The Headcase Stax thread

[faust3d]

Originally Posted by n_maher

I'd say the HE60s belong in the $1000 price bracket they used to occupy. No way they're worth double that in my opinion but that doesn't seem to have stopped lots of folks.

But you would still rate them above, lets say, SR-404 or Lambda Signature?

[Larryminator]

Hello

I don't write here often

I wanna write something about the HE60. I tried them out, because I'm a Grado head, and while they have a more forward presentation, they lack the deep bass of the OmegaII, which I like a lot. However, they don't lack bass and I do find them to have more or equal bass than some other popular headphones like the K1000.

They do give a unique forward presentation, that does not ressemble the Stax presentation, and they do excel at certain song. They surely give a nice contrast to the Stax OII to certain people and to me, but frankly, I do prefer everything on the bassy side and I've always been like this. I find the Stax OII have more bass than most Grado headphones.

As to whether the HE60 are better than other lower end Stax can, I don't think you can compare them so much. I do think the Sennheiser sound is a different approach than the Stax sound. I did have a pair of Stax Lambda Signature, and as I remember, they were very nice (and did have an awesome bass), but were totally different than the HE60.

So, if you like the OII sound, but want a totally different but enjoyable taste, the HE60 is a good option. You like the "darker sound", more bassy sound, even less Gradoed sound ( ), they are not for you. Are they worth 1000$US or 2000$US in price? I don't know, I paid that price to try them out and was satisfied. Price is very subjective in the world of audio.

[n_maher]

Hey look, it's captain flip!

[spritzer]

Originally Posted by deepak

They impressed the heck out of me

Damn noobs the lot of 'ya!!!!! I must say though that I preferred the He60 in some areas to the He90, espcially bass. The He90 has a lot more of it and goes deeper but He60 is quicker on its feet like a properly setup SR-007.

[Anders]

The main weakness with HE60 is the the bass quantity and this also gives it a bright character. It is very fast and detailed and the midrange and up is very smooth. I think that is the strong point of the headphone and the 404 feels coarse in comparison. The bass weakness is more or less important depending on music. Stax 404 has much stronger bass and and better balance between bass and treble. However, it has a upper midrange peak that can be disturbing and tiring but also can make rock sound more intense with more slam. HE60 has a superior midrange that is even and smooth. Both headphones have weaknesses and I don't think either of them works as an allround headphone for all kinds of music. HE60 sounds more neutral to me while the 404 is more colored but usually better for heavy rock in my taste. With small classical ensembles and similar I much prefer HE60. 404 is also less detailed and less sensitive to weaknesses in the recording.

007 Mk 1 is superior to both of them in most aspects. I have not yet found any parameter where any of the other headphones is better (at least not after having found the fit and bending the arcs). Someone who wants a more forward presentation may prefer HE60 or 404 or a Lambda but you will not get the very even frequency range of 007, nor the very natural sound of instruments, separation and coherence.

The comparison of headphones is difficult to generalise because headphones interact with the amplifer. A haven't listened much to 007 with 007t because it lacks control and power compared to 717. It is possible that I would prefer HE60 and 404 with the 007t, have both of them instead of 007 if I had to choose. On the other hand, HE60 and 404 also improve with a better amp but 007 requires it. Those who are lucky enough to have got something above 717 could tell more about that, but I am satisfied with 717 and might stop there instead of plunging into the amplifier ordering and waiting-list adventures that we can read about on Head-Fi.

[spritzer]

The He60 simply loved the BH but it won't fix its slightly skewed midrange but the bass was a lot better and the soundstage was more focused. The 717 is a cracking amp though and a welcome change from the 6CG7 based tube amps and the SRM-1's while driving the SR-007A. It's nice to hear the sound not turn to mush when the pushing the amp and balls to the wall it hints at the amazing bass ability of the BH.

[catscratch]

I'm warming up to the 717 as well. The lack of fluidity and grain in the sound is definitely from the source. Once that's changed, then there will probably be little to nitpick about. Areas for improvement, sure, but very little that's outright wrong. Which will make a first...

In fact, the O2 Mk1 pretty much stops my search for headphones. I don't lust after the HE90 anymore. I don't really care to keep up to date with what else is out there, unless it gives the O2 Mk1 a run for its money. Just about the only conceivable (and likely) headphone purchase in the future would be the UE11, or whatever TOTL custom is out at the time.

The modded SR-001 is surprisingly good and more than adequate as a transportable system, so I'm set on that front, too. I'll have to hear the ESP950 to see if I want it.

[Akabeth]

Is the O2 mk1 really that good?

I don't recall ever storing such expectations for a piece of 'thing' in my entire life. Whenever in my life I get to hear/own this thing, I'd better be utterly blown away.

[deepak]

Originally Posted by Akabeth

Is the O2 mk1 really that good?

I don't recall ever storing such expectations for a piece of 'thing' in my entire life. Whenever in my life I get to hear/own this thing, I'd better be utterly blown away.

You might you might not be.

I was stunned the first time I heard them at a meet. I wanted to buy a set then and there, but couldn't afford to.

[humanflyz]

I think it depends on how experienced you are with high-end headphones. When I finally got my O2s, I already had a K1000 system and a L3000 system, but the O2s were my favorite. They didn't blow me away, but I could immediately tell that they were very special.

[spritzer]

Originally Posted by Akabeth

Is the O2 mk1 really that good?

I don't recall ever storing such expectations for a piece of 'thing' in my entire life. Whenever in my life I get to hear/own this thing, I'd better be utterly blown away.

Yes they are but high expectations will only lead to disappointments no matter how good the gear is. The SR-007 Mk1 is also not showy or flashy in any way and will sneak up on you.

The SR-007 was my first high-end headphone (HD600 is good but not high end) and even out of my then 313 amp they impressed me tremendously. Since then I've owned an shitload of headphones and have had even more sets here on loan from fellow collectors and the SR-007 is still the best I've heard and on my very short list of gear I will never sell.

[catscratch]

O2 Mk1 is only "that" good in the sense that it's the first headphone I've come accross where I have very little to nitpick about. Any time I listen to a piece of audio gear and something is out of place, I start getting irritated and can't really relax into the music. Provided I'm in a critical listening mood, since I can listen to a crappy car system in a good mood and not care about how it sounds.

So, when you're driven by perfectionism but don't have bottomless pockets, it's very nice to have a headphone like this, which, when you think about its competitors, really isn't very expensive for what it offers. In fact, I'm hard pressed to find any reason for going with anything other than the O2 Mk1 in its price bracket, unless of course you don't like its presentation.

Too bad the hidden costs are so steep, but I don't see how this would be any different for any other seriously high-end transducer. Garbage in = garbage out.

And yes, the O2 definitely isn't about impressing on the first listen. Sure, it can be very impressive if the music is very impressive, but a lot of its stuff comes out when you've had time to listen to the nuances of its presentation. It doesn't flaunt its detail, drive, dynamic range, soundstage, etc. But for all that, it's still the most detailed and dynamic headphone I've ever heard (well maybe the Qualia 010 can do better but it's been a long time since I've heard one) and its imaging is second to none. It doesn't take apart the whole to impress you with the individual aspecs of its presentation.

[Tachikoma]

Yahoo! - STAX ?? SR-XMK3

Fess up now, who got it?

[spritzer]

Originally Posted by Tachikoma

Yahoo! - STAX ?? SR-XMK3

Fess up now, who got it?

I was outbid at 60k+ so it wasn't me. I'm quite happy though since it means more money to spend on the two BH's. I'm also fairly certain that my PC-OCC wired version walks all over the stock, the kettle cable is just crap and I use a much better adhesive...

[catscratch]

Well, let's see what the 840c will do with the 007/717. It's going to be a stopgap until I can rile up enough cash for something truly high-end. But until then, it should be better than the Rega.

Digital glare and upsampling artifacts, here we come. But at least hopefully there will be no more grain, roll-off at both ends, and shouty vocals.

[spritzer]

NOS dacs are your friend. I simply love this AudioZone unit on the SR-007...

[deepak]

I want a high end turntable with my SR-007 setup

[spritzer]

Blah... just get an APL NWO. I have my eye on a high-end table but I just don't want to open up that particular money pit until I've bought a few speakers.

[catscratch]

Originally Posted by spritzer

NOS dacs are your friend. I simply love this AudioZone unit on the SR-007...

No balanced output on that AudioZone (right?). Also, I didn't want to use the Rega as a transport since I simply HATE that top-loading mechanism. You have to fiddle with it and adjust it out the ass, and by the time you're ready to listen you want to hang yourself with your own colon.

I'll see though, I just want something that's good enough for now, and in a few months when I have 3k to blow, I'll get something better.

[deepak]

Originally Posted by spritzer

Blah... just get an APL NWO. I have my eye on a high-end table but I just don't want to open up that particular money pit until I've bought a few speakers.

Digital wise I still really like the Emm Labs. I too would like to hear a good NOS DAC, but I'm not sure if the sound would be to my liking.

I don't think I'd get a high end table until I had the speakers sorted out as well. Though I did hear back from Galibier that there is a guy with one of their TTs very close to my parents house