spritzer

I've heard a few of them but I still vastly prefer electrostatics. That shouldn't be too surprising though...

I can say that I've always liked the cheap Tannoy's and still have a set of Revolution 2's here. Not a great speaker by any means but punches far above it's weight.

Larry's certainly not a shill. That's a position reserved to fucktards such as jamato and others like him. I do agree that percentages or any numerical ratings have no place in reviews short of identifying what class the product should be in, in any given context. That said I don't trust any reviews and my case was just proven on 6moons this week with the new Pass INT review. That's a very good point. Right now I'm playing with one of Moray's new digital IC's and there is no way I'm going to write a public review on it but he will get my honest impressions.

There are plenty of pure silver connectors out there, Goertz, Eichmann, WBT and Bocchino all spring to mind. Stealth Audio also has solid silver connectors, RCA, XLR and even power connectors.

The sound will change given the different properties of the materials but if you are happy with the sound then don't rip off the new pads. Both of my old LNS's still had the old stock pads which were in good condition but the material is very thin and can only have hurt the sound (like the Fostex pads). To bring us back on topic, I'm gluing the drivers permanently to the baffles now and I've also finished making new damping sheets for the earpads and fitted them in place. I'm documenting it with pics (though I keep forgetting to snap at the right moments ) and if all goes well I should post them early on Saturday. The only thing I've yet to make up my mind about is to whether I should fix the felt damping layer to the back of the drivers or mount it inside the housing. There isn't a lot of difference but allowing the drivers access to some "fresh" air can't hurt and that's how I've done all the testing until now.

Sure they do. They will sound rather different given what pads they have and the old LNS pads are horrible, ghastly things.

The LNS would need something totally different to give them a bit more "life" so these mods only apply to the SR-404 (and SR-303 since they are nearly identical). I'll also try them on a set of SR-202's which I will get soon and hopefully the Limited Edition SR-404.

There are other differences but the welded plates are easy to spot. The numbers are also etched into the glass near the bottom of the tube along with the production date (in code). The BH only needs matched pair but the better matching you can get, the better. As Al will tell you, don't plug in any tubes you bought off ebay into the amp until they've at least been tested on a tube checker (measures shorts and basic emissions) or a full blown tester.

Ok, here are some pics. This material is very hard to photograph but these should give you an idea what it is. It is rather similar to the Tork fiber towels I used to damp my Koss SFI ortho. I bought from Europris which is a nordic budget store and it is branded "EFFEKT, CHIFF'ON Kluter". As for installing it on the older type of pads, it is possible to put it on top of the foam but you will likely damage it and there isn't much overlap to hold the paper in place. You will also get some mild reflections if you do not damp the back as well with some felt.

Burn-in aside (nobody ever realizes that components can take days to warm up and it's takes a while to fully grasp how a component sounds) that comparison wouldn't be too out of line. The crap inside the Amphora isn't that far off from what Ray is doing i.e. using cheap n' cheerful circuits with high price tags and audiophool bling so that the noobs think it's good. The stock ES-1 cost around 4.5k for a stock unit so Ray is pricing this head to head with the upgraded BHSE because "if they cost the same they must be as good". Then we have the high quality preamp which would be fine if it cost 200$ and was made in China. Calling this SOTA is just flat out conning the customers or that Ray just doesn't realize that pre-amp design has moved on in the last 50 years. That's not Ray's biggest issue but the fact that the electrostatic users are a very different crowd to dynamic "norms". Now there are some that just want the "best" and buy a HE90 and live happily ever after but most of us own a lot of headphones with many different amps, most of which will be on par or even better the A-10 for a lot less. We also know what all the fancy numbers mean and what the effects of Ac/DC coupled are for instance. The transducer requirements are also very different with power and impedance immunity being huge factors in the final sound and very easy to show off. Justin should really buy a SR-Sigma and a SRM-T1 to show people just how much the extra power of the BHSE matters.

I'd rather call Ray and that says a lot!! It should be possible though to make a very cheap ES-1 with normal production tubes and 6S4A's on the output and modest quality parts (read better then the crap Mikhail used). The XF classes indicate when the tubes were made and what construction technique. As time wore on they made the tubes cheaper and cheaper to make (crimped plates instead of welding etc.) and that's reflected in the sound. Most of the Mullard "clones" copy the XF4 which wasn't a bad tube but not up to the standards of the old ones. Today there are some good alternatives but I've been out of the loop for some years. I always liked the SED tubes and there is some uber version of that out now but very expensive. The amp will come with a set of the new production Mullards so that should be enough for most.

Nice looking plugs. Now all we need are WBT silver XLR's with matching sockets. Wonder what they would cost...

"We need a bigger boat"

The drivers have always been attached by double sided tape (or rather adhesive sheets) but now Stax have gone green and the new stuff just isn't as good as the one they have always used. I've opened up my fair share of Lambdas and Sigmas and I've never seen any of the old models "creep" like this. The other change is also the second layer of double sided adhesive which isn't helping matters. I've not managed to spend nearly enough time with the SR-404 tonight but I did try a few different materials underneath the pads and nothing compares to this "fiber paper" that I'm using. I've also switched to just one layer of felt on the back of the drivers and I'm just going to let them stay like this for a while. That really is the best way for me to evaluate anything as any small issues eat at me as time goes on. Btw. If anybody has a SR-303/404 and wants to try this layer of paper between the front of the drivers and the ears, just PM and I'll send you some. It's always nice to get a second opinion. It's better though that you have the new type of earpads since the is easier to fit the paper that way but the old ones should work as well.

I could have swore that there was more choice then Sylvania but it was their tube so you are probably right. It will be nice to have a quad of 7n7's in an ES-1 or perhaps a pair of ECC99's and a pair of 7n7's.... Now I've started to wonder if a smaller ES-1 would work with 6S4A's for output and ECC99's for the first two stages...

I wouldn't be too quick to write off the old Lambda chassis... I've removed the back damping now and just have the front damping and I quite like them this way. They are more forward then they should be (next to no hump though) and the bass has this "lighter then air" feel to it but the extension and speed have returned. Next I'll try some minimal damping to the back of the drivers and see how they respond but I could live with the phones as they are now.

Since your ES-1 is all p-p (well is should be but the "artistic" pictures Mikhail supplied it could be anything) then I'd just have some local technician swap out the octal sockets for some mil-spec teflon loctal units. The 7n7's were never made in the same numbers as the 6SN7 cousins but there is plenty of choice and they are dirt cheap, even from reliable sellers. Damn all this ES-1 talk has made want to begin work on the DIY version... It's a good thing I have all these 9 pin PCB sockets on the way...

I've been listening to the SR-404's for a few hours now with two layers of this paper-like material on the front of the drivers and tow different layers of felt on the back and there is no more midrange hump. In it's place is a strange "thwack" coloration but it's rare and not overwhelming in any way. This does point to me having gone too far with the damping so I'll try some different materials and see if they work better. The bass has suffered though and lacks both extension and depth so I have to find a way to increase its depth.

There are things to make your life easier, switch out the ECC83's for some other similar tubes and install loctal sockets in your amps so that you can use 7n7's instead of 6SN7's. I wouldn't even consider putting octal sockets for the two first stages on the ES-1/2.

I only watched the first season and had to struggle to finish it. Last thing I watched was Krod Mandoon and it wasn't bad. Not great by any means but better then many "comedies".

Most of the time, yes. Our proffered way of cooling bear at parties is to simply store it outside. Good point but it's nothing which hasn't happened before. I wouldn't call 2

You should try and spend a summer up here someday. Bottom of the freezer definitely applies...

pffft, they are too cold and drink too much, even by our standards.

It's no wonder the vikings were moar awesome then anybody else due to the constant cryo treatment up here.

That's what I thought. It will also be interesting to see if the bias voltages and ballast resistors are correct for the Stax and He90 outputs... I've gotten more PM's then you then.