Stax Earspeakers!

Vipers

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Hi Guys,

I've been doing loads of research regarding headphone and amps lately and it seems that Stax headphones are at the top of most peoples lists.

I'm thinking along the lines of the SR-007 MK2's with either the Woo Audio GES or WES, just wondering if anyone has any opinions especially compared to the Sennheiser HD800's or Grado PS1000's.

Thanks.
 
Hi Phil,

Thanks for the reply mate, a couple of quick questions if you don't mind.

I know you are a fan of the HD800's but would you choose them or the Stax SR-007 MK2's?

So would you choose the 600 over the SRM-007t MKII Kimik Modified?

Have you got the 007's, HD800's and GS1000's on demo?

Cheers.
 
I think that for electrostatics,there is no competition,quite literally for the Stax range.

I've not tried a set for quite a while but from memory the sound has always been detailed and evenly balanced,although in your price range,you've already considered the HD800 and T1 which would represent the current state of the art in dynamic phones.

Either way,you also have to factor in an energiser for the Stax,or a very good amp for the others,and all of them would leave little change from around £3k all in.

I'd possibly consider the T1 as my next choice,as I've no plans to change my headphone amp,and whilst I like my current phones,a change of tonal balance might be interesting.
 
Have you heard of, or considered the following:

Home

It comes with the entry level Stax headphones/energiser but using the Realiser you could replicate the sound of both your multi channel and two channel set ups through headphones.

Cost would be about £2,700 including VAT and Duty.
 
I have just decided on Stax although only the entry level srs2170. How do these measures compared to other Stax (and given the increased stator gap)? I am reluctant to spend much more that 0.75k on a headset.
 
Hello mate,

I am a great fan of the HD800 yes! however the STAX headphones are amazing! I would go for SR507 / SR007 over the HD800.

So would you choose the 600 over the SRM-007t MKII Kimik Modified?
I am guessing you mean 800 over the SRM-007 MKII Kimik? And no, unfortunately SRM-007 all the way. To me STAX used to just be good with Classical music and the like, however with their latest range of Drivers with the new lighter material thats used on the cans the resolution is higher and can now cope easily with rock etc.

We have HD800 and PS1000, no GS1000 now though as they got purchased a few weeks back sorry. We have RS1's though.
 
Hello mate,

I am a great fan of the HD800 yes! however the STAX headphones are amazing! I would go for SR507 / SR007 over the HD800.

We have HD800 and PS1000, no GS1000 now though as they got purchased a few weeks back sorry. We have RS1's though.

Thanks for the reply Phil,

It's looking more likely that the Stax are leading the way at the moment then, so along with the HD800's and PS1000's have you got the Stax SR007's on demo?

Just in the middle of selling my Denon A1UD to free up some funds then I'll need a demo :)
 
Nopey on the demo stock of 007 atm, sorry. If you want a Dem on them, give us a shout and ill try and get a set in to listen to.

Regards

Phil
 
Nopey on the demo stock of 007 atm, sorry. If you want a Dem on them, give us a shout and ill try and get a set in to listen to.

Regards

Phil

Thanks Phil,

Just sold the A1UD so I've got to figure out which way to jump, dynamic or electrostatic, I guess a demo of both kinds is the only way to know for sure :)
 
Thanks Phil,

Just sold the A1UD so I've got to figure out which way to jump, dynamic or electrostatic, I guess a demo of both kinds is the only way to know for sure :)

Different qualities and different sounds as always.

The delicacy and speed of an electrostatic is quite something,but the sweetness of 300Bs and a good set of dynamic phones also takes some beating.

Listening is the only way,and thats usually the great difficulty with headphones and amps,as even if you can get the headphones to compare,where do you put together a few suitable amps to try as well.
 
Listening is the only way,and thats usually the great difficulty with headphones and amps,as even if you can get the headphones to compare,where do you put together a few suitable amps to try as well.

I do feel there is going to have to be a little bit of suck it and hope with the whole headphone and amp setup.

I've been doing plenty of reasearch and I do keep getting drawn back to the Woo Audio amps, it's just what headphone do I pair with it :confused:
 
I do feel there is going to have to be a little bit of suck it and hope with the whole headphone and amp setup.

I've been doing plenty of reasearch and I do keep getting drawn back to the Woo Audio amps, it's just what headphone do I pair with it :confused:

That's the problem....I'd been through a few headphone amps before finding a review in Stereophile where the Cary was used as a headphone amp of all things...!

In the meantime,I'd used a Parasound Z-Amp(surprisingly good) and an Earmax as well as various preamp outs.

Having chosen an amp,it does help to narrow the choice down,as you've really got the HD800 ,Grados and T1 to choose from unless you want the AT phones(I have a set of the ATH-W1000s,which are better balanced than the more expensive 5000Ws...or so they say).
 
At last I had a chance to sit down and listen to the HD800's today, I found a local dealer that had some on demo, initially I was very impressed, amazing detail and transparency, found the mid range and low end a little lean though but apparently they hadn't had much use so probably needed some more hours on them tbh, and I guess it didn't help that the only headphone amp the dealer had was the Project Headbox 2 :(

Then I noticed the dealer was also a Grado dealer, they only had upto the SR325i's though, but I couldn't resist a listen to see if I prefered the sonic signature of the Grado's, well I found them amazing, lovely rich mid tone with powerful bass, I know they are not considered accurate but I found them a really good listen and If I had to choose I would have gone with the Grado's, I can only imagine how great the PS1000's must sound.

I don't want to count out the HD800's just yet as I'd like to hear them with proper amplification, are they known for being a hungry headphone regarding drive or was I hearing pretty much hearing how they perform?

I've been offered to take them home for a home demo, but as I haven't got a headphone amp yet is it worth it?

Can anyone guess how the headphone socket on the Byston BP26 will perform running the HD800's, is it worth a punt or will I be doing the HD800's an injustice?

Thanks,

BTW, I've got somebody bringing their Stax 507's over for me to listen to on Saturday, now that should be fun and give me a real idea of what sound I like :)
 
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BTW, I've got somebody bringing their Stax 507's over for me to listen to on Saturday, now that should be fun and give me a real idea of what sound I like :)
The first part I cannot help you with but do post how you find the STAX. Although I only have the 2170 I find the 207's excellent and better than what I have tried before, even the bass seems just right (maybe I'm biased by having all ESL in my setup).
 
Can anyone guess how the headphone socket on the Byston BP26 will perform running the HD800's, is it worth a punt or will I be doing the HD800's an injustice?

I think that is something you would have to try, from my own experiences with headphone outs on various equipment they all vary in degree's of rubbishness :laugh: (if thats even a word), detail & lack of dynamics is the most noticeable thing, but then my headphones are 600ohm & really need a powerful headphone amp to do justice to them, I find they sound dull on anything other than the headphone amp, whether the HD800's being 300ohm are similar I couldnt say, they may not be quite as power hungry but I think its an injustice to put them through a poor headphone out that may be built really cheaply inside.

I saw your comments on the Grado's & it sounds like you really found them enjoyable, remember just because something is higher priced (in this case the Stax or the HD800) doesnt mean because of its high price tag its going to be better, as you may actually find you prefer the sound of the Grado's in the end despite them being cheaper!, the goal after all shouldnt be to spend as much as you can as more money doesnt automatically mean your going to enjoy the sound more, many people still prefer their HD650's over the HD800's.
 
The first part I cannot help you with but do post how you find the STAX. Although I only have the 2170 I find the 207's excellent and better than what I have tried before, even the bass seems just right (maybe I'm biased by having all ESL in my setup).

Consider it done, I'm really looking forward to trying the 507's and Lambda Pros tomorrow along with the AKG 701's, I'll report back as soon as I can.

I saw your comments on the Grado's & it sounds like you really found them enjoyable, remember just because something is higher priced (in this case the Stax or the HD800) doesnt mean because of its high price tag its going to be better, as you may actually find you prefer the sound of the Grado's in the end despite them being cheaper!, the goal after all shouldnt be to spend as much as you can as more money doesnt automatically mean your going to enjoy the sound more, many people still prefer their HD650's over the HD800's.

You speak a lot of sense davejames, but I've never been known for being sensible and I've kind of set myself a certain limit for a top end headphone setup, once my redundancy comes through that is, and as amazed as I was with the Grado 325's I can't help but wonder how amazing the PS1000 must sound :rolleyes:

This could all change tomorrow though once I get to hear the 507's :rolleyes:
 
SR-507 and SRM600 Limited :smashin: Sorry had to be said.

Hi Phil,

I think you may be right mate, I had a listen today to both the 507's and the Lambda Pros after someone (hi Terry) read my posts and kindly offered to bring them to the shop :)

To say I was slightly impressed is an understatement, so much clarity and detail, but what I wasn't expecting was the full and punchy bass, definately a step up from the HD800 Sennheisers in my book.

Trouble is I can see myself ending up with 2 systems at this rate as I also loved the Grado's, although theirs and the Stax presentation couldn't be anymore different if they tried, but I'm thinking living with both setups for a while and seeing what I prefer then upgrading through the range that I use more often.

Trouble is now that I know I love the 507's, it's got me wondering what the 007's offer over the 507's, have you listened to both Phil?

I'm also really drawn to a couple of the Woo Audio valve amps but I guess really it makes sense to stick to a Stax energiser, especially as the SRM600 uses valves for its output stage.

Decisions, Decisons :)
 
Life is hard, isn't it :laugh: The bass also surprised me on the 207. Can you say if the sound signature is similar in the Stax range, at least the ones you tried?
 
Can you say if the sound signature is similar in the Stax range, at least the ones you tried?

Hi Nuri58,

Most definately, the good thing about the KGSS headamp we used was that you could plug 2 pairs of Stax headphones into it so it was easy to do an A/B comparison.

The Lambda Pro's sounded great but there was a real step up in performance with the 507's, especially in the treble detail, it gave a far more open sound but the actual presentation was very similar, trouble is, initially I was very impressed with the Pro's but after a lengthy session listening to the 507's then going back to the Pro's, you really did realise how big a step up the 507's were.

I'm seriously leaning towards a SR-007 setup with this amp maybe :-

http://www.headamp.com/electrostat_amps/bhse/images/bhse_gray_high.jpg
 
I didn't know Bryston stuff glows in the dark like that?
You'll be getting Quad II's and ESL's before you know it.
 
Unfortunately the SR507 can't be compared to the SR007 mate. Chalk and Cheese in resolution openness and overall musicality. The Omega Reference Kimik is our top selling STAX setup at the moment and rightly so. SR007 you get alot more of everything.
 
You'll be getting Quad II's and ESL's before you know it.

Don't give me any ideas Terry :)

Unfortunately the SR507 can't be compared to the SR007 mate. Chalk and Cheese in resolution openness and overall musicality. The Omega Reference Kimik is our top selling STAX setup at the moment and rightly so. SR007 you get alot more of everything.

Sold :)

Once I get my redundancy through Phil I'll be in touch, now that I've heard a good pair of Stax I don't think I could really be happy with anything else tbh.

Out of interest do you carry stock of the Omega Reference Kimik, if not how long from ordering would they take to come in?

Thanks,
 

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