The Headcase Stax thread

[padam]

1 minute ago, Buzzlulu said:

Is this still an issue today or has it been rectified?

The HF thread dedicated to the problem seems very quiet at the moment. But that doesn't mean it can't still just happen. About a month ago I still saw a SR-009 on auction in Japan with failed drivers sold 'as-is'... I think it went for 150,000 yen in the end. And according to the seller, the repair cost was quoted at 60,000 yen, not sure how accurate that is, seems lower than I expected for a new pair of matched drivers.

[justin]

i think it's been quite a while since anyone contacted me with this issue. at least a year, maybe 18+ months

[Buzzlulu]

Got it  - thanks

I ask because "smoother and more refined" on the "s" version does not appeal.  My main listening is Naim 2 channel (PRAT) so smooth is definitely out.  Interesting that they will be keeping both versions of the 009.

On a side note my first foray into the Stax world is my newly arrived L300 Limited and 353.  I am EXTREMELY happy.  It is easy to understand why Stax for years has always been held in such high esteem amongst Naim users.  The L300L/353x combination, imho, is an amazing value.  I also have the Utopia here so $1700 Stax headphone/amp vs. $4000 Utopia is quite remarkable.  

[spritzer]

The imbalance issue is still real and one set I know of is now on the fourth set of drivers.  Every time it was sent back to Japan and it failed again.  There were also issues with the new drivers being installed incorrectly so something is clearly going on. 

I do get about one email every month asking for advice with imbalance issues and the same thing stands, hit them gently on the offending side while not energized and they should spring back to life. 

As for the amps doing damage, you can bet your ass that amps out there will do just that.  Woo amps with no output protection and laughably small ballast resistors, Cavalli amps with bias supplies which can fry the diaphragm.  All those amps with a cap right on the diaphragm which is a very bad idea.  Best was the Rudistor crap where he just placed huge caps in the bias supply to get rid of some hum and it had enough potential to burn it all too hell.  Great plan... 

[powertoold]

In my experience, channel imbalance has been a problem predominantly with the Omega type drivers. Stax and channel imbalance seem to go hand in hand unfortunately.

[Buzzlulu]

Nice to hear that the issue is still problematic!  Encouraging for new users (ie me) who would consider climbing on the train for more of the ride.  Maybe the development of the new "s" will have yielded them some insight on how to rectify or minimize these issues.  For now I will enjoy my new L300 Limited.

As a new owner a question - in my Naim 2 channel land we leave all boxes powered on 24/7.  Turn them off and they take 2 days to come back on song.  I noticed that my 353x runs quite warm (powered 24/7).  What is normal practice - leave it running 24/7 or powered up only when used?

As more 300 Limited's get delivered I would be curious if people determine whether these scale up in performance with better amps - or if it's natural Stax partner the 353 extracts from them all they are capable of giving?

[padam]

48 minutes ago, Buzzlulu said:

Nice to hear that the issue is still problematic!  Encouraging for new users (ie me) who would consider climbing on the train for more of the ride.  Maybe the development of the new "s" will have yielded them some insight on how to rectify or minimize these issues.  For now I will enjoy my new L300 Limited.

As a new owner a question - in my Naim 2 channel land we leave all boxes powered on 24/7.  Turn them off and they take 2 days to come back on song.  I noticed that my 353x runs quite warm (powered 24/7).  What is normal practice - leave it running 24/7 or powered up only when used?

As more 300 Limited's get delivered I would be curious if people determine whether these scale up in performance with better amps - or if it's natural Stax partner the 353 extracts from them all they are capable of giving?

There were also some minor revisions to the SR-009 but it is unclear if these have any effect on this issues.

 

Do what works for you, what you hear as better, don't sweat it. Sometimes I turn it on for a few hours, sometimes for a day. Sometimes I think I hear a difference, sometimes I don't.

Again, same with the higher grade amp. Is it going to sound even better? Probably. Is it too much of a price to pay considering the improvements you get? Possibly. Can you invest in something else instead, like an SR-007 Mk2 SR-009 S (X Y Z) or something and upgrade the amp later on when it might be more noticeable? Absolutely.

[Whitigir]

7 hours ago, spritzer said:

The imbalance issue is still real and one set I know of is now on the fourth set of drivers.  Every time it was sent back to Japan and it failed again.  There were also issues with the new drivers being installed incorrectly so something is clearly going on. 

I do get about one email every month asking for advice with imbalance issues and the same thing stands, hit them gently on the offending side while not energized and they should spring back to life. 

As for the amps doing damage, you can bet your ass that amps out there will do just that.  Woo amps with no output protection and laughably small ballast resistors, Cavalli amps with bias supplies which can fry the diaphragm.  All those amps with a cap right on the diaphragm which is a very bad idea.  Best was the Rudistor crap where he just placed huge caps in the bias supply to get rid of some hum and it had enough potential to burn it all too hell.  Great plan... 

From those amps, Does damaging headphones come with a bonus effect to also damage your ears ? 

Stax 009S has Japanese impression already!

So japanese impressions is up

 

seems 009S is a perfect candidate to start making the Sandwhich ? Or the T8000DR

Edited April 26, 2018 by Whitigir

[JoaMat]

I suggest a Sandwich.

[jose]

2 hours ago, JoaMat said:

I suggest a Sandwich.

I want to do one of those to complete my amp collection 

[JoaMat]

Make your pick. Then Whitigir build the other.

[Dusty Chalk]

On 4/24/2018 at 2:20 PM, SeaWolf said:

You would be shocked at the amount of companies do half assed in house translations.

 

I would not!

[powertoold]

This has been addressed before, but for the YOLO types, if you take off the black cloth debris cover on your 007, the clarity improves by 10-15%, which is very significant. Do it at your own risk though.

I love my kgsshv + 007mk1 so much. I can't thank Stax and KG and spritzer and the community enough. My system has become my most cherished possession by far. It's been a long journey where I didn't believe perfection existed, until now 

Edited April 27, 2018 by powertoold

[chiguy]

From the scrolling pictures on https://stax-international.com/

 

[Whitigir]

That is such gold! Good find 

[SeaWolf]

^^ I feel like I have missed something.

[Dusty Chalk]

I'm pretty sure I've seen Fragships in Doom or World of Warcraft.

[wink]

If you don't got a fragship, you don't got nuffin'

Edited April 28, 2018 by wink

[Hugo]

I have compared the 009 and 009S running from the same amp (T8000) today.
The room was somewhat quiet, but I had only two source options: my iPhone (connected through Apple's lightning adapter directly to the T8000) or their CD player with their own music. Even though the listening conditions weren't ideal, I could make a rough comparison.

The 009S had a more evident bass, a fuller body and overall sounded more natural IMO. The treble on the 009 (at least out of the T8000) is a little bit annoying for me, and the 009S had this fixed (phew!). I thought it was a bit more resolving too.

I talked with Mr. Sasaki (former Stax Director and Sales Manager) who also hosted me when I visited their factory last year. He has been working there for decades now, and unfortunately has retired last month. He is a very nice and knowledgeable guy.

He said that the 009S started being developed 3-4 years ago. For its voicing, he said they used the 006t and 727A initially, and then the T8000 when it was released.

I asked about discontinuing the old 009 and he said that for now they will keep both, but depending on the sales, the 009 may fade out or get discontinued. 
I also asked if the 009S is meant to be just a different flavor from the 009, or a higher level product. He said that "S" stands for "Special" and that the 009S has been developed to improve on the 009 imperfections.

This hobby is weird and some may prefer the older version, but I know which one I'm buying when my T2 arrives.

On another note, I told him about the DIY buildings of the T2 and showed some pictures of the ones made by Kerry. He was very happy and proud to know about it, and even happier and "grateful"- his words - to know that it bests every other stat amp out there.

Edited April 28, 2018 by Hugo

[SeaWolf]

Your description has them moving the tonality toward that of the 007? Do you think it retained the detail level and sound staging of the 009?

 

It is looking like these will pair well with a BHSE :-)

[Hugo]

6 minutes ago, SeaWolf said:

Your description has them moving the tonality toward that of the 007? Do you think it retained the detail level and sound staging of the 009?

 

It is looking like these will pair well with a BHSE :-)

Even though I'm not exactly familiar with the 007, I'd say yes. And yes for the second question too - I think it has actually improved in resolution.

I thought the same about the BHSE pairing.

[arnaud]

I don’t have much to add to hugo’s post, agree on the findings except perhaps sounstage which felt a bit more closed in on the 009S compared to 009.

I also used my source (sony dap) HP out to drive the T8000 so it wasn’t ideal + noisy environment but I was pleasantly surprised by 009S. These days I am applying dig. EQ to my 009 to take the edge off the mids and boost the subbass a little so I did not think I’d get into the 009S.

But what I listened to today was quite promising, the 009S improves on the 009 across the board and I could not find a drawback. It sounds cleaner, fuller body, more natural mids, looses that tendency of 009 to sound thin / agressive at high volume levels and does not loose any treble extension or resolution.

I think this one is going to be popular with the mafia given the number of 007 fans and 009 haters ;-).

Design wise, besides the official blurb on housing, stators and grill, the pads felt definitely stiffer than the 009 and I bet part of the chances in voicing come from there (perhaps more so than the gold plating of the stators).

The 009 really do sound cleaner than 009 from bass quality to transparency overall, the structural redesign of the grill and such may be more influential than I would have thought.

It was good to see Sasaki-san there (apparently the head designer Suzuki-san is joining tomorrow) but the new generation of employees seem to be on top of the game already so I can only wish a bright year ahead for Stax.

Besides talk on the 009S, Suzuki-san mentionned all D/A related designed are outsourced to edifier (the new portable dac amp fully is), the upcoming dac board addon for the t8000 also won’t come out of Japan (they stick to analog components design). Apart from that, Edifier still leaves Stax full autonomy today it seems.

 

[padam]

Will there be When there will be a HC group buy? 

[Whitigir]

Awesome, seems like I will be getting 009S too.  I finally managed to make my 009 becomes too bright LoL! Keep throwing silver at it LOL!

*excuses*

anyways, from whom perceptions were to said that 009 was imperfect and needed improvement ? In my opinion, this hobby is only weird because people has upgradatis....

Edited April 28, 2018 by Whitigir

[Oneguy]

I’d say the 009 needed “adjusting” (please don’t stone me) but that’s just my opinion.