Well the HP1000 I admired right away for its build and looks, sort of like Ms. February in the latest issue of.. nevermind. Anyway I am really really happy to now own that headphone. I washed the earpads, so that and the headband-bending should make things nice and comfy.
I had to clean up the Stax earpads too, but in this case it was because the thin outer covering of the pads was deteriorating so badly I just scratched it all off. The basic pads are in great shape though. I'm running the Stax's off my VTL mono blocks, in triode mode, and the sound-- especially in the midrange and treble, is astonishing. Its true what people say about 'electrostatic sound'. The low frequencies may be rolled off compared to dynamic headphones, but the power with which they get HF information is awesome. I was listening to Glenn Gould play piano, and it sounds for the most part like a duet is being performed.. thats how clearly and distinctly you hear Glenn humming along as he plays. If theres a drawback in this instance its only that Glenn Gould is no Pavarotti.
I'm experimenting with equalizing the Stax's to bring out more bass, and the results are good.