spritzer

Well there are three distinct versions of the 007A (might be more, who knows) and the first two sucked!! Well the first one could be modded into shape but Mk2.5 was just a lost cause.

Indeed. Kevin has a much more Zen approach to this but then again, I'm the hothead...

That's exactly it, they are too flat and the foam won't last.

I might also sell the boards but it's not really something I'm interested in doing. It might work out later on if I step up production and can leverage that into cheaper boards. We'll see

All Mk2 parts will fit the Mk1 007 but they will all be different color. That's simply the Stax way of doing things... Impossible to tell how long a set will last, way, way too many variables.

Well serial numbers on Stax stuff mean less than nothing. They aren't linear and they flip between the ranges at will. The only exception might be the 009 but there is no way to know for sure. All Mk1's have the same issues, cable entry is a weak point, the elastic in the headpad will give out and the earpad foam will not last. The older sets have their own issues as Stax used a different material in the headpads and arcs which becomes rather tatty with age. The Mk2's fixed all of this and for me the new EP-007 pads are the best Stax have ever done. Not the fucking disaster which are the 009 earpads. Don't get me started on that clusterfuck...

It is truly shocking how far they go with this stuff. Kevin and I are seeing it as they now have our version of the KSA-5 for sale, complete unit which really doesn't give me a warm and fuzzy feeling. From now on I'll never release board files for the final optimized version of something. On this note though I had a stroll through Aliexpress and they are ripping off a lot of stuff. Full Dartzeel clones in the same livery and everything. I for one only use high life caps though it is a struggle to keep stuff small while doing that. The main PSU caps usually have a lifetime of 3000hr at 105°C (some more than that) and they run at less than 50°C so at least 10000hr of life in them.

Don't have the time to check all the links but in the main amp section (back half of the schematic) you can upgrade the caps. Back in the day capacitors were much bigger so feel free to upgrade within sensible limits. Double or even triple will be fine. On the EQ you can't do that except for the PSU stuff. The small caps need to be the same value or you will mess up the RIAA curve.

Indeed and obscured heatsinks are a terrible idea.

Personally I'd just get a new SR-007A as it is better and a lot less potential issues to deal with. If you want a 007Mk1 then I'd personally stay away from the SZ1 units as they can be a mixed bag. Some are good but others not so. Ohh and what ever the fuck that Shure 'stat system... the new JH13...

They didn't even ask for permission to use the circuit so yeah....

I bought the cheapest one and it is a crap version of the KGSS. Plenty of info about it here somewhere

It's just a butchered GES, nothing interesting.

Depends on the capacitors used and how hot it runs.

I'd remove all the non stock stuff and start over. The main PSU caps were just dual section units so you can swap in a normal single section cap.

Ahh the M10, a bad clone of the Stax SRA-10/12S... Please report if you find anything as I love this stuff. We also haven't ripped apart anything in a while which just can't do.

It's actually a Lemo plug (most definitely a clone though) but I did have them ask for a Stax socket. Are there any other electrostatic amps on TaoBao that I might have fun with? I can search for Stax but that only brings up the KGSS clones and the tube amp by the same guy

About 20 days or so. Just got a confirmation that they've ordered the amp.

It could be a GU50 or something like a 6V6 etc. Chinese equivalent.

Just that I needed to be weary of any electronics bought in China. Basic covering of the ass... Can anybody spot what power tubes the amp uses? I see 6C?P MARCHEO... Definitely not 6C4P as that is a rectifier.

They are split primaries so you need to wire them in series or in parallel. See the wires going from 0 to 0 and 120 to 120? Remove both and solder just a link between the 0 and 120 in the middle, i.e. change from parallel to a series setup.

I kinda like it too and I wonder what those heatsinks on the side are for. Funny enough I just got an email from the deputy service I used warning me about electronics from China...

Fuck it, I just ordered one... Has to be a variation of the Egmont but yeah, it will be fun to rip it apart.

Nope, that is evil!!! There is so much stigma and BS associated with that word where it is mostly "hey we used fancy parts" with no thought behind it. Sorry, nothing you can do on those circuit boards. Just build it as it is. Stax will never, ever, never repair drivers. They will always exchange with what ever that fits in there so SR-Omega will get SR-007Mk2 drivers etc.

This has been a problem when gauging just how hot is too hot on heatsinks. I'm so immune to heat that it isn't even funny...