spritzer

That's how I would describe the v1. It's like a mini SR-007 with the B22 driving it... Some luck and a dead dog could suffice but be prepared to pay a lot for a set. When my set popped up on ebay there wasn't much interest and I got them for around 140$. The were near NOS with the original box so I'm more then happy. They do need a new cable though since the stock unit is crap. I'll drop him a PM and ask why he isn't joining us...

I've never fired them up but the drivers were tested before I installed them. You are welcome to them and spare set of drivers if you want.

There is at least one company that refurbishes the Nine's (and has some original drivers for them) but they are in the US and shipping is murder. I wouldn't hesitate to jump on either a Stax F-83X or ESL-8XBB though. Btw. For those that want proof that Sony did once make very cool gear, look up SS-R10...

The SRM-1 Mk2 is quite good at driving the the 007 but the 717 works even better...

The T-50 is something else... Have you heard a v1 yet?

How did you like the KHL Nine's, Kevin? There is a set that I have my eye on but the shipping will be a fortune.

Considering the crap they are selling today it's a small wonder that they stopped making the ET1000. What you are hearing is a slightly altered version of the original ET1k due to the higher bias of the Stax normal bias socket. Are they still fitted with the stock earpads (flat as hell) or has anyone of the new owners fitted them with something better?

I have some extra if you need them. I even have a set (Sony ECR400 chassis) with drivers epoxied into place but I don't have any spare cables...

Don't you have some SFI's to play with?

If there are no shared wires between the housings then you have a 4 conductor wire. Open it up an post a pic would be the first step.

I'm a great fan of the vintage ESL's with the Quads high on the list of those that I've heard but the Stax models are very interesting as well. They are a hassle though to get working correctly but so worth it in the end.

I was once young and stupid. I've had these for about 10 years now but I've also got a set of Quad ESL63's that need a complete overhaul.

Revolution 2. They are from my speaker days along with an Audio Analogue Puccini (original not the crap later versions) and some vintage amps. Not bad speakers at all and I got them ex-demo for next to nothing.

That's the damping material also found on the Lambda Pro but no other Lambda model. Removing it will give you more transparency and better bass output but the difference is subtle. Removing it will also expose the upper midrange hardness which was the reason Stax put it there to begin with. I wouldn't try to replace it with anything but the thin mineral wool that Stax used. The Lambda is IMO the best normal bias Stax and the others will give you a different flavor but not necessarily better. A good step up would be the Lambda Signature, more transparent with deeper bass and more control.

I really wanted to try out the Trafomatic amp but then this B22 showed up and it has the added benefit of being able to drive anything I throw at it, even my Tannoy speakers.

Just build the basic BOM and ask before doing anything stupid.

They are running close to 120Kyen in Japan now which is quite a jump from the average 85k-95kYen a few months ago. The US price is around 1500$ and slightly more for a set in very good condition or a BL for those that want that.

The best way to improve those DIY abilities is to build something. A Starving Student shouldn't be to hard and you could even paint it gold...

Sad but true. There are at least 2000 HE60's out there but the price rose from 700$ to about 2k$ in a few months.

I didn't care much for the R10 so I have no will to try the Qualia. There are only a handful of headphones that I'm actively searching for now and all are almost impossible to find. Next step are speakers and to try and get better amps for the Stax Omegas. I did go at this all wrong by spending a lot on a pile of headphones when I should have concentrated on the amp. Oh well, live and learn.

It's already begun in Japan but Stax made a lot of them in those 9 years so they will never be rare.

Just build a B22 and get it over with.

Sure thing. I couldn't find my internal pics of the G08 but the transport is just a standard DVD-Rom drive with a removable cover over it. Remove the cover and then remove the drive and put in a new one. All the mounting hardware is identical to a PC drive and so are the power and data cables. The only adjustments you have to do is with regards to the door on the front panel so that it works as it should. Just move the drive back and forth before tightening the screws to find the right placement. You may also need to upgrade the firmware which is easy to do with any PC with a serial port. All you need is a null-modem cable and the Meridian software and the new firmware was included with the drive on a CD-rom.

Tell me about it. I'm already sizing out amps to drive the first speakers to buy, Quad ESL63's. The only thing holding me back is that I need a bigger space and the housing market up here hasn't imploded yet. It will when all those foreign loans start to tick... Blah pirates were a bunch of wussies. I am a direct descendant of the Vikings so I'll just speak Old-Norse. Too bad you couldn't understand a word... I'd certainly be afraid but the market has changed quite a bit since I started. Back then I could pick up a Lambda for 100$ and a Sigma for 250$. This isn't even possible in Japan anymore.

I've got a few yet to try but I think I'm mostly done, for now at least. I'm turning my destructive powers onto DIY and mostly amps for now. I'm not even going to think about the Qualia since I wear a Lambda at full extension... Fair enough. It all went wrong for me when I first wondered how a Sigma sounded... then a Lambda... then a Gamma... then a....