[milosz]

Since I had them both on hand for a few days, I did a direct comparison between my newly-acquired 007 Mk I's  and my (just sold) Mk 2.5's.
 
I like the Mk I's better. There are differences in the sound but you can tell these are both variations on the same design.
 
The Mk 2.5  has quite different sounding bass. There's more midbass, and perhaps somewhat less very low bass (20 Hz bass) - I would say that this gives a somewhat "warm" sounding bass to the Mk 2.5   In some cases with classical music I found this added warmth was a good thing.  For most of the music that I listen to, however, I did not care to this approach for bass sound.  I didn't like it, but I think some people might.
 
There is also something different about the treble on the Mk 2.5 .  It doesn't sound as smooth as the Mk I.  Perhaps the Mk 2.5 is a little brighter? But I'm not sure I'd really say brighter.  But there is a difference.  Maybe it's a time-domain thing and not a frequency response thing?  A little more low-level high frequency ringing with the Mk 2.5?  I can't quite pin it down.  But the Mk I  sounds more neutral overall to my ears. It's almost as if the Mk I was voiced to be neutral, and the Mk 2.5  was voiced to be a little warm and then they did something to the treble to compliment the warmth.  
 
I wouldn't say, just flat out, that the Mk I is a better headphone than the Mk 2.5 - I will say that I LIKE the Mk I  better.  If possible, buyers should listen to both before making a purchase. You might like the Mk I or maybe you'll like the Mk 2 or the Mk 2.5, only way to tell is to listen.
 
Thing is, that is really hard to do.
 
Maybe at the next Can-Jam a listening station with all three can be set up.  It's an idea, anyway.

 

[milosz]

What's the difference between 307, 407,  & 507? What about the Original Lambdas?
 
OK, so I see the 507 has some new kind of diaphragm material. And I know that the original Lambdas / Lambda Pro / Lamda Pro Signatures all had differing diaphragm thickness (with the Lambda Pro Signature being the thinnest) and also the amount of "stuffing" behind the driver varied, with the  Lambda Pro Signature having no damping material back there.  And then the "Nova" Lambdas came out with a different stator.
 
But how do the 307 and 407 differ?  And how do they differ from the older Nova Lambdas?  I assume they use the same stator as the Novas did.
 
And what exactly is "special" about the 507?
 
Anybody know?
 
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------------
There is some info on these differences in http://wiki.faust3d.com/wiki/index.php?title=Stax_Earspeakers_Overview  and the links therefrom.

 

[singh]

Quote:

What's the difference between 307, 407,  & 507? What about the Original Lambdas?
 
OK, so I see the 507 has some new kind of diaphragm material. And I know that the original Lambdas / Lambda Pro / Lamda Pro Signatures all had differing diaphragm thickness (with the Lambda Pro Signature being the thinnest) and also the amount of "stuffing" behind the driver varied, with the  Lambda Pro Signature having no damping material back there.  And the the "Nova" Lambdas came out with a different stator.
 
But how do the 307 and 407 differ?  And how do they differ from the older Nova Lambdas?  I assume they use the same stator as the Novas did.
 
And what exactly is "special" about the 507?
 
Anybody know?
 
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------------
There is some info on these differences in http://wiki.faust3d.com/wiki/index.php?title=Stax_Earspeakers_Overview  and the links therefrom.

 
sr507 - sr407 with premium parts, they share the same drivers. the SR507 has leather pads , with better ( sr009 like ) headband. the cable is also PCOCC silver coated cable ( similar to the one used in sr009 )

 

[Amarphael]

+ an improved driver assembly mounting mechanism and and a new diaphram material, At least on the 407/507, iirc.

 

[Fishfood]

Stax told me that my Lambda Signatures were very similar but certainly comparable to the 407s. Whether there's a sound difference between the 407 and 507 is up for debate. You'd have to be in the world where cables make a difference and in my experience that takes a pretty expensive front end and very expensive amplification.

 

[K_19]

Is there any specific tips on bending the metal bars on the 007's? Like which specific points to bend (at the top? near the cups?), where to hold, etc. Looking to experiment with very slightly reduced clamp and see how it gets.  

 

[milosz]

I have a pair of (vintage?) Lambda Pro Signatures.  The thing I like about them is their incredible rendering of detail!  The thing I don't like about them is their incredible rendering of detail!
 

 
Really, that's it in a nutshell.   They sound incredible, really. But not particularly neutral.  They have what some have called "Stax etch" and that is a good way to describe it.  It's not a searing treble glare like the Sennheiser HD800, but there's certainly some extra high frequency oomph.  Their strength is their overall Stax electrostatic goodness- very low distortion, transparency, great time-domain behavior.  The treble etch is both a plus and a minus.  I love listening to them, to hear all that detail otherwise hidden.  At the same time, it's not completely what one would call a natural sound.  But you know, a lot of music these days is all electronic and with that music 'natural' doesn't really have the same meaning as with recordings of  acoustic instruments like classical music and so on.
 
SO, they are great phones with a specific voice. In particular what I LIKE about that 'etch' is that it allows me to hear a lot of detail without going all the way over to actual ear pain the way the Sennheiser HD800s tend to for me.  It's treble coloration, but in just the right amount.
 
I think they have good midrange and pretty good bass, too; and they are really comfortable.  
 
I dig the way they look.  That funky Lambda 'earbox' look, which so amazes my non-audiophile friends. "Wow, those are HEADPHONES?!?!"
 
I also had a pair of regular Lambda Pros at one time.  They were nice but just didn't do anything special, and since I had a pair of SR-007's, which did everything the Lambda Pro's did only better and with more neutrality, I just didn't see the need for them. I had put new earpads on them, and they were in really nice shape, I sold those Lambdas and I'm sure their new owner is enjoying them; but I kept the Lambda Signatures.

 

[spritzer]

In a nutshell, all the Lambdas are the same headphone with slight tweaks.  Something like the SR-202 could very well have been made in 1979 if not for the newer arc and pro bias.  The x07's change the assembly of the drivers but the basic building blocks are still the same.  Perhaps a list of what was actually changed in each version of the Lambdas?
 
1979:  SR-Lambda introduced
1982:  SR-Lambda Pro introduced with larger D/S gap and a 1.5um diaphragm but they were otherwise identical
1987:  SR-Lambda Signature introduced with 1um diaphragm, pc-occ cable and brown color.  The drivers were undamped (but still retained the woven dust cover on the back leading to issues further on) and Stax changed the protective mesh on the ear side to make it stronger
1992:  SR-Lambda Pro finally phased out and replaced with Pro Classic (or Spirit in Japan) which used the cheaper parts found on the Gamma models.  No damping on these either but otherwise identical to the Pro's. 
1994:  Nova range which is the first proper redesign with 3 new models.  The major changes are the new, stronger arc assembly, new headpads, new earpad materials and new wide cable for the Signature.  The drivers were also revamped with Omega tech so 1.5um film again, solid dust covers on both sides and the Classic and Signature feature coated stators to minimize ringing.  These also feature new eco adhesives which will not hold up, ditto on the new earpads. 
1999:  The numbers range and they are all still pretty much identical except they all get the 1.35um diaphragm and Stax mucks with the voicing to mixed reviews. 
2009:  The limited edition which adds the new silver coated cable and leather eadpads. 
Then we have the new range which is still pretty much the same except the driver frames and diaphragms. 

 

[jaycalgary]

I have 3 pair of Lambda Signatures and none have a woven dust cover on the back. The dust cover on the back is the same material as on the front. I did see a pair of Lambda Sig on Ebay not too long ago where it looked like it had a woven back dust cover like the Lamba pro's have.
 

 

[spritzer]

They changed it at the end of the production run due to the excessive dust issues. 

 

[deadlylover]

Is there any specific tips on bending the metal bars on the 007's? Like which specific points to bend (at the top? near the cups?), where to hold, etc. Looking to experiment with very slightly reduced clamp and see how it gets.  

 
I started at that little bend near where the arcs meet the earcups (I slightly straightened it out), but you can bend it anywhere really, I heard someone made their set have a sharp 'V' shape for the whole arc.
 
You really have to just experiment to see what works for you, and because the cups don't swivel like most other headphones, you need to make sure you still get a good seal.
 
Just do it slowly, it does take quite a little force to get them to bend, and be sure to be holding the arcs only, don't hold the cups when bending it.
 
You should be able to reverse any changes you made, but if all hell breaks loose, you can always get a new arc assembly for not too much money.

 

[K_19]

Quote:

 
I started at that little bend near where the arcs meet the earcups (I slightly straightened it out), but you can bend it anywhere really, I heard someone made their set have a sharp 'V' shape for the whole arc.
 
You really have to just experiment to see what works for you, and because the cups don't swivel like most other headphones, you need to make sure you still get a good seal.
 
Just do it slowly, it does take quite a little force to get them to bend, and be sure to be holding the arcs only, don't hold the cups when bending it.
 
You should be able to reverse any changes you made, but if all hell breaks loose, you can always get a new arc assembly for not too much money.

 
Thanks for the tip! Will fiddle around with it a little bit tonight.
 
Edit: Just played around with it at that little "bend" area, stretching it outwards... and now the clamping is noticeably lesser and it is now more comfortable! Just enough so that there is now about a 5mm~1cm gap between the bottom of the pads when it's held up (before the bending the pads would touch). Still a firm enough grip but less of a clamping pressure and there is no sonic changes that I hear.

 

[Yuceka]

I've asked this before but didn't get an answer. Would an SRM-313 be able to drive SR-007 MKII properly? 

 

[charliex]

Better to go with a 717 or 727
 

 

[milosz]

Quote:

I've asked this before but didn't get an answer. Would an SRM-313 be able to drive SR-007 MKII properly? 

 
Depends on what you mean by "properly,"
 
SRM-313  will allow you to listen to music.  And since the SR-007's are good headphones, and the SRM-313 is a decent amplifier, it should sound pretty good.  It would very likely sound better than the SRM-313 would sound with one of the  Stax Lambda variants, because the SR-007 is widely acknowledged to be a better headphone than the Lambda.
 
On an SRM-313 it would sound good, and better on a 717 or 727, but the SR-007 can sound even better. The SR-007's won't deliver all that they are capable of unless you use an amplifier capable of greater voltage swing with no sacrifice in slew rate.  In other words, a Blue Hawaii, KGSS, KGSSHV or T2.
 
The last 15% increase in sound quality costs more than the first 85%, it's the curse of high end audio.