The Headcase Stax thread

[HemiSam]

My SR-003Mk2's showed up today.  I'd listened to a pair a friend here loaned me and decided to buy a pair.  Trippy little things.  Sounds surprisingly good for what they are.

Anyone find a better set of ear tips so they can be used for more than 20 minutes at a time?

HS

[Sechtdamon]

9 minutes ago, HemiSam said:

Anyone find a better set of ear tips so they can be used for more than 20 minutes at a time?

I've heard some people can make custom tips for them. If you like them that much, you can try to get custom tips.

[HemiSam]

1 minute ago, Sechtdamon said:

I've heard some people can make custom tips for them. If you like them that much, you can try to get custom tips.

I had CIEM's made a few years back.  They take some getting used to.

I'm just hoping for an off the shelf solution that's better than those little prophylactics that are included...

HS

[sorenb]

16 minutes ago, HemiSam said:

My SR-003Mk2's showed up today.  I'd listened to a pair a friend here loaned me and decided to buy a pair.  Trippy little things.  Sounds surprisingly good for what they are.

Anyone find a better set of ear tips so they can be used for more than 20 minutes at a time?

HS

You might find something here ....take a look at the side where all the pictures are shown, and you'll see various non-Stax tips suggested.

Edited April 23, 2016 by sorenb

[Dusty Chalk]

2 hours ago, spritzer said:

You haven't lived until you've blown something up... 

I know you didn't mean it that way, but...sounds like a terrorist recruitment slogan.

[spritzer]

Well I'm a viking so not that far off. 

[randomnamehere]

So what makes the omega series (and 009 for that matter) better than the lambdas?  Looking at the frequency response, it seems similar, and the impulse response seems to not be much different.

I've been trying to approximate for free field and diffuse field, and it seems like the 009 and to a lesser extent the 007 follow a free field while the lambdas do better at diffuse field.  So this may account for the differences.

 

[sejsel]

4 hours ago, Craig Sawyers said:

When I was 16 I discovered the difference between rms and peak by using a capacitor across a mains switch of an amp I had built.  BANG.  That was the first in a catalog of stupidity over the decades - the last was destroying quite a lot of my Tektronix 577 curve tracer by plugging the power supply back in with the connector one pin along.  Fist I knew I had a problem was when the top of a 741 op amp blew across the room smoking.  Still repairing that......

From the bottom of my heart... I envy you !

You have probably destroyed more things than other people (none mentioned, none forgotten ) have seen...

and - I meant, of course, electronics - audio related stuff...

[sejsel]

5 hours ago, spritzer said:

Well I'm a viking so not that far off. 

SkÅL !

 

[spritzer]

You mean Skál!!! 

[sejsel]

What can I say... nordic "internal deviations"

The local version here is Skål... but the etymology of the word is what's more interesting... as you probably already know...

 

Edited April 24, 2016 by sejsel
spelling (Illiteracy, that is)... :D

[spritzer]

That's what I was going for.   

Good news on the 4070 front, I scored a SR-303 so I can bring them back to their proper state.  Also made a new baffle so I can easily swap in the new drivers.  It does help that quite a few Lambdas have met their end here... 

[microCuts]

I pulled the trigger on the L700...makes no sense get the 009 with really mediocre DAC & amp. Better use the rest of money to invest in better DAC or Amp.

Right out of Mojo & 007tii, the L700 is easily the best sounding headphone I have owned to date, compared to my previously owned AKG Q701, HD650, LCD3, and MrSpeakers Ether. The smoothness, separation, airiness, and detailed are reasons why I stopped looking other type of headphones than estat. Planars may win in bass slam but the overall imagination is way too 2D. I auditioned similar setup before I went home but with different DAC that is Resonessence Labs Invicta and the result is even more stunning. Wider soundstage, better bass, and overall speedier. Source is definitely my next upgrade.

And for the 007tii, I will mod it perhaps in next couples weeks. I already extracted all the possible information from headcase/headfi month ago. I understand the logic of the mod, basically is to retrace the board so it is able to use 6A4S tubes which has different pinouts than 6CG7. The only thing slightly concerns me is I have very little experience in doing job like this. Quite shameful to speak it out as I am a Mechanical Engineer though...Anyway I will have questions which Spritzer could answer me when I am ready for the Mod, hope that you dont mind.

[nopants]

That's what I was going for.  [emoji4] 

Good news on the 4070 front, I scored a SR-303 so I can bring them back to their proper state.  Also made a new baffle so I can easily swap in the new drivers.  It does help that quite a few Lambdas have met their end here... 

any plans for the leftover 507 drivers?

[astrostar59]

12 hours ago, randomnamehere said:

So what makes the omega series (and 009 for that matter) better than the lambdas?  Looking at the frequency response, it seems similar, and the impulse response seems to not be much different.

I've been trying to approximate for free field and diffuse field, and it seems like the 009 and to a lesser extent the 007 follow a free field while the lambdas do better at diffuse field.  So this may account for the differences.

 

I have no idea how or if frequency response measurements are accurate or can be trusted to be 'real world' results.

But IMO the listening experience between those models is vast, so I would say ignore those measurements.

[spritzer]

5 hours ago, nopants said:

any plans for the leftover 507 drivers?

I'll probably just add them to my rather large stock of spare parts. 

[dripf]

16 hours ago, microCuts said:

I pulled the trigger on the L700...makes no sense get the 009 with really mediocre DAC & amp. Better use the rest of money to invest in better DAC or Amp.

I'm happy with ALC899 onboard. The savings nets me an L500 and there aren't any measurable downsides.

I'm happily waiting on good quality measurements that show a substantial FR plot difference to standard lambdas.

 

[spritzer]

This new glue Stax is using is nasty, nasty shit.  Some form of neoprene...

[HemiSam]

I find 3M's adhesive remover quite effective.

HS

[spritzer]

I use Bostik branded but that close to the sensitive electrostatic drivers isn't the best idea. 

[HemiSam]

Agreed.  I generally spray on a blue HD towlette for the delicate stuff, but I doubt you need much help from this wrench

HS

[spritzer]

I'll manage... 

[oogabooga]

How normal is it for LNS drivers to be off-kilter? I just received a pair and the left driver looks fucked up. I removed the four screws on the driver to try and get a closer look, but I wasn't able to pull the driver/back plastic apart (didn't want to use too much force) - not sure if a previous owner glued em on. 

FWIW google turns up other LNS's that look like this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RARE-STAX-LAmbda-NOVA-Signature-/141886669059

[spritzer]

The glue that either holds the drivers to the baffle or the protective mesh to the drivers has failed.  Only way to fix that is to take it all apart very gently, clean off the nasty glue and reglue it all. 

The glue they used back in those days is just horrible so the baffle is just stuck to the case due to that.  Use some force and they will break apart.  I did this exact thing last week when I fixed a really old SR-404. 

[catscratch]

Just be careful when doing this, because I had a pair that had the same issue, and when I tried to take it apart, the dust cover came off one of the drivers, and when that happens, they'll probably squeal from then on, unless you do it in a dust-proof cleanroom.

Edited April 25, 2016 by catscratch