The Headcase Stax thread

[nopants]

Do you guys know if there's an easy way to get a replacement headband for the 007mk1? I don't even know if Stax still makes that stuff...

[greenpips]

5 minutes ago, nopants said:

Do you guys know if there's an easy way to get a replacement headband for the 007mk1? I don't even know if Stax still makes that stuff...

 

I also looking for this one and the replacement cable.

 

 

[padam]

I have seen an SR007 Mk1 with a service bill attached, having the arc assembly and cable replaced with black parts.
So I guess they still service it, it's just not clear to me if they offer these parts separately.

[spritzer]

Some of the parts suppliers have the Mk2 headpad for sale and it should be direct replacement.  Now if the old elastic has streched then I'd just cut a bit off it.  Works a charm

[nopants]

trimming the elastic worked great thanks, is there anything I can apply to the leather to keep it in good condition?

[Vlaca]

Hi All!

 

I bought an srm-313, 100V version. I want to reconfig  to 240V.

Somebody know the procedure? (I found srm1 reconfigure info, but not for 313.)

It seems the transformer primary windigs has 7 pin.(Srm1 only 6 pin.)

 

 

 

Edited April 7, 2022 by Vlaca
added one photo

[spritzer]

I've never seen that exact setup but it is basically the same as others.  See those two gray links, they are the adjustment but you also need to move the white wire as seen here:

 

[Vlaca]

17 hours ago, spritzer said:

I've never seen that exact setup but it is basically the same as others.  See those two gray links, they are the adjustment but you also need to move the white wire as seen here:

 

 

Ok i see the red lines, its connect serial the two primary windigs. The grey links need to remove?(These paralell connect the windigs, for lower voltage/bigger amperage.)

Thank you so much!

 

 

 

 

[spritzer]

Yes, the gray links need to be removed.  You can use one of them to make the new connection. 

[Vlaca]

36 minutes ago, spritzer said:

Yes, the gray links need to be removed.  You can use one of them to make the new connection. 

Ok, understand. Thank you!

[Vlaca]

19 hours ago, spritzer said:

Yes, the gray links need to be removed.  You can use one of them to make the new connection. 

Yeah, its working fine. 😀

Just one little issue(?).

I measured the double secondary voltages.(grey,black,grey wires in bottom left)

In original 100V config(with outboard step down transformer)  : 2x225VAC

Now in 240V config: 2x200VAC.

Here in Hungary the official mains voltage 230 VAC. I measured 223VAC in mains socket.😅

Its ok to use the amp in 240V config(little less secundary voltage) or necessary  to reconfigure to 220V?

( The white wire solder to the second pin(red arrow in pic), ok to 220V config?)

Sorry for another questions and thank you for your support! 👍

 

[spritzer]

For actual 220VAC line voltage, feel free to move the white wire back to its former position. 

The rest of Europe is pushing well above 240V so that's what I always set the amps to. 

[Vlaca]

49 minutes ago, spritzer said:

For actual 220VAC line voltage, feel free to move the white wire back to its former position. 

The rest of Europe is pushing well above 240V so that's what I always set the amps to. 

Ok. Thank you so much! 

[greenpips]

T2 sells on yahoo.auction

 

page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/e1047809231

[The Expanding Man]

The elastic on the headband of my SR007 Mk1 has worn out.  My google search skills haven't been able to locate a replacement part, I can only find the Mk11 version.

Any tips for sourcing this part?  Or will the Mk11 version fit?

btw - haven't logged in here for years, nice to see there is still a community going.

[padam]

Besides the different colour, it's interchangeable. Or if it is still in one piece, you can just shorten it, this was done on mine recently, worked just fine.

 

[qqiao]

@spritzer

Hi spritzer,

could you kindly point me how to modify 313 from 100v to 120v? Thank you very much. I see vlaca's photo and he converted it to 240v. 

[Vlaca]

6 hours ago, qqiao said:

@spritzer

Hi spritzer,

could you kindly point me how to modify 313 from 100v to 120v? Thank you very much. I see vlaca's photo and he converted it to 240v. 

Hi!

I painted the 120V setup  (If i understand right the transformer windigs.)

You need to move one jumper wire left, and the white wire to the leftmost pin.

Please wait until Spitzer confirm this is the right setup.

 

 

[spritzer]

That is correct except I'd move the white wire to the other empty hole as it would be connected through the jumper anyway. 

[qqiao]

Thank you for the help.

[greenpips]

@spritzer

 

I'm getting a new SR-007A.

I already have SR-007 MK1 but the ribbon cable seems dead and every things tearing apart and old(earpads, headband) 

 

Not sure how to make it sound like the best version.

Scenario 1

1. Move the spring from mk-1 to 007A

2. Blutak mod with 007A

 

Scenario 2 (but 007 Mk1 is old)

1. Move every things from 007A to MK1, earpads, headband, cable ribbon(soldering) 

 

Thank you.

[Aspirant Audiophile]

Question for seasoned experts: in what ways can an underpowered amp paired with power-hungry earspeakers affect listening experience?

Context for my question: I have no idea what I'm doing, and it's best to be honest about that. I'm in a unique situation where I could get "best" headphones, but I'm neither an audio engineer nor someone with unlimited funds. I recently got a pair of x9000s and, after much trial and error and trading in purchases in order to upgrade, I made a plan: start with the x9000s as the strongest link in my chain, and build a setup from there.

Current setup: Node 2i, RME ADI-2 DAC, SRM-353x, x9000s

I think I need the Node, for now at least--I get different sound out of my PC when connecting via USB, all my music is streaming, I don't need a Roon for mobility etc., and I don't know enough about streamers to make a different decision. I know I need the RME--it solves so many potential problems that go beyond just being a good DAC. 

The 353x is an affordable placeholder while I try out various amps and make a more long-term decision. What I want to better understand is what happens to a pair of 'highest end' earspeakers when they're used with lesser-grade amps. I have no frame of reference to answer this question. I hear a lot of distortion at high volumes with the current setup, and not as much clarity or separation as I hoped for, but I have no idea whether this is a result of the 353x. I will personally test out several 'top' amps over the coming months, but it would help a lot to know what I should be listening for, besides 'more power.'

I've been on Head-Fi.org a lot over the past 2 months, and while I've gotten plenty of good advice, I've often enough been advised to buy stuff by thinly veiled salespersons to understand that Head-case.org might be a better fit for my question. And, I've emailed Spritzer enough over the past month that I want to avoid annoying someone I genuinely don't want to annoy. So I posit my question to the community-at-large :)

[jamesmking]

14 minutes ago, Aspirant Audiophile said:

Question for seasoned experts: in what ways can an underpowered amp paired with power-hungry earspeakers affect listening experience?

 

drive for the sr007a mk2. I'm sorry I cant comment of the x9000s but if they have simular drive requirements to the sr007mk2 then they are going to sound awful with an underpowered energizer....

I ran the sr007mk2 (very power hungry) on srm006t mk2 - (one weak 6cg7 per channel) and the result was awful, muddy bass that did not get louder as you increased the volume - it just got even more muddy and indistinct. No bass detail no bass extension, poor macro and micro dynamics overall a very unsatisfying sound experience with jazz and classical music. Soundstage lacked air and it was impossible to tell what magic the sr007 would provide when driven properly. Tube rolling did little to help since the problem was lack of drive and all the same design tubes had approximately the same drive. I could effect the treble changing tubes but the bass changed very little. Trying to "improve" the bass elsewhere did not work because the underpowered energizer just could not deliver the bass to the earspeaker anyway.

In going to something with 2 EL34s per channel, fully regulated power supplies and constant current anode/cathode sink and sources like the T2 is necessary to get the best out of the 007s and is revelation in sound quality.

regards

James

 

 

[Aspirant Audiophile]

32 minutes ago, jamesmking said:

drive for the sr007a mk2. I'm sorry I cant comment of the x9000s but if they have simular drive requirements to the sr007mk2 then they are going to sound awful with an underpowered energizer....

I ran the sr007mk2 (very power hungry) on srm006t mk2 - (one weak 6cg7 per channel) and the result was awful, muddy bass that did not get louder as you increased the volume - it just got even more muddy and indistinct. No bass detail no bass extension, poor macro and micro dynamics overall a very unsatisfying sound experience with jazz and classical music. Soundstage lacked air and it was impossible to tell what magic the sr007 would provide when driven properly. Tube rolling did little to help since the problem was lack of drive and all the same design tubes had approximately the same drive. I could effect the treble changing tubes but the bass changed very little. Trying to "improve" the bass elsewhere did not work because the underpowered energizer just could not deliver the bass to the earspeaker anyway.

In going to something with 2 EL34s per channel, fully regulated power supplies and constant current anode/cathode sink and sources like the T2 is necessary to get the best out of the 007s and is revelation in sound quality.

regards

James

 

 

Many thanks for this response--I understood about 75% of this message, which is better than my average. 

What you're describing sounds an awful lot like what I'm hearing in my current setup--along with my attempts to "improve" what I'm hearing, you just took the words out of my mouth. 

I guess I'm surprised, because I thought the 353x was one of the few "good"/decent Stax amps. 

I'm not averse to getting a BHSE, but I didn't want to make that jump immediately. And, Birgir does not appear to have his top amps available at this moment. I was/am kind of hoping I can find something in Europe that's comparable. Lots of builders with very, very few reviews. I'm reading a lot about Paltauf KHV-ES (not much available in English or German, but what is there is praiseful. 

I am also unclear on whether an external power supply is needed. The BHSE comes with one, the Paltauf offers one as an option. I am guessing that power-hungry headphones "need" an external supply?

[spritzer]

The Paltauf is a bad joke... I mean look at it:

It's a speaker amp with the electrostatic signal taken off the plates through capacitors.  Yeah... all the issues of doing that.