The Stax thread (New)

[Keithpgdrb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by manaox2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Dude, I WAS watching them.

Dude, My BAD!!! crap, now the mafia, that doesnt exist, will be fitting me for some cement shoes. damn, and I was really enjoying my lambdas.

 

[edstrelow]

Quote:

Originally Posted by goober-george /img/forum/go_quote.gif Can someone recommend the best stax set-up bang for buck wise with a $350 budget? Sorry if it is inappropriate to ask in this thread.

Try the SR001Mk2 portable unit with both phone and amp coming in for as little as $250.00. - $300.00. This is a high bias, current model which is also portable. Even if you get the best Stax phones and amp, you will probably still keep this little set-up for when you travel or go outside. For home use you can get a basic 4.5 volt dc transformer. This will give it a bit more oomph.

The same phone with a different plug and a small Stax amp is $500.00 and isn't appreciably better than the portable unit.

Otherwise you are probably limited to old, low bias units which are more or less obsolete.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by edstrelow /img/forum/go_quote.gif Try the SR001Mk2 portable unit with both phone and amp coming in for as little as $250.00. - $300.00. This is a high bias, current model which is also portable. Even if you get the best Stax phones and amp, you will probably still keep this little set-up for when you travel or go outside. For home use you can get a basic 4.5 volt dc transformer. This will give it a bit more oomph. The same phone with a different plug and a small Stax amp is $500.00 and isn't appreciably better than the portable unit. Otherwise you are probably limited to old, low bias units which are more or less obsolete.

The SR-003 with an amp like the SRM-1 Mk2 Pro is appreciably better than the stock SR-001 Mk2. Is the amp with the SR-005 desktop setup that cheap that it doesn't clearly beat the portable version?

I am not knocking the portable, as I really like mine. But at first the mids on my SR-001 Mk2 were too forward and the bass and treble was too rolled off. But after 400-500 hours of burn-in I was perfectly happy with the SR-001 Mk2, and even Audiocats was surprised at how good it sounded for a stock unit. He looked inside and couldn't find anything special to make it sound that good, but it was strange that it sounded so "FM Radio" until 400-500 hours of use. Even then it could not match the SR-003 on an SRM-1 Mk2 Pro. So, if someone gets an SR-001 Mk2 and doesn't like it at first, he may have to run it for a month straight before it sounds right (crazy, I know).

 

[goober-george]

So the Stax SR-001 Mk2 setup is comparable to the Stax Lambda Pro or are they in two different leagues? I'm just asking cause I don't ever plan to go in the four digit range of high end stax headphones or even dynamics for that matter.

 

[manaox2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by goober-george /img/forum/go_quote.gif So the Stax SR-001 Mk2 setup is comparable to the Stax Lambda Pro or are they in two different leagues? I'm just asking cause I don't ever plan to go in the four digit range of high end stax headphones or even dynamics for that matter.

Dunno, but any kind of energizer or adapter to drive Lambda pros will costs about $200 or more these days before the headphones which also run about $250. Still seems like a great deal if you can grab it at $650 or less.

 

[webbie64]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif The SR-003 with an amp like the SRM-1 Mk2 Pro is appreciably better than the stock SR-001 Mk2...But after 400-500 hours of burn-in I was perfectly happy with the SR-001 Mk2, and even Audiocats was surprised at how good it sounded for a stock unit...So, if someone gets an SR-001 Mk2 and doesn't like it at first, he may have to run it for a month straight before it sounds right (crazy, I know).

And, of course, later, you can always consider improving the stock SR-001 Mk2 - http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f6/sta...thread-277049/

 

[edstrelow]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif The SR-003 with an amp like the SRM-1 Mk2 Pro is appreciably better than the stock SR-001 Mk2. Is the amp with the SR-005 desktop setup that cheap that it doesn't clearly beat the portable version? I am not knocking the portable, as I really like mine. But at first the mids on my SR-001 Mk2 were too forward and the bass and treble was too rolled off. But after 400-500 hours of burn-in I was perfectly happy with the SR-001 Mk2, and even Audiocats was surprised at how good it sounded for a stock unit. He looked inside and couldn't find anything special to make it sound that good, but it was strange that it sounded so "FM Radio" until 400-500 hours of use. Even then it could not match the SR-003 on an SRM-1 Mk2 Pro. So, if someone gets an SR-001 Mk2 and doesn't like it at first, he may have to run it for a month straight before it sounds right (crazy, I know).

I have the SR001Mk2, 2 SR003's, 404, Lambda Nova, Sigma, Sigma Pro, Sigma/404 and 007A. For Stax amps I run 2 SRM3's an SRM1Mk2, a 717 and and a SRDP pro.

I have tried the 003's with all of the big amps and frankly I just don't see a big improvement over the SR001Mk2 portable amp. Possibly my silver interconnect on the portable amp makes a difference. (That cost me $25.00 from a Headfi seller.) A better CD player helps however.

The small 001/003 phones are very good per se but in my opinion don't "scale up" much with a better amp. In part I think that is because they are well designed for use with small amps such as the portable amp and don't need much more juice, unlike virtually all the other Stax phones which can always use a better amp. In fact they also run quite well on a low bias outlet, something I don't find with other pro phones.

 

[plaidplatypus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by goober-george /img/forum/go_quote.gif So the Stax SR-001 Mk2 setup is comparable to the Stax Lambda Pro or are they in two different leagues? I'm just asking cause I don't ever plan to go in the four digit range of high end stax headphones or even dynamics for that matter.

I think the Lambdas are unquestionably better and by a fair margin. I would rather have a MS-1 or MS-2i over the SR-003.

 

[AudioCats]

maybe not the SRM1/mk2 and srd7mk2, but the baby stax sounds very differently between a stock SRM001 amp and T1s/w amp.

A mid-level modded SRM001 using moderate boutique caps (such as in the SuperFatCat mod ) can give similar performence as the SRM1mk2, I actually like the SFC++ better than the SRM1MK2 (am never fond of the SRM1mk2's harshness, with any phones). However that is still well below the T1 SQ. Try the baby stax with a T1 and you will like it.




.

 

[AudioCats]

Quote:

Originally Posted by plaidplatypus /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think the Lambdas are unquestionably better and by a fair margin. I would rather have a MS-1 or MS-2i over the SR-003.

what was driving the 003? and what was driving the MS-1?





.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AudioCats /img/forum/go_quote.gif maybe not the SRM1/mk2 and srd7mk2, but the baby stax sounds very differently between a stock SRM001 amp and T1s/w amp. A mid-level modded SRM001 using moderate boutique caps (such as in the SuperFatCat mod ) can give similar performence as the SRM1mk2, I actually like the SFC++ better than the SRM1MK2 (am never fond of the SRM1mk2's harshness, with any phones). However that is still well below the T1 SQ. Try the baby stax with a T1 and you will like it. .

No need, I use mine with a Woo GES.

 

[plaidplatypus]

HeadphoneAddict's Woo GES. I might just not like the in-ear sound or comfort. I also thought it was a bit too bassy. If I get to listen to the SR-003 again I'll have to try it with a different amp or adaptor/speaker amp. I'll give it a second chance, miracles happen.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by plaidplatypus /img/forum/go_quote.gif HeadphoneAddict's Woo GES. I might just not like the in-ear sound or comfort. I also thought it was a bit too bassy. If I get to listen to the SR-003 again I'll have to try it with a different amp or adaptor/speaker amp. I'll give it a second chance, miracles happen.

It's better with the PS Audio Digital Link III DAC now. The comfort is harder to fix.

 

[spritzer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by plaidplatypus /img/forum/go_quote.gif HeadphoneAddict's Woo GES. I might just not like the in-ear sound or comfort. I also thought it was a bit too bassy. If I get to listen to the SR-003 again I'll have to try it with a different amp or adaptor/speaker amp. I'll give it a second chance, miracles happen.

If they were too bassy then the fit was off.

 

[webbie64]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spritzer /img/forum/go_quote.gif If they were too bassy then the fit was off.

Not necessarilly IMHO. The Woo responds well to changes in tubes. I would argue that you could probably find the best SQ for the 001s on a Woo by trying some different tubes to those that might suit your other Stax Headphones (oops...Earspeakers

).