luvdunhill Posted January 23, 2009 Report Posted January 23, 2009 If the LEDs were red, it'd be Darth Vader's amplifier of choice. Sick. Meanwhile, removing the center pin in a WPI plug is a real bitch. I just attempted, and succeeded, for the most part. I just heat it up and then drill through the back of it with a suitably sized drill bit. Comes right out.
mypasswordis Posted January 23, 2009 Report Posted January 23, 2009 Thanks, I'll keep that in mind if I ever need to do it again. Meanwhile, I'm trying to play music through my Koss ESP10 now after I rewired it for Stax, and it sounds very distorted and at a low level. One side is better and louder than the other. Is this just a sign of not having been used for 10-20 years or did I wire the plug wrong? EDIT: When I play with the balance controls left and right are reversed. I guess this does mean I wired it wrong?
HeadphoneAddict Posted January 23, 2009 Report Posted January 23, 2009 That BHSE is the sechs but I need some silver in my life. I'm not sure when he got them but you can check in the HF thread. I haven't had much time with them today but I believe I managed to tame the bass somewhat with the new cable and sealing the baffle. When I get some suitable glue for the earpads I'll know more. You realize that if you report positive changes from your mods that I'll be bugging you to do mine next?
luvdunhill Posted January 23, 2009 Report Posted January 23, 2009 You realize that if you report positive changes from your mods that I'll be bugging you to do mine next?
HeadphoneAddict Posted January 23, 2009 Report Posted January 23, 2009 :palm: Actually I still don't think my Jade are as bad as he says. They are better than Lambdas and at least as good as re-cabled ESP950, maybe better. Still have lots of listening to do yet. We'll see how burn-in goes.
mypasswordis Posted January 23, 2009 Report Posted January 23, 2009 Left channel is almost distortion free after running them in a bit (not smart, I know). Right channel is still a mess though. I guess I'll take a look inside at the connections.
Sherwood Posted January 23, 2009 Report Posted January 23, 2009 if it really hasn't been used at all in 10-20 years, then a channel imbalance is to be expected. The drivers are pretty near indestructable so long as you don't arc them, so I'd just run them in for a few days. The charge-up time should get shorter each repetition, and the channel imbalance will hopefully resolve itself.
Elephas Posted January 23, 2009 Report Posted January 23, 2009 I got the Jade in December. It was supposedly from the first batch, but when I contacted Fang to cancel my order he said it wasn't one of the units with the problems. Unless he was lying about this, then it should be the same as the subsequent 2nd batch units. Great pics of the Jade internals. I couldn't even unscrew the housings from the headband assembly. The BHSE pics definitely don't disappoint. Based on the Aristaeus, I expected nothing less. Actually I still don't think my Jade are as bad as he says. They are better than Lambdas and at least as good as re-cabled ESP950, maybe better. Still have lots of listening to do yet. We'll see how burn-in goes. I also thought the Jade was better than the Lambda Pro, Airbow SR-SC1 and 4070. I'm hopeful some of Spritzer's tinkering can improve the sound, though I don't know what I'll think if he makes it sound like an O2Mk1. At least that 5-pin XLR to Stax adapter is gone forever.
deepak Posted January 23, 2009 Report Posted January 23, 2009 At least that 5-pin XLR to Stax adapter is gone forever. Good that nutty connector is gone.
Elephas Posted January 23, 2009 Report Posted January 23, 2009 Yeah. I don't know the reason He Audio decided to use the 5-pin XLR and include an adapter. Whatever the case, I think it was a bad decision. It's as if they wanted to emulate the HE90 and have its own distinctive plug. They might be planning to launch their own line of amplifiers with 5-pin XLR outputs, but they don't exist yet and market acceptance of yet another plug standard will be a long time coming. Being Jade-less, I'm listening to the HE90. I put in a full complement of el-cheapo tubes in the ES-1, and the result is not bad. 2x Tung-Sol 5687 (with adapters) for first stage 2x GE 6BL7GT for second stage 4x STC 3D21A (with adapters) The BHSE is going to have a tough time battling the ES-1.
spritzer Posted January 23, 2009 Report Posted January 23, 2009 I've been crazy busy so not much time to compare but the blutak seems that have cleaned up the bass quite a bit but it's too early to tell. You realize that if you report positive changes from your mods that I'll be bugging you to do mine next? I will only work on Michaels set and no more though I'll report what I did as usual.
luvdunhill Posted January 23, 2009 Report Posted January 23, 2009 I've been crazy busy so not much time to compare but the blutak seems that have cleaned up the bass quite a bit but it's too early to tell. I will only work on Michaels set and no more though I'll report what I did as usual. yeah, B-Jade doesn't have much of a ring to it...
spritzer Posted January 23, 2009 Report Posted January 23, 2009 I just tried some different glues for reattaching the pads and none of them work. There is simply not enough area to play with so I may have to use liquid glue like Mr. He uses but that is the last resort. I also removed the blutak from one ear piece and then added it back in 3 steps and the difference is quite startling. Before the bass is loose and boomy (for an ESP) but it is much more controlled after it is all sealed up. I may end up leaving some part of it open though as I don't like them fully seaked. Either the blutak or the new cable has also cleared up the upper midrange so they aren't harsh any more but there is some extra texture on the midrange that I have to work on. yeah, B-Jade doesn't have much of a ring to it...
cetoole Posted January 24, 2009 Report Posted January 24, 2009 UPS dropped off a nice, big box today, with a pair of smaller boxes inside. Inside were the Lambda Pros and SRM-1/mk2 (S/N B0287) I ordered Tuesday. Everything looks and works very nicely, and the amp is in better condition than I expected, as most of the pics I had seen had quite a number of dings in the front panel. There are a few very minor things around the edges, but it is nice (and black). Normal and Pro bias sockets, which rocks, and means I will be on the lookout for a normal bias SR-Lambda. The headphones look a little rougher, but still quite nice considering their age. The headband is shedding a bit, one of the struts on the back is cracked, though still in place, and the pads are a bit hard, but still plump enough that they seal fine. The Koss are still better, though from what I have heard so far, these are my second choice out of my collection, not counting the SR404, as I still havnt repaired the headband on those. Listening to some Epica right now, and life is good. Not as good, obviously, as if Simone was naked in front of me, but pretty good nonetheless.
n_maher Posted January 24, 2009 Report Posted January 24, 2009 Great score Colin, I enjoyed that combo when I had it.
Dusty Chalk Posted January 24, 2009 Report Posted January 24, 2009 One of Stax' better color schemes, methinks.
Smeggy Posted January 24, 2009 Report Posted January 24, 2009 I'm still confused about who decided baby shit brown would make a good headphone color for the 404. \
mypasswordis Posted January 24, 2009 Report Posted January 24, 2009 Stax were going through a brown phase, apparently... ever since the Lambda Sig and Sigma Pro, through to the Omega 2 MkI and SR-404. Of course, only the SR-404 is completely shit brown from top to bottom. From pics, the color of the SR-303 is a slightly darker shade of the color of mucus that drips from my nose when I'm really sick.
spritzer Posted January 24, 2009 Report Posted January 24, 2009 The later brown color is quite bad and I don't see how they could have dropped the beautiful chocolate brown of the Lambda Signature and SR-Omega.
Elephas Posted January 24, 2009 Report Posted January 24, 2009 I thought the SR-404 brown looked bad, but it does grow on you after a while and isn't so bad anymore. I think the Airbow SR-SC1 (basically an SR-404) is one of the most comfortable headphones. Very lightweight, not too much clamping force, comfortably-shaped and comfy earpads, comfy headband and medium-sized housings that aren't too big. Large housings and consequently large earpads run the risk of putting some uncomfortable pressure on the upper jaw or area behind the ear.
spritzer Posted January 24, 2009 Report Posted January 24, 2009 The SR-404 is very comfy and the same thing can be said about the Sigma's too even though they are huge. The Jade drivers are now back on the headband thanks to some new and much improved screws. Changing the cable and sealing the baffle has benefited them greatly and the only real now complaint is the flat soundstage. The bass is still uneven and boomy but I doubt I can do much more to fix that without a new enclosure. Btw. Don't ever drop the Jade as they will not survive it. The headband is guaranteed to break and the housing is very thin. You have been warned!
The Monkey Posted January 24, 2009 Report Posted January 24, 2009 The later brown color is quite bad and I don't see how they could have dropped the beautiful chocolate brown of the Lambda Signature and SR-Omega. Which makes it annoying to have to replace the Signatures headband.
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