[Pabro]

Hi all, sorry for a dummy question: Can I connect the input of a STAX amp with the output of a pre-amp for speaker? Will that damage the unit? I saw a lot of ad saying their headphone amp can be used as a pre-amp, so I think the answer to my question would be NO. But I'd like to confirm it in here. Thank you guys.

 

[vrln]

Quote:

Yes I will smite him... with my HE-6 though . Never my LCD-2 even if they are heavier.
 
When I finally decide which two headphones to sell I will probably try a 507 out... Been ***** footing but really it is too much to ask for a headphone to be both an LCD-2 and a Stax at the same time like I had been desperately hoping so I might as well have both

.
 
The only real deterrent is the fact it would seem heavier losses would be sustained from selling stax and/or harder to sell than your typical dynamic phone if I really didn't like them.
 
As Mr.Green was posting about it really would be neat to see some serious RnD in orthodynamic phones (not that I find the LCD-2 really lacking/offending in any manner other than weight and perhaps "air") because they really do seem to be the happy medium between dynamics and stats for many.

I´m not sure if the LCD-2 goes deeper than the SR-507, but what I´m pretty sure is that it has a lot more impact in the bass in general. In my experience, the LCD-2 sounds like a steamroller. Powerful and steady, but pretty heavy and the construction isn´t very elegant either. Oh and the steamroller drives a straight line in a very narrow endless dark tunnel. The narrow tunnel and the dust in the air there are its main problems. I enjoyed the bass of the LCD-2, but felt it couldn´t be appreciated without the clear air and open skies. It´d be very interesting to see what Sennheiser could do with ortho tech though, as they seem to be the market leaders when it comes to soundstage. An ortho with a much larger soundstage than the current models would be great (I´d still stay with Stax though, this dreamlike sound has me too hooked)
 
Stax gear has a really unique etherial, delicate delivery. It never sounds gritty or overly aggressive. I bet many will feel Stax sounds too "polite" compared to many dynamics or orthos. An LCD-2 kind of bass would sound very out of place in the overall sound signature. To be honest I don´t think you´ll like the SR-507 as a genre-agnostic headphone at least. If you´ve heard any Stax you pretty much know what to expect, except the SR-507 is a more refined version of it. But general ´stat sound style is still there in the SR-507. You might like it as a genre-specific headphone though (vocals stuff especially), but in that case it´s a pretty large investment considering the "profit". In the end what´s important in audio is to find your own personal Xanadu. Nothing wrong in feeling the orthos are exactly that. We all have different preferences.

 

[Gradofan2]

 
Quote:

Remove 4 resistors and add 4 others of equal value.  You can change the gain but I don't recommend it since it causes some very mild noise issues.  Those could be tracked down and fixed (mostly tied to layout issues with the boards) but I simply wouldn't bother. 
 
You can find the mods on the site which cannot be mentioned... 
 

Oh... I didn't realize... 
 
... I guess I've never read "the rules." 
 
And... I guess... I don't have enough "passion and perseverance" to continue my Stax pursuit - just too many hurdles to get there... or... exhorbitant costs to achieve a marginal improvement in sound quality over good dynamic set ups, which are far less costly. 
 
Oh... I suppose... if one were fortunate enough to "luck upon" a 717, it might have been OK... but... they seem to be "few and far between."  But... even then... from what I can tell from the Stax setups I've tried... the improvement in sound quality would be marginal.  So... I've sold both the 007 MKII and the 007t II.  And... have abandoned the "02 pursuit." 
 
I still have the 507's, which I thought sounded much better with the 007t II than the 007 MKII's... and... I may try the 323S with them, just to see if they get any better with higher output voltage in an all SS amp - but, I'm skeptical that they will be better than my dynamic set ups.  They do sound great... with great clarity, detail, resolution, and soundstage.  And... they've got pretty good bass and mids... but... I'm not really sure they're much better than what I've got, if any better.   And... I'm just not certain... it's worth the additional investment in a setup that can't be used with anything other than Stax phones, for rather subtle improvements in sound.  We'll see...
 
The more I experiment with various setups... the more I realize this hobby is really all about "nuance" and preference, without any "giant leaps" forward, even at significant added investments... no matter how effusive some get over their new stuff.
 
 

 

[DaveBSC]

 
Quote:

And... I guess... I don't have enough "passion and perseverance" to continue my Stax pursuit - just too many hurdles to get there... or... exhorbitant costs to achieve a marginal improvement in sound quality over good dynamic set ups, which are far less costly. 
 
Oh... I suppose... if one were fortunate enough to "luck upon" a 717, it might have been OK... but... they seem to be "few and far between."  But... even then... from what I can tell from the Stax setups I've tried... the improvement in sound quality would be marginal.  So... I've sold both the 007 MKII and the 007t II.  And... have abandoned the "02 pursuit."

That's too bad. IMO the O2 when driven properly far exceeds any dynamic phone I've heard (which doesn't include the R10). I agree that the amp situation could and should be much better, as unless you have $5K+ to spend on a BHSE, WES, or A-10, the KGSS is really the only game in town. The Stax amp options are perfectly adequate for the SR-507 and below, but not for the O2.
 
I think there's plenty of room in the market for a ~$3500 SS or tube stat amp (I'd buy one), but nobody is doing one, at least not right now.

 

[TIMITS]

Quote:

I think there's plenty of room in the market for a ~$3500 SS or tube stat amp (I'd buy one), but nobody is doing one, at least not right now.

 
This is my point of view also.  Something with the Blue Hawaii's sound capability but without the fancy case would be ideal and a product commercially available for us non DIY's who are a potential fire risk with a soldering iron.

 

[DaveBSC]

Quote:

This is my point of view also.  Something with the Blue Hawaii's sound capability but without the fancy case would be ideal and a product commercially available for us non DIY's who are a potential fire risk with a soldering iron.

Indeed. My guess is that Headamp's eventual KGSS-HV will probably be somewhere around that range, but that still leaves the door wide open for something tube driven and designed for the O2 that can fill the price gap between the GES and the big guns.

 

[wind016]

 
Quote:

 
 
I still have the 507's, which I thought sounded much better with the 007t II than the 007 MKII's... and... I may try the 323S with them, just to see if they get any better with higher output voltage in an all SS amp - but, I'm skeptical that they will be better than my dynamic set ups.  They do sound great... with great clarity, detail, resolution, and soundstage.  And... they've got pretty good bass and mids... but... I'm not really sure they're much better than what I've got, if any better.   And... I'm just not certain... it's worth the additional investment in a setup that can't be used with anything other than Stax phones, for rather subtle improvements in sound.  We'll see...
 

A member told me that the Omega 2s have much bigger difference in sound from amplification than any dynamics he ever tried... But you already have an electrostatic rig so I guess you won't be missing out on much.

 

[crumpler]

Quote:

 

Oh... I didn't realize... 
 
... I guess I've never read "the rules." 
 
And... I guess... I don't have enough "passion and perseverance" to continue my Stax pursuit - just too many hurdles to get there... or... exhorbitant costs to achieve a marginal improvement in sound quality over good dynamic set ups, which are far less costly. 
 
Oh... I suppose... if one were fortunate enough to "luck upon" a 717, it might have been OK... but... they seem to be "few and far between."  But... even then... from what I can tell from the Stax setups I've tried... the improvement in sound quality would be marginal.  So... I've sold both the 007 MKII and the 007t II.  And... have abandoned the "02 pursuit." 
 
I still have the 507's, which I thought sounded much better with the 007t II than the 007 MKII's... and... I may try the 323S with them, just to see if they get any better with higher output voltage in an all SS amp - but, I'm skeptical that they will be better than my dynamic set ups.  They do sound great... with great clarity, detail, resolution, and soundstage.  And... they've got pretty good bass and mids... but... I'm not really sure they're much better than what I've got, if any better.   And... I'm just not certain... it's worth the additional investment in a setup that can't be used with anything other than Stax phones, for rather subtle improvements in sound.  We'll see...
 
The more I experiment with various setups... the more I realize this hobby is really all about "nuance" and preference, without any "giant leaps" forward, even at significant added investments... no matter how effusive some get over their new stuff.
 
 

717 for sale at the FS forum here.

 

[Gradofan2]

Thanks... but... it's too late for me... maybe someone else.
 
 

 

[schorsch]

Dear list members,
 
I'm looking for information about the closed Stax SR-50 design.
 
Regards Georg
 
PS: By the way there is a ED-1 Monitor on ebay Germany. I'm not the seller! Just wanted to tell you.

 

[spritzer]

The SR-50 is just a SR-40/60 with a closed cup filled with mineral wool.  No bass reflex tricks or anything like that. 

 

[mralexosborn]

Has anyone tried a listening to a pair of Stax and a pair of speakers simultaneously? I tried my SR404's and a pair of Fostex FE126's and the sound is incredible. Infinite soundstage with the mid to upper frequencies still staying personal. I am still assembling proper cabinets for the FE126's, I wonder if that will make a drastic difference. 

 

[MrGreen]

Quote:

PS: By the way there is a ED-1 Monitor on ebay Germany. I'm not the seller! Just wanted to tell you.

Damn, I'd have snapped that up if it was the signature version

Are there any plots of what the EDs do in terms of frequency response? It'd give me an easier time than trying to EQ the response of my lambda sigs up to DF
 

 

[Pabro]

Quote:

Has anyone tried a listening to a pair of Stax and a pair of speakers simultaneously? I tried my SR404's and a pair of Fostex FE126's and the sound is incredible. Infinite soundstage with the mid to upper frequencies still staying personal. I am still assembling proper cabinets for the FE126's, I wonder if that will make a drastic difference. 

Do you mean sitting in front of a pair of speakers with your headphone on, and output your music simultaneously to the speaker and headphone? What an interesting idea! I never tried that, but am intrigued! 
 

 

[John Buchanan]

Here you go......

Quote:

Damn, I'd have snapped that up if it was the signature version

Are there any plots of what the EDs do in terms of frequency response? It'd give me an easier time than trying to EQ the response of my lambda sigs up to DF