The Headcase Stax thread

[catscratch]

'Stats are actually amazing for metal, since they're so fast that they can resolve each and every riff and drumstroke, no matter how fast and dense it gets. Listening to something like Nile - Black Seeds of Vengeance on the 007 is pretty special, and no matter how chaotic it gets you can still hear absolutely everything. No dynamic has ever been able to do the album justice and things just start to smear together. Old Megadeth with the 007 is pretty fantastic too it has to be said, though the 717 will compress once you crank it to concert-level volumes. But I usually don't do that so it doesn't matter as much.

[spritzer]

Metal really shows off what electrostatics can do and also their limitations. Put on some Megadeth, crank the volume and you'll know in a minute whether the amp has enough power for the job.

[mypasswordis]

I've been thinking. Wouldn't closed-back headphones like the 4070 act more like bipoles, with some of the backwave reflecting back off the cups into the ears, possibly providing a more natural sound? Of course most of it is damped due to the damping material Stax put in as well as the properties of the wood. And due to its closed nature, it has much less air to move around so is somewhat easy to drive and picks apart a lot of detail in the music.

Oh, and I'm still waiting on some 404 LE impressions.

[spritzer]

You are correct but that's why the back of the 4070 housing is curved and angled, with ample damping and bass reflex built in. The 4070 is a beast to drive properly though and that's why Stax only recommended the 717 for the job. It is remarkably free of the usual box colorations with only a hint of thickness in the midrange.

Oh crap, now I've started to think how a 4070 would sound with some damping and properly mounted drivers. Looks like I'll have to buy one again...

I've placed a bit on that 404LE on Y!JP so the rest of you back off. Also, who put in that insane 17k+Yen bid on the Alpha Pro Excellent?

[mypasswordis]

I like a hint of thickness in the midrange, due to my AKG headphone origins. And sweet, I hope you get the 404 LE.

As to the Alpha Pro Excellent, 17k Yen is only $170... I will hopefully soon have the means to make an almost Alpha Pro Excellent with your drivers. I hope they sound good, or I might sell them to start up my 4070 fund.

[Dusty Chalk]

I've been thinking. Wouldn't closed-back headphones like the 4070 act more like bipoles, with some of the backwave reflecting back off the cups into the ears, possibly providing a more natural sound?

I don't know about more natural sound -- a badly designed box would have serious comb-filter issues, but the 4070 in specific would only have "general" cancellation issues, which is probably why it's tougher to drive/has a lower sensitivity.

I think a transmission line headphone would be a better choice.

[cetoole]

Also, who put in that insane 17k+Yen bid on the Alpha Pro Excellent?

Who you calling insane?

[spritzer]

Ouch on the transmission line. The 4070 is heavy enough as it is...

As to the Alpha Pro Excellent, 17k Yen is only $170... I will hopefully soon have the means to make an almost Alpha Pro Excellent with your drivers. I hope they sound good, or I might sell them to start up my 4070 fund.

180$ (1$=93Yen) plus the fees and shipping. That's too expensive for me to make a cost effective SR-X Mk3 Pro.

Who you calling insane?

[mypasswordis]

I don't know about more natural sound -- a badly designed box would have serious comb-filter issues, but the 4070 in specific would only have "general" cancellation issues, which is probably why it's tougher to drive/has a lower sensitivity.

I think a transmission line headphone would be a better choice.

I wonder if there's enough space in the cups for something like that. But yeah, due to the shape and round nature of the cups, the comb-filter effects shouldn't be too bad.

Who you calling insane?

:o:o

180$ (1$=93Yen) plus the fees and shipping. That's too expensive for me to make a cost effective SR-X Mk3 Pro.

You shouldn't have sold the Alpha Pro Excellent drivers to me, then, if you wanted to build an SR-X Mk3 Pro.

[Dusty Chalk]

I wonder if there's enough space in the cups for something like that.

There really isn't.

[spritzer]

You shouldn't have sold the Alpha Pro Excellent drivers to me, then, if you wanted to build an SR-X Mk3 Pro.

I don't really want to make an SR-X Pro but I keep getting PM's about them so the demand is there. It's damn hard to make them for less then 400$ these days, even with me working for free as usual... \

[mypasswordis]

Hey, I said that! And I agree, I bet Asr would be very interested, seeing as how he prefers the SR-X Mk3 to the O2, IIRC.

[jsgallai]

Listen ,but I,am not sure also .

What would anybody recoomend in a non-pro headphion ,I am very very new at the Stax headphone scene after shopping around a lot I thought I got a good deal on a Srm-1,but not a mk-2.

I think I can use pro headphones with it,but I am not 100% sure.

What would anybody recommend in a Non-pro(normal ?) Headphone. My budget is $200-300.

Thanks,Very much

[Voltron]

Listen ,but I,am not sure also .

Welcome to Head-Case, sorry for your poor translation software. Still, one of my favorite first posts ever.

[Fungi]

In that price range (or even just any price range that doesn't include the O2) the solution seems to be the normal bias SR-Lambda.

[spritzer]

Ditto on the SR-Lambda and only the later SRM-1 Mk2 amps were Pro bias and they are all clearly marked Professional or P.P.

[HeadphoneAddict]

In that price range (or even just any price range that doesn't include the O2) the solution seems to be the normal bias SR-Lambda.

I agree, but the SR-5NB Gold Edition would be a nice choice too.

[Fungi]

How often do those come up? I vaguely remember spotting one on eBay recently, but I can't say I've seen more than I can count on one hand for sale anywhere.

[cetoole]

180$ (1$=93Yen) plus the fees and shipping. That's too expensive for me to make a cost effective SR-X Mk3 Pro.

I actually wanted them as Alphas, in the stock frame. Might have played with damping, but no SR-X shells for me. I just hate supraural, especially if there is any good alternative. However, someone just passed me at Y21000, which was already pushing it a bit.

Listen ,but I,am not sure also .

What would anybody recoomend in a non-pro headphion ,I am very very new at the Stax headphone scene after shopping around a lot I thought I got a good deal on a Srm-1,but not a mk-2.

I think I can use pro headphones with it,but I am not 100% sure.

What would anybody recommend in a Non-pro(normal ?) Headphone. My budget is $200-300.

Thanks,Very much

I like my normal bias Lambda about as much as anything. Better than my Pro bias, and similar to my SR404 ().

[Currawong]

How often do those come up? I vaguely remember spotting one on eBay recently, but I can't say I've seen more than I can count on one hand for sale anywhere.

I've only ever seen two, and one of them is mine (which I gather did the rounds around HF), the other being spritzer's mint one. They use the same drivers as the SR-X don't they?

[mypasswordis]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure they do use the same drivers as the SR-X Mk3, but they're more comfy due to the comfier pads and they use the acoustic lens. In other words, SR-5 with SR-X drivers. I don't know why they're so rare here; I think there are a bunch in Europe. The one I picked up was on Ebay BIN for a week or so before I bit, so it's not like anyone was looking, either.

Edit:

http://cgi.ebay.de/STAX-SR-5-Gold-Set_W0QQitemZ290314571438QQcmdZViewItemQQptZKopfh

[Tachikoma]

They're shit. Utter garbage. So thin sounding I never want to put them on my ears again.

*pls don't bid kthx *

[HeadphoneAddict]

How often do those come up? I vaguely remember spotting one on eBay recently, but I can't say I've seen more than I can count on one hand for sale anywhere.

I've only seen three SR-5NB go up for sale, and I bought two of them (one for me, one for my son). Later I sold one of them (fabric covered round cable to SACDman) when I replaced my son's with an SR-Lambda. Kept the one with the flat ribbon cable.

[spritzer]

A few SR-5NB's do show up in Japan but usually bundled with SRD-7Mk2's (in a neat plastic box) but they are very common in Germany. They do indeed use the SR-X Mk3 driver but that is in turn just the old SR-5 driver with a new diaphragm.

I actually wanted them as Alphas, in the stock frame. Might have played with damping, but no SR-X shells for me. I just hate supraural, especially if there is any good alternative. However, someone just passed me at Y21000, which was already pushing it a bit.

The stock Alpha Excellent isn't a bad headphone by any means but the SR-X Pro is just moar better.

[cetoole]

The stock Alpha Excellent isn't a bad headphone by any means but the SR-X Pro is just moar better.

Moar better sounding is good, but not if it is too uncomfortable to wear for an extended period of time. The Yammy HP-1 is the only supra that I have had good luck with in that regards.

Just wondering, can someone explain the differences between the Lambda Nova Sig, Classic, and basic, and same question for the numeric Lambdas (SR404-202). Also, what the heck is a Lambda Spirit?