The Headcase Stax thread

[Dusty Chalk]

Pure porn.

[humanflyz]

Pure porn.

*Drool*

Omfg, I am so tempted to get an O2 setup next year...They fixed the one issue I had with the original: the earpads.

[spritzer]

What about the "new contoured earpads"?

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

[spritzer]

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

[Nanoha]

My goodness. They are definitely beautiful. So very beautiful.

[spritzer]

My goodness. They are definitely beautiful. So very beautiful.

Couldn't agree more! The are almost as good looking as the SR-Ω and they do borrow a bit from them with the general design of the cable mount and the pads.

[Tachikoma]

Just a word of warning, replacing those pads can be a bitch!! It can be hard to clean up the old glue and you only get one shot at putting the new ones back on.

Heh, I messed up with the GPs, but Scotch permanent double-sided tape works quite well as a replacement. I scrapped the old glue off with my fingernails

[spritzer]

Yup the fingers work best with the old glue but the new one needs acid or something...

[justin]

Are the cups plastic or are they still metal?

[spritzer]

Are the cups plastic or are they still metal?

They are still aluminum just with a different finish. The changes are pretty minor, cable entry, new pads and the chamber has been redesigned as the metal pin and the plate that hold the earpad and facilitate the rotating were too close so users with protruding ears made contact.

[postjack]

Here's a question about the O2: is the headband adjustable at all? I'm always skeptical about "one size fits all" kind of headphones, since they rarely seem to fit me.

[spritzer]

It's adjustable by bending the metal arcs to suit the users head and to control the angle of the drivers relative to the ears. This is necessary to get the lats 15% out of the headphones. But you can use them without bending but the sound will suffer. This along with a guide on how to use the earpads for the perfect fit is something Stax should have put in the instruction manual.

The 4070 on the other hand has a truly self adjusting headband as it is coupled to the earcups on swivel mounts like 99.9% of other headphones. This does help a lot with the enormous weight of the headphones and their bulky nature. One can only hope that the next generation of the Lambdas will have this arc assembly.

[postjack]

I received my SR-Lambda and SRD-7 yesterday, and listened to them last night and today.

I don't want to jump the gun, and I understand initial impressions can sometimes fade, but jesus christ I like this headphone. The very first thing that hit me is something that is usually described to me as the weak point of stats: the bass. Are you fucking kidding me? I have never heard bass so deep, full, complex, layered, and yes, impactful. And strangely this humongous bass sound does not interfere with the highs and mids, nor does it muddy up the soundstage. It exists in harmony with the rest of the spectrum, which is very natural and lifelike. Mids and highs exist together quite seemlessly. The Lambda is a pleasure to listen to at either low or high volumes. It also has superb speed, very ear-tickly and grin inducing.

Mostly I find myself listening to a lot of trance on the Lambdas, since lush atmospheric soundscapes and pulsing beats compliment the Lambda's strengths so well.

The 840A appears to have no trouble pushing these phones.

[spritzer]

It looks like we have another follower...

[Nanoha]

I received my SR-Lambda and SRD-7 yesterday, and listened to them last night and today.

I don't want to jump the gun, and I understand initial impressions can sometimes fade, but jesus christ I like this headphone. The very first thing that hit me is something that is usually described to me as the weak point of stats: the bass. Are you fucking kidding me? I have never heard bass so deep, full, complex, layered, and yes, impactful. And strangely this humongous bass sound does not interfere with the highs and mids, nor does it muddy up the soundstage. It exists in harmony with the rest of the spectrum, which is very natural and lifelike. Mids and highs exist together quite seemlessly. The Lambda is a pleasure to listen to at either low or high volumes. It also has superb speed, very ear-tickly and grin inducing.

Mostly I find myself listening to a lot of trance on the Lambdas, since lush atmospheric soundscapes and pulsing beats compliment the Lambda's strengths so well.

The 840A appears to have no trouble pushing these phones.

F'ing win.

Exactly.

Go go go go go! :angel:

[darkless]

How does a Lambda (or Lambda Pro) compare to an L3000, assuming both are properly amped?

[Duggeh]

How does a Lambda (or Lambda Pro) compare to an L3000, assuming both are properly amped?

I heard the L3000 from a Meridian G08 (not, ultimately a factor) and a Singlepower extreme at the UK meet.

I'd sooner listen to the Stax 2020 (SR-202 & SRM-212) given the choice. The general reaction from almost everyone at the meet was a sense of unimpressedness regarding the L3K. Rich and delicious sounding for sure, but sound per pound in that configuration, not a patch on the Stax.

[spritzer]

Go here for some good shots of the new SR-007 Mk2. I don't like the price though...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270183246187&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.ebay.com%3A80%2Fsearch%2Fsearch.dll%3Ffrom%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dm37%26satitle%3D270183246187%2509%26category0%3D%26fvi%3D1

[mirumu]

The black of the new model doesn't especially appeal to me although I suspect I may be in the minority there. I like the Champaign color of the mk1s. That color doesn't look so nice in pictures but in the flesh I like it a lot. Looking forward to the sonic impressions of the mk2 once people get a feel for their characteristics. Not sure what to make of what's been said so far.

[spritzer]

I like the silver more but I'll get a black one so it will look more different from my Mk1's. The first impressions aren't all that promising but I suspect that there is something wrong with that set. It's only the 4070 that has no bass until you get a good seal and that is all down to their design.

[mirumu]

Yes, something doesn't seem right there. Hard to believe Stax would have made them less efficient than the Mk1s either. It's not like amps to drive those well are common let alone something with more demanding requirements.

Edit: Although maybe Stax have a T2 Mk2 up their sleves that drive the new model to perfection?

[dvse]

Hello everyone! This forum feels like some sort of parallel world - all the names are familiar yet something is unsettling and different! ; p

Yes, definitely it would be a big surprise if SR-007 Mk2 is significantly less efficient - then it may even be difficult to get reasonable volume with some of the quieter single ended sources and the Stax amps.

[spritzer]

Hi Dimitri and welcome to the "other" forum. Less BS and we can swear as much as we like.

Yes, something doesn't seem right there. Hard to believe Stax would have made them less efficient than the Mk1s either. It's not like amps to drive those well are common let alone something with more demanding requirements.

Edit: Although maybe Stax have a T2 Mk2 up their sleves that drive the new model to perfection?

They say that the drivers are the same so they should be as efficient as the Mk1's. The pads are different and I suspect that there is a small port somewhere hidden in them to damp the stax fart but that wouldn't cause this.

I would definitely buy a T2 Mk2 if it has the name plate like the original had. I'd really like my name on Stax amp...

[JBLoudG20]

Hello everyone! This forum feels like some sort of parallel world - all the names are familiar yet something is unsettling and different! ; p

Yes, definitely it would be a big surprise if SR-007 Mk2 is significantly less efficient - then it may even be difficult to get reasonable volume with some of the quieter single ended sources and the Stax amps.

Welcome to head-case, sorry about your thin skin.

[deepak]

How does a Lambda (or Lambda Pro) compare to an L3000, assuming both are properly amped?

They're more comparable to the Omega 2 (driven by a good amp). The L3000 is much better than the SR-404. They're better than both older Lambdas as well (not sure about the Nova Sig).