spritzer

Go for it. He has enough headphones to go around...

The 404 and SC1 are identical except for the label on the plug. The newer Lambda arc design is much worse then the original Sigma design that the Lambda borrowed. The clamp is too tight and it doesn't extend enough.

The 212 is actually quite a good amp if fitted with a better PSU. I like it a bit more then the old 313.

They cost about YJP70000 so it's a hefty premium over the 404 but the difference isn't subtle. It's amazing that the same driver can sound so different in the 404, SC1 and the 4070.

The 404 is much rougher around the edges with a bit of bass boom, upper midrange coloration and a soundstage that is too large for it's own good. The SC1 is much smoother and civilized and the midrange coloration is reduced by quite a bit. It's basically what the SR-404 should have been to begin with. Btw. Congrats on the HE90 Michael.

More often then not it is very badly done (Single Power...) with no care take to damp the wire and the components and even less thought about the layout. The connecting wire is much better then a trace and the connections as well since they are mostly mechanical with the solder just to hold it together. Still I've yet to try out a solid silver/teflon PCB as they could be the best of both worlds. I wanted to get one for an Aristaeus that Carl and I were planing to build but Justin was reluctant to order them for me...

No debate here. P-P is much better if it is done well while PCB's are cheaper and it is easier to get the same result time and time again with no skill. There are some things that have no place on a PCB such as signal and the filament wiring while I'm seeing this integrated more and more. Btw. Post count is the only true measure of everything in this world...

The Luna is based on a design by K&K Audio. It's easy to spot with the transformers and the design. Lundahl makes great stuff but installing them on a PCB is such a waste... :'(

There is also the excelent Lundahl and Sowter. It's hell to pick one to use but I'll most likely use Lundahl and Tamura in future projects.

Tango did go out of business and it is called Iso-Tango now. I've heard reports that the new transformers are inferior to the older stuff but the transformers used in the Kondo designs are not off the shelf units but each one designed by the, now sadly departed, company founder. The other great transformer manufacturer is Tamura and the audio side is bout 0.1% of their business but they are equal to Tango and the lineup is much easier to get a handle on.

Kondo is at the very fringe of the high-end and one of the few companies that does it right. They make all of the components in house, wiring, resistors, capacitors or has some of the best specially make it for them i.e. Tango transformers/chokes. Kondo was called Audio Note but the English company that once distributed them worldwide owned the name so they had to change it. The English company is a bad joke in comparison but they charge much more for their products.

It's true that at the very high end there is the ultimate musicality. If you want the truth listen to a Kondo setup and be prepared to manually force your jaw off the floor. most users aren't searching for an analyzing tool in their setup so they settle for something that sounds nice and are stuck on the endless upgrade train.

The fact that the HE90 is easy to listen to is basically why people love it. None of the most avid He90 supporters have a system that is close to being neutral and that makes them sound all that much better. I can afford to keep them and they are a good investment since they have more then doubled in price since i bought them but thats not the reason why I hang onto them. I'm still hoping for an amp or system that will make them sound good to my ears. It might never happen but until then they rest in their box.

They haven't, they are only revealing more of the signal. I design my cables for absolute neutrality, not to be tone controls, and they have proved to be much better then any others I've tried including Valhalla, Prana, Silversmith, PAD and Kimber Select. The only cables that were too close to call were the Stealth and Kondo TOTL models. I didn't get to spend too much time with them but they were up there.

I'm not going to sell either one of them but I might start to sell some of my stuff, some of lambdas and SR-# units. Also at least some of the amps and adapters. This will be tough but I need the space for some extra gear... That would be like him. I'm fire off an email when I have the time. I got mine used.

It was both. The worst comments were often from people that had heard them at a meet for 3 minutes and some because it was headfi and you don't have to hear something to know how it sounds. The fynny thing is that there are more HE90's sold on the other site then O2's. Those that own them all keep the Stax phones and sell the Sennheisers. Ooohhh spill the beans. I haven't spoken to him in a while so... ehhh... spill it! Is it something I don't own?

I'm sure many users will find their ultimate phone in the HE90 but it is not the end all ultimate reference many make it out to be. This was at its worst in early 2006 so those PM's are long gone but some are memorable. "You are a fucking idiot and you don't deserve the HE90", "Are you deaf?", "You have no right to talk like this about the Orpheus you deaf moron" and so on. It's not that bad.

I'm biased towards the best sound but not toward any phones in general. The SR-007 was the first high-end phone I bought (HD600 doesn't really count) and the system was initially built around them but all these headphones that have come after were measured against them and have failed, not just in some performance area but in musicality as a whole. The He90 was great in the "honeymoon" period but when I made some direct comparisons I found them wanting. I've since upgraded my system a lot internally and while most of the phones took a big step forward the He90 was to colored to fully utilize it. It's a shame not to use them much as they are a work of art but I'd much rather use the SR-Omega or Sr-Lambda. The SR-007 isn't dark unless the system is dark or the amp isn't powerful enough. Electrostatic need the most power at the extremes so that's where a tough load will suffer. The usual complaint about the SR-007 is that they are dark and the bass in overblown... My system is configured to be as neutral as I can make it to let any one of the 30+ 'stats shine with plenty of power behind them. Not many of the HE90 fans have gone down this road. I have been attacked time and time again and if you think the public stuff is bad you should see the PM's. The sad part is that very few of the He90 defenders has anything credible to say.

I'll post my impressions of the Mk2's as soon as I get them. When that will be I don't know but shortly after the release. I'm guessing that the SR-007 will suddenly become the best headphone ever on the other site the day after it is discontinued and it will triple in price.

That was what I meant with "some rock music". The classic rock greats make up the bulk of my listening so accurate bass is very important to me and one of the reasons why I never, ever use the He90. The SR-007 is the only phone that can recreate every last nuance of the bass but it's a bitch to get them that good. Cable choice is crucial and so is the fit. You have to get the arc correctly set up or the bass will be anemic or overblown. Just buy the SR-007. That's what I do when I want something...

Here is where personal preference comes to play. The dynamic range of the SR-007 is simply awesome but it will never play bass like a dynamic driver will i.e. with the thump generated by the cones. The diaphragm is so thin and light that there are no standing waves to make any kind of thump and the housing dispenses of the extra information so there is no overhang either. I can't stand either so no dynamic speakers for me but if this sound is your cup of tea you need one of the older stats. The original Lambda with the damping material removed has some of this but the even older phones with 4 and 6um diaphragms have plenty of slam and overhang. This is also the main basis behind the HE90 vs SR-007 argument as the Stax is so neutral and the He90 isn't. Some users can't see that the Stax is simply showing what the system sounds like while the He90 puts a nice shine over everything.

If you want rock to sound like crap (i.e. like some of it is supposed to) then you want slam and bass heft and the rest be damned. Electrostatics can do that but you need a vintage stat for the job. The Suprex PEP-74 is the best rock phone ever and I've spent a good deal of time with the RS1. The thicker the diaphragm the better the rock bass. None of them can come close to the SR-007 bass in extension and texture but they are simply too honest for some recordings so you need some 35 year old design. There is a reason I own all these headphones...

Damn noobs with their dynamics... All bullshit aside the SR-007 in a properly matched system is an astonishing experience. They are really tough to get right but when you do... I'll do my best to preach the gospel...

I did and it works!!! Sound pretty good for the 50$ I payed for it...

I think that would be wise. We can agree that they are very good headphones and much better then the crap people think is "high-end" Now I going back to restoring my vintage Stax amp.