[Fishfood]

The Quad are still the best speaker in the world (and I've heard a ton of them) for people who like to listen to performances reproduced within a defined space. The ability of the Quads to recreate the sense of fingers on instruments and voices coming from mouths is remarkable. They also recreate the recording space incredibly well. It's like you can feel the walls of the room. Truly holographic. You just need the right amplifier! That's always the trick... but if you are willing to spend the money, they will give a lifetime of happiness, until you move to a place they don't fit anymore

 

[carbonfet]

Is a scratchy noise normal for the SRM-1/MK2 when turning the volume? It seems to only happen at certain positions (around 9 and 2 o'clock). Is it just characteristic of the alps (RK27 if I recall correctly) in the amp? It doesn't bother me too much since I don't use those positions often but if it can be remedied I'll do that.

 

[wuwhere]

I don't have an SRM-T1 but I have two tube speaker amps that I bias myself.
 
Its pretty straightforward.
You need a plastic screwdriver like this one http://www.all-spec.com/products/AT-3767.html?gclid=CLKCsqzupLMCFQmonQod6FQA9w
 
I also use a minigrabber to clip the pins at one end and the DMM leads at the other.
Get a few of these. I would clip all the pins first before I start (both left and right channels).
That way I only have to clip the DMM leads at the other end.
http://www.robotshop.com/elenco-tl-21-mini-minigrabber.html
 
 
With the amp off, swap the tubes. With new tubes I usually let the tube warm for 15 to 20 minutes before I adjust their bias.
 
Here's the thread on how to bias an SRM-T1.  Good luck.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/324155/biasing-stax-srm-t1

 

[K_19]

Quote:

Is a scratchy noise normal for the SRM-1/MK2 when turning the volume? It seems to only happen at certain positions (around 9 and 2 o'clock). Is it just characteristic of the alps (RK27 if I recall correctly) in the amp? It doesn't bother me too much since I don't use those positions often but if it can be remedied I'll do that.

 
I don't hear it at all. And I've never heard such noises in any amp with the Blue Velvet Pot. It might need some remedying.

 

[rgs9200m]

Quote:

The Quad are still the best speaker in the world (and I've heard a ton of them) for people who like to listen to performances reproduced within a defined space. The ability of the Quads to recreate the sense of fingers on instruments and voices coming from mouths is remarkable. They also recreate the recording space incredibly well. It's like you can feel the walls of the room. Truly holographic. You just need the right amplifier! That's always the trick... but if you are willing to spend the money, they will give a lifetime of happiness, until you move to a place they don't fit anymore

Sorry about your loss (but headphones have come a long way; I also had to use phones for domestic purposes much of the time, but now I love my phones
and would never be without them, as they do some things speakers never do, so I'm a believer, at least in my 009s, TH900s, and W3000ANVs).
 
Yep, I heard the Quad 2805s and, although I didn't hear much bass and the images were a bit small, I heard the an extraordinary delicacy and impression of reality
as if I could just touch the violin right in front of me, like a hologram or a transporter from Star Trek, it just materialized right in front of me,
and I never got that out of my head. It's funny, because I was never a big fan of Martin Logans or Maggies, but the Quads were special in creating
virtual reality. 

 

[J-Pak]

Quote:

The Quad are still the best speaker in the world (and I've heard a ton of them) for people who like to listen to performances reproduced within a defined space. The ability of the Quads to recreate the sense of fingers on instruments and voices coming from mouths is remarkable. They also recreate the recording space incredibly well. It's like you can feel the walls of the room. Truly holographic. You just need the right amplifier! That's always the trick... but if you are willing to spend the money, they will give a lifetime of happiness, until you move to a place they don't fit anymore

 
Which Quads did you have, and what amp did you use?

 

[milosz]

SPRITZER   many thanks for your concise notes about the  various SR-007 models.  That's really useful information.

 

[milosz]

I've got a pair of ESL-57's made in 1969, with rebuilt treble panels done by Wayne Piquet of Quads Unlimited.  I also replaced the cooked HT boards with his units, and added his zener protection boards.
 
I  LOVE my ESL-57's.  There is just something about the "embodied" quality of their sound from the bass through the mids. It's an incredible "rightness" to the frequency range where all musical instruments have their fundamentals and first overtone or two.   I think it comes from a very smooth frequency response in the realm, along with VERY VERY low distortion and very good time-domain behavior. Voices, guitars, acoustic bass, timbales, tabla, reeds- they are all so "palpable" with no hist of "chestiness" or overhang.  The highs are good but beamy, and the bass is excellent within the dynamic limits of the speaker. 
 
I use them in a small room, well out from the back wall and not terribly far from my listening chair. I am able to get quite good volume levels and really very good bass down to just below 40 Hz.
 
I have tried a wide variety of amplifiers, within my budget. I have settled on two: a Forte 4a with the "Soderburg"  mods, and a Citation 2 with "full McShane" mods. The Forte has great bass, liquid mids and airy highs; the Citation's bass is nearly as good but lacks a little of the Forte's control, while at the same time having fabulous mids and 'sweeter' highs.
 
I've found that tube or solid state amps less than 50 watts / channel just don't quite get me the most out of this speaker, even though many people say not to use more than 30 watts/ch.  With the zener clamps, there's no danger to the panels from higher powered amps.  I've never heard the sound of the clamps in operation except once when I purposely tried to see how loud I could play the system, on a 120 watt/channel class A solid state amp I was trying out.  You can certainly hear it when you "hit the zener clamp level" - horrible distortion, made me fear for the amp-  but after lowering the level, all was well.
 
I got mine for $500 on eBay, local pickup, in "as is" condition.  I think the treble panel rebuild cost $600, and the sundry boards added another $200 or so.  So, say maybe $1,500 when all was said and done.   Best audio money I ever spent.
 
 

 

[di_andrei]

Quote:

In a nutshell:
 
Mk1 early version:  Super smooth sound with the best midrange and bass of any headphone, top end a bit dark unless you drive it properly. 
Mk1 later version:  Not quite a smooth and the bass is a bit uneven but these are small differences.  Better materials all around so these will last longer. 

 
Any way to distinguish between these 2 versions? Without reaching for a screwdriver.
 
My set has had the headband replaced and I guess the serial number was lost in the process - so that is not an option.
 
Thanks!

 

[catscratch]

I believe the early versions had serials starting with "70xxx" and "71xxx" while the latter versions had "SZ1-xxxx" serials, but I'm not sure if the change happened with the switch to SZ1-style serial numbers. It may have happened before.

 

[spritzer]

Quote:

Is a scratchy noise normal for the SRM-1/MK2 when turning the volume? It seems to only happen at certain positions (around 9 and 2 o'clock). Is it just characteristic of the alps (RK27 if I recall correctly) in the amp? It doesn't bother me too much since I don't use those positions often but if it can be remedied I'll do that.

 
Get some deoxit and use it to clean the wiper inside the pot which will make it like new again. 
 
Quote:

 
Any way to distinguish between these 2 versions? Without reaching for a screwdriver.
 
My set has had the headband replaced and I guess the serial number was lost in the process - so that is not an option.
 
Thanks!

 
There is a material difference but you have to know what to look for.  Otherwise it's off with the earpads and look at the driver frame.  The serial number is also on the cardboard box the phones shipped in if you have it. 

 

[astrostar59]

Off topic: I run my system with a tubed pre amp which has 2 x pre-out RCAs. I run one to my main speakers, and the other to the Stax SRM-717.
 
Will running 2 loads reduce the quality or strength of the signal from the pre-amp, even if one or the other is switched off?
 
Just curious, as technically connecting 2 x output devices would raise the resistance yes? Or does it not matter if one is switched off?
 
I don't really want to unhook one or the other as my listing goes to speakers or headphone for the evening...

 

[musicman59]

Quote:

Off topic: I run my system with a tubed pre amp which has 2 x pre-out RCAs. I run one to my main speakers, and the other to the Stax SRM-717.
 
Will running 2 loads reduce the quality or strength of the signal from the pre-amp, even if one or the other is switched off?
 
Just curious, as technically connecting 2 x output devices would raise the resistance yes? Or does it not matter if one is switched off?
 
I don't really want to unhook one or the other as my listing goes to speakers or headphone for the evening...

You should not have a problem at all. My pre-amp has 2 balanced outputs and 2 single ended outputs active at the same time. Also my PWD DAC has a single ended output and a balanced output. I am using both at the same time feeding my pre-amp and also my WA-5LE.
 
I even split the siganl of one of the output with no audible difference at all.

 

[rgs9200m]

Quote:

You should not have a problem at all. My pre-amp has 2 balanced outputs and 2 single ended outputs active at the same time. Also my PWD DAC has a single ended output and a balanced output. I am using both at the same time feeding my pre-amp and also my WA-5LE.
 
I even split the siganl of one of the output with no audible difference at all.

Running through 2 preamps/attenuators wrecks the sound. I tried it every which way from Adam with many preamps and headphone amps for a long time, some of very high quality, and gave up on it completely.
I was doing it for convenience (remote volume control), and also adding finer volume control when stepped attenuators were an issue in high-gain situations.
It always failed and sent audiophile sound out the window. Resolution, imaging, staging, you name it, ruined.
So no free lunch. Sorry to be so harsh, but those were my (frustrating) results.
 
Addendum, I also tried the trick of setting one attenuator in the chain to max, as I was advised, and that did no good for the sound.
Note: even when a 2nd attenuator is not involved, although not as bad, it also removed a lot of resolution and made the sound unacceptable.
For instance, the Rca and XLR outputs of my Stax 007t/ii amp muddle the sound. So do the similar outputs of my Rudistor RP010B amp.
I think it's just the fact that there is a detour through and a 2nd set of interconnects.
(And i love both these amps used direct with a source and headphones.)
This happens with headphones or speakers.
 
To me, source==>headphone amp===>phones  and source==>preamp==>amp===>speakers are the only ways to consider or even try if you care about the sound.
That's why I always use a headphone amp that can serve as a preamp too, and also use a source with 2 sets of outputs.

 

[musicman59]

Quote:

Running through 2 preamps/attenuators wrecks the sound. I tried it every which way from Adam with many preamps and headphone amps for a long time, some of very high quality, and gave up on it completely.
I was doing it for convenience (remote volume control), and also adding finer volume control when stepped attenuators were an issue in high-gain situations.
It always failed and sent audiophile sound out the window. Resolution, imaging, staging, you name it, ruined.
So no free lunch. Sorry to be so harsh, but those were my (frustrating) results.
 
Addendum, I also tried the trick of setting one attenuator in the chain to max, as I was advised, and that did no good for the sound.
Note: even when a 2nd attenuator is not involved, although not as bad, it also removed a lot of resolution and made the sound unacceptable.
For instance, the Rca and XLR outputs of my Stax 007t/ii amp muddle the sound. So do the similar outputs of my Rudistor RP010B amp.
I think it's just the fact that there is a detour through and a 2nd set of interconnects.
(And i love both these amps used direct with a source and headphones.)
This happens with headphones or speakers.
 
To me, source==>headphone amp===>phones  and source==>preamp==>amp===>speakers are the only ways to consider or even try if you care about the sound.
That's why I always use a headphone amp that can serve as a preamp too, and also use a source with 2 sets of outputs.

I am not running the signal through two attenuators or volume controls and I don't think he is asking that. He is what I am doing in one of my systems.
 
Source => DAC === XLR output==>Y XLR Spliter ==> Preamp === XLR output 1 ==> Speakers amplifier.
                          I                                       I                        L === XLR output 2 ==> speaker amplifier driving HE-6.
                          I                                       L =====> 727 II
                          L=== RCA output ==> WA5-LE