[PATB]

  What is your take on the SDS-XRL vs. Stax rig?

 
At this time, I prefer the SDS-XLR more, probably because I am so used to it and it sounds good with any of my albums.  I have been using the Stax for only three months, so it has yet to really grow on me. 
 
However, I listen mostly to folk/progressive blue grass, and I prefer the Stax rig for one-man, singer-song writer music.  For example, Neil Young Live at the Cellar Door is fantastic on the Stax rig, and really connects to me emotionally.  But I can't see the Stax rig to be my sole rig, because some albums are just unlistenable on it.  For example, the Tallest Man on Earth (any album, especially the early ones) is just plainly grating on the SR-009. 

 

[purk]

What amp are you using with your SR009?  It takes quite a good amp for the SR009 to shake loose the SDS-XLR + Phones.  You must try the HD800 with your SDS-XLR.  I think you will really appreciate it.  Despite Mikhail's bad rep, the SDS-XLR is probably the best sounding amp that he ever built.

 

[PATB]

  What amp are you using with your SR009?  It takes quite a good amp for the SR009 to shake loose the SDS-XLR + Phones.  You must try the HD800 with your SDS-XLR.  I think you will really appreciate it.  Despite Mikhail's bad rep, the SDS-XLR is probably the best sounding amp that he ever built.

I use a KGSSHV with the SR009.  I am not too convinced with the SR009 yet, so holding off getting all out (BHSE or Carbon). 
 
As for the HD800 -- still waiting for Todd to send me the Cardas Clear XLRs, so I am not critically listening to it at the moment. 

 

[edstrelow]

  Hi edstrelow , thank you for your thoughts and perspective on what there is left to do. Have you had any comments come back from the top end headphone makers such as Axel Grell on this? I have damped my HD800s and have seen and heard the effect of sorbothane damping on an He-6 compared to an unmodded. 
If you regard all current designs as obsolete then the future holds many treasures to come.....

 
My feelings exactly. It is very odd that the mechanical resonance issues have been ignored for headphones.   They are much less of a problem with speakers because you can make them very heavy, rigid and do things like mount them on spikes. With headphones, I am not sure there are any options to get rid of the form of distortion caused by mechanical resonance other than using damping materials such as sorbothane. 
 
I spoke to a few design people and mechanical engineers at the last Canjam in  SoCal but don't remember what companies they were with.  One guy actually hid his badge so I couldn't see it.  I remember another guy saying to me  that my Newtonian explanation  of the issue  was probably right.  Basically I think that  Newton's third law of motion applies here - that the same amount of acoustic energy goes into the earcup as goes into the air and ear and that it is this earcup energy which is causing the problem. 
 
I also spoke on the phone to an engineer at Sorbothane who told me that they didn't have much equipment to measure sound absorbance and couldn't provide much basic data about the damping of different frequencies.
 
I just sent one of my modified Stax Lambdas to the US Stax distributor to replace the cable and told them to listen to the unit to note the effects of sorbothane.  I am waiting to see if I get any feedback from them or if a message gets back to Stax in Japan.
 
It will be interesting to see if the upcoming Sennheisser superphone has effective damping.   I have seen publicity notes about the HD 800 claiming that these do employ visco-elastic damping, at least in the headband.
“
The headband consists of a sandwich design in which a metal layer is covered with several layers of plastic. The high-tech plastic possesses incredible attenuation characteristics and ensures that oscillations are not transmitted to the headphone mountings. “
 
So there appears to be some institutional awareness there about the issue.  However, you seem to have done your own additional work on these phones.
 
Yes the future could be quite bright and in the meantime you can do your own damping experiments.

 

[icebear]

  I still can't put it adequately into words but since I have the GSX-Mk2, I do indeed feel I have arrived.
 
End game for me :
Marantz SA11S3 (DC filter off, noise shaping off, Filter 2)
anti cable XLR
GSX-Mk2 (230V, DACT)
Norne Vanquish 2x 3pin XLR
Sennheiser HD800 (no mods)
 
I have listened to a couple of CD's that I thought I knew quite well and that from time to time I pulled from the shelf listened to a few tracks and put them back. ALL of the CD I was spinning with the above combination I listened from start to finish unable to press the skip or stop button.
 
I was driving the HD800 previously from the speaker tabs of a First Watt M2 and would have been perfectly fine with it w/o comparing it to the GSX ... and yes, the HD800 can be pushed further in performance. What is most surprising though is that everything became so relaxed.

 
 

OK got me there, I just received the GSX 2 weeks ago, but have the HD800 since 1.5 years. So I will reconfirm in 5 month and 2 weeks

 
 

 

OK got me there, I just received the GSX 2 weeks ago, but have the HD800 since 1.5 years. So I will reconfirm in 5 month and 2 weeks

 


I would be happy to include you now if we're only talking about the GSX and the phones have not been changed for 18 months for something either different or potentially better

UPDATE

:
I have the above set up now for exactly one year and 1 day (the HD800 for 2.5 years by now) and haven't changed a thing.
As a side effect, I have lost interest in the usual magazines for anything beyond music reviews.
My music collection has grown significantly but there is still the same fascination listening to acoustic music with this set up.
For me I would sign my above statement again right away.

 

[jibzilla]

That is a hell of a setup. I'm in the same boat, only it is a dsha-4 amp. Will have it soon and check back in 6 months.

 

[purk]

  That is a hell of a setup. I'm in the same boat, only it is a dsha-4 amp. Will have it soon and check back in 6 months.

Well....I'm sure jealous of your up and coming DSHA-4.  The Copenhagen V is heading here for me to audition in a week or two.

 

[jibzilla]

  Well....I'm sure jealous of your up and coming DSHA-4.  The Copenhagen V is heading here for me to audition in a week or two.

 
Yeah I had some parts on mine that did not fit the case so I think it might be a little while before I get mine. Doug might have to do the whole case over again...yikes...but I'm sure it will be worth the wait and I have lots of other fun toys to play with.
 
I forgot my kenwood TT, while vintage, is also only a couple weeks old. I have def. slowed down allot but I still get the itch here and there.
 
I know it is not hifi related but the new rane mp2014 and 2015 mixers have really caught my eye lately. The only thing that really is enticing me headphone wise is Nomax's mention of the stratosphere (k-1000 successor) headphone. If that is over $3k though I think my excitement will diminish allot. 

 

[Ngoliath]

I really like your thinking. One rig can't be enough...