[edstrelow]

I am still impressed by the Stax SRXIII Pro, even compared to my Sigma/404 and SR007A. They have great detail and I find I am able to follow complex passages in opera and classical music very easily. I can see why the low bias version was considered a monitor phone. They lack some of the timbre you would get with the Sigma/404 and especially the 007A. . A big part of their appeal is that while they have good bass, there is none of the bass bloat that you get with most other Staxen. They give a dry sound, somewhat lacking in ambience, but still delightful.
 
One oddity about them is that there is considerable harshness when the system is used cold, i.e. not warmed up. (Generally I use them with a Stax SRM1Mk2 or 717 amp.) However once warmed up the sound is much less harsh. Most people realize that Stax systems need to be warmed up, but what is odd here is that the warm-up effect takes a different character with the SRXIII Pro. With Sigmas, there is reduction in bass boominess and an incresae in treble/midrange when warmed up. With the SRXII pro it is more like a reduction in the 2kHz to 8kHz range.
 
I also use contact enhancers based on Silclear (a silver paste) and Progold. These also help with the harshness problem.

 

[rgs9200m]

What were the Stax CA-X and CA-Y preamps and what did they evolve to?

 

[Warpkitty]

Quote:

The SR009 and 006T is a good advice. I only use SR507 with 006TS and for classical this is heaven, ever repeating what has been said before but it is so transparent and true to the instruments voice, it is scary.

Hmmm. Perhaps your setup is a better choice for classical over the SR007/727? Certainly less costly.

 

[n3rdling]

Quote:

Yes, I was considering new and I have indeed checked out pricejapan. The SR-009's are heavily back ordered at the moment so that gave me pause for thought. However I am keeping my eye on used gear here and at audiogon, especially in the amp department.
 
I get what you're saying about going for the better transducer, but I'm not really sure that my ears are as discerning as others. For example, I "get" the STAX sound from my old SR-40s and I "get" the HD800 sound from listening to those 'phones in a shop. I also had an opportunity to listen to some AKG 701's at the same time and found the sound profile similar enough to the HD800s to just go for the AKG's (I purchased neither). In the end, I think I like the HD600s better than both for the tonal presentation of acoustic instruments. Ultimately, one would have to just sit with these things for a month or so to make a really informed judgement.
 
So I think I just can't swing the TOTL STAX setup, but wanted to try the SR-007's to try the Omega sound.
 
Make sense?

 
I was just trying to point out that a new SR-007mk2 + SRM-727 combo is just as costly as the system I recommended.  The 007 combo is $4600 on elusivedisc, the 009 combo I recommended is ~$4100 if you don't mind waiting a while for pricejapan.  Alternately you could buy the SR-007A from pricejapan and the SRM-727 from a US distributor and that would lower the cost some.  You also wouldn't have to worry about buying a step up transformer for the amp since changing the voltage on a Japanese SRM-727A can be tricky.
 
The two headphones sound quite different from one another.  The 007 is a bit on the warm side, 009 more neutral (think LCD2 vs HD600).  009 has a significantly larger soundstage which is part of the reason I recommended it to you (I like a big soundstage for classical).  Both have top-notch imaging.
 
If you want to go even cheaper, I highly recommend trying to find a vintage Lambda setup.  The original Lambda series sounds better than the newer stuff to me.

 

[Warpkitty]

Quote:

 
I was just trying to point out that a new SR-007mk2 + SRM-727 combo is just as costly as the system I recommended.  The 007 combo is $4600 on elusivedisc, the 009 combo I recommended is ~$4100 if you don't mind waiting a while for pricejapan.  Alternately you could buy the SR-007A from pricejapan and the SRM-727 from a US distributor and that would lower the cost some.  You also wouldn't have to worry about buying a step up transformer for the amp since changing the voltage on a Japanese SRM-727A can be tricky.
 
The two headphones sound quite different from one another.  The 007 is a bit on the warm side, 009 more neutral (think LCD2 vs HD600).  009 has a significantly larger soundstage which is part of the reason I recommended it to you (I like a big soundstage for classical).  Both have top-notch imaging.
 
If you want to go even cheaper, I highly recommend trying to find a vintage Lambda setup.  The original Lambda series sounds better than the newer stuff to me.

I very much appreciate your suggestions n3rdling. It is indeed a big dollar outlay, so perhaps splitting things up between pricejapan and locally for the amp is a good idea. And I could wait for the SR-009's from pricejapan, get an amp now, and maybe some Lambdas to tie me over. Many options.
 
I like the way you're comparing the LCD2 to the HD600. I can listen to the LCDs locally, so perhaps I should and get a little idea. All of this is non-ideal, but I did manage to get the WA2 and HD600's based on other's impressions form Head-Fi and that worked out really well.
 
You mentioned the earlier Lambda's. Is there a particular combination that is recommended?
 
Thanks so much!

 

[n3rdling]

Btw, when I compared the LCD2 and HD600 it was in terms of tonality/frequency response neutrality only - not bass impact, detail, or anything else.
 
If you end up getting one of the Stax tube amps (one of the SRM-T1 variants or the SRM-006), they pair very well with the Lambdas.  I would recommend the SR-Lambda (~$275), the SR-Lambda Signature (~$475), and the SR-Lambda Nova Signature (~$475).  All are very good headphones and will showcase the Stax sound.  You could use one of them until the SR-009 arrives and it pairs pretty well with those tube amps as well.  The SR-007 however doesn't pair very well with the Stax tube amps, so that would change your upgrade path if you decide to go down that road.

 

[raulcf77]

Hi friends! I´m going to get a pair of SR-009 (i was blown away when I heard them

). I will power them with a SRM-717. Looking over there you can see such very expensive headphone amps as BHSE, Cavalli´s...is that a big improve over an amp like the 717 (taking into account the same source)? I´m not able to listen one of those amps and I´m thinking in the future if invest in one of them or not

 

[Michgelsen]

Speaking of the 717, does anybody have one with a known age, and if so, can you tell me the serial number?
 
I'm trying to figure out how old my 717 is. I have no clue. Its serial number is W01076.

 

[shipsupt]

Yes, I was considering new and I have indeed checked out pricejapan. The SR-009's are heavily back ordered at the moment so that gave me pause for thought. However I am keeping my eye on used gear here and at audiogon, especially in the amp department.

For those thinking about PriceJapan, to give you an idea of lead time; my 009's shipped yesterday, almost 2 months to the day from purchase.

 

[CDPlayer]

If anybody could suggest the best way of taking off the old pads from a 4070 (or a Lambda) without tearing/blistering skin on one's fingers when trying to "roll" the residual sticky off, I would be very much obliged...
 
Thanks

 

[shipsupt]

I've used WD-40 in the past to remove adhesives and it's fairly mild, just be VERY careful with it since you'll be working around the drivers.  No need to spray it on... just put a little on a cloth and then soak it into the adhesive.
 
I've also had good luck with Goo-gone.  It's citrus based so very mild.
 
You can also use a hair dryer.  Again, watch how hot you're getting things, like the drivers.
 
I've not used any of these to remove pads from any STAX, but they are methods that have worked on other "stuff".

 

[arnaud]

Hair dryer, you guys are brave!

 

[wink]

Quote:arnaud

Hair dryer, you guys are brave!

Also very adept or stupid......

 

[shipsupt]

Thanks Wink.  I'll assume you were calling me adept...  

 
 
Did you miss the "be careful", and "this might not be the best application of this method" part of my message?
 
Quote:

Also very adept or stupid......

 

[arnaud]

That reminds me of an intership at a (now defunct, the following might partly explain why ) french audio manufacturer. I was helping with the assembly of these expensive bookshelf speakers with some high-end mid bass drivers in them. After having carefully soldered the wires from the crossover unit to the driver, the final touch before screwing the driver in was to use a "hair dryer" to get the heat shrink to fit at the solder joint location. And I was happely blowing hot air against the connector block, making sure the (probably of no use but nice looking) heatshrink reduced in size to fit tightly and hide the exposed wire / solder.
 
As I was making something like twenty speakers in parallel, I got more and more brave as I went through the line. Until, to my horrified eyes, I discovered the spider was bulging on one of the drivers. Yep, that wasn't just cosmetic as pushing the cone on its axis very much felt like the coil was rubbing against one of the pole pieces. Oups, the speaker before that is doing the same thing... Oups, that one too.... This was a Friday evening I believe probably 11PM, the shipment was supposed to occur on the following Monday as I recall. Oh, I spent such a relaxed week end after that, waiting for Monday morning to tell the boss. I think I did not get as much involved with assembly after that and got to go back playing upstairs with the prototyping of speakers .