[Tugbars]

SR507 has fantastic build quality.

 

[petitpierre]

I will not buy srs 3030 because my sigma normal bias and srd7 do much better....

 

[timb5881]

I will not buy srs 3030 because my sigma normal bias and srd7 do much better....

If you have the money to spare, the srs 3030 will give you a different perspective. Plus if you wanted to upgrade your Sigma to pro then you have a pro driver to do so

 

[petitpierre]

in fact I listened this afternoon to the srs 3030 and I found that it was small, lifeless, musically very flat compared to the sigma srd7 which has a very large sound scene and gives me a lot more life.But this is only my opinion and I do not claim to have the truth....

 

[martin778]

I'm thinking on pulling the trigger on the classic Srm1/Lambda PRO kit, just for that vintage feeling.
Still waiting for the black glue arrive to finish the 404's (flexible type to re-seal the dust covers) and stick the 507 pads on it.

 

[chocolates]

in fact I listened this afternoon to the srs 3030 and I found that it was small, lifeless, musically very flat compared to the sigma srd7 which has a very large sound scene and gives me a lot more life.But this is only my opinion and I do not claim to have the truth....

sigma staging is unreal - far better than any of the lambdas. i found the transients to be noticeably duller but the tradeoff for the soundstage is worth it in my opinion

 

[petitpierre]

sigma staging is unreal - far better than any of the lambdas. i found the transients to be noticeably duller but the tradeoff for the soundstage is worth it in my opinion

I agree with you the transients are more blunt than the current production. for me the sigma prefigures the listening I had with the sr 007. I prefer it to the sr 009 which in my opinion is much more severe. will listen again soon to sr007 and 009 with other amps to refine my judgment

 

[macdonjh]

sigma staging is unreal - far better than any of the lambdas. i found the transients to be noticeably duller but the tradeoff for the soundstage is worth it in my opinion

Interesting. I think I'd land on the opposite side of this fence: I would prioritize the transient response over the sound stage. But then, I don't know that for certain as I've never heard a Sigma, so there's that.

 

[bigjako]

I've been rotating between my ES Labs Sigma, the Lambda NB and the L300LEs and agree with the tradeoffs between them. I don't think one is better than the other, and all are clearly Staxen, but they each present that sound signature in a different way. LEs (Blu-Tak) have more slam and are the most transparent, NBs play around much more in the treble region but still have the unmistakably sweet mids while the Sigmas are rolled off a little on both ends and have the duller transients but feel more open and atmospheric. Sounds will kind of hit the cotton walls in different ways, yet are very placeable.

Side note: while I wait for my LE replacement yokes, I've been listening to the NBs a lot and find that on my BF2->Emotiva BasX A-100->SRD-7 the bass is surprisingly powerful, while on the Bottlehead Stat you have less of that but the synergy overall is quite nice. My favourite pairing right now (with a D90). Best way I can describe it as pure, uncut mid-70's hi-fi. It extends the NB's sweetness out from the mids, but does reduce the slam (at least compared the Emotiva setup).

I don't think the Sigmas are all-rounders though. Either the NBs or the LE's could be. Also just sprung for the Aeolus because chasing that sound sig with RR1s and Hives was not hitting it for me.

 

[EJSorona]

UPDATE on my situation: Finally! The step down power transformer, which also has an in-built electrostatic screen, which helps filtering noise from the power mains. I couldn't wait 24 hours for the cans to fully charge, I tested it right away and it all working perfectly, no weird noises from neither the cans nor the amp.
To recap, my current setup is as follows: PC (Windows 10, using Foobar2000 for playing sound files); Denafrips Ares II R2R DAC; Stax SRM-353X energizer; Stax SR-L700 Mk 2 earspeakers. For cables I use USB A-B for PC to DAC and XLR-XLR for DAC two AMP, both cables are Oyaide Neo D+ Class B (aka Oyaide greens). Maybe one day I'll get the Class A ones.
Out of the box (or cold), the L700 Mk 2 sound good enough, 5 hours later they sound better, so I can expect that they will reach their peak tomorrow. As for the amp itself, it's warm, but not too much. I had a Schiit Magni 2 Uber which heated up way more, despite being much smaller and having an external power supply. A smell like fresh paint that is drying up in a sunny day is coming up from the vent holes on top, but similarly does the step down converter, while also being slightly warm (it's 50 V.A or 50W*, it's not a powerhouse since the amp only needs 30W at max).

Should I stop using them and wait or keep using them to my heart's content and, sooner or later, they will reach their peak. Do they really need to go thru a burning-in program like dynamic headphones (I did it with both of my Sennheisers) need?


*The maker of the transformer said that I don't need it to be able to output 3-4 or more times the needed power. That's only when you are using a cheap-ass transformer. These guys are in the business since the late 60's. So they ought to know their stuff.

 

[SHAMuuu]

I agree with you the transients are more blunt than the current production. for me the sigma prefigures the listening I had with the sr 007. I prefer it to the sr 009 which in my opinion is much more severe. will listen again soon to sr007 and 009 with other amps to refine my judgment

You prefer Σ to 009? Your post confused me a little. Can you clarify the "sigma prefigures the listening I had with the sr007." Can you explain the gap between the two if possible in terms of musicality/ enjoyment... of possible

sigma staging is unreal - far better than any of the lambdas. i found the transients to be noticeably duller but the tradeoff for the soundstage is worth it in my opinion

Σ is quite unique for sure in it's delivery. How luxurious for each ear to receive a whole room




*Anyone have an sr5NB (black/gold) and experience with other stax products? Curious about thoughts/impressions.

 

[PolloLoco]

I had settled on Stax L700 MK 1's as my end-game, and have loved the sound for roughly the last year - but used them sparingly because of comfort and the constant plastic squeal whenever I moved my head at all. I have kind of a big head, and the Stax L700 have stops that prevent you from rotating the cups vertically or horizontally past a certain amount.

I know Socas makes Freedom Yokes, but they keep the horizontal rotation stopper - and one reviewer said the clamp was still strong. So I decided to design my own. I first focused on eliminating the vertical and horizontal stops - that was easy. But when I had them printed out of nylon - the clamp was pretty severe. I ended up going through several revisions, then finally settled on a version that separates the pads about 2CM from each other when statically supported from a stand. At first I thought I'd gone too far and there was too little clamp. But after about a month of use, I've confirmed that I get a great seal, they're super comfortable - and there's no sound when I bob my head to the music. The only time I'll get that plastic squeal is when something tugs on the cable.

I created an account on Thingiverse to share - but I don't own a 3D printer and don't know what settings to assign to the project. I had my STL printed by Jawstec out of Vapor Polished nylon. If you'd like to try - feel free to PM me and I'll send you the STL file, though it's nearly 3 megs. I take no responsibility for damaging your headphones - though I think the only possible damage you can do is stripping the original bolts. I think all the original Stax hardware would work with these yokes, but I really didn't like the bolts they used - so I substituted countersunk bolts. I also didn't use the o-rings from their assembly - I used small nylon washers instead. The stax bolts are torqued in really strong against a metal spacer, and use o-rings to prevent the bolts from backing out. If you're not careful - your screwdriver could slip and cause damage. I don't see my bolts ever backing out - but they're a cheap replacement if it happens.

 

[capetownwatches]

Should I stop using them and wait or keep using them to my heart's content and, sooner or later, they will reach their peak. Do they really need to go thru a burning-in program like dynamic headphones (I did it with both of my Sennheisers) need?

Just keep using them. I have not found that my L500 nor 207 benefited audibly from burn in. My 353X however definitely did, opening up and delivering better lows after a couple hundred hours.

 

[EJSorona]

Just keep using them. I have not found that my L500 nor 207 benefited audibly from burn in. My 353X however definitely did, opening up and delivering better lows after a couple hundred hours.

Thanks! I didn't think about the amp part of the ecuation. That being said, I should also take my DAC into consideration since I've got it on last monday. Since it's an R2R DAC I leave it on 24/7. I should used them constantly, while also leaving a burn-in program while I'm not at home or at my desk.
Right now, the warm paint smell is not as intense as yesterday.

 

[chocolates]

Interesting. I think I'd land on the opposite side of this fence: I would prioritize the transient response over the sound stage. But then, I don't know that for certain as I've never heard a Sigma, so there's that.

i appreciate both! the tradeoff is worth it in the sense that you get a very different delivery and it's a pretty unique experience among stax cans; would definitely recommend trying one out

I've been rotating between my ES Labs Sigma, the Lambda NB and the L300LEs and agree with the tradeoffs between them. I don't think one is better than the other, and all are clearly Staxen, but they each present that sound signature in a different way. LEs (Blu-Tak) have more slam and are the most transparent, NBs play around much more in the treble region but still have the unmistakably sweet mids while the Sigmas are rolled off a little on both ends and have the duller transients but feel more open and atmospheric. Sounds will kind of hit the cotton walls in different ways, yet are very placeable.

Side note: while I wait for my LE replacement yokes, I've been listening to the NBs a lot and find that on my BF2->Emotiva BasX A-100->SRD-7 the bass is surprisingly powerful, while on the Bottlehead Stat you have less of that but the synergy overall is quite nice. My favourite pairing right now (with a D90). Best way I can describe it as pure, uncut mid-70's hi-fi. It extends the NB's sweetness out from the mids, but does reduce the slam (at least compared the Emotiva setup).

I don't think the Sigmas are all-rounders though. Either the NBs or the LE's could be. Also just sprung for the Aeolus because chasing that sound sig with RR1s and Hives was not hitting it for me.

agreed - i don't think sigmas are all-rounders, but for particularly atmospheric or wide chamber music they blew me away. the dulled transients are quite noticeable though; it makes some instruments (like piano) sound a little less natural compared to the precision of usual estats

i've got the SR-L NB, SR-L Sig (x2), SR-404LE, Sigma NB, and SR-007mk1 - not sure which ones i'll keep yet!