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May 25, 2012 at 12:53 AM Post #18,391 of 24,807
just joking, but maybe shill wasnt a great choice of term.
 
Quote:
Are you guys for real? People here share knowledge because they love music, and electronics, not for financial reasons.
Nuff said.

I have always thought the people of this thread always had great knowledge and passion for this hobby and I appreciate there time and effort for breaking down circuits design and there willingness to help others.
 
May 25, 2012 at 12:57 AM Post #18,393 of 24,807
Holy crap, I need more partially hydrogenated soybean oil!
popcorn.gif

 

 
May 25, 2012 at 3:56 AM Post #18,394 of 24,807
I have always thought the people of this thread always had great knowledge and passion for this hobby and I appreciate there time and effort for breaking down circuits design and there willingness to help others.

Yep. One of the major reasons I follow is not because of my interest in Stax stuff (albeit entry level Stax), but because of the wealth of knowledge displayed in this thread.
 
May 25, 2012 at 7:02 AM Post #18,396 of 24,807
Quote:
No plans on trying an SR009 with your amp?

 
No.  I'm afraid I would like it too much and I really don't want to spend that kind of money on headphones, though in truth, I've spent many times that amount since arriving at Head-Fi.  Right now my SR-007 Mk II, along with HD 800, ESP 950 and LCD-2 pretty much cover all my needs and let me enjoy the music without concern for the hardware. 
 
May 25, 2012 at 7:21 AM Post #18,398 of 24,807
I only questioned the choice of the word "mafia" and nothing else - not the people nor their gear

Other threads have to pay the Stax Mafia money, otherwise they will hijack other people's threads by flooding them with snobbishness. The mods have already been bribed, so they won't get out the ban hammer.

...
At least, that would be my interpretation of a 'Stax Mafia'
 
May 25, 2012 at 8:07 AM Post #18,400 of 24,807
I understand the use of the term "mafia" - some of the Stax guys who are either experts, or self-styled experts, can be quite stand-offish and do sometimes seem to exhibit an attitude of smug superiority towards people they consider to be "noobs." It's not an attractive character trait. Hence the less-than-positive appellation of "mafia."
 
On the other hand, I understand a desire to have discussions in a forum with peers, and to forego endless reiterations of basic info.
 
And, it IS true that if you are an aficionado of electrostatic 'phones, you are a member of a small group. There just aren't THAT many sets of Stax 'phones out there, compared to dynamic cans.  
 
It would be wise to keep in mind, however, that low numbers don't always mean 'exclusivity' in a positive way.  Not many people bought Edsels, either. Not that Stax are in any way similar to the failed Ford sub-brand, but it is good in general to retain humility when possible.  Pride goeth before a fall, as they say.
 
 
OK, I'm though with the soapbox.  Who gets it next?  
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May 25, 2012 at 10:55 AM Post #18,401 of 24,807
Quote:
 
No.  I'm afraid I would like it too much and I really don't want to spend that kind of money on headphones, though in truth, I've spent many times that amount since arriving at Head-Fi.  Right now my SR-007 Mk II, along with HD 800, ESP 950 and LCD-2 pretty much cover all my needs and let me enjoy the music without concern for the hardware. 

Good luck. I don't know about your personal situation of course, but if at all possible, I would save up some money and keep up an alert for some uses 009s and then you could sell the 007s to get back some of the expense.
I did an A/B with the 007s/009s at a show recently (and used to own the 007s, first version), and thought the 007s were really nice, but then heard the 009s and, well, saw the light, kind of an epiphany for me.
And, IMHO, you already have a perfect amp match (what I have) for them. I just went thru some my Beatles box set with the 009s last night and I can't get the sound out of my head.
 
But I am not a Stax-freak -- HD800s and Fostex TH900s bring their own magic to the table that is just as musically satisfying, maybe dealing with digital glare in a warm friendly way and having a special luscious texture
that only dynamics can, along with deep image placement.
 
But the Stax 009s have some sort of extreme insight and detail that somehow makes you think you are hearing old familiar music for the first time. The insight into the music is amazing, with an incredibly low fatigue factor
(with no fatigue at all on better-recorded digital sources).
 
May 25, 2012 at 12:31 PM Post #18,402 of 24,807
I really really shouldn't be asking this but...
 
Can someone who has a 009 do me the favour of measuring the distance from the bottom ear opening to the other across the top with the headband at maximum.  Hope that makes sense.  The 007 was too small for my head and I wouldn't want to blow $5K on the 009 and it not reach the bottom of my ears ;)
 
May 25, 2012 at 2:57 PM Post #18,403 of 24,807
I guess I'll have to step in now being the so called Don of this dark and twisted group of nerds... 
rolleyes.gif
  The Stax Mafia name wasn't chosen by us but rather thought of by one rather annoying RSA shill back in the day.  His reasoning behind it was "once your in you can't leave" as most Stax converts will never go back to inferior dynamics.  Pretty much spot on so clearly his only rational thought in a long line of crap ones.... 
 
The role of the Mafia has always been free flow of information, whether it was how to change a 100V Stax amp to 117/230V, how to change the earpads on some set or rebias an amp after tuberolling.  I do think exposing sub par, faulty or downright dangerous products falls under this mandate though this aspect was mostly thrust upon us starting with the Single Power mess.  Anybody can build a dynamic amp but electrostatics present a whole other level of issues and this has to be discussed.  DIY has also always been a stong part of the mafia and something which Stax have always encouraged.  The circuit behind the Single Power ES amps was indeed a Stax circuit they published for people to build on their own.  After tackling the ultimate SOTA, SOTA solid state and so forth I do think it is time for a Volksamp, a DIY project for everybody that anybody can build.  The goal is simple, make a high performance amp which is cheap but with great performance and make the build as painless as is possible.  We are currently prototyping one design (the BATE or balanced all tube electrostatic) but I want to push for an even simpler design without sacrificing too much performance. 
 
May 25, 2012 at 3:13 PM Post #18,404 of 24,807
I guess I'll have to step in now being the so called Don of this dark and twisted group of nerds...  :rolleyes:   The Stax Mafia name wasn't chosen by us but rather thought of by one rather annoying RSA shill back in the day.  His reasoning behind it was "once your in you can't leave" as most Stax converts will never go back to inferior dynamics.  Pretty much spot on so clearly his only rational thought in a long line of crap ones.... 

The role of the Mafia has always been free flow of information, whether it was how to change a 100V Stax amp to 117/230V, how to change the earpads on some set or rebias an amp after tuberolling.  I do think exposing sub par, faulty or downright dangerous products falls under this mandate though this aspect was mostly thrust upon us starting with the Single Power mess.  Anybody can build a dynamic amp but electrostatics present a whole other level of issues and this has to be discussed.  DIY has also always been a stong part of the mafia and something which Stax have always encouraged.  The circuit behind the Single Power ES amps was indeed a Stax circuit they published for people to build on their own.  After tackling the ultimate SOTA, SOTA solid state and so forth I do think it is time for a Volksamp, a DIY project for everybody that anybody can build.  The goal is simple, make a high performance amp which is cheap but with great performance and make the build as painless as is possible.  We are currently prototyping one design (the BATE or balanced all tube electrostatic) but I want to push for an even simpler design without sacrificing too much performance. 

Such an amp would be awesome. Although I wonder, wouldn't it for low cost be better to get Single-ended solid state?
 
May 25, 2012 at 3:18 PM Post #18,405 of 24,807
Quote:
I really really shouldn't be asking this but...
 
Can someone who has a 009 do me the favour of measuring the distance from the bottom ear opening to the other across the top with the headband at maximum.  Hope that makes sense.  The 007 was too small for my head and I wouldn't want to blow $5K on the 009 and it not reach the bottom of my ears ;)

 
 
 8" fully extended   
|----------------------|
|                             | 2.50" inside top of ear pad
|                             |
|                             | 5.25" inside bottom of ear pad
 
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