[zolkis]

 
very interesting. Do you think that you experience is also that the 353X is a superior amplifier, like Zolkis mentioned?

 
Superior to the 323S yes, but still less refined than say the SRM-007t. However for the price, if you're in the EU, I'd rather buy Erik Konka's tube Stax amp I wrote about a few pages back.
With the 353X the L700 was a bit more rough than the 007 and 009 (and only in comparison with the Omegas), but with the tube amp it was smooth enough. For any account I agree the 353X+L700 is one of the best bargains in the head-fi world.

 

[Pokemonn]

some may prefer 252S over 323 or more expensive stax amps.
252S sound smooth and musical and easy to listen to. but not hifi. and very wallet friendly.

 

[Quixote79]

I know there are mixed opinions on Stax amps on headfi. Do you mean superior to the other Stax amps? I experienced a little break up at very high volumes which would be no issue to me because it was well after what I would consider too loud. On a whole it was a very good experience and personally I wouldn't see myself spending more on an amp to go with the L700.
I plan to get them in the future and I will put them against the other Stax amps when I do. I did a lot of back and forths between the L700, 009 and 007.
It isn't easy but I enjoyed the presentation more on the L700 and feel you could listen to more genres with them.
I'm a huge fan of all 3.

i mean superior to the 323s like zolkis says.
i only have a 404 and 007. i like the 007 a lot with kgsshv. i like it not so much with 006t. the 404 sounds good with both but better with the kgsshv i think.

 

[The Dutch Guy]

I am considering purchasing a Stax 3170 system, but in the past have had some problem with Stax energizers humming when plugged into un-grounded wall sockets.
I've spent quite some time googling/reading and it appears to be a common problem, but I am not sure if this means they all do it. (I'm talking about the 323 and up, the ones with the wall-wart never gave me trouble)
My first thought was to simply order it, and if it would turn out to be an issue, have an electrician put in one grounded wall socket in my audio room. unfortunately it turns out this is not possible: Regulations state that if any work is done on an electrical system , the entire group should be upgraded to the latest standards, which boils down to having half my house rewired/grounded.
 
Any experiences with this, or perhaps a workaround that does not involve grounding it to my central heating system (Which is illegal here and voids my fire insurance) or spending 1000's on having the entire upper floor of my rental house rewired?

 

[Michgelsen]

Can I assume that you're in the Netherlands, judging by your nickname? If so, then it is likely that you have a coax radio/television cable connection near your hifi system. You can use its shield as a ground connection. The cable shield should be properly grounded by the cable company.
Do as follows: Connect your whole audio system to a single power strip with grounding provisions ('randaarde'). Then only connect a copper wire from the grounding terminal on the back of the Stax amp to the shield (not the core!) of the coax cable. You can thus ground your whole system at one point via the radio/television cable, because all devices share their ground via the power strip, which is grounded via the Stax amp. I have done this in multiple houses with great success.
As long as you have a residual-current device ('aardlekschakelaar'), safety is not compromised.
 
Quote:

  I am considering purchasing a Stax 3170 system, but in the past have had some problem with Stax energizers humming when plugged into un-grounded wall sockets.
I've spent quite some time googling/reading and it appears to be a common problem, but I am not sure if this means they all do it. (I'm talking about the 323 and up, the ones with the wall-wart never gave me trouble)
My first thought was to simply order it, and if it would turn out to be an issue, have an electrician put in one grounded wall socket in my audio room. unfortunately it turns out this is not possible: Regulations state that if any work is done on an electrical system , the entire group should be upgraded to the latest standards, which boils down to having half my house rewired/grounded.
 
Any experiences with this, or perhaps a workaround that does not involve grounding it to my central heating system (Which is illegal here and voids my fire insurance) or spending 1000's on having the entire upper floor of my rental house rewired?

 

[The Dutch Guy]

Thanks Michgelsen, that actually sounds like a viable work-around: There is an antenna outlet right next to my Stereo system and fixing probably have a loose coax plug and a thin piece of speaker wire laying around to make a "plug and play"grounding cable for the Stax. (My entire system is allready on one power-strip, so I can pull the plug easily during a thunder storm)
 
The shop has also agreed to give some time to try out the Stax (They normally don't allow returns of headphones because of hygiene concerns).

 

[empetus]

Have been comparing Stax 252s with L-700 and L-500 and SRM -353X amp.I use the 252S with Plixir or use it with voltage regulator, the result is interesting because the 252x wins everytime over 353x.I prefer the combo 252x/l-500 most of the time because it's clearer and more open and has bigger soundstage than  L-700/ 353x combo.The L-700 appear little bit too full sounding against L-500 ,the L-500 is more balanced than L-700 .The 252S/L-500 is a killer combo if you run it with a good source.The L-500 sounds like 207 but is much more open and slightly smoother, very detailed and lovely and it got also something from the old Lambda signature sound but in more balanced way.The L-500 is very musical with 252s ultra clear with added smoothness, like it very much

 

[rgs9200m]

 
 i like the 007 a lot with kgsshv. 

Me too.

 

[nemomec]

  The L-700 appear little bit too full sounding against L-500 ,the L-500 is more balanced than L-700 .

Hear the SR-L700 after 50-100 hours and the little peak in the upper bass are gone. In the end i prefer the SR-L700 to the SR-L500, it has a cleaner and more open sound, testet on Stax SRM-T1, SRM-006t, SRM-1 MK2 Pro and SRM-353X. But the SR-L500 has a very good price performance and is for me a better choice than the other older Lambda models.

 

[zolkis]

  Have been comparing Stax 252s with L-700 and L-500 and SRM -353X amp.I use the 252S with Plixir or use it with voltage regulator, the result is interesting because the 252x wins everytime over 353x.I prefer the combo 252x/l-500 most of the time because it's clearer and more open and has bigger soundstage than  L-700/ 353x combo.The L-700 appear little bit too full sounding against L-500 ,the L-500 is more balanced than L-700 .The 252S/L-500 is a killer combo if you run it with a good source.The L-500 sounds like 207 but is much more open and slightly smoother, very detailed and lovely and it got also something from the old Lambda signature sound but in more balanced way.The L-500 is very musical with 252s ultra clear with added smoothness, like it very much

That's interesting since the way I heard it the L700 had the bigger sound stage. Never heard it with the 252S + Plixir though.
How much does the Plixir power supply cost?
And how does the L700 sound with the 252S+Plixir?
 
"too full sounding" -- I cannot relate to this, if it's about body, since I consider the Lambdas a touch too ethereal, except the L700, so to my brain a full sound from an e-stat is a good sign, but perhaps you wanted to say something else.

 

[tdogzthmn]

How does the SR507 fair against the newer breed of lambada?

 

[bmichels]

I have a BHSE on order (looong wait), but...now that I have a HE-X, I wonder:  IF I get a DAVE, will I still need a BHSE + SR009 ?  
 
On the other hand,  I have been looking at this BHSE & SR009 combo since so many years that I MUST get one now that I can afford it. It is some sort of pilgrimage. I have no choice .... 

 

[bmichels]

From  Stefan AudioArt : Endorphin High-End Umbilical Power Cable for the Justin Wilson Blue Hawaii SE
 
This is NOT tube rolling, but a Mod that is SUPPOSED to improve the BHSE. 

 
 
"The Endorphin Ribbon Umbilical Power Cable connects the external power supply to the amplifier offering very important improvements to the presentation of the music.
High-end sound cannot be achieved by neglecting the quality of the power signal into a well designed component. Poorly designed power cables with heavy dielectrics and over designed connectors “pollute” the power which effects the overall performance of the component.
The Endorphin Ribbon Umbilical Power Cable is made of an ultra-pure, extremely thin copper hybrid ribbon material consisting of the purest copper formulated with a proprietary superconductive material and incorporates an extremely efficient micro-dielectric material. We have removed 98% of the dielectric found in almost all of the high performance power cables available on the market. Stefan AudioArt’s combination of a specialized ribbon conductive surface formula along with the omission of most of the dielectric material (which dramatically pollutes the signal), results in music which is much more organic and real with a significant improvement in clarity, detail, soundstage and bass. Most importantly, the true sonic tube signature the Blue Hawaii SE is capable of delivering will be heard...... BLA....  BLA....  BLA...."
 
-->  Someone believe this ? 

 

 

[Sko0byDoo]

Yiek, +$500USD hurt...save that for fx1-4

 

[mulveling]

LOL, I wonder what Justin thinks of that...