The Stax thread (New)

[K3cT]

When I had the 404LE and SRM-1, I couldn't listen to that combination for more than 2 hours or my ears would start ringing especially on female vocal. Too painfully peaky.

 

[MrGreen]

 The only bit on the graph of the sig that looks off is the 2.5khz. The lambda pro looks essentially perfect. I might find a lambda pro way down the track when im done funding an album
 
 
Did stax publish sr-009 frequency plots? I've seen the SR-omega plots too, which are also basically perfect

 

[J-Pak]

Quote:

I can listen to the SR-007 mk1 for much longer periods than the SR-009 before my ears get tired. The SR-009 are technically better, but they are more tiring to listen to, unfortunately.
 
 

Just curious how loud you listen with the SR-009? Thanks
 

 

[wind016]

Quote:

Depending on how long I've been without headphones, I find my stax to be one of the more fatiguing phones. I don't think the 007 was fatiguing but it was too dark in the setup I heard. I also find that electrostat bass can be more fatiguing than dynamic bass, because it seems less homogeneous (so changing to a track with loud, staccatto nbass can be hard to listen to)
 
I've never felt faituged by a dynamic headphone, but i've never taken long gaps due to time constraints
 
Stax gives me no prblems after a little while. It also depends how I am listening
 
Stax is worth anything for the sound alone. Nothing I have heard commes close

I have a bit of a differing opinion but I can understand your's. Personally, I never found the bass of the 007 fatiguing in anyway and I don't find it dark either. I find the slow bass of dynamics leaving bass pressure hanging around is much more fatiguing, but then again, I never really listen to much fast paced bass. I also find the 007 mk1 w/ SR323s to be a tad, ever so slightly bright (and I mean ever so slightly). I generally refuse to listen to music for long periods with headphones because of fatigue, but listening to Stax is about as fatiguing as listening to speakers, which is much, much less.
 
I've never tried any other Stax though and I have my 007 mk1s EQed for some more warmth. I also find the sound of cymbals to be a bit fake, sparkly sounding without EQ. I guess I could get used to the sound of the 007 without using EQ, but I'd rather not bother. 
 

 
 

 

[jaycalgary]

I received the O2 Mk1 I bought yesterday. I really like the build. I can see why someone would say the bass is fatiguing it sure has lots of power and can be overbearing. This may be right or wrong but I worked the headband a little bit to relive some of the clamping force. So now on me they are just snug. I can shake my head and they wont fall off and they don't give me a headache from being tight. I still get a good seal and the bass is less fatiguing to me and more open.  A couple of questions I was wondering about the 009 is if they clamp hard and if the bass is deep and powerful like the 007? 011 teaser all ready is it so and could it be as quick as say 404LE to the 507.

 

[milosz]

Hey- Wind016- that screenshot of that EQ fooled me, I thought it was HARDWARE.... haha - wow, they have really gotten good with the graphics, that looks like a photo of actual hardware.  How are you using that- VST plugin with some Windows app, or with ProTools or what?
 
I tend to just use MediaMonkey on the PC I usually use for headphone listening, it's basically just a re-skinned Winamp with some database / playlist enhancements.  I output to a Musiland USB>SPDIF then to whatever DAC I am using.
 
I do sometimes use a little EQ from some plugin that comes with MediaMonkey. Some 'phones I have to cut a little treble from, and some phones need a lift at 30 Hz.  But I've never used any fancy EQ.  I've got a bunch of  VST things of various types, and all kinds of software that I don't use much these days - Abelton, FL Studio, Max MSP , Adobe Audition, and a bunch of widgets that work along with these; I've never fooled with any of this stuff as processors for music listening, only as tools to use on sound creation projects.  I will have to sit down and look at this stuff again and see what I might be able to do with it in terms of processing for music listening.

 

[realmassy]

Hi all,
another one joining the Stax club
Just bought the entry level 2050 system, never heard electrostatics before...so basically I don't know what to expect! Hopefully I won't regret having sold my Woo Audio 3 and HD650, but I was really looking for something more transparent.

 

[Currawong]

I've found the 009s are absolutely BRUTAL if there is any harshness in the music at all.
 
realmassy: Congratulations.

 

[jaycalgary]

Part of the reason I bought a pair of O2 Mk1's is because am so beaten down by the high price of headphones like the 009 the 007's sounded reasonable. I do like the classy look of the 007's. Does lamb leather smell funny or maybe the NOS pads came from a musty old basement somewhere? A couple questions about the 009. Do they clamp pretty hard and is the bass as powerful like the 007?

 

[visualguy]

 
Quote:

Part of the reason I bought a pair of O2 Mk1's is because am so beaten down by the high price of headphones like the 009 the 007's sounded reasonable. I do like the classy look of the 007's. Does lamb leather smell funny or maybe the NOS pads came from a musty old basement somewhere? A couple questions about the 009. Do they clamp pretty hard and is the bass as powerful like the 007?

The 009 don't clamp hard - they are very comfortable. The bass is excellent and precise, but not as powerful as some other headphones like the LCD-2.
 
The 009 are better than the 007 - better soundstage, better clarity, and they are less picky about the amp. The only downsides of the 009 are their high price, and the somewhat tiring nature of their sound.
 

 

[jaycalgary]

I have not heard the LCD-2 to hear how powerful the bass is but I was floored when I heard how much bass is coming from these O2's. I'd like to know if the 009's have more or less bass weight than the O2's?
"The somewhat tiring nature of their sound." Hope it really is not as bad as you guys make it sound. That's a pretty bad quality don't you think? The O2's are known for close to perfect imaging. Is this even better on the 009's?

 

[visualguy]

 
Quote:

I have not heard the LCD-2 to hear how powerful the bass is but I was floored when I heard how much bass is coming from these O2's. I'd like to know if the 009's have more or less bass weight than the O2's?
"The somewhat tiring nature of their sound." Hope it really is not as bad as you guys make it sound. That's a pretty bad quality don't you think? The O2's are known for close to perfect imaging. Is this even better on the 009's?

Everything is better on the 009 to my ears... The bass weight is similar to that of the 007, but it has somewhat better definition on the 009. Low, mids, and highs all sound clearer on the 009.  
 
I said "somewhat tiring" - this is very far from bad. In fact, the 009 are the best headphones I've ever listened to from a technical perspective. However, this doesn't mean that they are the easiest to listen to... For long listening sessions, I prefer the 007, but the 009 are better for small dosages of music.
 

 

[arnaud]

Totally agree with visualguy, I would add that "you can't have the cake and eat it"... The increase in resolution and speed comes at a price: you can't expect jelly if you feed it junk...

As for the improvement in placement compared to the 007, it would appear the 009 tends more toward the original omega, with a larger soundstage. The precision of instrument placement is not altered in any way, the room just feels more real through the 009. Again, this needs mostly classical or good jazz recording to appreciate and the headphone won't make flat recordings suddenly sound good...

My 2c. anyway,

 

[KingLocal]

I am am looking to downsize a speaker rig to headphones--I am at my desk all day and so almost never listen to my speaker rig.  I have heard Stax at shows and such, and was impressed.  But, considering what I can sell my speakers for, I could EITHER get a pair of O2s and a very high-end headphone amp, OR get the 009s and a more modest amp (e.g. 717); I simply cannot afford the 009s and a top-tier amp--as Jude suggested was a "must" in Head-Fi TV, Episode 008 (though many have opined that the 009 is more forgiving of amps than the O2s).  So, my question: would I be better off with the top-tier cans and a good amp or a mega-amp and some very good cans?  Given the difficulty of seeking out high-end can/amp combinations for demo., any thoughts and/or suggestions would be very, very welcome.  Thanks.

 

[jaycalgary]

I doubt I would do it but from pics it looks like it might be possible to send the O2 away and have them upgrade the 009 drivers? From looking at pics and now having O2's I like the housing and headband better. It just looks more classier with leather also a nice lower profile. Sounds like the 009 might be a great monitor.