The Stax thread (New)

[dreamwhisper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ridleyguy /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am having a little fun here too, so please don't take that 10 year comment too seriously, although I know this is a Stax thread, ...but that still doesn't answer my question...are they even in the top 20? i.e compared to Wilson Audio, Dynaudio, NTT Audiolab, Acapella, Moon Audio - to name a few. These speakers are in $1 million plus systems.

Well, considering that the O2's make a seal with your head, perhaps the 'dynamics' involved lol are different.
And by that I mean, with speakers a dynamic application in a treated room is maybe more suited to providing bass than a stat that isn't sealed directly to your head.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ridleyguy /img/forum/go_quote.gif O2s do it all (I'm assuming transparency and detail are a given with Stax products), and that the HD800s are missing something - indefinable?.

I always hear some sort of congestion with dynamics, as if different sounds in the mix struggle with eachother to be gain control of the dynamic driver(s).
The O2 just breathes music. It's hard not to call that sense of effortlessness soul.

 

[Ridleyguy]

Don't worry guys ... i am close to surrendering now, and soon will slink back to my Dynamic threads.

 

[edstrelow]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ridleyguy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Don't worry guys ... i am close to surrendering now, and soon will slink back to my Dynamic threads.

Head-Fi is more than an internet site. It also hosts major, and lesser, meetings at which members set up most of the headphone equipment in contention. I don't think you will ever hear such a collection of first rate equipment. At the last LA Canjam I swear there were systems $25 K and up. It is well worth your while to go to one of these to hear things for yourself rather than debating on abstract principles.

 

[Duckman]

Thanks for answers re O2 and rock music. Lo and behold, this thread has turned up an opportunity for me to sample and possibly purchase the O2 Mk1 in the near future, which I'm quite excited about.

I have another question though, which I'm sure has been answered several times in this mammoth thread, however... it's a long thread: I have a tiny desk in my room and am seeking suggestions for a small-form-factor speaker amp to power the O2 via an SRD7Pro. Looking for excellent bang-for-buck options and smallness. Not a lot of desk space for it.

Cheers,

Dave

 

[Elephas]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duckman /img/forum/go_quote.gif a small-form-factor speaker amp to power the O2 via an SRD7Pro

This is just me, but I wouldn't do this.

I realize there are a lot of speaker amps out there and no one could possibly try them all. But in general, based on my admittedly limited experience, I don't think the O2 sounds very good with the transformers (in my case SRD7 Mk2 and Illusion ESC-1001).

I think a used 717 or maybe a 007t would be a better choice.

You might even get better results using the SRD7Pro with another headphone, maybe one of the Lambdas.

The O2, both mk1 and mk2, are very good headphones. But if I didn't have good amplification for them, I would probably choose another headphone.

 

[ktm]

I went looking for the real leather replacement pads on ebay .
I see joynetcafe has the sr-404le and regular series pads,
but describe both as being hand made leather?
I assume they mis-translated? The 404le would be leather,
and the others the fake stuff?

 

[GuyDebord]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ktm /img/forum/go_quote.gif I went looking for the real leather replacement pads on ebay . I see joynetcafe has the sr-404le and regular series pads, but describe both as being hand made leather? I assume they mis-translated? The 404le would be leather, and the others the fake stuff?

correct, only the LE are leather

 

[edstrelow]

My head is full of Wagner after spending 5 1/2 hours at the premier of Gotterdamerung in Los Angeles yesterday.

That long a performance seems to really set the Opera hall sound in my head and I was somewhat bothered by the treble harshness I was hearing when I listened to my Gotterdamerung recording on the 717/007A. Some of this could be the recording itself, an A/D transcription of the old Decca/London Solti Gotterdamerung. Even my old lp vesion struck me as somewhat bright. While the Sigma/404 does not have the same level of detail and precise imaging, it has, as I have said several times, a better soundstage for opera and now realized, the right amount of treble to make this recording sound like the opera hall. The 007A has a somewhat peaky treble. However,I did notice that the treble for the 007A was better after a very long amplifier warm-up.

As regards the performance, I was very impressed. Musically it was about as good as you are going to get anywhere. During the applause at the end, by the time the conductor took the stage the whole house stood to give a standing ovation. ,

But then, the director, Achim Freyer, took the stage and was vigorously booed. I was taken aback by this, I wasn't thrilled by his odd-ball avant-garde reworking of this and the other Ring operas which I had seen in the prior months. Still I thought he had some very good ideas for stage business even though he often took considerable liberties with what Wagner wrote. I also felt that Freyer's Gotterdamerung had a good balance between avant garde and traditional and was quite impressive. I though it was quite an achievement to keep a 5 1/2 hour performance from getting dull. At any rate
I thought it was healthy for the opera company that the fans cared enough to state their objections.

 

[gilency]

Ed: I appreciate your comments,since I also live in SoCal and like to enjoy concerts around here. Have you had time to compare your 007A with an Mk1?
As far as the Sigma goes, I actually really like my Pro's driven by an eXStata. I am not shy about using a parametric equalizer and I can listen for hours without fatigue.
Recently purchased some of Vivaldi's concerts, never previously released and the soundstage is just magnificent, and the music coming out of my Sigma Pro is very, very enjoyable.

 

[n3rdling]

The mk2 must sound drastically different from the mk1 as a "peaked treble" is just about the opposite of what the O2 mk1 has (at least out of amps that aren't the BHSE, etc). It's interesting, as this is the first time I've ever heard somebody describe the mk2 as having a peaked treble (I've heard all about the midbass bump and upper mids honk).

 

[dreamwhisper]

nice, just changed/corrected my pad placement on the 007... makes a big difference
I hope where the spring strut is doesn't effect sound too much, cuz mine are in different places on each side...

EDIT: it took me 10 minutes to take off the pad and put it back on the second time to fix the spring strut issue, it makes a big difference too,
lol it took me 20 frantic minutes to take off the pads the first time and to understand the mechanism, when to rotate the pads-you don't even need to take them off the phone!! lulzzz

wow, now that I've got the ergonomics right, 007 is straight back to blowing my f'in mind again

 

[edstrelow]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gilency /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ed: I appreciate your comments,since I also live in SoCal and like to enjoy concerts around here. Have you had time to compare your 007A with an Mk1? As far as the Sigma goes, I actually really like my Pro's driven by an eXStata. I am not shy about using a parametric equalizer and I can listen for hours without fatigue. Recently purchased some of Vivaldi's concerts, never previously released and the soundstage is just magnificent, and the music coming out of my Sigma Pro is very, very enjoyable.

The Sigma Pro is obviously close in sound to the Sigma/404. There is a bit more at the top and bottom of the Sigma/404, more middle in the Sigma pro. I had both running together at Canjam and I recall one listener commenting on a degree of refinement with the Sigma/404.

Quote:

Originally Posted by n3rdling /img/forum/go_quote.gif The mk2 must sound drastically different from the mk1 as a "peaked treble" is just about the opposite of what the O2 mk1 has (at least out of amps that aren't the BHSE, etc). It's interesting, as this is the first time I've ever heard somebody describe the mk2 as having a peaked treble (I've heard all about the midbass bump and upper mids honk).

I and others have commented on this mid-treble peak before.http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f113/t...estion-381975/

Quote:

Originally Posted by dreamwhisper /img/forum/go_quote.gif nice, just changed/corrected my pad placement on the 007... makes a big difference I hope where the spring strut is doesn't effect sound too much, cuz mine are in different places on each side... EDIT: it took me 10 minutes to take off the pad and put it back on the second time to fix the spring strut issue, it makes a big difference too, lol it took me 20 frantic minutes to take off the pads the first time and to understand the mechanism, when to rotate the pads-you don't even need to take them off the phone!! lulzzz wow, now that I've got the ergonomics right, 007 is straight back to blowing my f'in mind again

What exactly did you do to fix the spring?

I had a good chance to compare the Mk1 and the A 007's at Canjam LA. The sound is different, although I wouldn't say drastically so. These phones have a lot more in common than difference. The Mk1 was somewhat darker sounding as I recall. I have seen a frequency response graph of either the original Omega or the 007A which showed a steady roll-off of treble but a smallish peak at the top.

My point about the sound of the 007A is that one's sense of audio rightness and tonal balance changes after a long concert/opera hall experience. I am not saying the 007A would sound as bright with all material or equipment. The recording itself was fairly bright. However, the Sigma/404 is more forgiving of treble issues. I don't know what I would think about the Mk1 under these circumstances.

 

[Duckman]

What's the current availability of the Exstata components? Are there any builders out there willing to do the job for non-DIY no-hopers like myself?

 

[dreamwhisper]

I didn't do anything to fix the spring, just adjust the D-shape in relation to the spring

Other than rotating the pad...
The spring on one side is a little looser than the other, and I think it was like this when I bought it.. when the phones squish the pads against my head there is no problem though, no noticable effect.

 

[98664c3yijh]

hi gang!

i'm seeking advice on an amp. i run now srm-T1 with lambda signature and sigma normal.
what would be the next step? i plan on experimenting more with sigmas (trying pro and sigma/404)
as well as hunting some omegas. neutrality, albeit on a vivid side, is what i need.
is srm-oo7t worth the money? srm-600? stay with T1?

thanks & apologies if the topic is repeated!