The Headcase Stax thread

[Beefy]

Hey y'all. I'm planning the front panel for my Exstata, and curious about the dimensions of the plugs on various Stax cables.

I can probably borrow some calipers to get an accurate measurement on the Lambda plug, but somebody at the other place suggested that cables on the higher end Stax are a bit different; they specified the 404LE, but I guess that it might apply to the 007 as well.

I've Googled a few different search term combos but come up blank. So does anybody have a reference handy, or willing to take some measurements for me? Thanks!

[Looser101]

404LE:

18.5mm diameter but there is a keyway that sticks up about 1.5mm tall in addition to that diameter

Keyway starts 3mm from plug end otherwise depth before "cable start" is 17mm

So you need < 17mm depth and > 21.5mm diameter, best I can tell.

[Beefy]

Thanks mate But just so that I understand you 100%, is this what you mean?

So theoretically, if I had a 19mm hole in my front panel, the black part of the 404LE plug could insert into the panel by up to 3mm before hitting that keyway......

[Looser101]

Thanks mate But just so that I understand you 100%, is this what you mean?

So theoretically, if I had a 19mm hole in my front panel, the black part of the 404LE plug could insert into the panel by up to 3mm before hitting that keyway......

Essentially, at least on the 404LE.

[Beefy]

Excellent, that really helps

If anybody can confirm that none of the other Stax plugs are bigger than the 404LE plug, then I will order my panels.

[spritzer]

The 404LE has the wide PC-OCC cable and thus the largest cable Stax uses. Same as the Omegas, Signature models, 4070 and the extension cables.

[Beefy]

Perfect, thanks mate. I can order my panels with 100% confidence!

[postjack]

Hey Stax Folk-

My experience with electrostatic speakers has me back interested in Stax again. I'm hoping to once again own a Stax rig this year, and am looking into my options. Think budget, less then $500 for cans + amp, the cheaper the better. Sound wise I'm looking for accurate, it doesn't necesarily have to be fun. Something appropriate for lower volume listening would be nice.

the first thing I thought was the sr-lamba normal, which i owned and loved, and the price is right. but I was hoping to explore other options. I'm not completely averse to an SRD of some kind but I'd prefer a stand alone solution.

thanks!

edit: sorry for typos or halting language, posting from iPhone.

[spritzer]

You could get a used SRS-2050 system for that price which is hard to fault or Some vintage lambda/SRM-1 mk2 setup.

[cetoole]

So theoretically, if I had a 19mm hole in my front panel, the black part of the 404LE plug could insert into the panel by up to 3mm before hitting that keyway......

The "keyway" is the same as is on your normal bias Lambda, so as long as that fits, you will be good. The o2 plugs and such only get wider when you get about 13mm back from the start of the plastic, presumably where the end of the pins in the plug are and the ultra wide ribbon connects. Until that point, its almost exactly the same as what you have. Except, you know, the center pin.

[postjack]

You could get a used SRS-2050 system for that price which is hard to fault or Some vintage lambda/SRM-1 mk2 setup.

thanks man!

[Beefy]

I'd open up the housings and see if the drivers are not coming apart. That can happen with some of the older phones. They should be firmly glued shut. Also look for any gaps in the mylar dustcover on the front or the one on the back.

I've finally had the chance to open up my Lambdas...... despite the black foam being extremely fragile, I can't see any other problems at the back. Certainly no evidence of the drivers coming apart or a hole in the dust cover.

But I'm not sure how to access the front of the driver. It seems pretty well wedged into the surrounds, and before I start randomly forcing it, I was wondering whether you or anyone else have any advice?

[spritzer]

The drivers are glued onto the baffle so no way to move them. If the foam in the earpads is gone then you you have a good view of about 95% of the front dustcover.

[Beefy]

Bugger

It feels like the black mesh screen has been bent inwards, so I was hoping to straighten that up, at a minimum......

Oh, the fragile black foam I was talking about is the thin layer lining the back of cup, outside the yellow-ish mineral wool. It just completely disintegrates with any physical contact.

[spritzer]

You can remove the black mesh from the stator assembly but it will take some tricky gluing to get it back together. See here how the drivers/baffle is built up on the newer drivers but the old ones are essentially the same.

The foam will always crack on the older phones. Stax does ship out replacements to the distributors but I usually just remove it, with no audible effects to these ears.

[Beefy]

Yeah, its easy enough to see how it all goes together once the back is removed...... but the gluing together bothers me less than the pulling apart

[spritzer]

Getting all those pieces to fit perfectly together is a mammoth pain in the arse when reassembling the drivers. The polyurethane just makes it worse but it is the best adhesive for the job.

[Beefy]

Well it won't be the whole driver to reassemble, just the mesh screen and baffle...... I'll think about it.

This has also inspired me to finally contact Yamas with respect to replacement parts. I was quoted $40 for 202 pads, $7.60 for mineral wool, $5 for foam, $70 for cable, $36 for a 202 headpad, $100 for the whole headband assembly.

Compared to Audiocubes II prices, it seems pretty reasonable.

[Beefy]

OK, one last question for now......

If I do decide to do the disassembly, I will obviously need glue. Google tells me that polyurethane glue is either Excel Glue or Gorilla Glue. Though I vaguely recall you mentioning Gorilla Glue might not be ideal?

[spritzer]

That's not bad and kudos for getting through to them. Most aren't so fortunate...

Never tried gorilla glue, no such thing exists here. I got mine here locally but can't remeber what it was called, it was a large container which I had to cut up into small quantities so that it wouldn't set.

Edited January 16, 2010 by spritzer

[Beefy]

Thanks

[dyna10x]

Hi

What stax phones can run from a SR4 energizer apart from tne electret phones that I have for it?

Thanks

[cetoole]

SRD4 has no bias supply, so unless you add one, it can just run the electrets.

[Duggeh]

Other electret headphones that you don't have.

IIRC, you've no bias supply, so you can't use a "proper" electrostatic.

[dyna10x]

Thanks for your quick replies. Another question can srd7sb/mark 2 energizer run normal bias sr lambdas as well as the lambda pros.