The Stax Thread III

[Rob80b]

The pic from reddit shows, from what I get, is the original adapter.

How's the clamp force? The mark II Stax headband assembly is a nice improvement over the original L300 one and I appreciate the greater clamping force.

As for making one in metal. Could always 3d print them in steel.

Here in Canada the L300 at $599 Can is priced near many mid-tier headphones, and that's excluding the necessary energizer, so Stax should really look at alternatives as faltering headbands appear to have been a long time issue and from what I've read have actually gotten worst since the original Lambdas.
Anyway still waiting on my new L700MKIIs.

 

[honse]

How's the clamp force? The mark II Stax headband assembly is a nice improvement over the original L300 one and I appreciate the greater clamping force.

I can only speak on the clamping of my, somewhat unorthodox, setup; thicker pads, changed bravket design and knock-off headband.

First. For the regular L300, with thicker pads, I found the clamping force to be about right; bit loose, but comfortable.
As for my setup. It's excessive. It's the reason I moved the mounting holes.
It's most likely due to the headband as I had to bend the everloving s*it out of it just to fit it on my narrow head. Further bending needed.

Stax should really look at alternatives as faltering headbands appear to have been a long time issue and from what I've read have actually gotten worst since the original Lambdas.

My uneducated guess is that the failure points are the spots at which the rail meets with the headband; the rails stiffen up the otherwise thin and flimsy plastic.

I have an pair of Lambda Pro Classic's and I can tell that that headband is a better design.
- The plastic seems softer and easier to bend;
- The already thicker headband has integrated rails which aren't stiffening up the construction; like the ones on later models.

 

[timb5881]

What’s the word on the SR-X1? They had that balance issue at first. Has it been resolved and what was the cause ?

 

[icnaiwhimor1975]

Ok!
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/pic...ne-pic-no-words.212768/page-941#post-18665882

Nice....

Now if I had discovered this earlier....
https://www.reddit.com/r/Headphoneporn/comments/dgy2ey/stax_l300_with_audeze_steel_headband_using_3d

If we could get machined aluminum arms we'd be all set.

this chinese headband is just wonderful)))))

 

[honse]

this chinese headband is just wonderful)))))

The headband in question. https://a.aliexpress.com/_EviNedU

It's not perfect.
- A few screws were stripped from factory; one of then being a screw that holds the yokes. I instead used the screws meant for holding the cups.
- The strap is tipped with thin, plastic strips; which don't inspire confidence.

The headband itself is solid though. Bending it flat did not change it's shape. I had to invert the arc just to loosen the clamping force.

 

[LarsHP]

The headband in question. https://a.aliexpress.com/_EviNedU

It's not perfect.
- A few screws were stripped from factory; one of then being a screw that holds the yokes. I instead used the screws meant for holding the cups.
- The strap is tipped with thin, plastic strips; which don't inspire confidence.

The headband itself is solid though. Bending it flat did not change it's shape. I had to invert the arc just to loosen the clamping force.

You need another yoke in order to fit a legacy Lambda headphone, right? Or do the yokes fit the cups of Lambdas?

 

[honse]

You need another yoke in order to fit a legacy Lambda headphone, right? Or do the yokes fit the cups of Lambdas

That headband can be optioned out with 110mm yokes. Guess one could bend them to fit lambdas; Should be long enough to reach the holes.
I didn't try it as I bought that band specifically for those prints.

And speaking of legacy lambdas. Keep in mind that older models have thinner pins and holes; So the model should be adjusted.

 

[LarsHP]

That headband can be optioned out with 110mm yokes. Guess one could bend them to fit lambdas; Should be long enough to reach the holes.
I didn't try it as I bought that band specifically for those prints.

And speaking of legacy lambdas. Keep in mind that older models have thinner pins and holes; So the model should be adjusted.

Thanks.

The legacy Lambdas have plugs which can be pulled out and the remaining hole in the cups will then fit the modern yoke pins.

 

[RagnarAyn]

What’s the word on the SR-X1? They had that balance issue at first. Has it been resolved and what was the cause ?

I bought one in December and had no problems with it. Were the people with problems also people trying to mod the earcups?

 

[catscratch]

I wasn't modding mine and neither was spritzer afaik. His pair straight up died on him, and mine had intermittent balance issues that went away after discharging it and letting it sit for a while.

I've heard nothing about new cases since then. However there's just not a lot of talk about these going around to begin with. Audiophiles like big, shiny, and expensive, and these are none of that, no matter how good they are.

If you buy from legit dealer with a warranty, you're probably fine.

 

[Bearphile]

Stax SR-007A vs HD800S?

 

[RagnarAyn]

I like this guy's reviews, allowing Google to translate, unfortunately no head to head.
https://misauriculares.com/2022/11/28/review-stax-sr-007-mk2/

 

[Svperstar]

I like this guy's reviews, allowing Google to translate, unfortunately no head to head.
https://misauriculares.com/2022/11/28/review-stax-sr-007-mk2/

Nice RME ADI 2 sighting, I also agree with the Arya comparison. If I sold my estats my Arya Organic would be the closest thing

 

[LarsHP]

Stax SR-007A vs HD800S?

I owned the SR-007 Mk2 (which is the same as the SR-007A, but in a different color) and still have HD800S. Comparing the two is like comparing dark chocolate to vanilla ice cream. Both are good, but they are vastly different. The Stax sounds quite dark (lack of upper mids and lower treble) while the Sennheiser sounds quite light in both the meanings of that word. So, both need EQ to sound somewhat balanced, IMO, but both are refined and well resolving. Also note that the SR-007 models are infamous for being demanding regarding amp.

 

[honse]

Finally got my other pair out of the box.

While those didn't cost me as much stress as the L300 with the snapping headband; they still got an issue - a faint background hum, which gets quieter as I touch the energizer or a dac.