spritzer

The BH is non-inverting so something is up...

Somebody really should write a practical electronics book for audiophiles....

The case was custom made from custom extrusions. This can't be bought anywhere.

Well it's critical since things don't work well without them. The whole fuse BS reminds me of when people were comparing the sound of outlets and the plates around them...

I just checked the SRM-717, 007t, T1, and T2 schematics (I'm nothing if not thorough... ) and the pinout we use is indeed correct. L+ on the top pin, R+ to the right of it seen from the front. Sennheiser uses the service manual when rebuilding these things and it doesn't cover just how important it is to seat the o-rings properly. I'd guess that one doesn't sit correctly in the grove or the driver is just out of spec. The dust barrier on the back of the drivers isn't a solid plastic sheet but rather woven nylon. It can let small dust particles through which are large enough to cause issues.

Ahh but here you get a new fuse which will make all the difference in the world...

That's how the Stax are wired too, + signal goes to the stator closest to the ear. The Sigma has this flipped but then again the signal is reflected 90° inside the earcup.

Yup. It could be something as simple as the o-ring not seated properly. Wouldn't surprise me given the sub-par service Sennheiser has in the US.

They throttle it down a bit since I can only download 120gb a month but here is a test I just did: Pretty nice for about 55$ a month.

I just bought a Stax SRA-12S to settle once and for all that it is the same amp as the SRA-10S. Yeah... I am indeed nuts. I also bought some basic components to build a new file server. AMD 3300 CPU, 4GB ram, Gigabyte mobo and 1TB drive. HDD's are all but impossible to buy here now (due to the crisis in Thailand) so I'll have to hold off loading it with extra drives. Still it's better than the old box which has eight 320GB drives, two PSU's and has been running the same boot drive since 2004 powered on 24/7. The boot drive is too slow to handle my 100mbit fiber connection so everything bogs down once I start downloading.

Something is wrong with the right driver on those HE60's but other than that the measurements look good. The Sigma's I think were 404's and I don't think anybody was expecting a stellar measured performance. They do sound pleasant enough but compared to the Omegas they are highly colored. Much like the SR-1 and other Stax sets it is a very pleasant coloration.

Only the Sigma's and a couple of the really old Stax models (60's and 70's models) were wired out of phase. I haven't cracked the BHSE open but I see no reason why it would be wired out of phase but I'm sure Justin will chime in on that. Not sure what's going on.

More like King Krimson...

The SR-Omega is yummy but one can only wonder what it would sound like if Stax spent more then 10000Yen on the bloody chassis. Ohhh and add SR-009 earpads... I guess I need to start to learn Autocad. Just picked up the SR-X Mk3 PRO up from an extended loan and bloody hell these are amazing headphones. I've got to compare them side by side against the HP-2's but I think the Stax easily wins that comparison. I've owned more than most and they are all pretty much identical. Stax did change out some materials during the 9 year production run so early earpads and headpads are a bit different and the driver frame was changed as well but these a minor alterations. The sound is pretty much the same on all sets as long as you provide a level playing field by using the same earpads, similar arc's etc. There are some slight differences between driver sets but nothing to get worried about. I'd chalk this up as obvious BS...

Not so sure about charisma since I mostly scare people. Might have something to do with rather my large.... ehhh.... presence...

Well either that or "lack there of"....

I personally wouldn't call his reviews "proper" since he often misses issues anybody with any clue would pickup upon. Take his use of a high Z source to review the Dorkstar which severely altered the frequency response. No need to be negative if it isn't warranted but why should anybody writing a review not be critical? I guess I'm just odd but to me all equipment has some weak points and the sole point of a good review is to find and discuss said points. Take for instance a comparison of all the TOTL electrostatics, they all have issues and these would have to be discussed when reviewed.

Skylab is sent gear for review because he has no idea what he's looking at or how to be critical so everything is great and recommended. Manufactures use this and "his standing in the community" to try and sell gear. As for being part of the mafia, well Ray did use him to try and sell the A-10 but that blew up in both their faces ... Any claims about reviewers having to be diplomatic just goes to show how fucked this industry is. If a reviewer doesn't like something then that's what he should say.

Slow and steady wins the race...

Well one channel works but the other one has a battery that's misbehaving. It's stuck at 777V and the bloody part continues to spark even after some quick fixes so it's back on the shelf while I wait for the PEEK screws.

My amp is working again... well kinda since one transistor is sparking nicely to the metal screw. I'll see if a nylon unit will work until I can get some PEEK's.

Pfftt, ye of little faith...

While waiting for my parts to arrive it was time to clear the batteries and do some more damage to the chassis... I'm growing ever more annoyed by the rear mounted power switches on my gear and a power indicator is a good thing for somebody like me who hasn't slept a good nights sleep for over a year now. I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone and here it is: Matches nicely with the titanium volume knob. I also replaced most of the caps in the PSU after the whole transformer episode plus put in some slightly smaller EPCOS units.

Fire up the boards and zero out the offset and balance. Not much more to it than that...

One doesn't just jump the putrid shark...