Holy Crap! The New Stax Omega Looks fierce! (Stax SR-009)

[deepak]

This thread has turned into major fail in just one page. Ban hammer coming out in 5, 4,,,

[arnaud]

Went to the spring headphone festival from fujiya avic today in Tokyo. I could drool again on the sr009 (marantz cdp, 727a amp). Quickly compared against the o2mk2 listening to a drum xrcd recording, I really really need to start saving... It's so much more lively/dynamic/correct sounding than the o2mk2, it doesn't take 5 seconds to realize! From discussion with the Stax staff, it's only 1dB more sensitive than the o2 but it feels more like 2-3 dB, probably due to the change in tonal balance.

I asked about potential new amp to pair with the sr-009, and something will indeed be released at some point, but certainly not this year and probably not next year either. Waiting in line for a BHSE from Justin doesn't sound like a bad option suddenly! From what I understood, Stax isn't even decided on which route to go (ss or valve) as various markets have differing preferences and Stax will need to settle...

[blubliss]

Someone is reporting a pair got shipped to them from Woo. I sent an email to ED to find out where ours are, to see if they have any more news.

[monsieurguzel]

So any updates from Elusive Disc regarding shipping dates? It seems like the second batch of SR-009s is trickling into people's hands.

[blubliss]

Not yet. They emailed back saying they would follow up. Problem is communications with Yamas is horrible, so it is not EDs fault.

[n3rdling]

I should drive to Yamas just to see if people are ever actually there. I live really close IIRC.

[blubliss]

Yeah, you are closer then me. The only worry I would have is making the situation worse. I was thinking of going too.

[monsieurguzel]

Let's all show up with pitchforks to their front door!!

[purrin]

I should drive to Yamas just to see if people are ever actually there. I live really close IIRC.

I bet there's just one dude working in some shack. I thinking Yamas is where the DHL truck is when you turn around, go down south, and look west.

Not yet. They emailed back saying they would follow up. Problem is communications with Yamas is horrible, so it is not EDs fault.

This was probably a large reason why NeedleDoctor dropped STAX. I spoke with a NeedleDoctor rep. about this (Yamas' lack of responsiveness - or even giving a shit) about a week before they decided to not carry STAX anymore.

Edited May 25, 2011 by purrin

[minivan]

fyi, found this blog http://www.wretch.cc/blog/bfh/14974873

at the end of the paragraph,it said:

atm stax can produce about 30 headphones per month, in 2-3 months time they can make up to 60 per month.

the majority of those headphone made in may are for domestic market japan. those produced in june will definitely be for

oversea market.

it seem like those people who got hold of the sr-009 now are either living in japan or have friends in japan.

hopefully you guys will get your lots next month.

[padam]

Based on the problems reported with channel balance (with three different pairs already, yikes) it was wise to order with the US warranty.

[spritzer]

That's just due to shipping and can happen to any electrostatic transducer. Still it is not a nice thing to happen to a 5000$ set...

[monsieurguzel]

Do you mean that they were misshandled during shipping such that a connector got loose? Or does it have to do with humidity?

[n3rdling]

humidity I believe but wouldn't they arrive that way?

[spritzer]

It's all to do with the temperature extremes of shipping something and different humidity levels. If somebody used them straight out of the box before allowing them to reach room temp then that might lead to some issues.

[John Buchanan]

It's all to do with the temperature extremes of shipping something and different humidity levels. If somebody used them straight out of the box before allowing them to reach room temp then that might lead to some issues.

I've heard this happen to phones in my last house due to evaporative air conditioning increasing the humidity to an extreme level. The phones would occasionally play at a low volume with distortion. Turned off the a/c for 24 hours and they were back to normal. The Sigma 404s were the only ones affected, possibly because the transducers lie parallel and close to the shelf on which they rest when dormant (and provide an easy area for water condensation??), whereas the Lambda Nova Signatures rest with the transducers perpendicular to the supporting surface and were never affected.

Edited May 28, 2011 by John Buchanan

[TMoney]

And the new elusivedisc date is up: 7/29/11. Ugh. Maybe that date applies to new orders and not to existing orders? Either way, I'm not holding out much hope in receiving the SR009s any time soon.

[visualguy]

And the new elusivedisc date is up: 7/29/11. Ugh. Maybe that date applies to new orders and not to existing orders? Either way, I'm not holding out much hope in receiving the SR009s any time soon.

May be a good thing - a few people reported serious problems with the current batch.

[monsieurguzel]

FYI here's what another member on the other side said regarding the latest delay on the SR-009:

"Interesting news about the SR009, got a heads up on my pre-order that Stax is stopping production and delaying for a couple of months while they correct an issue that came up with some of the headphones ("about 12% of SR-009 developed noises due to microscopic dust between the stator and the film... Stax is currently revising the design and solving the problem. Shipment will resume within 60 days")."

I guess that the end of July date is probably applicable for all of us who pre-ordered from ED. I don't trust any dates from audio manufacturers lately, so I'd be surprised if it didn't take more than 60 days for them to get into more people's hands

[El_Doug]

I'm more than happy to wait - better they fix the real issue with the transducer before we have to ship the cans around for repair

At least this is better than making a b.s. claim about the problem being due to pads...

[monsieurguzel]

Totally agree...I too was worried about our pre-order considering all the issues with people's units going defective. So i'm glad they are ceasing production to fix the problem so that we actually get functional units that won't flake out on us after a couple months of use.

[Currawong]

You know what sux? Having a pair of headphones turn up when you don't have an amp to plug them into. Craig very kindly lent me a 007t until I can sort something out (ie: stop being slack and build the KGSS). I've learned my lesson not to hesitate when I've decided on gear.

Edited June 2, 2011 by Currawong

[purk]

Looks like it will be awhile b/f the SR009 landed in the USA.

Posted on headfi:

Bob,

Apologize for the delayed response. STAX has temporary halted the shipment of SR-009 due to noise issue in their 1st production lot.

The decision was made on the 27th just before our shipment departed. Up to 12% of the units developed noise, microscopic dust between the stator and film are to be causing the problem and a revision is being applied along with adding vibration during testing. STAX stated shipping should resume within 60 days.

So far, no official products shipped outside of Japan for sale.

Again, we apologize given the news. We will update you again as it become available.

Should you have any questions, please contact us again.

Respectfully,

Tats Yamanashi

Yama’s Enterprises, Inc.

Edited June 2, 2011 by purk

[blubliss]

I was just about to post the above. ED sent me the same thing today. Sure glad we took the US route at this point.

[Voltron]

Amen to that, Andy. Who wants the hassle of returning $5K cans, let alone sending them to Japan!