the table if I don't do the feedback mod. Does anyone have any resources on how to perform the modification? Googling came up with nothing for me except people talking about it.

Could just ask Birgir. he's pretty responsive outside of HF.

 

[thinker]

We were listening to both Phenomenon Canorum V3 and Libratum V3.I have to come back to Steve Guttenberg about accuracy.If you like accuracy like 009 the Libratum V3 presents the same accuracy with added 2% freedom against 009,although you have to change stock pads to much flatter with certain density.Then you have a phone wich has near identical measurements with 009.

BUT ....if you kick ass to accuracy and like the legends HE-90,R10 and if you like to enjoy your life without stress ,take a cigar and listen to the new Canorum V3, choose the right amp wich is airy and has great soundstage..tubes? then you have a slice of heaven.

If Canorum V3 was presented 20 years ago it would be now on the same row with legends.

 

[mulveling]

I don't get the knocks against 009's accuracy? It's simply the (almost) complete absence of distortion. Driven by a BHSE or DIY T2 the 009 actually has a gorgeous midrange (just a touch of warmth) and sweet treble. Tonally very natural sounding, with amazing musical flow, and is one of the extremely few headphone setups that doesn't get completely embarrassed by an extremely high-end speaker setup. No grain, hash, or discernible artifacts of any kind. Nothing about it sounds mechanical at all. The R10 by comparison is a flawed headphone; its bass is vastly inferior to the 009's.

 

[ToroFiestaSol]

Excuse me for the lame pun, but all this Phenomenon/Perun/Mrspeakers/anything electrostatic that isn't Stax talk reminds me of a Jamiroquai song, "Shillness in time"

"There’s a shillness in time
Which I cannot define
Does your heart bleed like mine
Oh, does your heart yearn
For a place we can go where the
Troubles of our time are far away
Hey, they are so far away

And I had all my life in front of me
Now my darkest days are trouble free
There are so many wondrous things for you to see

If you find that something’s going wrong
Look around at what you’re running from
You can wait a thousand years in line
For that shillness in time"

 

[Tinkerer]

Stax SRM 727ii is in house. It sounds absolutely lovely, huge upgrade from the 252s.

However, I feel like I'm leaving sound quality on the table if I don't do the feedback mod. Does anyone have any resources on how to perform the modification? Googling came up with nothing for me except people talking about it.

Very simple. I would probably recommend new resistors though as they're so cheap and it's very difficult to remove the old ones without chipping the insulation.

 

[AudioThief]

Thank you @Tinkerer I appreciate that. Where exactly is it I would find that part? I will have to explain to my father what needs to be done (he is an electrical engineer) and I'm not sure if he will immediately recognize from the picture ? Or maybe he will.

I guess I should give my impressions after one day with the sr 007 + 727ii combo. Source is spotify premium via Mimby.

So I should say that I got my SR 007 last week but after a couple of days put them back in the box until I got my new amplfiier as the 252s was not capable driving them at all. The headphones fell apart at higher volumes. Immediately I thought they were fine, but they became too annoying after a couple of days. L300 are still great headphones so I enjoyed them while waiting for the amplifier.

The new amplifier, in short, gave the sound more weight, larger scale, and it got rid of the very annoying shimmer/hardness in the treble. It is still somewhat present in specific recordings, but nowhere near what it was on the 252s. All in all, I could see myself living with this setup till the end of days. But seeing as I am aware of the feedback mod, I will try to get that done just so the amp is at its best.

As for the sound itself... I feel it is fitting to explain my journey to where I am now, as I feel I am a bit at a roads end... The chase is over so to speak.

My first foray into new headphones came when I broke my cheap earbuds while weightlifting in february 2017. I was going to go to the hardware store and pick up a new couple of cheap ones, but I remember the ones that broke annoyed me because they had too much bass than the ones I had before them (I listen to metal when weightlifting, it became too muddy). So I thought hey, maybe I should spend a bit extra on something QUALITY so they don't break so fast, and maybe I'll get cleaner sound as well? So I went online and started looking for earbuds, or as I would soon found out - In ear monitors. It wasn't long until I found Head-Fi, and I was introduced to a world I did not know existed at all! High end headphones. I did a ton of reading, saw a lot of very cool and very expensive headphones, learned about amplifiers and DACs... But those were outside of my reach at the time.

I had this notion that price = performance, so when I saw the Sony XBA H3 on sale for 60% off on a domestic online retailer, I went for it. I would just like to say that they are in use to this day and I am very happy with that purchase. They obviously have a ton of issues in terms of fidelity, but I have low expectations for IEMs in general now and they have a special place in my heart as my first "high end" IEM/headphones. I was talking to my father about this purchase, and he said that when he was my age (mid twenties) he spent all his money on speakers and vinyl, and suggested I rather spend the money on high quality equipment to use at home. And so I decided that I needed to upgrade my desktop headphones as well. The funny thing is that they are somewhat "high end" in that they are the ATH m50s, which I bought in 2011. I remember feeling very superior as the M50s were tauted as neutrality kings while beats were for people who did not care for accurate reproduction of sound (LOL). I literally thought high end audio was M50 vs Beats at the time (back in 2011).

After figuring out that Tyll Hertsens was a very well liked man, and reading his review of the Fidelity X2, I saw them as my ticket into high end audio - they were cheap, and when I demo'd them at the store, I was blown away by the concept of its soundstage. So I bought them, and started showing it to my friends and family. Reading head-fi became my main leisure activity, and of course I soon saw that I would have to upgrade my headphones and invest in a DAC and amp. Looking online, I found a pair of Denon AH-D5000 for sale, and I went for it. I searched around and people said that at this stage, I *had* to get dac + amp, especially amp. So I went for the Dragonfly Red.

This combination was really quite lovely, and I had it for several months (I only kept the Fidelio for around 1 month, hehe). But once my vacation pay came around, I decided to SPLURGE. I went for Fostex TH 900, what I viewed as the direct upgrade from Denon AH-D5000 (its not), and a Hegel HD 12 DAC with headphone out. Again, a fantastic combination. At this stage I'd say I had been exposed to a significant increase in speed, resolution, soundstage etc with the TH 900. I eventually sold the HD12 and bought a more powerful amp, as I had a HD650 coming in (I needed a "grown up" pair of headphones as well for classical, jazz etc).

At this point I started becoming some sort of collector. I purchased a JVC HPDX1000 as well (awesome cans, seriously), and just sat around comparing headphones, reviewing them, comparing equipment, browsing equipment etc. At some point I stumbled into Stax, and learned about electrostats. When a used SRS 3100 system popped up, I had to try it.

And since then, nothing has ever been the same. While I was immediately floored by the speed and resolution of the L300, it took a couple of months before I realized that electrostats is the only sound I am after. It simply beat all my other headphones at everything except bass. It was the one pair of headphone I could use for all my music, and just keep on jamming tune after tune, week after week. While I feel I have "outgrown" my dynamic cans, the L300 is still HIGHLY enjoyable for me. When a pair of SR-007 popped up on the domestic used market, I was quick to arrange finances for it, and bought it, and a week later my amp (727II) is here as well...

As previously mentioned, my initial response from the 007 mk1 (via 252) was amazing resolution, soundstage and imaging compared to l300 (and detail). But they soon became fatiguing and sounded very unnatural in many recordings, especially at louder listening volumes. Upon receiving the 727, essentially all of these issues are gone, and to my ears the only issue is that on some tracks, the hardness returns, but it is much more rare and less fatiguing / annoying than before. I haven't tried the L300 through the 727 yet, but I believe 007 will handidly beat them. The 007 mk1 via the 727 to me is basically perfection. It is such a massive upgrade from my other headphones when I consider presence, realism, sense of scale, detail and resolution. I would say the L300 gets close enough on a lot of things and are an awesome pair of headphones, but I would also say that the upgrade was definitely worth it. It feels very weird to feel that I don't have anywhere to go headphone wise from here. But it also fills me with joy, because when I enjoy my cans this much while "listening for differences" (which always ruins my listening joy), I can't imagine how much I will enjoy them when I am focusing on the music, not listening to specific traacks just to "test the rig".

If I am buying anytihng audio related in the future, I think it will be a stax headphone stand or two + dust covers... Other than that I don't feel this rig needs any changing. The TH 900 are sold and the JVC and Denons are out for sale. I'm done with dynamic headphones, Stax to my ears is the only way.

 

[wuwhere]

My 007Mk1 is never fatiguing at all. But my amp and DAC are different from yours.

 

[AudioThief]

My 007Mk1 is never fatiguing at all. But my amp and DAC are different from yours.

It was definitely fatiguing on the 252s, with a very clear shimmer/hardness up top. On the 727, it may be completely gone, we will see. I have heard it on some specific tracks today, but I have also heard unusually loud (I always end up doing that when I get new equipment unfortunately). Not normal/natural listening volumes at all I would say.

 

[Muffinhead]

It was definitely fatiguing on the 252s, with a very clear shimmer/hardness up top. On the 727, it may be completely gone, we will see. I have heard it on some specific tracks today, but I have also heard unusually loud (I always end up doing that when I get new equipment unfortunately). Not normal/natural listening volumes at all I would say.

With proper amplification, the Sr007's (i have mk2.9 bass port modded, apparently like the mk1's) are the most "liquid" headphones I have tried, and I have a fair amount of listening experience with hifi/midfi gear. Nothing harsh about them. The gentleman I bought the headphones from also had (possibly still has) an amp for sale. It's a Mjolnir amp, which people round these parts seem to regard as the best of the best. I can't attest to how this amp performs with Sr007/sr009, but I'd be willing to bet it's capable. Link for anyone interested: http://www.usaudiomart.com/details/...static-stax-hev90aristaeus-type-amp-rk40-pot/

 

[catscratch]

007 Mk1 was never fatiguing for me either, but I only ever used it with a 717 and an original Blue Hawaii, as well as a few transformer-box based rigs. Make sure your pads are in good condition - you'll probably be replacing them once every few years as the foam inside wears out quickly - and make sure you have a good fit. The headband can be bent mercilessly though be very careful with the cables, the strain relief around the cables on the Mk1 is a known weakpoint, so never yank on them or drop the phones.

I think I listened to nothing but the 007 for 4-5 years? Something like that? Talk about being spoiled. Headphones were never quite the same after that. Though at the end of the day, I have to say that my favorite headphone for all-around use is still... (drumroll) the HD650.

You still have plenty of places to go, headphone wise, though maybe not with the headphones themselves. High-res devices need a good source and are very receptive to source changes, and of course the 727 is hardly ideal. Learning to DIY can save you some money on amps, but when it comes to electrostatic amps, you're very much working with high-voltage devices, and you need to know the proper precautions, cause if they tingle you, there's a pretty good chance it's lights out. So you want to be safe. But at the same time if you can learn it, it's a great option, is fun, and will save you quite a bit. If not, save up and upgrade your source and amp, the 007 will scale and scale, as will any quality high-end electrostat (though your wallet will definitely feel it).

 

[VRacer-111]

Interesting journey AudioThief. We all have our preferences, mine seems to be primarily Fostex with a side of STAX/ESP950... Modded Fostex dynamics are my main love in headphones with electrostats being a nice alternative listen when wanting something different or more insight into the technicalities of a piece. Personally, as good as electrostats are technically, they just don't give me the same enjoyment from music as biodyna driver Foster cans... something about a modded Biodyna driver Fostex absolutely clicks with me unlike anything else. Of the higher end STAX I've listened to I prefer the SR-009 sound over that of the SR-007, but honestly prefer the new Lamdas over either of the Sigmas - the presentation of music from the Lamdas is more to my liking. While techinally I don't have my own STAX setup yet, I do have had the SR-L300 Limited preordered from when I first found out about it. Was going to go with the L700 and waiting to find a good used deal beforehand, but a Limited L300/L700 hybrid for half the price of an L700 - absolutely count me in!

I do have a Mjolnir Audio SRD-7 based electrostat transformer coming in that is planned for use with a NAD C275BEE stereo amp and Gustard X20U DAC (which will also temporarily serve as the preamp for volume control until a good passive preamp is sourced for it - found the Ci Audio VPC-3 which has features I really like and will probably end up going with.) When the Mjolnir SRD-7 arrives I'll be checking out the SRD-7/C275BEE combo with the Koss ESP950 and comparing it against the Schiit Loki/STAX SRM-323S driver unit combo I normally use.

 

[Phenomenon]

[url=https://fotki.yandex.ru/next/users/phenomenon-m/album/563452/view/1661894][/URL]
[url=https://fotki.yandex.ru/next/users/phenomenon-m/album/563452/view/1661895][/URL]
[url=https://fotki.yandex.ru/next/users/phenomenon-m/album/563452/view/1661893][/URL]

 

[Whitigir]

I don't get the knocks against 009's accuracy? It's simply the (almost) complete absence of distortion. Driven by a BHSE or DIY T2 the 009 actually has a gorgeous midrange (just a touch of warmth) and sweet treble. Tonally very natural sounding, with amazing musical flow, and is one of the extremely few headphone setups that doesn't get completely embarrassed by an extremely high-end speaker setup. No grain, hash, or discernible artifacts of any kind. Nothing about it sounds mechanical at all. The R10 by comparison is a flawed headphone; its bass is vastly inferior to the 009's.

You just said everything I would. I can not get enough of the 009 when paired with DIY T2.