spritzer

Here is a picture of my lot, 600 pieces all fake.

Double post...

Just got my boards. It's a bit startling just how much smaller the Exstata V2 amp boards are compared to the KGSSHV given that they were once identical...

Looks like that Sigma/303 will be a reality...

I'm with Milos on this one, the Sigma Pro was always a poor substitute for the normal bias model off an amp that really can push them. The 404 version was better still and not as bloody hard to drive. On a similar note, why have we never built a Sigma/303? It's a much more natural choice given how the cable fits and has the same drivers. I guess I could always get out of retirement and make one last set...

I will tear them apart and post pics to the best of my ability.

Ditto. One can never have too many parts...

Happy belated.

My most recent haul was a high speed hand held drill to fabricate something for Antonio plus a lot of M3 and M4 taps. I break these like they are candy... This week I also bought a Stax SRX-Mk3 Pro (stock Stax unit) plus most of the parts needed to build the Ciuffoli 300B Stax amp.

Happy Birthday!!!

I think this has more to do with dampening the metal rather then insulation. The SR-007/Sr-Omega and I'd guess the SR-009 all have uninsulated stators so that isn't a problem. Drive them too hard and the drivers will arc regardless of insulation.

That would be 0.35mm then. Did you take the stator coating into account?

We should have some KGSSHV's up and running in a few months (I'm going to build a few) so a TOTL SS amp would be available for testing then. Still the KGSSHV is more of an effort to approach the Blue Hawaii in performance but not having tubes to worry about (and people debating different ones) does have its advantages. I'm going to send you something to test Tyll but it will have to wait until I first receive and have time to completely refurb then. First off would be my utterly mint and SR-1 set (circa 1962-4) to show just how good first generation Stax was. I also have a SR-X Mk1 incoming which was the first set Stax made for the Pro market. One of only two Stax sets I've never tried (the other being the impossible to find SR-2) so I'm really looking forward to testing it out. Now with these vintage sets you need a normal bias amp with not too much output voltage as they will arc violently when fed too much juice (ditto for the HE90) so I have a 1969 SRA-3S preamp incoming which is perfect for this. One of the best amps Stax ever made (just ask Kevin, he had one back in the day) which I'll completely rebuild to not fall into the same trap as Hi-Fi News when testing vintage gear. It would certainly be a shame is something like that were to occur...

Nothing wrong with using that particular tube amp (BHSE) since it is mostly SS and the tube output stage doesn't behave like a "normal" tube amp. It's also about as good as it gets.

Happy Birthday!!!

Happy birthday fellow puppy...

Nope, not really. Grado RA-1 driving the SR-507 sounded rather nice...

Assuming somebody knows something just based on their education isn't a very good way to go. Take my EE Phd. cousin who had no idea how a dynamic speaker worked... That said, somebody with DIY experience should have no problem doing this.

Easy enough to install a voltage divider off the B+ to generate the required secondary bias voltage.

Go easy on the pots and you will be fine.

There is no way to just modify the boards and slip them into a factory spec amp as it has to be adjusted for offset and balance. Get that wrong and the servo shuts off the output.

The bias is run off the B+ so there is no separate winding for that. Also that transformer is for the US only given the single 117V primary. 230V requires two primaries or a single 230v winding.

Yeah, don't fuck around with high voltage.

The 507's are way too bright to these ears so that is something. While I did sell mine they aren't that far away...

I for one can't ever turn off the analytical side of my brain so I'm always comparing against something, even now when I'm just winding down after work. This also means I can get rather frustrated with what ever headphone I'm currently using if it isn't up to snuff. With the HE90 I just couldn't bring myself to use them and with the HE Jade I couldn't even look at them. That said, things are often blown way out of proportions, just look at the whole cable mess or people using the pricetag as some benchmark. Claims that one needs a 5K$ source to hear what these transducers really can do is just utter, fucking nonsense. It did come from somebody who thinks Esoteric isn't the overpriced crap it really is so go figure...