Elephas

Hmm, I was just innocently wondering... I've read that the "general consensus" is that the O2Mk2 is inferior to the O2Mk1. Some people's descriptions made the Mk2 seem quite horrible, in fact. Lack of deep bass, annoying boomy mid-bass bump, tonality all skewed and off, vocals too forward, midrange too forward, tonality not balanced, it is too colored... I could go on, but I believe you know much better than me the weaknesses of the O2Mk2 versus the O2Mk1. So, if the Mk2 is so horrible, so different from, and so inferior to the O2Mk1, why did Justin demo the BHSE at the March 21 NY Meet with an O2Mk2? And why are the impressions so far in the meet thread very positive about the O2Mk2 + BHSE combo? I believe an O2Mk1 was also present at the meet? So shouldn't everyone have recognized immediately how superior the Mk1 is over the Mk2? Or maybe the people there were not discerning enough, including a certain n-maher (who was gracious enough to sell me a ThinkPad at a great price that I'm using)? I don't think any hurled Molljnirs can reach me if I hide in the basement for the rest of the month.

By distortion I meant that when the driver housings and earpads are pulled some distance away from the head, on both sides, the sound becomes thin, imaging becomes very fuzzy, tonality goes to hell, etc. Not one or both drivers sounding distorted. Pulling the bottom away slightly results in greater bass than pulling away the top or the sides. The bass is massive and deep, deeper than normal. Yes, it isn't as tight or as accurate, but it is massive and deep! There's probably a "sweetspot" distance where the bass quantity and quality is optimized for my preferences. It's not very much, I think about .5 to 1 centimeter. Just a little bit of lift of the earpads, and teh BASS! Can you imagine the SR-Omega being the ultimate basshead headphone?

Anyone with an SR-Omega willing to confirm something? When I lift its earpads up slightly, bass quantity becomes massive. This happens whether lifting them up at the bottom, front, back or top, and even also when lifting the entire earpad up about one centimeter. Increase the distance further and the sound is very distorted. But when the earpads are lifted just slightly the bass impact is huge. Imaging precision also becomes fuzzier. I assumed the SR-Omega also seals around the ear. When I press the driver housings slightly against my head there is also a squeal, but not as much as the O2Mk1 or O2Mk2. I thought that a seal was necessary for deep bass, but apparently perceived bass is greater without a seal than with one. With some tracks, I kind of like the massive bass. It is very satisfying, very deep and solid, and somehow comforting. OK, now I feel like an idiot, but an idiot enjoying massive bass. I stuck AAA batteries over my ears and under the earpads.

Looking at my Enigma Audio Oracle balanced AD2000, RS-1 and SA5000, it looks like they would fit on that amp as pictured, and would probably be OK even with a bit wider spacing. Someone seems to know what they're doing, or at least saw into the future and planned ahead for the WA22 amp.

It's possible that this might not work well with some dual-XLR plugs that have short cables after the Y-split. I think the two XLR outputs should be right next to each other, and the control knob to their right side.

Oh, yeah, the kid is definitely cute and I feel like an ass for saying let her die. But how many kids did casting go through? What happened to all those other kids? I'm just annoyed whenever one person is singled out as being so special. I dislike personality cults, hero-worship, etc. And when this becomes a plot device, where basically a large group of the last remaining humanity go and risk their lives for one person, I think the plot has gone bonkers. True, without a Battlestar they are probably going to be killed. But the Cylons had the chance to do that in New Caprica, and didn't. One of the things I liked before about the show was the struggle for survival and keeping hope alive against very large odds, in a smart and realistic way. The struggle for survival can be brutal, and even more so in deep space in a bunch of deteriorating spaceships with Cylons gunning for you. This Hera rescue is going to succeed and I know she won't die. TV can kill off an unborn child, but it will never depict a child killed. So whenever a cute kid comes into the scene, there are no surprises. Hmm, I wonder what Mr. Spock would think of Cylons. He would probably say they are illogical.

I'm still watching, up to S04E19, but I've lost a lot of interest and even skipped some parts. There just doesn't seem much point to anything anymore. Did it become too much like real life? The one thing that didn't make sense to me was how, other than the ability to Resurrect, the human-type Cylon models and humans were basically equivalent and interchangeable. What exactly is the difference? If the human-Cylons could not be detected as being non-humans, could breed with humans, had all the same qualities as humans... then aren't they humans? And if that was the point, I don't see it as a reasonable one based on other premises in the show. After the Resurrection ship was destroyed, the distinction between Cylons and humans was lost. The Cylons = humans, except that the Cylons also had an army of metal Cylons and a lot more weaponry. So we're left with the same old same old, a bunch of people arguing, fighting, and struggling for power. Cavil's rant about how he wanted to see X-rays, be made of metal, not have human weakness, etc. made sense to me, but it came too late in the show. And the answer given, that he and the others had "free choice," was not satisfactory for me. First, it's debatable whether anyone really has free choice in life. And second, being a machine that is exactly like a human, so much so that you become indistinguishable from a human, is not a prerequisite. This upcoming last episode, where they are about go rescue the child Hera, strikes me as absurd. Everyone risking their lives to go rescue one child. I don't care what the reasoning is or how important this human/Cylon child is supposed to be. Whenever we're presented with "one Special Person" who is supposed to be so essential and so special, I puke. I was also disgusted with the whole Starbuck thing before, where she was "The One" who could somehow find Earth.

Assuming "strap" refers to the headband... I've never gotten replacement foam, but I've bought replacement Stax earpads, headbands and also a new SR-Omega plastic headband assembly. I think $150 for foam and a cloth headband is too high. If this is a price quote from your local Stax dealer, it might be worthwhile to try other options. International shipping for cloth headbands, foam and earpads is not very expensive.

Wikipedia saves the day again! Sterno - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There are biasing controls in the amps. I had to buy a multimeter after I got a tube amp. Measuring DC V is the only thing I know how to do with it. The old, out-of-production tubes are usually best. They're not available everywhere, but you can still usually find them. I can't imagine how people found tubes before the Internet was widely available, but I guess there were a lot more of those tubes around then.

Wikipedia to the rescue! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mjolnir I want a Mj

Ah, nice to see someone who is smart and very discerning. Yes, the black Mk2 pads in the photo are obviously glorious genuine leather, no need to point it out. There is no debate, at least not in the animal kingdom. Mk2 = real leather, Mk1 = not real leather. Oooh, you even swapped out the foam! You... you... you Thor, you! I say we shouldn't make posts about headphones based on memory. As everyone knows, memory is a variable thing and unreliable. Please only post impressions about a headphone if you're actually listening to it at the time. OK, maybe if you heard it yesterday it's OK too. A week ago or even three weeks ago might also be good enough. But how long do we go? How long is too long? Three months? A year? How about someone hearing an SR-Omega 10 years ago, are his impressions still credible?

The W11JPN I don't mind giving up. But my K1000 is practically unused! An almost-NOS pair! I can't use it because it clamps too tight and hurts. And my head is only average-size. The album "Bad" isn't bad, but my favorite MJ song is "Thriller" on the Thriller SACD. I can't rip it, it is SACD only. For some reason this disc sounds incredibly good, much better than regular CDs. The sound effects in the song "Thriller" are binaural-like and they are great with headphones. Mama! I've missed you! Yes, I'm still on the BHSE list. Justin is holding my Jade hostage so I was afraid to cancel my order. I don't expect the BHSE to beat the ES-1, but I look forward to comparing them.

Here's a photo of the Mk1 with Mk2 earpads installed that I just took. It didn't take as long as I thought, but I did strain a neck muscle a little bit. The left side is sore now, so I have to go lie down for a few hours. Fortunately I can listen to headphones while lying down. Hey, you try changing the earpads with a trunk. Spritzer has large manly Thor-sized hands and I have to make do with a piece of floppy nose flesh, it's not fair. Oh, almost forgot, I came back here to say that Rihanna- Umbrella (Remixes) did sound kind of horrible with the O2Mk1. I can't remember why I listened to them so much before.

So the O2Mk1 is darker than most other headphones. Which is what I think too. Wow, the mighty giant hammer-wielding bristly-bearded no-nonsense take-no-prisoners Norse warrior agrees with little ol' baby elephant. OK, it's the other way around, of course I agree and side with the mighty warrior who could squash my trunk between his thumb and pinkie finger. I think the Mk1 and Mk2 are very close. The Mk2 seems slightly darker to me, but it could be its greater bass emphasis. Stop it already, please, I can't take it anymore! Obviously that was OK for me to do once but not by a bunch of other people. Hey, people got tired of my earpad dissertation and no one wanted to read anymore about the earpads. No matter if they are real or fake leather, Mk1 earpads are obviously inferior to the Mk2 earpads. But I have to say the O2Mk1 is feeling very nice and comfortable superglued to my head. Thanks for reminding me about Rihanna - Umbrella, I had stopped listening to it after 43 times, according to the play count. I'm going to go play it now and wiggle my butt.

OMG the O2Mk1 sounds amazing! Now, I don't use "OMG" lightly. I think it is childish and it is not proper English. Other terms such as LOL and OMFGBBQ are even worse. And don't get me started about using "u" in place of "you," for some reason I can't stand it. No, I'm not some grammar or spelling freak, but I can't help it. I blame my 7th grade English teacher. But today I tried the Sylvania 5751 with triple mica and black plates using the ECC-1 adapters in the ES-1. I had good results with some 5751 tubes in the Aristaeus, and I suspected they would perform similarly well in the ES-1. I think the 5751 has excellent clarity and crispness, great sense of imaging precision and individual note definition, and increases brightness a bit. All these qualities make for great results with the O2Mk1 or O2Mk2. Several 12AX7 types are also very good in their own different ways, especially smoothness and liquidity, but I haven't come across any that match the 5751's strengths. I can't stop listening. I haven't felt like this since I got my first good headphone. My first well-matched headphone and amp combo. No, it wasn't the K701 + Raptor. The first time I heard the R10. The first time I heard the O2Mk1 + KGSS. There's more, but you get the idea. I haven't tried the O2Mk2 yet. Why? I can't stop listening. I think these headphones are superglued to my head. Over and out.

I used to own a HeadAmp KGSS, which I bought used and sold after getting an Aristaeus. It was my first electrostatic amp. A local audio shop helped me sell it. I brought it over for prospective buyers to demo, using the shop's Stax headphones and sources, which can be quite good sometimes when they have special loaners from distributors. The KGSS sold after only four days. With the O2's, I preferred the Aristaeus over the KGSS, and now the ES-1 over the Aristaeus. But the KGSS is an excellent value, and I think it's better than the Stax 007tII or 727 amps.

You can try searching for posts by overlunge ayt999 jjcha on the other site. I recall they had the most experience with all the AT woodies including the L3000. I believe "ken36" also owned the entire line at one time, but his posts tended to be very brief.

Crazy elephant?! I'm "Super-cool baby elephant" dammit. I asked for all black except for silver tube rings. Yep, boring. I just know that I'm going to be jealous of other better-looking color combos. Hmm, maybe I can buy a Singlepower two-box chassis and put the BHSE inside?

Ah, that's good, maybe the circular parts around the tubes for example?

Wait, does this mean it's too late to change color choices? Justin, can you delay shipping all the amps until I see photos of everyone else's amp first? And I'll pick one out? I know everyone won't mind waiting while I peruse leisurely over the photos and ponder over the color choices.

Haha, another newbie! Was I like this once, a long long time ago?

That makes sense. It's just that with the recent economic problems, psychologically it seems that canceling would be a good decision. I already have the ES-1 and Aristaeus after all. I could sell the Aristaeus instead, but I can't bear to think about doing it. The ES-1, like most other SP amps, is not going to sell easily and would need to be very heavily discounted. I would probably rather keep it. It's easier to "sell" the BHSE, since I haven't heard it yet, and if I cancel my order, probably never will.

Sorry, I meant that I've been thinking about but haven't canceled my BHSE order yet. My ES-1 was formerly Icarium's and I had it sent in to SP for upgrades. I waited about a year and suffered through Mikhail's BS delays before receiving it in early Oct. 2008. I think by now everyone knows about the problems dealing with Single Power, the delays, outright deception and lies, BS, and also questionable design and build quality. I don't know what to think about Icarium's SS1 power supply. I half expect my ES-1 to break down every time I turn it on. But I've been very pleased with its sound. My reference for comparison is an Aristaeus. I also have an SRM-T1W and used to own a KGSS, which I sold after getting the Aristaeus. I think the ES-1 sounds better than those other amps, and also better than my Zana Deux and dynamic headphones.

Er, I better post something Stax-related before a new member jumps in and accuses Head-Casers of being off-topic. I've been listening exclusively to the O2Mk1 for the past week. I put in TF ECC83 smooth plates, Sylvania VT-231 and a quad of RFT dimple top EL34 in the ES-1 yesterday. Sound is good, but not quite at the level of some of my favorite tubes, which are often some of the rarer and more expensive types. So I'm very happy and excited when a relatively inexpensive tube performs well. The TF ECC83 and Sylvania VT-231 are not exactly inexpensive, though. I think the 2C51 types are a better deal. I especially like the Tung-Sol 2C51, which seems to give the O2Mk1 a bit extra clarity and air, similar to the difference between some 5751 and 12AX7. The tubes that I liked less made the O2Mk1 more muddy, stuffy and congested. If I do end up with a BHSE, I'm hopeful of finding that it reduces the O2Mk1 and O2Mk2's darkness and maybe add some air. I have most old stock EL34 types ready, except for TF metal base and the old KT77 types.