spritzer

Valves need to warm up like everything else but that only takes a few minutes at most (a minute is more like it as they have a built in filament) so that's not an issue. Many amps are hybrids though so it's the SS components which will take longer to warm up. Tubes will last for thousands of hours in headphone amps so there is no need to worry about them being optimal or not. The amps may need to be biased from time to time as the tubes age but that's about it.

I compare all headphones against the SR-007 Mk1 so I can tell you exactly how the HE90 sounds and the HE60 even though there are roughly 12 months since I sold my sets. I've also written it down enough times that it is engraved in my head.

Are you forcing me to break out Mj

SR-008 would make sense (the SR-Omega was really SR-6) but I do doubt that they will be releasing anything soon as the phones aren't the limiting factor in the Stax lineup, the crappy amps are. The SR-007 Mk2/A has actually increased in price over the Mk1 as the Omega has had a MSRP of 180kYen since 1993 but this was increased to roughly 200kYen with the Mk2/A. There is little to no inflation in Japan so the prices are very stable, not like the blatant robbery in the rest of the world.

Real leather!!!!!!!!!!!! I've compared the pads (even swapped out the slightly different foam on the inside) and I didn't notice much difference between the pads. I'm going to redo the test though as I have a set of Mk2 pads coming in from Japan. The bass and the midrange are the two areas which I really dislike on the stock Mk2/A. The bass is overblown, with a midbass hump and limited extension while the midrange isn't as linear with a "honk" which exacerbates some tones. In basic terms the Mk2/A has lost the main quality of the Mk1, it had no sound of its own.

There is a local store selling some of the Abrahamsen stuff (the CDP and integrated amp) and the build quality looks to be ok but I still haven't heard it. It's a store similar to BB so crappy rooms with crappy speakers.

Did you forget to take your meds again??!!??

The bias is adjustable on the inside so he could just do it himself.

I wouldn't use a variac instead of a step down transformer as somebody could mess with it and then you would have a rather pretty paperweight.

Which one is that?

Crime of the Century is simply brilliant.

Definitely BS as Stax says the same things yet all their transformers are identical. Has anybody checked to see if there are multiple primaries on the Japanese version though as it would be easy to change it?

I would start off wrapping him in tinfoil which is in turn tied to ground.

They are forward, but only when they need to be. Right now I'm listening to Muse and they are just as forward as the music needs them to be but no more.

It does help to have huge hands when changing the Omega pads. In stock form the bass is very overpowering so they are darker yet more forward at the same time. Perform the mods and the bass is back under control, the midrange dialed back yet the slight forward slant of the sound remains.

They are the same DAC chips but they are only a small part of the puzzle. Never heard the D-05 so I don't know how they would compare.

The SR-007 Mk1 appears dark to some ears but certainly not to mine. The treble is a bit less apparent then most other transducers but then again most transducers have a rather large tilt in the treble. The SR-007 Mk2/A on the other hand is a bit more forward then the Mk1. LOL!!! OMG U really lovez teh Omegaz!!!

Happy birthday Adam!!

Build me a V-5xe of course!!

No, not really as most of us find it to be inferior to the original SR-007.

Holy crap Marc, that's one huge r-core!! I'm sure being named Thor had something to do with it. That's what I started with.

Looks about right...

Probably did wield some in his day.

No idea, iron smith is just a direct translation of the Icelandic word "j

Most of my drill bits are probably 60 years old (inherited from my grandfather who was an iron smith) but the 3.5mm ones are 3.48mm.