spritzer

The first set is in the hands of a head-fier...

The HE60 loves the Blue Hawaii and the tubes and cables I use for the SR-007 though it does also sound great out of my modded T1 where the He90 really shines. I rank the 60 higher then the 90 as it doesn't turn out ugly when faced with a really revealing system though the 90 does a lot of things better. The 90 just needs the smallest bit of synergy to really shine and that's why I'm getting an Aristaeus for it.

I believe they are angled like the SR-Ω pads, so something similar to this

I just had to do again with tiers Tier 1 SR-007 > SR-Ω Tier 2 HE60 > HE90 > SR-4070 Tier 3 SR-Sigma > SR-SC1 > SR-Lambda (open back) >SR-Lambda Signature Tier 4 SR-Lambda (stock) > SR-404 > SR-Nova Signature > SR-Lambda Spirit > SR-Lambda Pro > SR-Sigma Pro > Fostex T-50 Mk1 > SR-003 Tier 5 Beyer ET1000 > SR-5 NB > SR-Gamma > SR-X Mk3 > HD600 w/Cardas cable Tier 6 SR-X Mk2 > SR-3 > SR-5 > SR-3 New > ESP10 > ESP9 > ESP6 > Micro Seiki MS2 Tier 7 Stax OEM stats' (Magnavox, Marantz, Realistic) I left out quite a few as I couldn't have compared them directly or I've simply forgot enough for a correct placement.

Any time. The HE90 and the SR-007 do not belong on the same system while the SR-Ω can cross the gap somewhat. The SR-007 is a real bitch but the rule to get them to sound great is pretty simple, plenty of power and remove every veil you can think off. Cables play a huge role in getting them right and only the best will do and that list doesn't include Kimber Select or Nordost Valhalla... I don't find the SR-Ω all that different from my SR-007 though they are more atmospheric and rounded off with the slightest bit of bass overhang. Bloody great phones though...

I just pasted this over and I might use a tier system later. All driven by the Blue Hawaii in correct order: SR-007 > SR-Ω > HE60 > HE90 > SR-4070 > SR-Sigma > SR-SC1 > SR-Lambda (open back) >SR-Lambda Signature > SR-Lambda (stock) > SR-404 > SR-Nova Signature > SR-Lambda Spirit > SR-Lambda Pro > SR-Sigma Pro > Beyer ET1000 > SR-5 NB > SR-Gamma > SR-X Mk3 > SR-X Mk2 > SR-3 > SR-5 > SR-3 New.... There are some more such as the Koss ESP 6/9/10, Suprex PEP-74, Micro Seiki MS2 and the OEM Stax phones but they all have some issues or are far from being stock.

I'm simply not willing to pay 500$ extra for US warranty I have no use for so I'm going to see what happens in the next month. What I really need is some nice CDP to buy or an amp so I wont get tempted...

Most of them were really good for the price but the TOTL models were held back a bit by penny pinching. Their direct drive amp was a bit of a joke and they used electrolytics in the filters but the sound was very good. I'm going to pick up one when I switch over to speaker collecting... If I were to take purk's lead and post the best headphones and favorite headphones Best all driven by the Blue Hawaii in correct order: SR-007 > SR-Ω > HE60 > HE90 > SR-4070 > SR-Sigma > SR-SC1 > SR-Lambda (open back) >SR-Lambda Signature > SR-Lambda (stock) > SR-404 > SR-Nova Signature > SR-Lambda Spirit > SR-Lambda Pro > SR-Sigma Pro > Beyer ET1000 > SR-5 NB > SR-Gamma > SR-X Mk3 > SR-X Mk2 > SR-3 > SR-5 > SR-3 New.... This is a pretty idiotic way of listing them as the gap can be huge or very small and there are some models missing as I've not heard them at length in my system. The bottom end is pretty close and mostly down to what music I'm listening now or my mood. Top 5 favorite headphones i.e. what gets most use: SR-007 > SR-Ω > HE60 > SR-Lambda (open back) > SR-003

Audiostatic made some good speakers but they were built to be cheap so some pretty severe mods are needed to make them shine.

Thanks for the price check. There is supposed to be a silver version for Japan only that is released in December. It looks pretty much like the SR-007BL but with a better finish on the cups and we shpuld be able to get that at the normal 1500$ price. The black version does look great though.

Here is the back story to this "review". Enjoy! http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/digital/messages/13/133060.html

Yup, that's why I'm not getting sucked in by that idiotic comment. I guess he'll say anything to further his hole digging...

I have a Sony DAC and I love it to bits... No Sony headphones for me but I wouldn't mind a SS-R10 or two...

You have to buy this model through the distributors and they all very eager to add their cut to the price. They would be around 150000YJP in Japan but well over 2k$ in the US. Its even worse on this side of the "lake" due to the VAT.

This website is getting a lot of flak right now on AA. I don't care who's right but is sure is fun to see other people argue...

It really sucks that we can't get them from Japan. Stupid Stax and their dealer policy...

http://www.stax.co.jp/Pdf/Export/SR007MK2-brochure-s.pdf The SR-007 Mk2 has been released! It's too bad it is an export model only so no cheap prices through EIFL.

I have a problem... ok...

Hey you might not like and thats fine but good headphones should make us think what can be improved in the rig. I think I need to build an Egmont with much better parts then Rudi would ever use and see what Sov thinks...

Nahh I've spent plenty of time with the best in this are, CAT, and it isn't for me. I do like push-pull but paralleling large amounts of tubes will bring out a lot of nonlinear nastiness. I really need to build a small tube amp with usb input for my computer.

I would keep at least one. I just sold off some of my excess but I have a line on a few more Signatures...

I don't buy his crap as he reminds me a little too much of Nik. He swore by a Denon multichannel reciever some years back and said it was a very good headamp. Then came a HR-2 and some Rudistor crap. Nuff' said...

This is also a good summary of my journey. I was awestruck by big balanced SS amps and toob amps with a lot of toobs but as I heard more and I defined what I wanted it was large SET's driving huge capacitors all transformer coupled. A local DIY scene is a god send when you live in a remote place like I do. This does have a few bad side effects as I'm arguing with myself whether I should buy an Aristaeus and I just can't get over how much I have to spend and change to make it usable and I have to build a new PSU for it... I need help...

I might buy a set if I find a cheap one. I tend to go for speakers and headphones based on their technical merit but the HE60 and the open backed SR-Lambda are clear exceptions punching far above their weight class. The SR-Lambda is a mighty fine headphone but they did a real tumbler with the Pro's. The Signatures are stunning though when fed with plenty of voltage and current. Long live vintage Stax as it set the foundation for the excelent phones they make now.

Ahh I'm sorry, I meant had used them for extended periods of time. It is possible to get a good grasp on a headphones sound in your own system in a matter of hours but that necessitates an open mind and a fairly neutral system. It's still pretty far from a through analysis of a headphones signature. Regarding the HE90 they will impress for the first week but then you will start to notice what it is doing wrong and just how much of it is imposed on the music. The SR-007 is a bitch to get right and you need plenty of time to see what they really can do and the amp to match. Some call them picky but I wouldn't have it any other way as they motivate me to do things better and abandon common wisdom.