Consumer-wise, only stax is making affordable estats, except discontinued koss. I like stax, but not many things to talk about... Producer-wise, marketability might be very unclear..
Probably not as popular because the user is locked into a much smaller ecosystem, and the newer e-stats are pricey. I feel the older e-stats are an incredible value.
@Vtory - actually Kingsound are the most affordable e-stats. But reports from various people say they sound like ass.
Anyway, I'd say that the barrier for entry is just much higher. The cheapest Stax system starts at $800 and it's certainly not portable. I can walk around with Elears and an iPhone but that isn't possible with e-stats unless I use the Shures. That said the only upgrade from HD6XX for me are Stax.
It's quite easy to pick up an entire used Stax System for $300-$600 from Japan. SRM-212/252 or SRM-313 for SS, maybe SRM-T1 for tubes to drive the "Earspeakers", and a SR-202/207 or older Lambda of some kind.
I'm only a few years into this hobby, so would y'all say Stax's popularity has grown since they were bought by Edifier in 2011? As mentioned, Stax offers relatively affordable, quality gear, but it seems like their marketing and distro (outside of Japan) either just sucks or (for whatever reason) is actually averse to growth.
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