The Stax Thread III

[Firschi]

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/stax-srm-t1-repair-re-cap-mod.796058/page-2#post-13541974

 

[Rob80b]

Getting away from my regular fanfare this album by Nanoplex sounds pretty convincing with the L300, nice aural spread and more than enough bass.
https://tidal.com/album/110701877?u

 

[arielext]

Instead of selling my sr-009bk I ended up only selling the srm-700s. Bought a srm-600 limited (in near perfect condition) in return. I now feed the stax setup with an audio-gd r28 and that brings a very smooth and easy listenable setup to the table. Glad I ended up not selling the 009bk!

 

[icnaiwhimor1975]

now i had almost all omegas
007A, 007mk2, 007mk1 72xxx, 009, 009s, x9000
i only didn't have only the First SR-Omega - the elusive first omega..

 

[Svperstar]

now i had almost all omegas
007A, 007mk2, 007mk1 72xxx, 009, 009s, x9000
i only didn't have only the First SR-Omega - the elusive first omega..

How does the Eslabs compare to all of those you think?

 

[icnaiwhimor1975]

How does the Eslabs compare to all of those you think?

they are a little different
depending on preferences
i like what es lab do
alternatives are always good

 

[mulveling]

Have to admit, sold my ES-1a a year or 2 back, and got some pangs of regret about that. It was really fun combined with my ancient 500V KGSShv (my favorite variant). I'd have already bought ES-2a if I could trick myself into thinking I'll be doing more headphone listening. I'm still curious as hell about the ES-2a. Also, these ES headphones just look awesome. Big style points.

Had a nice brief pop by Purk's last weekend for some (very) quick revisits. WOW what a collection. Really thought I would enjoy the KGST more than I did - nope, ended up feeling like what's the point for all that heat (lol). Maybe we can blame the RK27 pot, I always HATE those. KGSShv Carbon was much better, but I just can't get past that SS midrange - it needs tubes. As usual, 009 on DIY T2 is my clear and easy headphone favorite - going back 11 years when I first heard this very same setup. Even tried Sennheiser he90 on T2 again, and it's great but just not my style. Got a proper listen to DCA Voce, and this time really liked it. But still like 009 better!

 

[Svperstar]

Have to admit, sold my ES-1a a year or 2 back, and got some pangs of regret about that. It was really fun combined with my ancient 500V KGSShv (my favorite variant). I'd have already bought ES-2a if I could trick myself into thinking I'll be doing more headphone listening. I'm still curious as hell about the ES-2a. Also, these ES headphones just look awesome. Big style points.

Had a nice brief pop by Purk's last weekend for some (very) quick revisits. WOW what a collection. Really thought I would enjoy the KGST more than I did - nope, ended up feeling like what's the point for all that heat (lol). Maybe we can blame the RK27 pot, I always HATE those. KGSShv Carbon was much better, but I just can't get past that SS midrange - it needs tubes. As usual, 009 on DIY T2 is my clear and easy headphone favorite - going back 11 years when I first heard this very same setup. Even tried Sennheiser he90 on T2 again, and it's great but just not my style. Got a proper listen to DCA Voce, and this time really liked it. But still like 009 better!

Interesting, you would think if you didn't like the SS midrange on the Carbon you wouldn't like the 500v KGSSHV. Does the KGSSHV sound more laid back to you?

 

[alota]

Have to admit, sold my ES-1a a year or 2 back, and got some pangs of regret about that. It was really fun combined with my ancient 500V KGSShv (my favorite variant). I'd have already bought ES-2a if I could trick myself into thinking I'll be doing more headphone listening. I'm still curious as hell about the ES-2a. Also, these ES headphones just look awesome. Big style points.

Had a nice brief pop by Purk's last weekend for some (very) quick revisits. WOW what a collection. Really thought I would enjoy the KGST more than I did - nope, ended up feeling like what's the point for all that heat (lol). Maybe we can blame the RK27 pot, I always HATE those. KGSShv Carbon was much better, but I just can't get past that SS midrange - it needs tubes. As usual, 009 on DIY T2 is my clear and easy headphone favorite - going back 11 years when I first heard this very same setup. Even tried Sennheiser he90 on T2 again, and it's great but just not my style. Got a proper listen to DCA Voce, and this time really liked it. But still like 009 better!

I still regret my 009's sell

 

[newbluesuit]

For me, my main issue with the HD800S' bass was that it was too soft in attack. It didn't hit hard; the leading edge of drum notes were smoothed or softened to sound like a "whump" rather than a "Snap!" or "Crack!" or "Bong!" This was most noticeable with snare drums which should have a sharp leading edge - they never had the percussive impact that I like. It was as if all of the drumsticks were covered in thick foam. I much prefer the way drums are rendered on various electrostatic headphones such as the Stax models. In the dynamic driver world, the Audio Technica ADX5000 has that sort of snappy percussive attack that I missed on the HD800S while retaining many similar qualities.

Well, I did say that the SR-009s was clearly superior to the HD 800 S for percussion. But I don't think that has much to do with bass response. Attack is typically made of higher frequencies. I have just ordered an HD 800 and look forward to checking if it beats the HD 800 S in this respect (I doubt it'll beat the SR-009s).

I did a fairly thorough comparison of my HD 800 S with an ATH-ADX5000 in a store a few months ago. First I compared them on a McIntosh MHA200 tube amp. They did sound very close to each other on that amp, and it was difficult to rank them. The 5000 did have a hint of the annoying ‘ringing’ sound I always hear with Audio-Technica headphones (much less so than less expensive models, of course) but it sounded a tad richer than the 800 S on that amp. Then I switched to a solid-state amp (I forget what the brand was, but it was definitely high-end gear—possibly a T+A HA 200). The 800 S sounded slightly different (i.e., it let you hear the differences between the two amps—and as usual I liked solid state better). The 5000 lost a lot of its composure with that amp. It now sounded a class or two below the 800 S, with especially weak treble control. That experience was nearly as surprising to me as the switch from the T8000 to the 700T with the 009s during my Stax listening session.

I was also supposed to demo the Shangri-La Jr set on that visit to the store where I listened to the ATH-ADX5000. The set was still in its (huge) cases when I arrived, new and unopened. I helped unbox it and set it up. Then when it came time to switch it on, nothing happened. We tried everything we could, but the energizer was clearly DOA. And since they did not have any other energizer in the shop at that time, I could not demo the headphones either. It then took the shop several months to get a replacement set from Hifiman (which I declined to demo). It's quite amazing that a company would ship such a large and expensive set from China to Europe without properly checking it beforehand…

 

[mulveling]

Interesting, you would think if you didn't like the SS midrange on the Carbon you wouldn't like the 500v KGSSHV. Does the KGSSHV sound more laid back to you?

Yes, I should have expanded on that. It's an issue of proportions - treble, bass, and dynamics really pop on that amp and then the midrange sounds scooped and dry by comparison. This 500V KGSShv (original onboard-heatsinks PCB, low bias current) is the best balanced of all the 4 or 5 variants I've heard. It's NOT the warmest - that goes to the 450V Sanyo devices - but it's the best balanced, for my preferences.

Audio is strange. If I were going just by read impressions of 009, I'd be 100% certain to hate it. Even including many impressions from people I normally agree with! I've recently been getting into SPU cartridges which are like prehistoric beasts today (longtime vinyl-phile but avoided these for some reason), and I've been like "wow this is really my thing, I love SPU magic!". So I was looking at the Meister Silver model, and was warned (again, by people I normally gel with) that it was too detail-focused and veers away from the "SPU magic". Well, fortunately I knew to at least try myself and lo and behold - it's now my favorite SPU model so far.

 

[ESL-1]

if we are talking freely - then t8000 is not the ultimate amplifier

better to take 727 or 717, these are the best stax amplifiers except t2

and I think to take mini T2 soon..

I can vouch for the 717 which Birgir recommended if I wasn’t getting one of the good customs. It has done quite a good job overall and has plenty of grunt.

I have since added Eksonics Aeras and loving it. Kerry of Eksonics has been doing superb T2 builds for a good number of years.

I had an SPU back in the 70’s, my early days in the business and it turned my head around.
I also had a Decca London cartridge. Odd fact, it sounded better on damp or rainy days,
Really.

 

[number1sixerfan]

Cool to see the 009 getting love, which has typically been a bit rare, but seems to be shared a bit more lately.

 

[alota]

Cool to see the 009 getting love, which has typically been a bit rare, but seems to be shared a bit more lately.

Well...at the presentation was the best. Suddendly was horrible, now has the respect that deserves.

 

[icnaiwhimor1975]

I still regret my 009's sell

me too
that's why I bought another pair)))