The Stax I thread

Discussion in 'Headphones' started by knerian, Mar 28, 2016.

  1. JeremiahS

    JeremiahS Almost "Made"

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    Dear Rthomas, I had similar experience with my brand new SR-007 as well... right channel went dead and make squealing noises.

    Thankfully I bought my pair from official Singapore dealer (E1) so I got a brand new replacement. It still make me worry about their long term durability though...

    Regards,
    Jeremiah
     
  2. padam

    padam New

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    The Stax SR-009S is now official

    [​IMG]

    Same design, new gold-plated stators, MSRP around 5200 USD (maybe around 400k yen in Japan, not listed yet)

    It will probably be presented at the Fujiya Avic headphone festival in a few days.
     
  3. 9suns

    9suns [insert unearned title here]

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    Looks incredible, and not that much more expensive compared to the original SR-009.
     
  4. Vtory

    Vtory Audiophile™

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    Just for clarification purpose.

    I couldn't find official announcements from stax websites
    Japanese - https://stax.co.jp/
    English - http://stax-international.com/

    Also no related tweets appeared yet in their official twitter account: https://twitter.com/STAX1938

    When I googled (with the image padam used), here is what I got:
    https://www.hifiroom.cz/novinka/stax-sr-009s-t18657.html?sid=539dcbf1a2b0982927ffdcdf1dbfbc81

    I am not smart enough to understand Czech language.. so used google translation.
    Not very sure what are their (hifiroom.cz) news sources...

    Anyway 009S look nice!
     
  5. zolkis

    zolkis Acquaintance

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    Looks like there's been a lot of work for that S. As expected from Stax. A little bit expensive, though...
     
  6. padam

    padam New

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    Stax Japan tweeted something new is coming next week, so that's when it's going to be 'officially official'

    But most of the technical details are already known anyway.

    Sound element with new fixed electrodes

    If the fixed electrode becomes infinitely thinner, the air resistance will be decreased and the permeability of sound waves will be improved. On the other hand, thinner electrodes are poor in rigidity and suffer from vibrations of their own and the sound becomes muddy. The SR-009S evolved further the electrode established in the SR-009 as the integration of present technology. The edges of electrode hole were smoothened through after-etching processing to reduce air resistance, and the permeability of sound has been much more improved. Moreover, gold plating processing with large specific gravity further decreased the electrode vibration. Finally, the sound clarity has been achieved by reducing the resistance of electrode itself.

    Chassis

    Tough solid aluminum chassis employed secures firmly the sound element, contributing to improve the clearness of sound. Furthermore, the case thickness has been reduced to the limit, making the flow of condensation- and-rarefaction air wave from the sound element more smooth.

    Resolution

    Intensity has been increased by giving roundness to the “guard mesh” of sound element, which lowered the influence of reflection and improved the resolution of sound.

    Quoted specs are almost the same as the SR-009, except that it is 13 grams lighter
     
  7. TwoEars

    TwoEars Friend

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  8. maverickronin

    maverickronin Friend

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    I'm always the odd one out at these kinds of things. I love Stax with all kinds of non-audiophile genres...death metal, black metal, jpop, & lolicore (which is so obscure it doen't even show up on the genre map in you sig...).
     
  9. VonAtlas

    VonAtlas New

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    Does anyone know how to tell Stax Lambda's apart? Just got a pair from my dad, who got them as a gift, and doesn't know if they're pro's or regular Lambda's.
    Just has SR-Lambda symbol on front, and L and R on back of headband slider.
     
  10. JonCharles

    JonCharles Friend

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    Six Pin = Normal Bias (230v)
    Five Pin = Pro Bias (580v)

    Beyond that, a picture would really be the best help. I have some familiarity, but some of the people here really know their old lambda models much better than I.
     
    Last edited: Apr 25, 2018
  11. VonAtlas

    VonAtlas New

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    That nailed it. 5 pin model. Really bummed though. An L300 showed up today as well, but the diaphragms were bad, and the bass was super distorted. Back they go...
     
  12. padam

    padam New

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    First SR-009S article is up (in Japanese, but English translation is available)

    https://av.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/topic/1117613.html

    Smoother and more relaxed than the SR-009, which will remain as part of their lineup for people who prefer its more grainy and aggressive character
     
  13. zolkis

    zolkis Acquaintance

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    Not that the 009 would be grainy or aggressive... IMHO it is quite smooth... but hey, he used the T8000... ....
    More relaxed - that can come any time. For me that term also means better dynamic gradation.

    (Nice article nevertheless.)
     
  14. padam

    padam New

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    Maybe those aren't the right words, but glaring and thin/lightweight would definitely be true to at least to an extent.

    The SR-009 is probably one of the most balanced flagship headphone in terms of strong opinions (people either think it is on top or just think it is not a patch on the previous flagships) and some definitely pointed out similar kind of deficiencies and at least some of them might have been rectified.

    So it will be interesting to see if they will still think the same about these (and whether the lovers will change their opinions and kind of acknowledge, that originally it did have these issues)
    Either way, I don't think that the SR-009 is going to be more popular as it is now (unless the price goes down even further) and that may lead to a complete replacement in the end.

    The HD800S didn't change my take on the HD800 "family" at all, but this could be something different altogether, despite the naming similarity.
     
  15. Pokemonn

    Pokemonn New

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    FYI Mr.Miura (that 009S pro reviewer) uses Magico Q3 with Ayre pre and power amps with dCS vivaldi sytem as his main system. (according to Japanese Stereo Sound Magazine No.195) so he is dead serious pro reviewer in fact.
     
  16. Rthomas

    Rthomas Friend

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    KGSSHV Carbon & SR007 Mk2 impressions

    Some of you may remember that at the start of this year I finally decided to splash the cash and get a Focal Utopia. In the end I just could not get along with its aggressive, forward nature and I sold it in a month.

    I felt the need for a TOTL system in my life after years of Mid-Fi so after the Utopia I went straight for a Spritzer built KGSSHV Carbon and an SR007 Mk2 from a UK dealer (2018 production)

    I've had the system for about 45 days now and these are my thoughts vs what I've owned before. Just for reference my amp for dynamics was the Dynalo Mk2 and the dac in all cases is the Topping D30 fed by Tidal HiFi from a laptop (I know, need to step up my DAC game :D)

    • These are the 'clearest' headphones I've heard. I've owned the Utopia and HD800 which were both brighter but these seem a bit clearer with a touch of warmth which I like very much.
    • In terms of detail I feel I can hear changes in voices better than with the Utopia as well as backing vocals. In terms of overall detail it is hard to say without a side by side comparison.
    • The Utopia is the clear winner in dynamic punch but this precise quality made them fatiguing for me.
    • I would say that for Classical, Acoustic and female vocals there may be nothing better than the SR007 Mk2 for my tastes. I need a bit of warmth and for me the tonality is not that far from the HD650 but with extreme clarity and no midbass boost.
    • Comfort is a welcome change from most TOTL cans. Not a fan of the face-hugging HD800 or the weight of the Utopia. I even had a dealer demo LCD-4 in the house for a few days but it just spent an hour on my head as it was like wearing a brick.
    • In terms of weaknesses I would say that a complementary headphone may be essential for some people for modern pop and rock music. I'm not interested in opening these up for the bass port mod and in stock form the bass is a bit weak although the warm signature ensures that they don't sound lean like the HD800. My tastes are moving away from such music so it's not a deal breaker for me.

    Overall I'm pretty satisfied with my purchase which is a relief considering the expense of the amp in particular. The only question is if I need this level of performance for the time I have available to listen :D


    My next step is a DAC upgrade as I have never really heard what a TOTL DAC can do. SBAFers in and around the London area are welcome to audtion my rig. People willing to bring along TOTL DACs are even more welcome ;)

    Anybody willing to visit with a Yggdrasil A2, lunch is on me!
     
  17. skem

    skem Friend

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    @Rthomas I was just searching for info on this exact amp and headphone combo. What luck! Thanks for the review.

    As for DAC demos, where are you located? I’m very interested to hear the SR007+KGSSHV Carbon myself.
     
  18. JimL

    JimL Tongues KG's hairy starfish for fun

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    Um, I believe he is in London, England, since he said, "SBAFers in and around the London area are welcome to audition my rig."
     
  19. Soups

    Soups Sadomasochistic cat

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    Recently took delivery of a L300 Limited. Quite enjoying them, but not so much the stock earpads. I stumbled across Vesper Audio and their custom Lambda pads, which seem like a reasonably priced alternative to Stax's own offerings.

    So, any of you use Vesper pads with your Stax? Also, just in case I do order from them, could any of you L700 owners share how cm thick your earpads are? Thanks,
     
  20. gepardcv

    gepardcv Almost "Made"

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    @Rthomas: I have something similar. Main difference is that I use a dac1541 and an ADI-2 DAC, and my Carbon is a little different (and I have an older 007, still from the “Mk2.9” era though). I agree with your impressions. FWIW, I consider the Utopia an attempt to recreate the 009 with dynamic drivers. Shrug.

    I’m one of the tiny minority which dislikes the port mod. While it may boost the lows somewhat, I didn’t think it made a huge difference there. More importantly, it made the Stax fart unbearably frequent. I reversed the mod after a week.

    You should consider trying just a touch of PEQ. I added +2.5dB at <75Hz, and had people try it at a recent meet. The universal reaction was “that’s bassy!”
     

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