GPH Posted July 27, 2008 Report Posted July 27, 2008 looks like I am going to join the kgss and 02 clan. Just heard then in NJ (vinylspinner) very nice tried to sell my lamba sigs and pros but no takers. Good luck in finding a KGSS, Justin doesn't make them anymore and it took about 3 weeks before someone replied to my WTB ad on Head-fi.
spritzer Posted July 27, 2008 Report Posted July 27, 2008 Since I was uploading photos I thought you might like this one. Me going a bit crazy on the blutack... I ended up removing most of it in the end but that's about one normal package in each earcup
dvse Posted July 27, 2008 Report Posted July 27, 2008 Since I was uploading photos I thought you might like this one. Me going a bit crazy on the blutack... I ended up removing most of it in the end but that's about one normal package in each earcup How did it affect the sound? This is an interesting experiment on how important sealing really is! Er... Never mind, just read your earlier post. Nevertheless, any further comments would be welcome.
spritzer Posted July 27, 2008 Report Posted July 27, 2008 How did it affect the sound? This is an interesting experiment on how important sealing really is! Er... Never mind, just read your earlier post. Nevertheless, any further comments would be welcome. The only bit that was really necessary is around the brass rings to block the small holes. The rest was for vibration damping of the chassis as it may appear solid but it is very thin. The bass is indeed much more linear but the treble also opened up and the midrange is now very similar to the 007 Mk1. I really like this headphone as it is a pleasant change from the Mk1 but doesn't suck like the stock A/Mk2.
catscratch Posted July 28, 2008 Report Posted July 28, 2008 How's the midrange on the modded Mk2? Is it still colder than the Mk1? Also, is it possible to bend, bash, hammer, or otherwise mod the Mk2 springs to get them to resemble Mk1 springs? Not that I'll probably do this since I intend to sell my Mk2, and I want it to stay as pristine as possible. But, I'm very much curious.
brat Posted July 28, 2008 Report Posted July 28, 2008 Engineers can be deceptively stupid sometimes but Stax has been known to make a lemon or two over the years. The 727 for instance is an abomination compared to the 717 but it has no NFB. Did they intend to make a worse product then the predecessor? Not a chance but it happens but change something and it can all fall apart. It's not all bad as they have finally fixed the SRM-3/313 mess with the 323 which is as good as the SRM-1 if not better. As I covered before, Stax had to fix these issues and they took the route they deemed best. Two of them involved "compromising the design" as I like to say since they had to increase the size of the ear cavity (also position the drivers further way from the head) and get rid of the squealing. Enlarge the ear cavity and you open up a Pandora's box of issues and keeping the drivers sealed off is a needed to make them more linear by keeping the damping a constant. I just worked on the SR-Omega/007 hybrid yesterday and fully sealing off the drivers has brought a very positive change in bass depth and lack of overhang. Thanks. I'm impatient for my future O2 mk3. And I really hope they will not be the worse STAX product ever made. I believe the continuous regress of the Omega-line will be finally interrupted.
Arthur Bishop Posted July 28, 2008 Report Posted July 28, 2008 Thanks. I'm impatient for my future O2 mk3. And I really hope they will not be the worse STAX product ever made. I believe the continuous regress of the Omega-line will be finally interrupted. I don't believe there will be a O2 Mk3 but an O3, brand new with a new head band design.
Anders Posted July 28, 2008 Report Posted July 28, 2008 The bass is indeed much more linear but the treble also opened up and the midrange is now very similar to the 007 Mk1. I really like this headphone as it is a pleasant change from the Mk1 but doesn't suck like the stock A/Mk2. Would that mean that SR-007 A/Mk2 is the the best buy now? I haven't heard them and it is possible that I would like the sucking stock A/Mk2 best. If not, I can mod it into a good sounding headphone.
spritzer Posted July 28, 2008 Report Posted July 28, 2008 How's the midrange on the modded Mk2? Is it still colder than the Mk1? Also, is it possible to bend, bash, hammer, or otherwise mod the Mk2 springs to get them to resemble Mk1 springs? Not that I'll probably do this since I intend to sell my Mk2, and I want it to stay as pristine as possible. But, I'm very much curious. It is still cold and slightly strident but also more forward then the Mk1. Next step is to try Mk1 earpads to try and isolate the problem. Dunno when I'll have the time though... The springs can be manipulated and modded but I'm also going to see if I can get them manufactured to my specs. There is less wire in the Mk2 units so it will never able to be a full circle after mods. Thanks. I'm impatient for my future O2 mk3. And I really hope they will not be the worse STAX product ever made. I believe the continuous regress of the Omega-line will be finally interrupted. There is no downturn of the Omega's as the SR-007 Mk1 is the best headphone ever made from a design standpoint. Stax made some bad calls with the Mk2/A IMO and most other Stax enthusiast feel the same way but that doesn't mean it is a bad headphone, just not as good as it should be. I'm not looking for perfection and newer isn't always better when it comes to Stax. I much prefer the SR-1 and SR-3 to the rest of the SR-# range, SR-Lambda and Lambda Signature to all of the other Lambdas and the SR-Sigma to the Sigma Pro. Would that mean that SR-007 A/Mk2 is the the best buy now? I haven't heard them and it is possible that I would like the sucking stock A/Mk2 best. If not, I can mod it into a good sounding headphone. I would rather buy a used Mk1 for less dough. You might like Mk2/A but even the mods don't make them as good as the Mk1. The A/mk2 faults bother me as much as the issues I had with the He90 and when not trying to fix them they sit unused in my display case.
deepak Posted July 28, 2008 Report Posted July 28, 2008 Birgir do you think Ken Kessler will review the O2A/MKII?
spritzer Posted July 28, 2008 Report Posted July 28, 2008 Birgir do you think Ken Kessler will review the O2A/MKII? I'd love to get his take on them as he's one of us but who knows...
deepak Posted July 28, 2008 Report Posted July 28, 2008 I'd love to get his take on them as he's one of us but who knows... Yeah, just thought he might have mentioned getting his hands on a set in a previous issue or something.
spritzer Posted July 28, 2008 Report Posted July 28, 2008 Yeah, just thought he might have mentioned getting his hands on a set in a previous issue or something. Not that I've heard.
catscratch Posted July 29, 2008 Report Posted July 29, 2008 Well, I may have gotten my hands on an O2 Mk1. So, that means that I may have both in time to do some back to back listening. The Mk2 already found a buyer but it won't switch hands for two weeks or so. Will be interesting to hear what's what, assuming the deal on the Mk1 works out. Of course, then begins the hunt for an amp. I've sort of warmed up to the solid state idea, but still need to decide on KGSS vs 717. I do like a warmer tonality, so the 717 sounds a bit more appealing (that, and it's cheaper). I would consider a Woo GES but I need dual volume controls and I don't think it has that... Is any of that going to do a better job than the SRD-7 Pro/Dared combo I already have? Or should I just suck it up and start DIYing that Blue Hawaii I've been thinking of?
catscratch Posted July 30, 2008 Report Posted July 30, 2008 OK, scratch that. Blech! Anyone got an O2 Mk1 in spankin' new condition they want to sell me?
MaloS Posted July 30, 2008 Report Posted July 30, 2008 Heh...here we go again. I am contemplating either building KGSS or Blue Hawaii...former is far more attractive because it is like 1/2 the price and much easier. If things go well, I might build it while in NJ - I want to do mini-millet first, for which parts have not been delivered for yet.
luvdunhill Posted July 30, 2008 Report Posted July 30, 2008 Heh...here we go again. I am contemplating either building KGSS or Blue Hawaii...former is far more attractive because it is like 1/2 the price and much easier. If things go well, I might build it while in NJ - I want to do mini-millet first, for which parts have not been delivered for yet. you dodged my post quite nicely over at Head-Fi in the DIY section. All of a sudden the KGSS is cheaper and easier?
spritzer Posted July 30, 2008 Report Posted July 30, 2008 Well, I may have gotten my hands on an O2 Mk1. So, that means that I may have both in time to do some back to back listening. The Mk2 already found a buyer but it won't switch hands for two weeks or so. Will be interesting to hear what's what, assuming the deal on the Mk1 works out. Of course, then begins the hunt for an amp. I've sort of warmed up to the solid state idea, but still need to decide on KGSS vs 717. I do like a warmer tonality, so the 717 sounds a bit more appealing (that, and it's cheaper). I would consider a Woo GES but I need dual volume controls and I don't think it has that... Is any of that going to do a better job than the SRD-7 Pro/Dared combo I already have? Or should I just suck it up and start DIYing that Blue Hawaii I've been thinking of? It looks like my SR-007A is going up for sale too as I just can't see any reason to keep them. The midrange is still too honky, cold and harsh and I have 3 other different yet very good Omegas to choose from. I will be sad to see them go though and the other phones I never use... I would start off with a 717 and see if you like it. I'm going to get one too for my computer rig and to make it easier to answer all those damn 717 related questions. I haven't heard the Dared but the SRD's can't feed the Omega lineup with enough power, no matter the amp. you dodged my post quite nicely over at Head-Fi in the DIY section. All of a sudden the KGSS is cheaper and easier? No filaments man!!!
deepak Posted July 30, 2008 Report Posted July 30, 2008 you dodged my post quite nicely over at Head-Fi in the DIY section. All of a sudden the KGSS is cheaper and easier? ... my sentiments as well. I wonder if he knows about the hard to source parts...
catscratch Posted July 30, 2008 Report Posted July 30, 2008 It looks like my SR-007A is going up for sale too as I just can't see any reason to keep them. The midrange is still too honky, cold and harsh and I have 3 other different yet very good Omegas to choose from. I will be sad to see them go though and the other phones I never use... I would start off with a 717 and see if you like it. I'm going to get one too for my computer rig and to make it easier to answer all those damn 717 related questions. I haven't heard the Dared but the SRD's can't feed the Omega lineup with enough power, no matter the amp. Yeah, I'm a tube man through and through, and I have a feeling that the KGSS would be a bit too clinical for my tastes. It seems to me that a 717 not only has the right price to performance ratio, but is also a very good stepping stone for my project this fall - building a Blue Hawaii. Heh...here we go again. I am contemplating either building KGSS or Blue Hawaii...former is far more attractive because it is like 1/2 the price and much easier. If things go well, I might build it while in NJ - I want to do mini-millet first, for which parts have not been delivered for yet. Nah, it shouldn't take too much time to put a new rig together, so you will still have something to listen to while you're here
MaloS Posted July 30, 2008 Report Posted July 30, 2008 ... my sentiments as well. I wonder if he knows about the hard to source parts... I am aware...although don't tell me the difficulty of finding them is just going to drive the costs up substantially (.
spritzer Posted July 30, 2008 Report Posted July 30, 2008 It's not going to make it any cheaper, that's for sure. You should also stock up on spare parts since if something goes wrong odds are you will get a nice fireworks show with resistors flying all over the place.
MaloS Posted July 30, 2008 Report Posted July 30, 2008 It's not going to make it any cheaper, that's for sure. You should also stock up on spare parts since if something goes wrong odds are you will get a nice fireworks show with resistors flying all over the place. Hmmmmm...risk of resistors flying all over the place might warrant doing it with the bigger, filament-crawling amp. At least if things go wrong, the fireworks are bigger.
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