Stax upgrade recomendations please.

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The next step up is a matter of opinion. Some would tell you to get a direct-drive amp, some would say that that srd-6sb is a treasure to cherish.

I too have a set of SR-X III. They are brutally honest monitoring 'phones. If you want to hear exactly what is wrong with a recording, they're your tool.

They lack thump. if your pads have gone totally flat i recommend new pads. New actual STAX(tm) pads. They still sell them. staxusa will sell you a set for $30.

A couple years ago a frenchman discovered that if he cut a dense foam rubber ball (like a dog throw/catch toy from petsmart) in half and attached each half to the back of the SR-X III, he found some thump. I haven't tested this.

For your next earspeakers, though, I recommend Stax SR-Lambda. Normal bias. Will work with your SRD-6SB.

Koss ESP-950 are a whole other ball game in electrostatic headphones. They can rock out in a way that no stax can. MSRP is $1k but they are routinely sold for $650ish. including portable amp and carry case.

If you are interested in a direct-drive amplifier, I am an unabashed booster for Alex Cavalli's eXstata design. If you have trouble finding a board set, tell them i sent you. I was on the prototyping team and Alex sort of knows me.
 
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Ta.
brutally honest, yes they are, and i like that because when you get a well done recording, it makes you remember why you spent the money..

i replaced the pads with generic ones, and they are super comfy, not leather, but some synthetic that comes close (better ?) to it.

I remember that ball mod, actually, i do have a sheet of 'acoustic foam', something for me to try.

compatability with the current adaptor isnt an issue for me.
I was considering the new 009's, uuuuuntil i saw the price..

$2k wouldnt bother me, if i know theyll be a significant step foward..

These Koss, theyd be better than several 'ranges' higher in the Stax camp ?

Amplifier, I'm using a pass x150, is there any point in going for the direct drive units ?

Are current new high end dynamics and planars worth considering ?

Audeze:LCD-3
Sennheiser:HD800
Hifiman:HE-6

Again ta for your help...
 
Most of the current high-end dynamics that i've heard illicited a "lolwut?" response from me.

The ESP-950 has the largest diaphragm in an electrostatic headphone on the market currently. They are very rock-friendly in a way that no stax really is. They are something special.

The amp they come with is Not Bad, but not fantastic. They want 600vdc bias and can run off of the 580vdc "pro" stax bias without problems but with some DIY cabeling.

Direct drive amps will give you a clarity that is, well, different from using transformer boxes. If there is some way you can audition one, I recommend it.

I see you have the LCD-3 which i have not heard. I have a vast collection of vintage magneplanars and found the LCD-1 a bit off the mark and the LCD-2 not bad. I also have a tiny axe to grind with the audeze team because i am pretty sure the design of the LCD-1 driver was based largely off of some forum posts i made on head-fi.org but they never so much as offered me a pair at cost or said "hey thanks man".

and i still think elongated pentagonal diaphragms are a good idea. they just didn't do it quite right.

HE-6 is out? I'm way out of the loop. I hope they settled the issues with too-thin wood earcups long ago.

I couldn't make myself love the HD800. But at least it wasn't the Beyer T1, which got an unapologetic "Nope. NEXT!" from me.

my bias is skewed away from headphones that cost a whole lot of money. There is a good chance that you could really enjoy a Stax Omega II, especially if it came with a decent direct-drive amp. I found nothing at all wrong with that headphone except the price. I grew up poor and have uncontrollable pangs of frugality that prevent me from buying such things.
 
Ta.
I suspected the dynamic and planars would be a poor second place.
(thinking about my speaker listening experiences)

Noo i dont have the other phones, only the srx3's

reason i mentioned them is i found a dealer in my country that does decent pricing --> Headphonic: Browse Products | Headphonic: Australian Headphone Specialists: Buy Etymotic, Alessandro, Audio Technica, Ultimate Ears, Talisman, Meier Audio and more

sadly they dont do stax..

Doing an ebay hunt, i would consider the sr-507, (then an adaptor)
the sr-007's (new) are pushing it ;) (us$2500)

currently reading a looooong thread on the koss --> KOSS ESP-950 Thread

at ~600-1000 they are a bargain, even if i do get a better direct amp..
would love to know how they compare to the 507's.

sadly Australia is such a backwater, i doubt ill find a place to try any of these in person..

and yes i dont like spending if i can avoid it, but i like to know my 'investment' is long term, the srx's are what ? 25+ years old now ?
 
Ta.
I suspected the dynamic and planars would be a poor second place.
(thinking about my speaker listening experiences)

Noo i dont have the other phones, only the srx3's

reason i mentioned them is i found a dealer in my country that does decent pricing --> Headphonic: Browse Products | Headphonic: Australian Headphone Specialists: Buy Etymotic, Alessandro, Audio Technica, Ultimate Ears, Talisman, Meier Audio and more

sadly they dont do stax..

Doing an ebay hunt, i would consider the sr-507, (then an adaptor)
the sr-007's (new) are pushing it ;) (us$2500)

currently reading a looooong thread on the koss --> KOSS ESP-950 Thread

at ~600-1000 they are a bargain, even if i do get a better direct amp..
would love to know how they compare to the 507's.

sadly Australia is such a backwater, i doubt ill find a place to try any of these in person..

and yes i dont like spending if i can avoid it, but i like to know my 'investment' is long term, the srx's are what ? 25+ years old now ?

I should clarify - the current breed of magne-planars are largely impressive but you should absolutely audition any of them for a substantial amount of time with every style of music you like before buying any of them. But that's good advice for anything that costs a few thousand bucks.

HD-800 got a "lolwut?" from me. Beyer's T1 got ripped off my head in disgust and i have lost all hope for the company eugen beyer founded.

Seek out ozzie headphone enthusiasts on head-fi. i know they are out there.
 
Old'n'Cranky

How much into diy are you?

I have an eXstata SS amp, was working, just dismantled for parts for another project.
Stereo pcb's and psu pcb's still in one piece and should still work.
Just finished a KGSS that the ESP950 are on, looking at the SR507's myself.

Tried the HE500's nice lows and mid's but didn't have the finer details or highs of the electrostatics, so they went back..
And they do need a powerfull amp.

Unfortunately it seems once your use to the electrostatics, the others well..

ps
beware of headfi, some people have vested interest their own products.
 
How much into diy are you?

I've done a bit ;)
currently using a DCB1


I have an eXstata SS amp, was working, just dismantled for parts for another project.
Stereo pcb's and psu pcb's still in one piece and should still work.
Just finished a KGSS that the ESP950 are on, looking at the SR507's myself.


If I did an exstata I'd go the ss route too.
but It sounds like the kgss may be a better unit.
I can afford the 009's (just), but common sense is telling me if I do anything I'd be smarter with the 507's


Tried the HE500's nice lows and mid's but didn't have the finer details or highs of the electrostatics, so they went back..
And they do need a powerfull amp.

Unfortunately it seems once your use to the electrostatics, the others well..

ps
beware of headfi, some people have vested interest their own products.


Yeah, grains of salt are plentiful around my place ;)
 
You may be hard pressed to do better. I have SR-X Mark 3 and SRD-6 SB. It is a different species of listening experience. Speed is breathtaking and the midband is unsurpassed. Mercilessly cruel on less than wonderful recordings. I have listened to Sennheiser HD600/650 and Beyerdynamic DT880 and greatly respect them (I use the latter for 'normal' listening), but there is something special about the near-zero mass diaphragm of Stax. These were an ultra-phone of the 1970s and remain so. Hook these babies up to first class amplification and you are heaven, my friend. Forget exotic ribbon speakers, this is something else. However, some things I have found: 1) Low-slung position over the ears gets better bass - the SR-X are really position dependent. 2) EQ iTunes to up the bass and upper treble. But keep the mid absolutely, absolutely flat. Meet you in audio heaven.
 
not always IMO. some of the models are really just too bass light, unnaturally so, thats why they are mercilous and they simply cannot produce the low bass so EQ wont help. IMO you get better value from a high end dynamic or planar headphone in that price-range. the higher end models are to die for though. O2 Mk2 (much preferred to the SR-009 for my tastes) driven from a DIY T2 or BHSE, really is something else. I dont find them brutal either, exceptional musical detail, midrange to die for, tight bass etc, everything one could want and soooo comfortable, but not fatiguing like HD800 for example. the only bad thing I found was that they are so clean sounding that you can turn them up too far without realizing how loud they are, because there are none of the usual cues, nothing is distorting or struggling except your ears. very similar to high end Custom IEMs (musuicians in ear stage monitors) in that regard.
 
not always IMO. some of the models are really just too bass light, unnaturally so, thats why they are mercilous and they simply cannot produce the low bass so EQ wont help. IMO you get better value from a high end dynamic or planar headphone in that price-range. the higher end models are to die for though. O2 Mk2 (much preferred to the SR-009 for my tastes) driven from a DIY T2 or BHSE, really is something else. I dont find them brutal either, exceptional musical detail, midrange to die for, tight bass etc, everything one could want and soooo comfortable, but not fatiguing like HD800 for example. the only bad thing I found was that they are so clean sounding that you can turn them up too far without realizing how loud they are, because there are none of the usual cues, nothing is distorting or struggling except your ears. very similar to high end Custom IEMs (musuicians in ear stage monitors) in that regard.

I have not heard O2 Mk2, must do. I agree on bass lightness of SRX III; it is disappointing, nay unacceptable, for anyone wanting real palpable bass. But I contend this is not their talent, and it probably depends on what genre of music one listens to. For anything with critical midband, SRX are still one of the first tools to reach for. They allow one to see what's going on in a mix, dismantle it track by track. For mixing work, bass-light monitors can be super revealing; well I contend these are the headphone equivalent. As a CD reviewer (classical), I confess I could not do without them. It may be their speed. There are obvious trade-offs: position over the ear is scrappy, they sound chirpy and light - I like their 'enthusiasm'. And yes like others, I find myself going loud, because it seems they are so damned clean. That may be their strength. Dynamic cans don't get one stoked on high volume, IME. Must mean low distortion.
 
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