The Headcase Stax thread

[diebenkorn]

Jus saw these http://cgi.ebay.com/STAX-EARSPEAKERS-AND-VACUUM-TUBE-DRIVER-USED-VINTAGE_W0QQitemZ200225494569QQihZ010QQcategoryZ3284QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem. No joking around with that reserve.

[diebenkorn]

stax sigs and t1 on ebay now, tried to post link did not work on previous post. Soccer ball and serious reserve.

[Knuckledragger]

Soccer ball and serious reserve.

Soccer ball?!?

[Knuckledragger]

Oh. You meant one of those round things Europeans like to kick around.

Why didn't you say so?

EDIT: Shee-it, they're a 20 minute drive from my house.

[The Monkey]

How do the T1 and the 323 compare to each other?

[diebenkorn]

Knuckledragger, you only live 20 minutes from greenfield and you have a TakeT how do you like it and I only live one and half hours from greenfield thats right just one and a half hours

[faust3d]

No a bad price for ESP950. I got them recently and they are very good. Different flavor than Stax but better then Lambdas in some ways.

[n_maher]

No a bad price for ESP950. I got them recently and they are very good. Different flavor than Stax but better then Lambdas in some ways.

You're driving them off the stock amp, right? Having heard them properly driven at CanJam I can say that they do in fact respond favorably to better amplification. One of these nights I'll get my Koss to Stax adapter built and be able to see how well the SRD7 does driving them.

[spritzer]

I am listening to my Gamma Pro via SRD-7 Pro via Berning micro-ZOTL via Auricap Doc via iMod right now.

I am really surprise by the clarity and depth of sound I am hearing. I know many here say there is a long way up the ladder from here but this is very pleasing to me.

How will going to a higher wattage amp effect the sound. The Berning micro-ZOTL is a 1 watt per channel amp. It gets plenty loud for me at about 3 o'clock.

You might get more bass slam with a more powerful amp but the standard power ratings mean less then usual when it comes to the adapters so it's tough to tell.

How do the T1 and the 323 compare to each other?

Very different to say the least. The 323 isn't as lush and rounded as the T1.

[faust3d]

You're driving them off the stock amp, right? Having heard them properly driven at CanJam I can say that they do in fact respond favorably to better amplification. One of these nights I'll get my Koss to Stax adapter built and be able to see how well the SRD7 does driving them.

For now, yeah, but I am working on getting the adapter.

[n_maher]

For now, yeah

I'll be curious to hear what you think of them once you get the adapter. I found the listening experience from the stock amp pretty lackluster. Running of Justin's BHSE was a different story entirely. I think grawk had much the same experience and may have even tried them off of a third amp.

[luvdunhill]

I'll be curious to hear what you think of them once you get the adapter. I found the listening experience from the stock amp pretty lackluster. Running of Justin's BHSE was a different story entirely. I think grawk had much the same experience and may have even tried them off of a third amp.

if you used grawk's adapter, that's due to the addition of cryoed micro bearing damping material to the adapter, not the difference in amps. I figured that goes without saying...

[faust3d]

if you used grawk's adapter, that's due to the addition of cryoed micro bearing damping material to the adapter, not the difference in amps. I figured that goes without saying...

yeah, right...ok

[spritzer]

yeah, right...ok

MarcE cables are notably superior to everything else. Massive amounts of cryoed micro bearing damping material will do that

[Smeggy]

Fuck!

I think I just popped an aneurysm reading that, Ouch

[luvdunhill]

MarcE cables are notably superior to everything else. Massive amounts of cryoed micro bearing damping material will do that

I'm in the process of comparing NOS Vesuvius ashes to the more current production Mt. Saint Helens for damping materials. Stay tuned.

[krrm]

This is a public service annoncement: Calling all owners of SRM-252. Please upgrade your power supply to Sigma 11 or similar. It is unfuckingbelievable.That was a public service annoncement to owners of SRM-252.

Ok, I'm not neutral tonight since I finshed my Sigma 11 today. But the Stax 2050 set takes a giant leap up the sq ladder with a good power supply. When I get to myself again I gonna listen to DT880/SR225 on Aria again to get a sanity check, but for now I'm up among the stars.

[spritzer]

I'm in the process of comparing NOS Vesuvius ashes to the more current production Mt. Saint Helens for damping materials. Stay tuned.

Sign me up for a few cables. If you need any ashes from the many volcanoes here just ask. Jules Verne said Sn

[deepak]

I can be contacted for ashes from Mordor.

[krrm]

.

I'm back on earth again, but Stax 2050 + Sigma 11 is still on top. After a little comparison today, I found SR225 to be more or less redundant. They was mostly bought to play stuff like Meatloafs Bat out of Hell, Marillion etc which is almost boring on DT880. I can not see that the Grados do that anything better than the Stax, but I'll wait on the HD 414 pads before I make a final decision.

As for the DT880 I'm still undecided, they have a more distant presentation than the Stax. If I need that I don't know yet. After a listen to the opera Boris Godunov I think the Stax are fully able to cope with the opening. They where not before the power supply upgrade.

I guess this means that I have to go the O2 road.

[slwiser]

The Stax "Mafia" is right after all. I am stubborn but this is how I learn....by pushing my envelop of understanding by expressing myself as to what I enjoy even if it is painful at times. While I still enjoy the UE9, my new Stax experience has also been very enjoyable.

I have a low end Stax setup but even at this level it is clear that you guys are onto something special with this Stax sound. I am using my Stax Gamma Pro + SRM-1 Mk2 Pro + Lavry DA10 + Squeezebox... very enjoyable. I also have the SRX-1 Mk3 normal bias that I can use with the SRX-1 Mk2 Pro and these are very good as well. These two clearly have very different sound profiles.

Thanks for keeping this thread going and providing the excellent opinions that I have used for an Stax education.

How does the Gamma Pro compare sound wise with the SR-404? 303? Answering which is nearer to the Gamma Pro, SRX-1 would help me understand better the sound profile of the 404 and 303. Which of mine has more family resemblance to the Omega?

[Smeggy]

I'm not entirely sure there is a Stax 'low end' as they all sound pretty spectacular, more so with some mods. Those old drivers can produce some real magic, and testing my cheap old 'low end' stuff against some of the highest end dynamics out there I can safely say I wouldn't trade with any on a sound basis. Seriously, my 3 top cans combined came in at less than $600 all together and I've yet to hear anything that can best them.

HD 650, K701, K1000, HP-2, W-5000, L-3000, RS-1, DTs etc. None of these win though the K1k is on a level footing.

[slwiser]

I'm not entirely sure there is a Stax 'low end' as they all sound pretty spectacular, more so with some mods. Those old drivers can produce some real magic, and testing my cheap old 'low end' stuff against some of the highest end dynamics out there I can safely say I wouldn't trade with any on a sound basis. Seriously, my 3 top cans combined came in at less than $600 all together and I've yet to hear anything that can best them.

HD 650, K701, K1000, HP-2, W-5000, L-3000, RS-1, DTs etc. None of these win though the K1k is on a level footing.

How about characterizing the sound of the Gamma Pro and SRX-1 compared to the 404, 303 and is there any family resemblance to the Omega and if so how much?

[Smeggy]

How about characterizing the sound of the Gamma Pro and SRX-1 compared to the 404, 303 and is there any family resemblance to the Omega and if so how much?

I haven't heard the Omega yet so can't speak to that. I wasn't a big fan of the 303/404, I preferred the Gamma Pro and SR-X Mk3 to them. They do have a family resemblance but of course they are still very different from one another. The new Lambdas have more bass, are more diffuse and ethereal sounding and have odd highs to my ears. I found the mids a bit recessed too. The bass quantity is good but not the feel. I find the older models superior in that regard.

Lots of people like the sound of the 303/404s better though and it seems I'm in the minority on that so don't take my word for anything other than my opinion.

[faust3d]

How about characterizing the sound of the Gamma Pro and SRX-1 compared to the 404, 303 and is there any family resemblance to the Omega and if so how much?

I like SR-303 much more than SR-X or my SR-Gamma. SR-303 is technically superior headphones and to my ears sounds much better. Bass is better, resolution in a level above and soundstage is a lot better. I don't get annoyed with the small upper midrange spike. I actually like it, as it pulled micro details to foreground and gives headphones better perceived resolution. SR-X I dislike as to me the sounds claustrophobic, cold and brittle. SR-Gamma I like, bit it does everything just a bit worth than SR-303 or my SR-Lambda. I like SR-Lambda and SR-303 about the same, both are nice, but I prefer SR-Lambda for old rock and jazz and SR-303 for very well recorded modern music.