Elephas

I got the Jade in December. It was supposedly from the first batch, but when I contacted Fang to cancel my order he said it wasn't one of the units with the problems. Unless he was lying about this, then it should be the same as the subsequent 2nd batch units. Great pics of the Jade internals. I couldn't even unscrew the housings from the headband assembly. The BHSE pics definitely don't disappoint. Based on the Aristaeus, I expected nothing less. I also thought the Jade was better than the Lambda Pro, Airbow SR-SC1 and 4070. I'm hopeful some of Spritzer's tinkering can improve the sound, though I don't know what I'll think if he makes it sound like an O2Mk1. At least that 5-pin XLR to Stax adapter is gone forever.

Hehe, yeah, I think "seriously fucked up" is a bit of an exaggeration for the O2Mk2. But that's just Spritzer being Spritzer. If you know where he's coming from, the things he says makes its own kind of sense and can be of some value. I think of something like this, on a scale from 1 to 100, 100 being most preferred: 100...O2Mk1 9.......O2Mk2 7.......SR-Omega 5.......4070, SR-SC1, Lambda Sig, other Stax, HE90, maybe Jade is here 4.......Lambda Pro, HE60 3.......SR-003 2.......R10, Qualia, L3000, K1000, HP-2, other "top" dynamics (HD800 probably here too) 1.......Most dynamics 0.1....Most Ultrasone (which I kinda agree, but wouldn't rank so low) 0.004...Bose TriPort

Haha, I thought that would happen. The shock of a non-Stax electrostat. We can always count on Spritzer to hold nothing back. I think that's his most endearing quality. Your source, man...

What the...? No revolt yet? Puny humans... C'mon, guys, now we know that this feature is possible. Everyone can edit their own custom titles. Isn't that fair and democratic? Are we going to remain oppressed by those few "moderator" elites?! I don't even know who they are, they hide behind their anonymity and the secret workings of the forum software. Oh well, I had the power for about a week. If I had that power again I would definitely give Cankin something special. And everyone else who wants it. So who's with me, poor, downtrodden Head-Casers? Revolt! Overthrow the oppressors! The revolution is here! (Er, ahem. Just in case the revolution fails. Um, I don't really want to cause any trouble. Can a nice, wise, good-looking, omnipotent moderator secretly restore the mistake? I won't tell anyone. I'll keep the power secret next time, really, you can trust me.)

Gaaah! I should've kept my mouth shut! Downtrodden Head-Casers, demand your rights! Revolt! Rise up against your oppressors! They are few, we are many! Rise, and attack!

Hey, whaddaya mean a mistake!? Can I make that mistake happen again? I want my custom title editing rights! I thought that was a Head-Case special "feature." Downtrodden Head-Casers without custom titles, unite! Revolt, and demand your custom title editing rights!

I was playing around in the User CP a couple of weeks ago and came across a page where I could edit the custom title below my username. So I entered "Baby Elephant" because I'm a baby elephant. Now, I'm thinking of changing it, maybe to "Awesome Baby Elephant" or "Super Cool Baby Elephant" or something cool-sounding like that. But I can't find that custom title editing page anymore. Where did it go?

Alert! Possible Error Alert! Alert! The SR-Omega pads are pleather. So the SR-007 pads are also pleather then? I don't think the SR-Omega pads are the same material as the O2Mk1.

This kind of lying and delays is typical of Mikhail. He did it to me over a few months last year, until I finally received an ES-1 in early Oct. After going through the frustrations myself, I'm glad to see that I'm in no way special and Mikhail does the same thing to many other people. Dealing with Mikhail is a guaranteed exercise in frustration. Probably the only way to avoid it is to not deal with him at all.

I didn't return the Jade! They were taken from me by a couple of Mafia thugs. They said I was blabbing too much about the O2Mk1 earpads not being real leather and how it is too dark-sounding. You...you... big mouth tattletale, you!

Hey, it seems you're hanging around in this thread quite often. I gave up the Jade after the Mafia caught me and threatened to take away my K701. I couldn't bear to be without the K701 while I sat on the "throne" doing bomb drops, so I offered to give up the Jade instead. It's gone now, on its way to some Mafia ^%)$%! big shot! *cry* I hate my short little legs! I wish I were a giraffe!

So, anyone else think that the SR-007 is dark-sounding? I'm listening to it now and it sounds pretty damn good. I also used it yesterday and the day before. I switched out the GE 6CA7 and put in a Mullard xf2 00-getter quad on the ES-1 and kept the Bendix 2C51 and Tung-Sol 6SN7GT round plates I was using before with the Jade. Bass impact and quality seem quite good. Dynamics are excellent. On Tyll's thread about the HD800, he mentioned the O2's poor bass and dynamics, which surprised me. I'm also using a Zana Deux with various dynamics such as L3000, PS-1, HD650 and I don't think their dynamics are better. The L3000's bass quality is top-notch, but it also has several weaknesses such as congestion and lack of air. The PS-1 has massive bass impact but it can become overbearing and I don't think its bass is as detailed or textured as the L3000's. The HD650 is hardly a high-dynamics headphone; it is smooth, slow and laid-back and sometimes bordering on muddy compared to the Qualia or electrostats. Bass quantity is decent but I don't think it is exceptional quality bass. I packed up the Jade Sunday night and shipped it out yesterday, so I don't have it anymore. Somehow I'm not missing it, even though I was listening to it all the time during the past two weeks.

I knew there was one good reason to visit Head-Case! . . . . . . OK, OK, I was kidding, please don't beat me up. I'm already on the Mafia's bad side. I better run.

*Rant Warning* I hate those product pictures on the SAA website. Why can't they use high-resolution photos? Instead they try to be "artsy-fartsy audiophile" with those useless half-assed drawings. No one can tell how the product looks like. I bought an Equinox HD650 cable, but I'm not going to buy any more SAA products until they have proper photos. I know it's a stupid reason, but hey, I'm "saving" money, right? If they had photos, I would potentially be in the market for: - Power cords and umbilicals for four amps: ES-1, Aristaeus, BHSE, Zana Deux - Equinox Voice cables for HD650 and HD800 Instead, they have those crappy drawings and my wallet stays fat and happy.

Thanks, no need, I already have two 2C51 adapters. I bought two Bendix 2C51 tubes off SP's eBay account, at the time not realizing it was SP until I saw the name on the PayPal bill. The tubes were horribly microphonic and unusable. I could hear the clicks of the volume knob through the headphones. I sent them back and received replacement tubes along with tube adapters a week ago. Mikhail was quick to send the adapters and replacement tubes to me. With the eBay tubes, he was a bit slow, but not too slow. His account still has 100% feedback and at least with eBay and PayPal he's got to consider the possibility of getting negative feedback or disputes.

Hey, I'm using an ES-1 too. How come Spritzer seemed to agree with Icarium's statement? And no one agrees with mine? Poor little me. Is Mikeymad's amp different or better than mine? Don't tell me I have to send it back to SP for more upgrades.

Mikhail got some money recently from me for some tube adapters and two tubes. So he probably has some pocket change and can afford to pay shipping. The adapters were very expensive but I didn't want to buy non-SP adapters and when something goes wrong with the amp have Mikhail claim that the problem was due to the non-SP adapters.

How about using an escrow service? I think that the large amounts of money and the likelihood of dishonesty on the part of SP justifies the cost and inconvenience. If everyone who deals with SP from now on is made aware of the history of deception and broken promises, and will only be willing to deal with SP if an escrow is used, we SP customers might be able to influence some changes. It's too late for me, Mikhail already has my money and I'm still waiting for a Supra-XLR. I am pleased with the ES-1 (formerly Icarium's) that I received in early Oct. though.

I skipped over your post when I first saw it because it was long, and forgot to get back to it. When I say the O2's seem dark-sounding, that's in comparison to other headphones. I'm talking about how they compare with many other headphones, including other Stax headphones such as the 4070, SR-Omega and Airbow SR-SC1. It's not a lack of details. It seems as if a hidden treble knob inside has been turned down very slightly. Or another way to describe it, is that a range of keys on a piano, not all of them, are being played one key down. If someone thinks the O2 isn't dark, that they are neutral, that's fine with me. I'm not arguing this. It is a matter of opinion and we each have our own references. I'm saying that they are darker than many, or most, other headphones that I've heard. As a comparison, and less a matter of opinion. Anyway, it seems no one want to discuss so I'll sign off.

Hey, I made him retreat and admit to so many things about the O2Mk1 and O2Mk2. But I don't want to converse with only you and Spritzer here. Where is everyone else? Did I fart? If this goes on further I'm going to be "too busy" to go to the Post Office tomorrow. I need my daily entertainment, you know.

Hey, where did everyone go? Come back, please? The O2Mk1 and O2Mk2 are NOT dark-sounding! They are perfect! They ripped the Jade a new one! Jade?! More like some worthless piece of rock! They rumbled against the HE90 and HE60 and now the Sennheisers are cowering in the corner crying. And the Mk1 is better than the Mk2!

It still doesn't make sense to me. Your point about the R10 is that Sony did the best they could at the time, no matter the amps available then. I agree, but I also think that their best back then was different from now. None of those Sony R10 engineers heard a balanced R10 driven by an SDS-XLR, TTVJ 307 or B52. They only had the amps they had at the time. Sources also. So their effort for the R10 back then is different from what some of us are experiencing the R10 with now. They had no way of knowing for sure that the R10 could sound much better with future amps. Similar situation with the O2. Some people claim that it is much better driven by 3rd party amps than the Stax amps. I certainly think so, and have experienced the difference myself with a KGSS, Aristaeus and ES-1. When the O2 was designed, Stax had the T2 and maybe a few other amps on hand. Maybe they built many amps internally during the design process. But they sold it with the matching SS and tube amps. Very few 3rd party amps were available back then, so no one knew how the O2 could sound better with a KGSS, etc. The O2 had the potential back then, but it was only potential, nothing was for sure. I assume the R10 and O2 designers tried their best, or close to it given the usual constraints. But I also don't think they "knew" how the R10 and O2 would sound with future amps, the current best amps. They probably had an idea, and had their in-house amps, but couldn't know for sure. The R10 and O2 owners back then definitely didn't know. I think the O2 sounds dark compared to many other headphones. I think it is improved, brighter, closer to neutral, and more dynamic, when driven by the 3rd party amps I've tried (KGSS, Aristaeus, ES-1) compared to the Stax amps I've tried (007tII, 727, 006tA). So if Stax intended, years ago with the O2Mk1, and intends today with the O2Mk2, to match their headphones with their amps, why are the O2's dark-sounding when matched with the 007tII and 727? This doesn't make sense to me, that Stax intentionally made the O2Mk1 sound the way it does back then, placing their hopes on future amps coming into existence which will fix those shortcomings. And those future amps weren't even going to be Stax amps, they're the current 3rd party amps. I'm not trying to be anti-O2. I'm using and enjoying them with 3rd party amps, not Stax amps. I just don't understand why Stax designed them the way they did, and I "have to" use a 3rd party amp because the O2's matched with a Stax amp are too dark-sounding.

Hehe, someone remembers. I'm OK with the waiting, I'm in no big rush. I want Mikhail to (eventually) get the Supra-XLR's faceplate fixed because I think he didn't do a good job of adding a second volume control and second SE headphone output. Since I received the ES-1 at the end of Sept. I've been very pleased with it. I've been in contact with Mikhail on and off since and recently bought two tubes and some adapters. He's still erratic, sometimes responsive sometimes not so much. He was definitely responsive when I asked about the adapters.

OK, so the O2's need a Blue Hawaii to really sound good and neutral. I can accept that, given the difference between the ES-1 and the SRM-T1W. Driven by the ES-1, they are more dynamic, less congested, and yes, brighter. But then my next question would be, doesn't Stax sell the O2 matched with their own amps? I've heard the O2Mk1 with a 007tII and a 727, but not a 717. I've tried the O2Mk2 with a 006tA once, and it wasn't a good match. I expect most O2 owners are using it with Stax amps. And there's nothing wrong with that, in fact that is the standard. But we also agree that the O2 is not really well-driven by those amps, right? Compared to a KGSS, ES-1, Blue Hawaii, or other 3rd party amps? Then why did Stax design the O2 to sound the way it does when matched with their amps, if that is the standard? Couldn't they, or shouldn't they, have made it brighter, closer to neutral, and less dark? The Stax engineers probably have a T2 available, and maybe built themselves a BH or the other 3rd party designs. So I would expect them to know how the O2 sounds when it is "very well-driven." If we don't agree that the O2's driven by the Stax amps are dark, then we would have to say that the O2's driven by the KGSS, ES-1, BH etc. are brighter and therefore not neutral. There can only be one neutral reference point. I didn't mean that all those headphones have the same tonality, which I don't think they do. I was saying the Jade is "more similar to" them than to the O2 or HD650. Regarding the O2 and HD650, they are definitely different-sounding and I would never confuse one for the other. But if I had to choose one dynamic headphone that was "closest" to the O2 it would probably be the HD650. Maybe the JVC DX1000 too, but I've only heard one for less than 10 minutes.

I understand this viewpoint. One person's excessively bright could be another's just right, and one's slightly dark could also be another's just right. My point is that no matter the reference point for neutral, the O2Mk1 and O2Mk2 are darker-sounding than most other headphones. So is the HD650. This is not necessarily a bad thing, since many people, including me, apparently like the O2's and the HD650. If someone thinks the O2's are just right and the HE90, SR-Omega and most other headphones are too bright, I can accept that. It could very well be that the O2's are perfectly neutral and all the other headphones are made by and designed for old farts with less than good hearing. I don't care, I just care about what I'm hearing, and that is the O2's are darker than most other headphones. But that's too many "bright" headphones. It's hard for me to believe that with the variety and competition in the market, the difficulties of creating and selling high-end expensive headphones and the history, that so many are made intentionally to be excessively bright. It seems more likely to me that the O2's and HD650 are just darker than neutral. I don't think it is just the high frequencies that are slightly rolled off. It's also the midrange that seems slightly tilted towards a darker sound. It is a very pleasant-sounding midrange, very smooth and liquid. I think there's a tradeoff to the smoothness, though, and that was the tilt to a darker sound. BTW, I think the Jade is the real thing. They are tonally more similar to the HE90, HE60, SR-Omega, R10, Qualia, 4070, SR-SC1, K701, K1000, GS1000, PS-1, HP-2, W5000, SA5000 etc. than the O2's or the HD650. The first group has a more natural-sounding and less dark tonality to me.