spritzer

It is likely due to dust or some other debris inside the driver which is shorting between the film and the stator.

Here is the code: 1,3,6 is 100 volts 2,4,6 is 120 volts 3,5 is 220 volts 2,5 is 240 volts

I agree, if this isn't a loose wire then somehow a charge got stuck on the diaphragm. That should get back to normal over use so I'd just leave them sitting and playing music.

The 009 headband is such an utter pile of crap... The winner for the most stupid headband goes to one mystery electrostatic I'll be posting about soon.

Interesting how much is borrowed from the Omega but better implemented 30 years on. Funny to see only five rivets holding the earpads on as the sixth one interfered with the cable entry back then... One concern I have is the thin housing as on the original and how that might behave when pushing them. At least there is no fragile acrylic shell here which will break after 30 years...

I'm still waiting for my set and no word on when it will ship.

I always apply the port mod so my impressions are always with that in place.

There was a transition at some point in probably 2009 (though it could be earlier) that I noticed with the sets at Canjam '10. The midrange had this etch to it which nothing I could do to alleviate. The first sets of the Mk2 did not have that and when I finally bought another set of Mk2's in 2014 (or '13... can't remember) it was gone.

Those always sound a bit off (not as bad as the Mk2.5 units but still) so they are further down the list

The bad behavior was Stax using the serial numbers, nothing to do with the sound.

Stax being annoying using the same serial number range 14 years apart. That set might be from the initial 2007-2009 production It's been so long since I tried them but yeah, I liked the HP-1000 back in the day but the Stax SR-X Mk3 Pro's blow them out of the water being the same design idea.

What age is that? Stax used the SZ2 for the initial release in Japan and they are using SZ2 for sets shipping now. Special type of bad behavior there.... I didn't like the RME at all. For me most dynamics are just a disappointment so I tend to just leave them alone. The few that stand out over the years are the HD800 (once properly driven), Audeze LCD 2 and 3... can't remember any more off the top of my head. I've tried plenty over the years but none worked for me, Abyss, the hifiman crap, Mr. Speakers etc.

I doubt the X9000 will be on that list but we'll see: SR-007Mk1 SR-007Mk2 (latest version) SR-Omega HE-60 SR-Lambda Nova Signature (which the CRBN replaces) Congrats!! I was slow to order them as I really had to talk myself into getting a high end Stax again... ECC99's sound bad in that circuit so I'd stick with the 6CG7's.

Finally, I’ve had some time to sit down and dot down my final thoughts on the CRBN. They’ve been here for a couple of months, but I really wanted to have a Carbon CC up and running to try them on before I wrote anything final. I rustled up some pretty ghetto front and back panels this week, so I finally have one for my own system. Feeding it is a Denafrips Terminator DAC but I’ve tried it with a number of other sources plus whatever amps I’ve up and running at any given point, KGSSHV, KGST, CCS modified Stax amps etc. Now I want to start with how it’s been living with them for the past two months, in a word flawless. No issues at all with this second set, no imbalance, noises from the drivers… nothing like that. They are also supremely comfortable, and I’ve worn them for hours on end with no discomfort. Now this is Iceland so not exactly warm and the all-leather earpads might be an issue in warmer climates. Audeze might make hybrid pads like the Sennheiser HE60/90 but here I just open a window to cool down... 😉 Also, a word on driving them. They are inefficient and do need a lot of power. Anybody claiming otherwise is just full of it and thinks gain and position of the volume knob has anything to do with power levels. They are not quite 007 bad in this regard but they do reward a more powerful amp when pushing them. Baseline for excellent performance would be the KGST/KGSSHV line but even with the CCS modified Stax amps they work well at moderate volume levels. Push them though and yeah… you need power behind them. So how do they sound… well TLDR, how I’ve always wished the Sennheiser HE90 should have sounded but never did. These were my first impressions, slightly oversized soundstage and not as precise as others but far from the mess that is the HE90. Plenty of deep, well controlled bass too but not quite up to the 007 level. They can get bright when the source calls for it, slightly excessively so at times, but far from the forward nature of the 009’s. The soundstage is a bit larger than life, but it makes for plenty of presence and separation so while not pinpoint accurate, they are very close to it. Overall, they are just so balanced and pleasant to listen to regardless of what you feed them. Now for the only real issue, the damping is something which has annoyed me more and more. Now as some might know… I’m a bit picky… just a tiny bit… 😛 and while it is not always apparent, some songs or parts of them just sound off to me. This generally true for every headphones I use so I remove all damping when I can. Also, a large part of why I like the 007’s so much due to their innovative air damping. Now on the CRBN the damping is damn good, but I can still tell it is there. This is not like the Sennheiser HE-1 for instance, where that bloody amp with its mosfet based output stage and joke of a front end just spreads its dirty fingerprints on everything. This is far more subtle and only affects some tracks so for instance, it is too closed in when it shouldn’t be, bass has a twang to it that shouldn’t be there… something like that. This is a very minor gripe, and this is me being super picky so take it as you wish. Still, I’d love to try these drivers with less damping… 🙂 So, this aside, there is so much to recommend here. They are certainly not cheap but just holding them you can see where the money has gone. Plug them into a good amp yeah, they will impress. The only issue for me it they have rekindled an old project, take some LCD-2’s and fit them with custom electrostatic drivers. Anybody know of a cheap set I can buy? 😉 Now I’ve not received my SR-X9000000000000 yet so I can’t compare them but on its own the CRBN is a great product. They are not perfect (what is?) but as a first stab at making electrostatics, they are damn impressive. I’m adding this set to my collection, and they are certainly in my top 5 all-time greats. I really must say they are a breath of fresh air as the releases over the last few years have been such a disappointment. It really has been a 10-year slump now so here’s hoping we get something excellent over the next 10 years.

I thought some electrolytics looked off but can't tell with any certainty from the pics. Make sure none of them are domed or have any leakage around them.

SumR being SumR?

Can you post some detailed pics so we can better understand what might be going on? If something stops working after a while like that than it is usually a component, solder joint etc. loosing contact due to thermal expansion but it could also be something else.

Fucking hell... look at those insane ramblings and the Carbon... fuck, what utter trash.

It might be a cable issue so try moving it close to the headset and see if anything changes. If it is dust inside the drivers, there is not much that can be done. Simply opening up the driver will expose it to further dust contamination and this is so small you can barely see it without some instrumentation.

I'm not a fan of the glue either (having refurbed way too many Stax sets over the years) but at least they are using the super nice 3M glue which is not a pain to clean up. The Stax stuff, especially the stuff from the 80's, is super nasty

It's hard to gauge that but the early 2000's sets are just fine now if they have been taken care of.

I assume it is Jude running said HF youtube channel and then yeah... clueless as the day is long that one. They are hard to drive so something like a modified T1S would work but... it depends on the volume levels. The modded Stax amps work well a low to medium volume but push them and they start to struggle.

It's not felt but some woven material, might be similar to what Aumkar is using on the RR1's.

Hehe so true... 😂

Stax serial numbers are meaningless so they offer no guide at all. There was never anything wrong with the 007A/Mk2 treble so it's just as it should be. The Mk2.5 had rather nasty treble but that was a decade ago.