[Currawong]

Quote:

Originally Posted by billyearle /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks, I've read mixed things about them. A guy in Japan said the sound goes off at a certain volume, so one cannot really rock out to them. Audiod suggested using them with an equalizer to make em more musical. Also, I recall the soundstage isn't supposed to be the greatest, compared to some of the best closed phones in that regard.

That was my impression too when I tried them. They sound absolutely lovely, but quite closed. They didn't sit too comfortably on me head, maybe because they are a tad heavier than 404s.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vcoheda /img/forum/go_quote.gif what gave you that impression?

O2s + the T1 was a bit too soft when I tried. 404s seem rather bright. My Golds are very bright too. I have new cables though, so I'll have to give it all another shot to see if the transformation they had on my dynamic rig translates to a Stax rig.

 

[catscratch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by billyearle /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks, I've read mixed things about them. A guy in Japan said the sound goes off at a certain volume, so one cannot really rock out to them. Audiod suggested using them with an equalizer to make em more musical. Also, I recall the soundstage isn't supposed to be the greatest, compared to some of the best closed phones in that regard. Hopefully I'll have a chance to hear them soon though at a meet. PS, I was just wondering why I haven't seen you in the Stax thread recently, figured you were one of the many Head-fi'ers who got a life, remember reading a lot of your posts while doing research. Antonyfirst (who's woodied CD3000s I recently purchased) speaks highly of you.

If I'm thinking of the same person you're thinking of, I think that post was due to him using the Illusion transformer box, which has a built-in volume limiter. The headphones don't have any volume limiter as far as I'm aware, and can play very loud. Considering that they're monitoring headphones, they have to be able to play very loud.

You should definitely verify this though, perhaps with an email to a local distributor.

As far as not posting, well, I have my reasons and some of them are personal. I have less time to post, I'm also somewhat frustrated with head-fi in general, and everything that I have to say I've already said or had it said better for me. But, I still read, and I'm still here, just in less of an aggressive capacity. I'm still getting gear, tweaking my rig, and I don't think the process will ever stop as long as I can afford it.

 

[wobzerM]

Hello guys, question here.
Should I save up for the entry level STAX system (750 USD)?

Is there a worthwhile audible difference between that and the HD650?

 

[ashmedai]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wobzerM /img/forum/go_quote.gif Should I save up for the entry level STAX system (750 USD)?

Yes.

 

[The Monkey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wobzerM /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hello guys, question here. Should I save up for the entry level STAX system (750 USD)? Is there a worthwhile audible difference between that and the HD650?

Yes, you should save up for an entry level Stax rig. What makes you think you need to spend $750? You should be able to score a (used) Lambda Pro and a (used) SRM1/MK2 for $600 or less.

The above combination is more musically satisfying to me than the HD 650 in most of the setups I have heard--and, by the way, I love the 650. The 650 also scales very nicely and I have heard it sound better than the Lambdas, but at a higher price point. In the end, as with most things here, it's a matter of taste. There is a sweet and euphonic quality to the Lambdas that I don't get from the 650. Of course, this comes with certain sacrifices (e.g., some etch, leaner bass), but I'm willing to take them.

Full disclosure: I have not yet parted with my 650, so take from that what you will.

 

[ashmedai]

My setup was about $650, and I could easily have done it for less if I had the patience to wait a while. I'm glad I didn't though.

It'll end up costing me more to get it the way I want it though. The noise floor on my power amp is too high at higher gain settings. That or it's 60Hz line noise...not certain which yet. Probably both.

 

[spritzer]

I never noticed any compression with the 4070 and I've been known to rock out at times...

The 4070 is a b*tch to drive so something less then the Blue Hawaii may have some problems with i. I definitely didn't like the results with a T1 I had at the time, at anything but medium volume.

Quote:

Originally Posted by billyearle /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm really hoping Spritzer makes it down there. I want to show him my arc-bending on the 007, as I'm not sure I'm doing it right. Seriously, someone should get him a ticket for these events.

I'd love to come to an NY meet sometime but there are 50/50 odds that I'm going to Cebit this year so that's enough traveling for one month.

 

[dickbianchi]

Tonite I got to give a good listen to the SRM-007t with the only stax phones I have at present, the 30 electrets. I didn't know what to expect. I've heard them sound pretty good with the srd-4 energizer behind my micrex hybrid amp, but I was in no way prepared for what I heard with the new amp. Its all positive and it's hard to describe. It's like all the sounds I've heard with the energizer came together in a perfect and steady picture.
There's twice as much there there and it's all fleshed out.

It passed all my upgrade, first-time listen with new equipment, tests. Using cds I was very familiar with, it presented me with information I hadnt heard before (the "detail freak" test); using some Broadway original cast albums, I heard details of ornamentaton in the orchestration that I have not heard before and I was startled at "micro-detail", eg. in one song, I'd always heard two wind instruments lightly beneath a vocal line, but I'd never heard that they had a vibrato-ish quaver. In addtiion, voices seemed more natural, like I think they would sound live --not in a 3-d sense, there was no holographic effect-- but each had a unique character I'd heard before only when
demoing some crazy expensive stuff. Instruments--brass,e.g --lost the etched, overly bright quality which i think is "good sound" but not "natural sound" (the "transformation" test).

I know that some Stax users describe them as "ruthless" -- a badly recorded record will sound bad. Among my samples are some I think of as badly recorded. I listen to them because I like the music; I ignore the defects.
They sounded better on this setup,voices and instruments. I heard more in the same way I described in the previous paragraph; I enjoyed them more.

Tomorrow I will dive into symphonic music and chamber music to see what this yields. In a week or so, I should have a pair of 5nb golds and a couple weeks down the road a pair of SR Lamda pros. Ive read thousands of words on this forum describing the differences of various headsets and I really look forward to hearing what I can hear of this. Meantime Im really enjoying what I have at hand.

Thanx for listening...

My electrets sound better plugged into the pro outlets.

 

[spritzer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dickbianchi /img/forum/go_quote.gif My electrets sound better plugged into the pro outlets.

You do know that all the outputs are serial connected and the bias has no bearing on electrets, right?

 

[kintsaki]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spritzer /img/forum/go_quote.gif This isn't an open source project in any way like the PoorMan amp.....

Therefore the BH in any form is not a viable solution to estat shortcomings for 99.99% of Headfiers.

One down two to go for the super duper amps.
The 717 now seems to be the only reasonable option.

Which one is the 2nd one to consider?
The Woo or your modified Egmond?
Is the Woo an implementation of KG's all triode amp in Headwize? and is this circuit over there correct?

Is your properly implemented Egmont or Mikhails design public domain or not?

In any event if any of your own designs that is public domain and VT as opposed to SS how is this better or worse than the 717?

I will have Yanni build it but I need to translate for him.

 

[kintsaki]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wobzerM /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hello guys, question here. Should I save up for the entry level STAX system (750 USD)? Is there a worthwhile audible difference between that and the HD650?

If I am not mistaken according to KG, Spritzer and a few other old timers the Koss ESP-950 is better than all low end Stax'es.

 

[Duggeh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spritzer /img/forum/go_quote.gif You do know that all the outputs are serial connected and the bias has no bearing on electrets, right?

 

[ashmedai]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duggeh /img/forum/go_quote.gif

Could just be that the other plug has a bad joint somewhere, or even a dirty socket. It's only a placebo assuming an ideal circuit. But...

 

[billyearle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spritzer /img/forum/go_quote.gif I never noticed any compression with the 4070 and I've been known to rock out at times... The 4070 is a b*tch to drive so something less then the Blue Hawaii may have some problems with i. I definitely didn't like the results with a T1 I had at the time, at anything but medium volume.

Quote:

Originally Posted by spritzer /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well at least I still have a BHSE on the way, so that's good for the 4070, but do you concur it has a limited soundstage compared to some other closed phones? Is it mod-able with regard to wider cups? If any indication to volume limits, it's the only phone on staxes website that lists a maximum volume output. I think it was 80db. I do like to play on the loud side, though some of this is due to contending with my window noise. Still, even if I fix the window, I probably have a bad ingraned habbit with volume levels & some hearing loss already. I'd love to come to an NY meet sometime but there are 50/50 odds that I'm going to Cebit this year so that's enough traveling for one month.

What's Cebit?

 

[ashmedai]

Quote:

Originally Posted by billyearle /img/forum/go_quote.gif What's Cebit?

CeBIT - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia