spritzer

First step in fixing the KingSound: http://i.imgur.com/7zvcu6C.jpg Unmasks other issues though...

That is the plan. I'll play with the amp a bit too but it's just bound for a nice rebuild.

I never tested it. Just compared it with the data sheet but I clearly got it wrong. Will fix now but it's too late for these boards... Sorry about that but the LSK389 is better anyway.

Just got the KingSound and it works just fine off Stax Pro bias. The "manual" (small card thing) even says that the headphone should be used with "professional" amps aka Stax Pro bias. Their pathetic excuse for amps are optional extras. Not sure where that 450V BS came from as the SS amp clearly states in its manual (again a small card) that the bias is 580V. As for the sound... well... they are not good after the first hour. Not good as in the OEM models Stax made in the 70's have more redeeming qualities. The backwave is clearly restricted so everything sounds shut in, there is not HF sparkle and there is no midrange presence. The sound is just... there, but not in a good manner. Why anybody would state that the bass on these is acceptable let alone useable just goes to show that meet impressions are useless. It is severely lacking as it is so muted and lacking in heft. Thump becomes thhhhhfffffttttt.... That said the packaging is nice and the headphones are worlds apart from something like the Jade in terms of engineering. I'm worried about the lack of proper dust covers on the drivers but I'll just add some when I open them up tomorrow. I also have mods planned for the SS amp to make it at least semi stable. Remove all that bass boost crap and put in a volume pot that isn't the cheapest thing on the bloody planet. Install silver mica output caps, better anode resistors and perhaps try to regulate the PSU. Then heatsinks for the main offenders.

We have 13 of them so this is a tricky question...

EL34 = 6CA7. The former was developed by Mullard/Philips in Europe and the latter is just different enough to not fall under the former patent and thus avoiding the royalties manufacturers would have to pay. It was made only in the US by Sylvania/GE though Sylvania would end up being Philips in the end... Electrically they are almost identical and can be exchanged at will. As for NOS, some are better... some are not.

The front end draws very little power so that isn't a problem. It's also easy to increase the current limiting of the KGSSHV supply. Now that would make Kevin truly furious... Did you ever see the inside pictures of that amp? So he didn't want to spring for a +/-15V supply but the amp was filled with Z-foil resistors...

This is the problem of not being in it for the money, the will to do something new always outweighs the will for more money.

It is better but you can also just use the dropping resistor. I'm going that route but this is team overkill anyway so an extra PSU would be welcomed.

Nope, sadly not.

Sure there is, we just did it for convenience.

Only if it gives us the required magic.

I did post about on HF today but basically I'm very happy with it. It has even made me like... well tolerate RS-1's which says quite a bit. The amp is simply effortless and that's usually the sign of something great. My only slight complaint is that it could do with a touch more bite with the HD800. The Dynalo with the impedance adapter has a similar sound signature but more bite and HF presence. Could be a tube issue though so I'll get some new ones from Doug when he's settled.

Some of it was from Mikhail... Are you bad mouthing Soviet high tech!!??!!

Here is something for people who think the L-2 is a bit plain looking... It's my birthday present from Kevin and along with it came the L-2 power umbilical. I can finally move the amp now as the temp cable was just a fire hazard waiting to happen.

Hmmm but does that make it part of the balance.... I wish we had a thought leader to guide us on these matters...

All hail the balance!!!

Not substantial but it helps when using the 007's at crazy levels. That said I'm going to see how the amp is at lower voltage but higher current.

You got lucky there. I'm chasing ghosts in one HV channel I haver here as it makes a nice sssssshhhhh sound that changes all the time. All the front end has been replaced and everything checks out fine but still can't find it. Bloody annoying...

The HE90 uses tensilized Hostaphan C aka Mylar C same as the Stax sets. The only real difference is the thickness of the stators and their damping abilities. The Senn stators are easily 3-4 times thicker than the Stax ones and that will change the sound a lot. Not sure why they did that as most ES designers frown on this.

Ouch... that always puts a dent in the day. As for the current, first plans were always to make this an offboard design only but the circuit is so bloody linear that it behaved just as well at currents that work on the onboard sinks.

Now this does depend on volume level but the faults are always there, higher voltage swing just shines a spotlight on the issues. Same with the SR-Omega, they are fine at lower levels but fall apart when pushed hard. The top end is artificial as it focuses on the plankton too much. Neither the SR-Omega nor the SR-007 could be accused of being low in detail and the 009 just sounds forced. The honk is similar to the one in the SR-404. It's not the age old etch but a clear resonance or a side band of one. It just gets worse and worse the harder you push them over whisper quiet levels. Now this bothers some people more than others and I'm firmly in the first camp.... As for the bass, there is a clear shelf in the bass so it doesn't extend as fully as it should. On the scale of issues this pales to the HE90 though...

I've tried really hard to like the 007BL but after owning 6 sets I just gave up. I'll see if I can find an old 007 and send it for some comparison time in the US. I do see why Stax changed the design though as these are an utter pain to work on. The cable mounts from the back of the driver and the pads, arc and headpad don't last very long. I also agree with Todd that the Mk2 (2.5) has some plus points but it's the upper midrange shout that kills them for me. Same thing with the 009, sure the bass is messed up and the top end is rather artificial but if it wasn't for that "honk" then I'd still have a set. The urge to retry the 2.5 has cropped up as I can't just write them off as being doomed to sound this way. Still that will have to wait as there is just so much crap to do...

Since this has been discussed a lot lately, which Mk1 is also quite important as they got progressively worse over the years. They kept simplifying the assembly, the design and the materials used. So the first sets sound the best to me and my personal set is a early 712xx but fitted with drivers from 7002x. There was a major change to the design sometime around the 71xxx mark (ca. year 2000/2001) with new materials, new drivers and a bunch of small changes but they weren't as good. With the SZ1 things got worse and the 007BL is by far the worst of the lot. Not sure why though but the Euro distributors all complained about QC issues and the sound being inconsistent. The truly odd bit is that some of the later sets sound as good as the early 71xxx units but some sound not all that good. Very odd...

The SR-Omega second only to the 007. The Omega is a bit loose around the edges so the bass is a bit overblown, the treble a bit too wild, the soundstage isn't as well shaped as it could be but as a whole it is stunning. They really do require a BH or a T2 to work perfectly though.