The Headcase Stax thread

[luvdunhill]

I think like everything else there are no universal truths in headphones and when some folks insist on stating their opinions as fact

if you're referring to me, then I would like to set the record straight in that I whole heartedly agree with the above statement. Heck, if purk prefers the Pro to the SR-007, that's great.

My first tongue in cheek comment really sums up how I feel about such comparisons though.

[catscratch]

I was thinking along similar lines, not in that I have any kind of DIY skill whatsoever or know my ass from a hole in the ground when it comes to amps, but what if I could find some DIYer to simply build an upgraded transformer box for the SR-007 the sole purpose of which would be to give it the juice it needs, and then use a speaker amp? I doubt that would be any more expensive that any of the other less-than-ideal options in my price range. If this setup is a bit less transparent than a BH or any seriously solid 'stat amp, then so be it; I'm more worried about waking up the SR-007 than maximizing its resolving power.

[n_maher]

if you're referring to me, then I would like to set the record straight in that I whole heartedly agree with the above statement. Heck, if purk prefers the Pro to the SR-007, that's great.

My first tongue in cheek comment really sums up how I feel about such comparisons though.

No, not you specifically. More to the general tone of some who absolutely slam some stats routinely and make "pffft" noises at anyone who likes them. I just didn't want to see the thread go any further down that road so I tried to make light of it a little bit. Heck, I don't even have a vested interested in this thread (NO STATS!!!) but I still enjoy reading about stuff I may one day own.

[kevin gilmore]

And with balanced amps that value doubles, right?

It's weird, my amp only has four 50 microfarad caps [one for each channel], and it sounds great with the K340s.

You are not an idiot, and i believe you know how to use a calculator.

f = 1 / (2 * pi * r * c) (3db point)

So for 300 ohm headphones

f = about 11hz with 50uf

want the same thing with 32 ohms headphones, guess how much

[purk]

if you're referring to me, then I would like to set the record straight in that I whole heartedly agree with the above statement. Heck, if purk prefers the Pro to the SR-007, that's great.

My first tongue in cheek comment really sums up how I feel about such comparisons though.

I did prefer the Lambda Pro + ES-1 to the OII + KGSS and Lambda Pro over the HE-60 on the ES-1 that's for sure. That is not to say that the OII won't sound good with the ES-1, I just haven't got the opportunity to try them. I was only voicing my opinion that I do like the Lambda Pro and they do sound great. My view on what sound good is probably different than Sprizer's as I also love the sound of the R10, Qualia, K1000, and L3000 too.

[justin]

You are not an idiot, and i believe you know how to use a calculator.

f = 1 / (2 * pi * r * c) (3db point)

So for 300 ohm headphones

f = about 11hz with 50uf

want the same thing with 32 ohms headphones, guess how much

The iPod (4th gen) is -10dB @ 20Hz with iBuds, which i think are 32 ohms. It's probably worse now

[luvdunhill]

More to the general tone of some who absolutely slam some stats routinely and make "pffft" noises at anyone who likes them.

not that this isn't done at all in the realm of dynamic headphones...

[n_maher]

not that this isn't done at all in the realm of dynamic headphones...

Around here?

[luvdunhill]

Around here?

sure... K701 comes to mind as a prime example.

[jinp6301]

yea, I was thinking the 701 as well

[n_maher]

sure... K701 comes to mind as a prime example.

I don't think that there's much love for them but those who like them aren't instantly shat upon. At least not to my memory but I've been wrong before.

[deepak]

That HEAudio hype train is going full steam, and it's not stopping since typing out anything less than a eulogy on how awesome they are is discouraged. Head-Case FTW.

[spritzer]

I was thinking along similar lines, not in that I have any kind of DIY skill whatsoever or know my ass from a hole in the ground when it comes to amps, but what if I could find some DIYer to simply build an upgraded transformer box for the SR-007 the sole purpose of which would be to give it the juice it needs, and then use a speaker amp? I doubt that would be any more expensive that any of the other less-than-ideal options in my price range. If this setup is a bit less transparent than a BH or any seriously solid 'stat amp, then so be it; I'm more worried about waking up the SR-007 than maximizing its resolving power.

This is certainly possible and there are a number of transformers available for this, both in existing designs and new. Sowter and Plitron have new transformers and Just Real Music might also have a transformer that might do the trick. There are also plenty of output trafos that will work so look for a ratio between 1:25-1:50 or even higher. The bias supply can be constructed in any number of ways but the Stax SRD-7 Mk2 design would work just fine.

That HEAudio hype train is going full steam, and it's not stopping since typing out anything less than a eulogy on how awesome they are is discouraged. Head-Case FTW.

I'm staying away from this particular can of worms in case I won't like them...

[hirsch]

Hirsch back to being the biggest Singlepower shill again, acting like the Wizard

in the Wizard of oz trying to distract the audience with bullshit. Same thing as

sacdlover recently trying to convince people that the extreme and the woo audio

are completely different when they are exactly the same.

Nah, just needed to take some of the air out of Spritzer when he started posting about the sound of things he has never heard. That kind of post belongs on the other forum.

[Jon L]

typing out anything less than a eulogy on how awesome they are is discouraged. Head-Case FTW.

?? Who has actually been "discouraged"? I'd like to know if that's true since I've got one on order..

[Smeggy]

I'd still like a listen to them. Shit, they might even be good. Maybe I could rent a set.

[deepak]

?? Who has actually been "discouraged"? I'd like to know if that's true since I've got one on order..

We're reading the same thread right? You see all the shit spritzer is getting in that thread?

After my first post in that thread I got PMs from people agreeing with me, that didn't want to post about it. I don't care one way or another. Given the delicate nature of the way that headphone is made and the problems that have been surfacing in such an early phase I'm skeptical about their long term durability. There is a host of other reasons keeping me at bay.

[spritzer]

I just don't want anybody to get swept up in the FOTM madness and be stuck with a under performing product they can't sell. I'm not saying that is the case but the TakeT craze should be fresh in mind with a rush to buy something that is really still a prototype. There is one thing I really like about the 1.2B and that is the crappy box and the fact that it was still marked 1.3 but that was just scratched out and 1.2B marked instead. All that for the price of a used SR-007...

What I'm saying it that just be careful as they are going up against some very formidable headphones that cost about or less then 1k$, SR-SC1, recabled ESP950, used SR-007 and 4070 and a modified Sigma.

Nah, just needed to take some of the air out of Spritzer when he started posting about the sound of things he has never heard. That kind of post belongs on the other forum.

I never said that I had heard the amp but I fully comprehend the effect caps have on the signal path. Add that to the relatively small PSU and a lack of huge current sources to feed the difficult loads but I'm sure tube rolling it to eternity will make it sound great...

[Elephas]

Whoa, some nice action going on in this thread. And here I was mistakenly thinking the Stax threads were becoming too tame.

I'm not interested in buying a HeAudio 1.2B until it has a Stax 5-pin plug (no adapter) and better build and materials quality.

I don't think the product naming was done well. EH-1.2, EH-1.3, now the latest EH-1.2b. What's next, EH-1.2c? Apparently they are all mostly the same except for some minor changes. To me, those changes in materials and colors indicate the product still isn't ready for prime time. The manufacturer Winny seems inexperienced and doesn't have much of a track record.

I'm currently enjoying several electrostats with the Aristaeus, KGSS and SRM-T1W. The HeAudio would have to be very good to get any listening time. But I'm the type who seems to like everything, except Ultrasone.

I can't wait to receive my ES-1 and Blue Hawaii so I can post more.

[hirsch]

I never said that I had heard the amp but I fully comprehend the effect caps have on the signal path. Add that to the relatively small PSU and a lack of huge current sources to feed the difficult loads

:rofl:

[hirsch]

sorry, it is about synergism.

No sorry about it. Synergism is just about everything.

For example, I have no doubt that everything that spritzer has said about the HE90 driven by the Blue Hawaii is absolutely true, and that I'd hear the same thing in his rig. However, it's not necessarily the fault of the HE90. The original commission that bozebuttons gave to Mikhail many years ago was to build a maxxed out Blue Hawaii for the HE90. The problem came about when the Blue Hawaii and HE90 sounded anywhere from mediocre to awful together. Mikhail finally gave up trying to make that combination work together, put the BH design aside, and put together an amp specifically targeted to the HE90. It also happens to be a superb Omega II amp, but that wasn't the driving motivation for building it in the first place. So, I've got to laugh at Spritzer's descriptions of HE90 sound, because I've heard it all before from Mikhail, when he was bitching about trying to get the Blue Hawaii design to work with the HE90 long ago. The difference is that Mikhail went on to design and build a better amp that addressed the issues he was hearing in the BH/HE90 combo, while spritzer just keeps bitching and making pronouncements about the sound of the HE90, driven by an amp that some of us have known for years has little synergy with the headphone.

[blubliss]

I'm so glad he hated the combo, cause his HE90s are mine now.

[Smeggy]

Nice score.

My newest FOTMinute is the Koss ESP7 which I had a good listen to at the Seattle meet yesterday. Run through a modded 9 transfo they sounded really nice. Good speed and attack and great isolation too. Ugly as shit and every bit as uncomfortable as their '70s dynamic brethren but I'd be willing to mod them to suit. They were the surprise of the meet.

Sure there's lots to dislike about them too and I can well understand why many would dislike them but I think I could have some fun. Time to start looking for my next 'stat toy.

[luvdunhill]

The difference is that Mikhail went on to design and build a better amp that addressed the issues he was hearing in the BH/HE90 combo, while spritzer just keeps bitching and making pronouncements about the sound of the HE90, driven by an amp that some of us have known for years has little synergy with the headphone.

wow, this thread is turning into a Springer episode... anyways, if you're referring to the ES-1 the word "design" the most laughable verb you could have possibly used in that sentence. I can see why Kevin calls you a shill if you routinely spout out nonsense like this.

[kevin gilmore]

With appologies to Mikahil...

I thought about it a while and can't let hirsch's massive pile of bullshit above stand.

Mikhail building a blue hawaii. In his dreams maybe and nowhere else. While others with

absolutely no experience or the knowledge of when not to do something stupid have acutally

built blue hawaii's, mikhail just is not capable of this. His knowledge of solid state and even

high quality solder joints is somehow lacking. I just recently had a singlepower square wave

run thru my hands, and all i can say is that this thing is a massive un-inspiring absolutely poorly

built circuit from the 1970's. I don't even have to say anything about the price, as anything

over $100 would have been a ripoff.

Fact is virtually all electrostatic headphones have roughly the same voltage, current, capacitive

ratings ... The lightest of the light to the heaviest of the heavy all fall with ratings of no more

than 2:1. Far less than the range of numbers you see in dynamic headphones.

capacitance, 30pf for the sr-001 to about 150pf for the older koss units

inductance, non-existant, completely dependent on the lengh of the interconnect cable.

resistance, in the 10's of megohms minimum. Fact is that electrostatic headphones are a really

easy to drive consistent lagging load. What some headphones need is more voltage swing, and

there are plenty of solutions to that.

He90's were limited to 500 volts of bias and about 500 V peak to peak stator to ground anyway.

For an electrostatic amp to sound like shit on one pair of headphones and sound glorious on

a completely different set of headphones would be a very hard thing to do.

And as for the ES-1 and ES-2 they are both nothing more than a 30 year old stax sr-x circuit

with different tubes. Verified by a number of people. Absolutely nothing new, absolutely nothing

different, absolutely poor construction...