[Rico613]

Quote:

You can read this one, it is a well-written comparison.

WOW . . .  just what I was looking for, thanks . . .
 
Thanks all . . .

 

[tigermilk]

So I dropped my 404s, thankfully on the carpet, but I busted one of the small pegs on the "case holder".  I'm trying a little gluing op first, but in the worst case, is there a potentially better place for replacement parts than "Stax USA" as Yamas never gets high marks.  Wouldn't mind if it was cheaper too

If I do order there (or other place), I was thinking of replacing the dust covers as I can see through them in spots.  $25 for them seems a bit steep.  Any DIY homebrew fixes out there?
 

 

[Quest88]

Have a question on maintenance - my stax airbow ac-1s started to creak abit at the joints.. almost as though the plastic is getting abit harder and less flexible.
 
Anyone encountered and have a quick fix?

 

[DefQon]

Quote:

So I dropped my 404s, thankfully on the carpet, but I busted one of the small pegs on the "case holder".  I'm trying a little gluing op first, but in the worst case, is there a potentially better place for replacement parts than "Stax USA" as Yamas never gets high marks.  Wouldn't mind if it was cheaper too

If I do order there (or other place), I was thinking of replacing the dust covers as I can see through them in spots.  $25 for them seems a bit steep.  Any DIY homebrew fixes out there?
 

Other than Yamas, you can try the F/S section here but it's a hit and miss that somebody will turn up with spare 404 parts. All the headbands within the Lambda frame series earspeakers are interchangeable with each other. Last option would be ebay, there is a seller from Japan that sell's vintage and very rare Nakamichi, Stax and other Japanese made audioware, I've seen him stock some NOS Lamda Signature frames + headbands before as well cables but they go for a little premium.
 
Quote:

Have a question on maintenance - my stax airbow ac-1s started to creak abit at the joints.. almost as though the plastic is getting abit harder and less flexible.
 
Anyone encountered and have a quick fix?

 
I've used Singer sewing machine oil on my Lambda Pro's, it stops the creaking for a bit, but eventually it returns again.

 

[spritzer]

Quote:

Have a question on maintenance - my stax airbow ac-1s started to creak abit at the joints.. almost as though the plastic is getting abit harder and less flexible.
 
Anyone encountered and have a quick fix?

 
Try talcum powder

 

[John Buchanan]

Quote:

So I dropped my 404s, thankfully on the carpet, but I busted one of the small pegs on the "case holder".  I'm trying a little gluing op first, but in the worst case, is there a potentially better place for replacement parts than "Stax USA" as Yamas never gets high marks.  Wouldn't mind if it was cheaper too

If I do order there (or other place), I was thinking of replacing the dust covers as I can see through them in spots.  $25 for them seems a bit steep.  Any DIY homebrew fixes out there?
 

Stax USA are quite good to deal with AFAIC. You'll need to buy a suitable punch to knock the small pin out of the frame before you can remove the case holder.

 

[K_19]

So many pages back I was saying how the 007 MK1's comfort factor was only average, as I thought they clamp down a tad too much down on the side of my face. As suggested I bent the arcs lessening the clamping pressure and that helped, but still I had this feeling that there was bit too much pressure on my cheekbones... 
 
And about a week ago I wore them backwards (R side on the left, L on the right) and found them suddenly VERY comfortable with very little clamping then I finally realized what was causing the discomfort - the foams inside the pads on the bottom part was shot! The pads on the outside looked fine so I thought there was nothing wrong with them, but the padding must have gave way with many years of wearing of something. Since the pads pressure the bottom part of your cheeks harder they probably gave way first, making the pads' cushioning uneven.  The top part of the pads still had plenty of cushioning.
 
So my temporary solution for now is to wear them backwards, which really doesn't matter with the 007's as they're completely rotatable/symmetrical and doesn't make a difference (just have to swap the R & L of the interconnects to match the channels in this orientation).  Now they're incredibly comfortable... as a matter of fact, now I feel the clamping is too little and may bend the arcs again to increase it. I'll likely buy new pads, but apparently pad swapping on these are quite a pain so I'm somewhat afraid to do it... 

 
But yeah, if anyone finds their pair of 007's uncomfortable try wearing them backwards. They may look fine from the outside, but the foam inside may be shot resulting in harder clamping feel on the bottom of your jaw.

 

[n3rdling]

What would be an appropriate foam to put inside the O2 earpads so that they don't wear out so quickly?  It's one of the only headphones I can think of whose pads just turn to crap after 2-3 years.

 

[spritzer]

Not sure but what ever they put in the Mk2 pads will work.  I've been using them for 4 years now and they are as new. 

 

[MorbidToaster]

Alright guys. It's officially for sale. My 009 and LL. it's been a fun ride but not being able to hear the music beyond splash from the 009 is bugging the wife(ish)...so we're reinvesting in speakers and downgrading the headphones.

 

[hpz]

Mini  Review between the Woo WEE and the DIY T2 using the SR-009s.
Background
I have been using the Resonessence labs Invicta dac as my primary source and I am using a Rotel  RB1080 power amp to power the Woo WEE.  I have had this setup for a little over 2 months and I am quite familiar and happy with the sound.  But of course as the curious audiophiles we are, I wanted to listen to what could be the 'best' amplification out there, the almighty DIY T2. I know the comparison won't be fair, but I wanted to do this comparison to share my experiences with fellow stats members who are in similar situations.
 
So here we go: WEE vs T2 
 
Highs
I started by playing through a few string orchestral songs and the first thing that caught my ears was how refined the highs sounded on the T2. The T2 interestingly had an overall less bright presentation than the WEE (which now sounded alittle forced and harsh), more effortless is how I would describe the T2 sound.  This refinement in the highs pulled out even smaller micro detail within the music.  It was more natural/easier to listen through the T2. 
 
Mids
Now playing through a few vocal tracks, the mids were already exceptional via the WEE and the T2 to my ears didn't really improve much.  But because the T2 was less bright, some of the female vocals which were sibilant in certain tracks were less pronounced on the T2, but overall both amps performed exceptionally well.
 
Lows
Now onto some bass heavy tracks, drums were more well defined and the transient response of the T2 really shined here.  Bass lines were slightly punchier and tighter on the T2 whereas the WEE was a little slower and 'bloomy'.  The differences were noticeable, but sometimes the WEE bloom was actually good on certain tracks because the T2's bass decay became so quick it felt that it was alittle lean sometimes.  I felt that the impact and slam of the bass to be similar between the two setups.  Don't get me wrong, the bass definition and quality of bass from the T2 was outstanding, but the overall amount may be a little less than some people might prefer.
 
I'm not good at describing soundstage, but I didn't think either amp was better or worse at it. 
 
Conclusion
Overall, the presentation of the T2 sounded better than the WEE, but unfortunately it fell alittle short of what I was expecting.  Was it the best combo I have heard sound on? Yes, but the differences are getting small at this level of the game. Going from a cheap converter to a TOTL electrostatic amp, I may have put my expectations too high, but I was hoping the T2 could power the bass a little stronger and provide stronger impact and slam.
That concludes my short time with the  T2, these were my own impressions and I'm sure that if I had more time with the T2 I would be able to pick out more details.  And of course I would like to thank nattonrice for allowing me to audition the T2 amp.
 
Here is a picture to show you guys it did happen and it wasn't just in my dream
 
 

 

[wuwhere]

Nice review hpz, if I ever get into Stax, all I need is a Wee since I already have tube speakers amps.

 

[Radio_head]

That would be awesome even if it was just a dream.  Did you build your own T2 or buy/borrow?  I know there's another Australian member (nattonrice maybe?) who has a T2 in Aus.

 

[wuwhere]

Quote:

That would be awesome even if it was just a dream.  Did you build your own T2 or buy/borrow?  I know there's another Australian member (nattonrice maybe?) who has a T2 in Aus.

 
That's what he said, "And of course I would like to thank nattonrice for allowing me to audition the T2 amp."

 

[hpz]

Quote:

Nice review hpz, if I ever get into Stax, all I need is a Wee since I already have tube speakers amps.

 
This is with the SR-009s,  I know these are easier to drive than the 007s so amping different headphones will give varying results.
 
 
Quote:

That would be awesome even if it was just a dream.  Did you build your own T2 or buy/borrow?  I know there's another Australian member (nattonrice maybe?) who has a T2 in Aus.

 
This amp is nattonrice's T2 as mentioned at the end of the review.