Elephas Posted November 22, 2007 Report Posted November 22, 2007 I think the 006tII is OK. It's not bad matched with the SR-404. A used SRM-T1 or SRM-T1W is a good option. The T1W is a good match with the Airbow SR-SC1 (modified 404). I would go for a T1 or T1W plus SR-404. The T1W does better with the 4070 and SR-007 than the 006tII, when the times comes to upgrade headphones.
Tachikoma Posted November 22, 2007 Report Posted November 22, 2007 Are the T1Ws really identical to the T1 except for the inputs?
spritzer Posted November 22, 2007 Report Posted November 22, 2007 Are the T1Ws really identical to the T1 except for the inputs? It's exactly the same. It even says SRM-T1 on the PCB.
mirumu Posted November 22, 2007 Report Posted November 22, 2007 THe SRM-Xh is Pro only though there is a normal solder tag on the PCB but I didn't test it. Stock it was available without a bias supply and Pro only as a part of the Spirit system. The one without a bias supply was marked as "Electret Energizer" or something like that. Yeah, it seems I was getting the SRM-Xh auction confused with the SRD-X one.
Nanoha Posted November 22, 2007 Report Posted November 22, 2007 It's exactly the same. It even says SRM-T1 on the PCB. SRM-T1W has balanced inputs; does that mean you get the SRM-T1 to have balanced inputs without too much work?
scottiebabie Posted November 23, 2007 Report Posted November 23, 2007 ....I would go for a T1 or T1W plus SR-404. The T1W does better with the 4070 and SR-007 than the 006tII, when the times comes to upgrade headphones. righto thxs guys. seems like a T1 + SR 404 is the sweetspot plus it mite even save me some major moolah at it. now i better sharpen up the ebay search button - hope i can score some gooddeals. btw elephas...im currently using a W5k paired with my own DIY hi current amp concoction (sounds great to my ears and only missing some lower bass slam but i think thats not a W5k trait). question is how would a SRM T1 + SR404 combo compare SQ wise to the above stated W5k?
Elephas Posted November 23, 2007 Report Posted November 23, 2007 I agree the W5000 doesn't have a lot of bass impact, especially compared to the L3000, PS-1 or SR-007. It doesn't fare too badly though compared with the SR-SC1 or SR-404. This may result in me getting demoted again in "this Stax thing of ours." I think the W5000+HA5000 is competitive vs. the 404+006tII or SR-SC1+T1W. The W5000 has very good details, speed, air, imaging, separation and soundstage. Notes three dimensionality is also good, with realistic attack and decay. Smoothness and sense of liquidity is better, and I think the W5000 is more refined. I also think the W5000+HA5000 is more sensitive to source material quality. The range between horrible-sounding and sublime seems greater.
spritzer Posted November 23, 2007 Report Posted November 23, 2007 Yeah, it seems I was getting the SRM-Xh auction confused with the SRD-X one. That is a pretty easy to get confused about. I bought a 1977 SRD-X some time ago and it should be fun to experiment with. Still siting in the Rinkya warehouse though... \ SRM-T1W has balanced inputs; does that mean you get the SRM-T1 to have balanced inputs without too much work? Add a 4 pole pot, some extra parts and you are set. There was a thread on this on HF where I was helping a T1 owner midding his amp but he didn't post any impressions.
slwiser Posted November 23, 2007 Report Posted November 23, 2007 I think the W5000+HA5000 is competitive vs. the 404+006tII or SR-SC1+T1W. The W5000 has very good details, speed, air, imaging, separation and soundstage. Notes three dimensionality is also good, with realistic attack and decay. Smoothness and sense of liquidity is better, and I think the W5000 is more refined. My comparison of the W5000+HA5000 and my UE9+HA5000 was without a doubt a contest which the UE9 won. My comparison of the UE9+HA5000 and my UE9+Yamamoto HA-02 was without a doubt a contest which the UE9+HA-02 won. Therefore, for my myself, the combination of UE9+HA-02 would likely be a winner for me in a comparison with the Sax combo noted. Thanks for your impressions...
slwiser Posted November 23, 2007 Report Posted November 23, 2007 wh that is a pretty big load of shit, right there. I knew I could stimulate some deep thinking around here.
spritzer Posted November 23, 2007 Report Posted November 23, 2007 dude, you're using someone else's subjective observations to make a decision on gear you haven't heard. that is the kind of shit we don't like around here. Damn, deaf UE9 fanboys...
slwiser Posted November 23, 2007 Report Posted November 23, 2007 So you don't like it when someone speaking for themselves says something which is apparently not approved by you? I simply noted that it was "likely", which means it is not necessarily a fact, that I would still enjoy and prefer what I have to that which was being compared. Interesting that you would actually take that position. Pardon me for reading and therefore thinking a little which you seem to take so much issue with.
Nanoha Posted November 23, 2007 Report Posted November 23, 2007 My comparison of the W5000+HA5000 and my UE9+HA5000 was without a doubt a contest which the UE9 won. So how many people would agree with this opinion? Hmm, I thought Elephas has the Ed.9 as well.
slwiser Posted November 23, 2007 Report Posted November 23, 2007 So how many people would agree with this opinion? Hmm, I thought Elephas has the Ed.9 as well. It does not really matter if anyone agrees with which sound I enjoyed best. What matters is what others would enjoy best for themselves which may very well the the opposite of my personal findings. 1
postjack Posted November 23, 2007 Report Posted November 23, 2007 please, we don't need any new smilies!
mirumu Posted November 23, 2007 Report Posted November 23, 2007 I think the W5000+HA5000 is competitive vs. the 404+006tII or SR-SC1+T1W. The W5000 has very good details, speed, air, imaging, separation and soundstage. Notes three dimensionality is also good, with realistic attack and decay. Smoothness and sense of liquidity is better, and I think the W5000 is more refined. I also think the W5000+HA5000 is more sensitive to source material quality. The range between horrible-sounding and sublime seems greater. Very interesting. I can only assume the HA5000 makes a world of difference to the W5000 then. Last last year I got the opportunity to compare the W5000 and HE60 back to back for a few hours (neither on ideal amplification but I tried what we had around). I liked both although the W5000 wasn't even close to the HE60 to me in any regard except the level of the bass. In my experience to date I'd rank the SR-404 somewhere in the middle of the two sharing the speed of the HE60 but with more bass and a midrange similarity to the W5000.
milkpowder Posted November 23, 2007 Report Posted November 23, 2007 Very interesting. I can only assume the HA5000 makes a world of difference to the W5000 then. Last last year I got the opportunity to compare the W5000 and HE60 back to back for a few hours (neither on ideal amplification but I tried what we had around). I liked both although the W5000 wasn't even close to the HE60 to me in any regard except the level of the bass. In my experience to date I'd rank the SR-404 somewhere in the middle of the two sharing the speed of the HE60 but with more bass and a midrange similarity to the W5000. I tend to agree with you. I listened to the W5000 from a Single Power Extreme Platinum connected to a Meridian G08 (w/ Nordost SE Heimdall) and compared to my own headphone rig (Cambridge Audio 740c, Stax SRM-006t, HE60 + SR-202). Like mirumu, I can only assume that the the W5000/HA5000 synergy makes a huge difference. I've also had the SR-404 in my rig before I sold them and can relate to vague similarities with the W5000 vs HE60. However, my ears told me the SR-404 and SR-202 were both more refined than the W5000. I just didn't get transparency with the W5000. The W5000's sound was less nuanced and simply not as enjoyable. As a side note, I then swapped the W5000 out for a pair of R10. Ahh... wonderful sound
mirumu Posted November 23, 2007 Report Posted November 23, 2007 So you don't like it when someone speaking for themselves says something which is apparently not approved by you? I simply noted that it was "likely", which means it is not necessarily a fact, that I would still enjoy and prefer what I have to that which was being compared. The problem is that making an evaluation of something you haven't heard based purely on someone else's comparison to something you have is a very, very inaccurate way of making judgements. You can of course believe what you want and you may be right in your thinking, but these evaluations are often incorrect or meaningless so a post like that can end up just being misleading to others. It's not even that your comment was that bad but it's the start of a slippery slope. It's a small step from there to statements like "I've never heard it but everyone knows the RSA Hornet is the best amp ever" turning up. At least when your comparison is based on real listening we can say it is your genuine opinion on the matter for better or worse.
milkpowder Posted November 23, 2007 Report Posted November 23, 2007 slwiser's comments weren't completely invalid IMO. He finds the E9/HA5000 is superior to the W5000/HA5000. He also believes that because Elephas, someone whose impressions he has faith in, thinks that the W5000/HA5000 is more or less on par with the SR-404/006tII, that the E9/HA5000 will be best of the three rigs. That to me, is a reasonable train of thought. The key is whether you trust Elephas or slwiser's ears. If you also think the E9/HA5000 is better than the W5000/HA5000, and that the latter is around the same quality as the SR-404/006tII, then it would be sensible to assume that the E9/HA500 is even better. It is not always possible to audition a combination of gear before the actual purchase so deducing the quality from others' comparisons may be the only possible method of comparison (however risky/inaccurate). In slwiser's case, he has just decided that the SR-404/006tII is not worth buying because he generally trusts elephas's ears and therefore thinks that his rig is better.
slwiser Posted November 24, 2007 Report Posted November 24, 2007 In slwiser's case, he has just decided that the SR-404/006tII is not worth buying because he generally trusts elephas's ears and therefore thinks that his rig is better. I would not even go as far as saying that mine necessarily is better but that it may not be that much better/different than what I have that now. So far I would not think a change being worth the effort. If sometime in the future, I have an opportunity to hear this specific setup then I have something to look forward to and test out what I think at that time. Like I said elsewhere I just had an opportunity to listen to a balanced HD650 system with a 840c source. It could be considered better, it was different, but is it that much different for me to change what I now enjoy? I came away thinking not.
mirumu Posted November 24, 2007 Report Posted November 24, 2007 slwiser's comments weren't completely invalid IMO. He finds the E9/HA5000 is superior to the W5000/HA5000. He also believes that because Elephas, someone whose impressions he has faith in, thinks that the W5000/HA5000 is more or less on par with the SR-404/006tII, that the E9/HA5000 will be best of the three rigs. That to me, is a reasonable train of thought. The key is whether you trust Elephas or slwiser's ears. If you also think the E9/HA5000 is better than the W5000/HA5000, and that the latter is around the same quality as the SR-404/006tII, then it would be sensible to assume that the E9/HA500 is even better. I do by-and-large agree with what you're saying but that's a different perspective again. I think many of us end up in that position when buying equipment we cannot audition. I'm personally very keen to buy some low bias Lambdas even without hearing them beforehand purely based on what others have said, but I'm not about to comment on their overall ability until they're sitting on my head. I wasn't suggesting for a moment slwiser shouldn't think such thoughts, just that posting them here doesn't really serve much purpose and may mislead people. Whether you trust slwiser's ears or not, you can't trust someone's opinion on something they haven't heard.
milkpowder Posted November 24, 2007 Report Posted November 24, 2007 Hehe... low bias Lambdas. I've been fighting to keep my mouse away from the eBay auctions. Luckily, there haven't been many decent Stax listings lately. A nice T1W went the other day for a fairly reasonable price and that's just about it. Being in the UK doesn't help either.
mirumu Posted November 24, 2007 Report Posted November 24, 2007 Heh, being in New Zealand is pretty bad too. Last Stax I saw going locally were a pair of Gammas with a NZ$3000 reserve. That's about US$2300 or 1100 pounds. Ouch.
milkpowder Posted November 24, 2007 Report Posted November 24, 2007 Wat!? Crazy. I managed to sell a pair of SR-404 for $350 and I thought I was doing pretty well
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