I finally was able to make the Stax SRM 212 portable. I found a phone charger battery that has both a 12 volt DC and a 110 volt outlet. I am trying it out now to see what kind of life I would get running the SRM 212 on the 12 volt outlet.
Nice simple Stax-type question - thinking about the New sr3, are we thinking that the headband hardware is stainless steel as opposed to chromium / nickel plated steel?
My suspicion is that some parts are ss and some are plated steel. In this image, one can see the slightest difference in colour between different components. The set screw that controls the movement of the cup stirrup up and down in the channel formed by the plate is of particular interest to me as it has sharp edges and I want to round off the top so it is less likely to abrade the skin. I wouldn’t want to take that step if the set screw is plated…
What fits what? What parts for a Stax headphone can be used in other Stax headphones. Can an arc assembly from one model be used on another? Same with pads on the arc or ear pads that can be swapped out. For example, I have a Sigma headphones that make me worry that the forks will break as they are so flimsy. Same with ear pads on my various Stax.
What about other manufacturers products that can be used on Stax. Vesper and Dakoni both offer some ear pads and arc pads.
Notes from a full week of listening to the megatron.
Had a friend come over with a novem/carbon and l300 + sr009s. We also made comparisons with my kgssHV before I sold it. I've recently heard a DIY T2 (OG not eksonic) and a have extensively heard the BHSE many times.
The Megatron has the most powerful, deep bass I've heard from an electrostatic amplifier. When paired with the 007mk1, the low end is on par with the best planars. At least with the tubes I heard the T2 on and the tubes I have in the MT, I would give the nod on low-end to the MT.
Compared to the KGSSHV/Carbon, the Megatron sounds much fuller and more three-dimensional.
The Megatron creates a diffused soundstage that seems to extend into blackness, while the Carbon's staging feels more boxed in.
Against the novem, the Megatron has substantially more power and impact. I liked the Novem with the SR-X9K and Lambdas when I owned one, but it's not in the same league as the Megatron.
The Megatron's very smooth treble allows listening at higher volumes without fatigue. My normal range is 75-85 dB, but I can push into the 90s dB on the Megatron without discomfort. This means I can really crank rock and EDM and get huge slam, which isn't possible on the Carbon due to more piercing highs. Something to be aware of from an ear safety perspective. The T2 has an advantage here, delivering slam at lower volumes.
The 007mk1 and Lambda Nova Signature improved markedly on the Megatron, while the L300 and 009S did not improve enough for me to enjoy their tuning.
The Megatron does run hot, but with decent ventilation it's not an issue. However, if the room door is closed and the central air is off, the temp rises within 2 hours to the point that I'm sweating lol.
Overall, the Megatron is at the top of the electrostatic amp game. I rank it solidly above the Carbon and BHSE. Probably below the T2, but closer to that caliber with it's own unique sound.
Notes from a full week of listening to the megatron.
Had a friend come over with a novem/carbon and l300 + sr009s. We also made comparisons with my kgssHV before I sold it. I've recently heard a DIY T2 (OG not eksonic) and a have extensively heard the BHSE many times.
The Megatron has the most powerful, deep bass I've heard from an electrostatic amplifier. When paired with the 007mk1, the low end is on par with the best planars. At least with the tubes I heard the T2 on and the tubes I have in the MT, I would give the nod on low-end to the MT.
Compared to the KGSSHV/Carbon, the Megatron sounds much fuller and more three-dimensional.
The Megatron creates a diffused soundstage that seems to extend into blackness, while the Carbon's staging feels more boxed in.
Against the novem, the Megatron has substantially more power and impact. I liked the Novem with the SR-X9K and Lambdas when I owned one, but it's not in the same league as the Megatron.
The Megatron's very smooth treble allows listening at higher volumes without fatigue. My normal range is 75-85 dB, but I can push into the 90s dB on the Megatron without discomfort. This means I can really crank rock and EDM and get huge slam, which isn't possible on the Carbon due to more piercing highs. Something to be aware of from an ear safety perspective. The T2 has an advantage here, delivering slam at lower volumes.
The 007mk1 and Lambda Nova Signature improved markedly on the Megatron, while the L300 and 009S did not improve enough for me to enjoy their tuning.
The Megatron does run hot, but with decent ventilation it's not an issue. However, if the room door is closed and the central air is off, the temp rises within 2 hours to the point that I'm sweating lol.
Overall, the Megatron is at the top of the electrostatic amp game. I rank it solidly above the Carbon and BHSE. Probably below the T2, but closer to that caliber with it's own unique sound.
It does seem our reviews reached similar conclusions. Few notes:
1) Our MTs are different. Mine has premium parts (e.g. silver wiring in the amp, is two-box… etc) and I’m using in-production tubes. These things may or may not make a sonic difference.
2) The T2 I heard is an original DIY so it had some noise floor issues (I believe this has been solved for) and is known for bringing heavy low end (so even more impressive that I felt the MT had an edge). His is the Soren OG design + recent updates. I don’t believe it has any noise floor issues.
3)I don’t full agree with the MT is a Bentley and T2 is a Ferrari analogy the way he had suggested. They’re both Ferraris.
The MT has very powerful “organic” sound. Iron fist in velvet -esque. The T2 in trade does a better job of swinging between low and high volume passages.
For instances I would argue that if you’re into classic rock (I.e. zeppelin) the megatron may present a more exciting experience to the T2 because of how thick it will convey guitar riffs, along with the ability to crank the volume.
It does seem our reviews reached similar conclusions. Few notes:
1) Our MTs are different. Mine has premium parts (e.g. silver wiring in the amp, is two-box… etc) and I’m using in-production tubes. These things may or may not make a sonic difference.
The T2 I heard is an original DIY so it had some noise floor issues (I believe this has been solved for) and is known for bringing heavy low end (so even more impressive that I felt the MT had an edge). His is the Soren OG design + recent updates. I don’t believe it has any noise floor issues.
3)I don’t full agree with the MT is a Bentley and T2 is a Ferrari analogy the way he had suggested. They’re both Ferraris.
The MT has very powerful “organic” sound. Iron fist in velvet -esque. The T2 in trade does a better job of swinging between low and high volume passages.
For instances I would argue that if you’re into classic rock (I.e. zeppelin) the megatron may present a more exciting experience to the T2 because of how thick it will convey guitar riffs, along with the ability to crank the volume.
It’s interesting how people like the amps correlates with their ‘imperfections’. For instance, the MT has an AC-coupled signal path. The low-end will naturally have a phase shift. When the lows are no longer time-aligned with the highs from the same instrument, it tends to stand out and gives the impression that there is more bass, or more ‘quality bass’, although the amp does not have higher gain in the bass region compared to other frequencies. The same works with the amp’s performance at the top end. A rolled-off top end or increasing low-order harmonic would sound less ‘bright’ or ‘fatiguing’. T2 probably falls into this category. Also the noise floor problem is due to its architecture. Comparing the noise floor, a diy T2 would probably be 10 times noisier (20dB) than a well executed Blue Hawaii (I have no data for BHSE).
I don’t mean to discount any subjective impressions on those amps, or any personal preference. I just want to say, they sound different for a reason. An ideal ‘wire with gain’ amp may be an oversimplification of the engineer’s answer to the complex problem. The ideal amp are ‘all the same’, while the less-than-ideal amps all have their different imperfections that causes them to sound different.
It’s interesting how people like the amps correlates with their ‘imperfections’. For instance, the MT has an AC-coupled signal path. The low-end will naturally have a phase shift. When the lows are no longer time-aligned with the highs from the same instrument, it tends to stand out and gives the impression that there is more bass, or more ‘quality bass’, although the amp does not have higher gain in the bass region compared to other frequencies. The same works with the amp’s performance at the top end. A rolled-off top end or increasing low-order harmonic would sound less ‘bright’ or ‘fatiguing’. T2 probably falls into this category. Also the noise floor problem is due to its architecture. Comparing the noise floor, a diy T2 would probably be 10 times noisier (20dB) than a well executed Blue Hawaii (I have no data for BHSE).
I don’t mean to discount any subjective impressions on those amps, or any personal preference. I just want to say, they sound different for a reason. An ideal ‘wire with gain’ amp may be an oversimplification of the engineer’s answer to the complex problem. The ideal amp are ‘all the same’, while the less-than-ideal amps all have their different imperfections that causes them to sound different.
I think you're probably right regarding the AC vs DC effect.
With regards to roll-off, I believe this is related to the output. Each lesser amp I've heard for estats seems to have less control over the highs (and lows) due to the challenging voltage swing. For example many people are under the impression that the KGST is a "warmer" amp than something like the Carbon because it uses tubes - but in my experience the Carbon is significantly less piercing. Perhaps someone can shed some light on this? Comparing a solid state ma (carbon is 18-20 ma?) to a tube amp (MT is 27ma?) doesn't really cover the story
I believe the noise floor issue has been solved for T2 with different small signal tubes. In the case of the one I heard, it wasn't. My MT is dead silent.
My observation is that the T2 gives the impression that the highs and lows have bigger db swings than the megatron does. I tend to define this as "dynamics". So at a lower average volume the T2 has more "slam" and tact. Perhaps this is a function of the 500v vs golden reference? The Megatron can be listened to at a louder average volume since the peaks are less prominent.
To my ears 007mk1 71xxx/70xxx and the Sr-omega are significantly better than the X9000 and 009/S.
I also feel that the Lambda Nova Signature and NB Sr-Lambda are superior to the current Lambda line.
If you do a poll of people who have actually heard the these I think you'll find most favor the older units.
As someone who owns a 70xxx 007 MK1 and a X9000 AND just happened to listen to both back to back, I think the X9000 is better.
More air, more dynamic, more open, and surprisingly even though the 007 has a rep for being more bassy, I would call the X9000 more impactful. Not because it has more bass than the 007 (it doesn't) but because it's faster, it punches more in areas other than sub-bass. The speed of the X9000 can make it pretty punchy/dynamic with enough amp behind it (currently listening on a beefy 48wpc 300B+805 tube amp that weighs 100lbs/45kg). Only thing the 007 does better imo is the warmer/fuller tone (if that's what you want) and bass quantity (not quality, the X9000 has better textured bass imo)
Just put on "Just a Cloud" by Lusine after typing this out and find it's making my point. There's a very fast, punchy bass hit that's constantly pulsing in the background on this and I can feel it hitting my ears as hard as I would ever want headphones to. I think the people that feel the X9000 is thin/dull just haven't heard it properly or simply favor that full/wooly bass feel that the 007 has. Making it more impressive is that while being so impactful it also does this magic trick where it somewhat contradictorily disappears on my ears unlike any other headphone I've tried. They have speaker presentation yet slam right on my ears like a headphone.
EDIT: What Difference Does it Make by The Smiths just came on shuffle and I literally made this face when the bass and drums simultaneously hit on the opening. I think that says it all.
As someone who owns a 70xxx 007 MK1 and a X9000 AND just happened to listen to both back to back, I think the X9000 is better.
More air, more dynamic, more open, and surprisingly even though the 007 has a rep for being more bassy, I would call the X9000 more impactful. Not because it has more bass than the 007 (it doesn't) but because it's faster, it punches more in areas other than sub-bass. The speed of the X9000 can make it pretty punchy/dynamic with enough amp behind it (currently listening on a beefy 48wpc 300B+805 tube amp that weighs 100lbs/45kg). Only thing the 007 does better imo is the warmer/fuller tone (if that's what you want) and bass quantity (not quality, the X9000 has better textured bass imo)
Just put on "Just a Cloud" by Lusine after typing this out and find it's making my point. There's a very fast, punchy bass hit that's constantly pulsing in the background on this and I can feel it hitting my ears as hard as I would ever want headphones to. I think the people that feel the X9000 is thin/dull just haven't heard it properly or simply favor that full/wooly bass feel that the 007 has. Making it more impressive is that while being so impactful it also does this magic trick where it somewhat contradictorily disappears on my ears unlike any other headphone I've tried. They have speaker presentation yet slam right on my ears like a headphone.
Yea, I definitely agree here wholeheartedly. I do think the Omega is much more comparable and get people having it ahead for tone vs. technical capability, but the x9000 outpaces the 007 by a mile, and no variant of it is going to change that imo. As much as I love the 009, the x9000 clearly outperforms it as well. And it's not just about technical ability, but about musicality and overall enjoyment. Again, I think the Omega comparison is much closer, but for me, the 007 comparisons are a quite a bit tougher to justify.
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