[AnakChan]

Dear AnakChan thank you for your valuable opinions. The thing is I have tried other technologies and am not satisfied particularly with the transparency.

What is the STAX SRS-002 Earspeaker System like ?...although in ear...maybe I should reconsider it.

Best regards,
Robert

It's more on-ear than in-ear, i.e. the tips sit outside the ear canal and not inside.
Overall the sound is quite nice, but it has some very strange properties. It is quite detailed (think HD800ish level), but with much smaller sound-stage (HE400ish) and low levels of separation and imaging.
When I first heard it, I was baffled to find that it was possible for something to sound detailed, yet have so little instrument separation.

FR-wise, it has a good sound of bass (not sub-bass, and not much rumble), and rolled of treble. You can think of it as a mid-centric earspeaker.
It does not give you the electrostatic-bite, i.e. it did not give me the feeling of it being fast, but it was very transparent and clean.

On sound alone, I would rate it as about the sound of a $800-$1kish price range over-ear headphone. I find it better to compare it with full-sized cans than iem as that is what they sound like.

I personally do not find it uncomfortable, but a lot of people do, so YMMV is really the best I can say. That said, I do find the SRS-001 and SR-003 more comfortable compared to the SRS-002.
I also prefer the sound of the 001 and 003 to the 002, as it has slightly less treble roll-off and slightly more bass roll-off.

Personally for me, I found it rather hard to appreciate current Stax in-ear/on-ear-canal earphones. The sound signature was just a little too rounded from what I remember - granted I didn't listen to them for long. Who knows, maybe they'll have a new closed portable earphones with different sound.

 

[okw3188]

Cork can helps to reduce amps/dacs' power transformers vibrations(maybe effect via caps ands stray capacitors vibrations which cause modulations of audio signals). It significantly improve Stax SS/tube(BOTH) amps SQ Imo.
Have you ever heard Stax SS(build in power transformer type only) amps ringing? It sure does ringing if you very close(almost need to contact to amps top plate) your ears to Stax amp during you power it on. if you turn it off its gone.
as you know, Stax amps have almost 60db(x1000 times) gains, you are actually hearing significantly amplified noises/vibrations effects. estat amps act like vibration microscope. you can use your bed and/or sofa for temporaly experiment. but i dont recommend for long time experiment, becouse bed/sofa tend to cover under plate ventilation, it can be hazardous.

Thanks for the great tip, it sure has an improvement! I used 6mm cork tiles on my SRM727A (mod).

 

[wuwhere]

Cork can helps to reduce amps/dacs' power transformers vibrations(maybe effect via caps ands stray capacitors vibrations which cause modulations of audio signals). It significantly improve Stax SS/tube(BOTH) amps SQ Imo.
Have you ever heard Stax SS(build in power transformer type only) amps ringing? It sure does ringing if you very close(almost need to contact to amps top plate) your ears to Stax amp during you power it on. if you turn it off its gone.
as you know, Stax amps have almost 60db(x1000 times) gains, you are actually hearing significantly amplified noises/vibrations effects. estat amps act like vibration microscope. you can use your bed and/or sofa for temporaly experiment. but i dont recommend for long time experiment, becouse bed/sofa tend to cover under plate ventilation, it can be hazardous.

These ones are cheap http://www.thesoundapprentice.com/2013/10/cheap-tweaks-diversitech-eva-anti.html

 

[nick n]

Fast question on some old stuff here.

Are there any visual identifiers between the SR-3 and SR-3 "NEW" model drivers?

Can one tell the difference simply just looking at them?

I need to restore a very rare item with the SR-3 series drivers ( 200 v ) so hope someone knows.
Not having much luck with searches so far

It's a limited audience to be sure.

Worst case I could pop them open and recoat them, but this other option lets me buy another headphone...

 

[Pokemonn]

Thanks for the great tip, it sure has an improvement! I used 6mm cork tiles on my SRM727A (mod).

You are welcome!

These ones are cheap http://www.thesoundapprentice.com/2013/10/cheap-tweaks-diversitech-eva-anti.html

wuwhere's recommendation must work! I just tried to place EVA material? mats under the SRM-727 modified(you need to float stock foots)....result! Surprise!!! SUPER SMOOTH AND SUPER RICH AND SUPER DYNAMIC AND SUPER CLEAN AND UNBELIEVABLY BEAUTIFUL SOUND!!! ITS 6000$MSRP Luxman amp level Smoothness and Richness!!!(far much better!!!) Simply stunned!!! its out of this world results!!! I JUST REACH THE END GAME!!!WOW!!! its a Xmas present from God! (Lets name this mod "Pokemonn Float Mod" LOL!just kidding. but do this mod at your own risk.DO NOT COVER UNDER VENTILATION!)
Seriously Please try it!!! You will not regret!!! its an END GAME LEVEL EFFECT!!! Finally SR-009 just killed the HD800!!!

 

[Darbosa]

Hope this is the right place to ask the question about the inner foam dust filters (sponges) in Stax SR - Lambdas:

Is it a must to have these sponge dust filters in front of the drivers or they can be removed without exposing the drivers to risk of damage?

In my SR-303 inner foam dust filters (sponges) are worn away and crumbled and small chips of foam below the metal grid now (I guess) compromising sound.

I would avoid buying the replacement ear pads kit only for sponge filters if it is possible, because the ear pads on my SR-303 are now in mint condition and I would keep them.

Now I have removed the foam filters completely and have only bare metal grids above the membrane drivers. Is it a bad idea?

 

[hpeter]

With my A&K SP1000 received today, my portable battery operated Stax set-up is now complete . Ready to go....

bah, stax are open as hell, any noise will be problem
no chance to wear it outside...

 

[chinsettawong]

Hope this is the right place to ask the question about the inner foam dust filters (sponges) in Stax SR - Lambdas:

Is it a must to have these sponge dust filters in front of the drivers or they can be removed without exposing the drivers to risk of damage?

In my SR-303 inner foam dust filters (sponges) are worn away and crumbled and small chips of foam below the metal grid now (I guess) compromising sound.

I would avoid buying the replacement ear pads kit only for sponge filters if it is possible, because the ear pads on my SR-303 are now in mint condition and I would keep them.

Now I have removed the foam filters completely and have only bare metal grids above the membrane drivers. Is it a bad idea?

It's a good idea actually. The foams are really unnecessary, IMO. I took them out too.

 

[Darbosa]

It's a good idea actually. The foams are really unnecessary, IMO. I took them out too.

provided that the mesh from original filter is pretty big it is not really good protection from fine dust anyway.

 

[jgazal]

 

[AnakChan]

Personally for me, I found it rather hard to appreciate current Stax in-ear/on-ear-canal earphones. The sound signature was just a little too rounded from what I remember - granted I didn't listen to them for long. Who knows, maybe they'll have a new closed portable earphones with different sound.

That's what I was originally hinting . But it's really the SR-002 with an enclosure? Suyama-san/FitEar did something like this too last year.

 

[jgazal]

That's what I was originally hinting . But it's really the SR-002 with an enclosure? Suyama-san/FitEar did something like this too last year.

https://www.paudiofes.com/2017/12/12/post-3586/

 

[catscratch]

What the hell is up with that eartip? Does that white bit go behind your ear? I gotta say, the eartip design has always been the weakest part of the 003, more so than the isolation. The fit was uncomfortable, and affected the sound if it was wrong. But a closed design might be kinda cool... if it works.

Properly fitted, the original SR-003 was a neat sounding little thing. Pretty flat through the bass and mids, ultra fluid, but the highs were soft. When the fit was wrong, the upper mids were sucked out and it sounded distant and dull. It could also play obscenely loud, hence my tinnitus years later. Probably the best thing for female vocals ever, but in the end I got rid of all of the ones I had cause the comfort was just so bad.

Never heard the 003 Mk2, but I do hope they work this one out. A low-cost electrostatic alternative to all the IEMs whose prices are spiraling off into madness would be a good sanity check for the industry. Assuming it works, and sounds good.

 

[jgazal]

What the hell is up with that eartip? Does that white bit go behind your ear?

Although the following picture shows binaural microphones, I guess the fit is similar:

 

[Jones Bob]

Interesting developments on the SR-002.

Messaging with Douglas Ip almost a year ago about getting a L,M,S assortment of ear tips for my SR-003MK2, and he told me to hold off, as some new ones were coming.

^SR-003MK2 with headband attached.

^SR-003MK2 earspeaker removed from headband.

The ear tips in the earlier photo are weird looking. Appears STAX is doing away with the headband when adding the covers. The new ear tips must now do the job of holding the earspeaker to the ear canal.

Nothing was mentioned on the covers. Hopefully, they will backfit existing models.