[Don Quichotte]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spritzer /img/forum/go_quote.gif ...especially since I've managed to wrestle the stock SR-404 and get rid of the midrange hump.

That's interesting. Would you care to share the secret? I don't think I'm gonna rip my 303's apart, especially considering that I've managed to compensate their frequency imbalances pretty well, but I'm sure many others would enjoy an improved 303 / 404.

I really appreciate the huge amount of electrostats-related things you find out for yourself and share with the others, btw.

 

[spritzer]

There is a thread on it "over there" and it will not be posted here. I'm not allowed to post a link as per the unofficial HF rules.

 

[mark_h]

The 404 limited edition will be available in the UK june 1st.

 

[tamahome77]

I will be part of Team Stax shortly. Can anyone tell me the different between the SRM-007t and SRM-007ta driver unit besides one having pro and normal while the other has only 2x pro?

 

[bralk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tamahome77 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I will be part of Team Stax shortly. Can anyone tell me the different between the SRM-007t and SRM-007ta driver unit besides one having pro and normal while the other has only 2x pro?

To add to the confusion: my 007t has 3 "pro only" outputs.
In my opinion no sonic differences between the various 007 amps.
( with similar tubes installed )

cheers

Tom

 

[krmathis]

tamahome77. I know a couple more differences, and I am sure there are more.
* The third input selector are moved to the front panel (from the rear).
* SRM-007tA are 100v only (Japan only), while the SRM-007t accept 100, 110 or 230v. Matching the voltage in the country where it was originally sold.
* New push buttons, since the old ones went out of production (afaik).

 

[catscratch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spritzer /img/forum/go_quote.gif ...or just buy one from some other country. If they sound anything like the stock SR-404 then there will be internal pics of me ripping them apart on the second day.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that there will be pics of you ripping them apart on the 2d (or first) day regardless of what they sound like. Just a hunch...

Either way, I'm looking forward to it. I'm too strained financially right now to experiment or I'd be interested in getting a pair too

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

I picked up a new Stax tonight.

I was surprised at how decent the SR-80 sounds for an over 30 year old electret, as I have never heard any of the old electrets. In storage since the late 70's I was told, and other than the foam in front of the drivers deteriorating, and the individual 4 strands of the cable separating into pairs, they are in great shape. There is no channel imbalance and they fired right up. I tried them with my Woo GES and my Qinpu A-3 with SRD-7 Mk2 for a few songs, then moved into the bedroom to listen with my Nuforce Icon/SRD-7 Pro. They are not as good as my SR-5NB gold edition, but I think I like them as much as (or more than) the old SR-3 that I had for a while.

 

[nothing101]

long time no see headfi

i recently got to go to japan. at the akihabara in tokyo it was headphone heaven. you could find and listen to just about any headphone on the market. i listened to the whole stax range as well as some high end dynamic headphones.

after much time listening i can say that my favourite headphone is the stax 404. i preferred it to the omega. it had a more open, airy sound and it sounded less boxy than the omega. while it was not as warm i felt it was more ethereal sounding. anyone else prefer the 404?

 

[feckn_eejit]

I would suggest it's massively dependent on source and amplification, and what works well on the SR-404 might not work well on the O2s.

 

[Sherwood]

The O2 is also an extremely neutral headphone. It's hard to appreciate it without listening to it for a long time, and then listening to anything else.

 

[tamahome77]

Which driver unit did you listen to the 404 and the O2 with? Just curious.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nothing101 /img/forum/go_quote.gif long time no see headfi i recently got to go to japan. at the akihabara in tokyo it was headphone heaven. you could find and listen to just about any headphone on the market. i listened to the whole stax range as well as some high end dynamic headphones. after much time listening i can say that my favourite headphone is the stax 404. i preferred it to the omega. it had a more open, airy sound and it sounded less boxy than the omega. while it was not as warm i felt it was more ethereal sounding. anyone else prefer the 404?

 

[spritzer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by catscratch /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that there will be pics of you ripping them apart on the 2d (or first) day regardless of what they sound like. Just a hunch... Either way, I'm looking forward to it. I'm too strained financially right now to experiment or I'd be interested in getting a pair too

I'm sure that there will be a few pics...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sherwood /img/forum/go_quote.gif The O2 is also an extremely neutral headphone. It's hard to appreciate it without listening to it for a long time, and then listening to anything else.

I've been spending a lot of time with a SR-404 lately and in stock for it is a very poor excuse for a Stax headphone. It does a lot of things right but that damn upper midrange peak destroys all the other good qualities in an instant. Even when fully rebuilt (no double sided adhesive used) and with both the front and the back of the drivers damped they are far from perfect. Still, I'm not done quite yet.

 

[DouglasQuaid]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spritzer /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm sure that there will be a few pics... I've been spending a lot of time with a SR-404 lately and in stock for it is a very poor excuse for a Stax headphone. It does a lot of things right but that damn upper midrange peak destroys all the other good qualities in an instant. Even when fully rebuilt (no double sided adhesive used) and with both the front and the back of the drivers damped they are far from perfect. Still, I'm not done quite yet.

I'm looking forward to tearing my sr404 in pieces when you're done with your mods.

 

[catscratch]

I tried very hard to like the stock SR-404 over the 2 years that I had it, and with about 1/4 of my music, I did. Basically, I liked it with the part of my collection that didn't set off its damn upper midrange peak. As a headphone it really does a lot of things right, but then that damn coloration kicks in and everything that it does right simply doesn't matter. Then, when a $200 stock K340 out of an old $200 MG Head blew away the SR-404 out of the 007t, it was time for it to go...

A more focused SR-404 sound without the nasty upper midrange peak could definitely go far. I would also improve its transients a bit since it generally sounds too dry, and I would definitely tighten up the soundstage, though that sort of overly diffuse soundstage also has its uses, especially with a lot of electronic music. In general the SR-404 is very good with electronic music, provided that it runs of a beefy punchy amp that can wake up its bass and dynamic range, and that the music doesn't set off its midrange colorations.