[MorbidToaster]

I use a water pick regularly myself. Really changes the way things sound when they're squeeky clean.
 
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One think I am thrilled about is last week I finally had good luck getting ear wax out and was there ever a lot. I tried emergency room doctors before with mixed results and tried myself quite a few times with no luck. It is very hard to do but with a few days of ear drops and water ball it worked. Probably going to take some time to find the O2's as dark as people say because sure sounded bright after having high frequency hearing cut off for so long.

 
 

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

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Another quick update on the GES paired with the MK2, since I've been receiving some PMs about the GES lately (people giving up their LCD2s for the O2! they've seen/heard the light).
 
I finally swapped out the stock Tung Sols with a quad of NOS Sylvania 6S4A.  Immediately improvement in the instrument separation.  Someone who listens to my setup regularly said that it sounds a lot cleaner now.  Cheap upgrade, as NOS Sylvania 6S4As are only a few bucks on the market still.  I also have some NOS RCAs which supposedly have better bass, but I'm going to stick with the Sylvanias for awhile and let them burn in some.
 
Long story short, swapping out the stock Tung Sols with a quad of NOS Sylvania 6S4A and quad of reissue cryo-treated Mullard 12AX7 has largely gotten rid of the muddiness I disliked about the GES, particularly in the low-end.  Really obvious on tracks like Smashing Pumpkins 'Zero', Garbage 'Vow', Metric 'Gold Guns Girls', and Silversun Pickups 'Panic Switch'.  I could use some more bass slam, but I figure that'll come with the BHSE.  The bass presence is certainly not lacking, and I'd say it's around on par with Grado now (though still not within swinging distance of the LCD2).
 
Yes, the O2s still sound 'dark' but overall transparency has been significantly improved, and you don't need to go crazy with tube rolling to get a lot out of the GES.
 
Now if only my preamp can get here, to see if it can solve the soundstage issue...

That was basically my experience with tube rolling in the GES as well.  If you can find a slightly brighter source there is further improvement in tone.  My PS Audio Digital Link III sounded brighter in 192K up-sampling mode which helped the 007, but unfortunately the overall sound quality was not as good as my Apogee mini-DAC.
 

 

[Electrostax]

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I definitely agree with that. I just got back from a two person meet with another headfier and he thought the 407s sounded better than lcd-2, and he-6. It was his first time listening to stax however, and this was with a 2000.00+ source. But the 407s are amazing cans for the money. I like the he-6 slightly better, but they are in the same league imo. The astonishing part is, the he-6 are twice the price and the lcd-2s are 400.00 more.

Sure thing! And an often overlooked, but nevertheless very important fact in this "endgame" rig hunt of ours is the FUN - factor!
By that I mean that one rig may measure more correct and have a scientific-technically superior sound, however be so boring and bland or demanding and annoying after a short while, that it puts a rather early end to every listening session. Not necessarily because of fatigue, but simply because you lose interest as it fails to inspire further listening...  
FUN headphone rigs on the other hand may have minute shortcomings in their analytical abilities, but make up for this in some kind of musical quality, call it coloration, second order harmonics or whatever you like. The point is it sounds better to the entire mind-body system and starts endorphines flowing, feet unvoluntarily tapping, smiles slowly creeping across your face, a sensation of happy bliss spreads in your head and you WANT MORE! 

   -Listening for hours upon end.
 
I "downgraded" deliberately from the technically slightly more able rig of srm323s/sr507 to the more FUN and to my ears more musically agile srm006ts/sr407 and have not looked back a second!  Both are brilliant and probably measure close to perfection, however one gives more enjoyment.  
 
I was planning to upgrade to a BHSE in a year or two, thinking it had to be the best thing out there, but now I seem to find some of the same issues that made me buy the "lesser rig" in the reviews of the cavalli lightning vs bhse, and if the cavalli is more FUN while still remaining close to perfection, I for one, definitely know what amp I will end up with!

 

[Elysian]

Where is the best place to buy the Stax CPC-1 dust cover and HPS-2 stand for someone in the US?  I saw them on Elusive Disc for $20 and $100.  Is there any other place worth looking at for an online purchase?
 
Also, I have a few large motherboard antistatic bags.  Would reusing one of those be better than dealing with the CPC-1?  I won't be able to use the HPS-2, but I usually just keep my O2s on top of a microfiber cloth so they don't get scratched.

 

[sridhar3]

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Where is the best place to buy the Stax CPC-1 dust cover and HPS-2 stand for someone in the US?  I saw them on Elusive Disc for $20 and $100.  Is there any other place worth looking at for an online purchase?
 
Also, I have a few large motherboard antistatic bags.  Would reusing one of those be better than dealing with the CPC-1?  I won't be able to use the HPS-2, but I usually just keep my O2s on top of a microfiber cloth so they don't get scratched.

I bought mine from Elusive Disc, as you mentioned.  I like the dust covers.  They're big enough that they should fit around pretty much any stand and any pair of headphones.  Jack Woo of Woo Audio can get 'em for you, but he'd have to order them, so there'd be some waiting involved.
 
I use antistatic bags for storing a lot of my electronics, but I find the plastic used in the CPC-1 is much more flexible.  The antistatic bags would work if they're big enough, I suppose.

 

[DaveBSC]

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Where is the best place to buy the Stax CPC-1 dust cover and HPS-2 stand for someone in the US?  I saw them on Elusive Disc for $20 and $100.  Is there any other place worth looking at for an online purchase?
 
Also, I have a few large motherboard antistatic bags.  Would reusing one of those be better than dealing with the CPC-1?  I won't be able to use the HPS-2, but I usually just keep my O2s on top of a microfiber cloth so they don't get scratched.

I think the primary purpose of the CPC-1 is just to keep dust away from the drivers. If you're not that concerned with looks, buy any old headphone stand, and then stick anything over the whole thing. A big jar, etc.
 

 

[DolphinG]

Well, as a STAX mania, I wanna get one SRM-X that can be used as portable.
 
Do you guys know where I can get one?
 
I know it's so rare and I didn't see one recently.
 
I also have 001 system, but it's not so satisfactory, so I wanna get one.
 
By the way, is it used by 2 sources?
 
Battery of adapter?
 
Anyone who used one of this, please give me some useful information.

 

[firgoe]

Is electrostatic headphone 100% safe? are u guys not reluctant at all putting your head in between 800 Volt of electricity?

 

[NamelessPFG]

Stax would have gone out of business years ago if they didn't get the safety down.
 
I've never been shocked while wearing my Lambda, and I don't think anyone else has, either.
 
The manual does make a point of not using them while you have a wet head, but I'd think that's common sense for anything electronic, especially involving high voltages. Besides, what are the chances of someone throwing on headphones after getting out of the shower or the pool without even drying his head first?

 

[firgoe]

I often used headphone after taking shower while my head is not completely dry. Of course not wet ... but not very dry either.
 
Any problem with radiation?

 

[svyr]

I often used headphone after taking shower while my head is not completely dry. Of course not wet ... but not very dry either.

Any problem with radiation?

this has been discussed several times before. It's not radiation, it's moisture causing arcing in the drivers and potentially damaging the diaphragm. (melting a hole in it I presume).
Correct me if I'm wrong

pretty sure people also discussed the current limiting resistors in the bias section, etc as well.

 

[milosz]

~800 volts on the Stax 'phones....
 
Walk across a wool carpet with synthetic soles on your shoes, touch a doorknob...snap, 10,000 volts. 
 
 
Volts don't kill.  Amps do.

 

[milosz]

 

[Electrostax]

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~800 volts on the Stax 'phones....
 
Walk across a wool carpet with synthetic soles on your shoes, touch a doorknob...snap, 10,000 volts. 
 
 
Volts don't kill.  Amps do.

+1
Nylon sweaters 30,000 volt sparks zap you upon removal, (not that I´d wear one ;P ), Walking on felt-tiled floors, then touching ground; ZAP! 70,000 volts....  Still alive!
-Amps kill. (no. -not amplifiers.)

 
 

 

[jazzfan]

Greetings!
 
I'm a first time STAX owner and, although I've only had mine for a relatively short period of time, I've been thoroughly enjoying my SR-009s. I have a question I was hoping someone here might be able to address.  This evening, while I was adjusting the fit of my SR-009s, I made a rather odd discovery.  I noticed that if I spread the forward facing edge of both earcups "outwards", away from my head about 1/4", there was a significant boost in mid-bass energy (approx. 63Hz-125Hz).  It's a bit boomy, but definitely more energy.  This is quite the opposite of what I've experienced with other circumaural headphones, where typically, I hear a "decrease" in bass if the headphones are not properly seated around the ears.

For me, the effect is quite noticeable.  Has anyone else experienced this effect with their SR-009s, and more broadly, is this common with other STAX models?  An explanation of what could be causing this would be appreciated, as well.