Ali-Pacha

Something to follow, for sure Ali

My BHSE is just one year old...you want me dead Kerry BTW, very happy to see so many people truly dedicated to e-stat, above and beyond the audiophiliac rumble of moaaaar new stuff and moaaaar $$$ (and moaaar shilling) Ali

This Ali

Beside the rudeness, let's say you don't know how things work down there and you don't know where the mafia stands in this hobby. Maybe come back whenever you're ready to build some extreme designs with lots of Vpp / mA, for the single glory of e-stat cans, the true and only technology which is worthy Or going your own path and never come back. Your choice Ali

Just tried Vali2 as a preamp, first with SRM-1/mk2 then with BHSE. It adds a bit of pleasant mellownes with the first one, but it kills dynamics / details / soundstage / impact with BHSE. I've to try further. Ali

Love the classy face plate too. Maybe we should wait a bit before shitting full throttle on circuit / sound / price Maybe I should plug my Vali2 as a preamp on my SRM-1/mk2 Pro to have a taste of how T8000 could sound Ali

Internals from Fujiya Avic video : Big toroidal transformer, 2 x 6922 in preamp section (same tube as Vali2 ?). Whenever someone skilled can see which SS are used for power... Ali

Any hint about what Justin is cooking ? Ali

Correct seal has always been something tricky with lots of Stax phones. No problem with Omega nor with latest Lambdas (real improvement IMO), but from Lambda NB to SR-507, one has to be very careful. My bald head has some advantage in that, perfect seal everywhere, from SR-5 to SR-009 through SR-X (yes ! Stax-proof earlobes inside) and any Lambda / Sigma Apart from drivers swapping, Innerfidelity measurements may be a bit strange indeed, but they reflect this seal issue somehow and would be "true" on their own with some disclaimer. I remember our measurements session with Sorrodje as he struggled one or two times with Lambdas to get a proper seal (Lambda Signature especially...no idea why). Looks like Stax did learn from that, SR L-x00 look like they have a perfect pad seal no matter which head, but could be leaky by design for tuning reasons (more low-mids / oomph but less quality bass). Not sure about that, as some did measure a flat bass response and some others are like me on a leaky sound signature (as well as measurements). Ali

Why redoing it ? We did it once, with all the warnings included (system, procedures, etc...), one should take it as it is and go on with the hobby And btw I sold my 007mk1 some weeks ago... Ali

Simple question about cable capacitance : as 60% of the headphones capacitance are within the cable, is it really interesting to shorten the cable and/or to change it with the most recent stax cable ? I'm thinking cloth cables, of course, but also first ribbon cables like those on Lambda Pro, Lambda Signature...looks like large ribbon cables have 10 pf less than narrow ones (see SR-307 vs SR-407 specs), which are a small 10%. Thanks. Ali

Some say it could comme from a rivet connection (instead of soldering) within the strain relief for the bias. But who knows... Ali

The pot calling the kettle black, right ? Ali

@Jim L I don't have SR-L700, but you're right on the 10 staxens collection, which is barely acceptable for someone posting down there...hey, I'm no 007mk1 lover and don't have any clue in electronics, so be gentle. Not so much to add to @Sorrodje's impressions. I could have written exactly the same statement on amp's ranking on HE60, as well as how far modded 727 stands from the two other contenders of the day. My opinion is a little bit different for 009, as I would insert two or three more ">" between BHSE and SRX+. No mystery I'm 009 lover, HD800 are probably my favorite non stat, but my tastes aren't exactly the same as Sorrodje's, so I value a bit more kick in the low-end, control, amount of details and soundstage provided by the BHSE's. Q/P ratio remains always on the cheaper one, don't mistake me, worn-out diminishing returns platitude in audio. SRX+ is not as "right" as BHSE, but there's something very funny and energetic in its presentation. Think about the low-medium kick and foot tapping thing you can get from SRD-7 + good ol' 2-channels amp, but with detail retrieval and soundstage you have on a very good dedicated amp, way way above modded 727 level even if some steps under BHSE's. When listening to 009 on SRX+, I was thinking about my Lambda Signature on steroids, kinda vintage sound, with 009 details and technicality (and Sorrodje loves Lambda Signature ) 007 are another story, as my main concern with them is their lack of dynamic compared to what I like. BHSE raises them at pretty good level at last, but on the same amp, they can't compete with my other Staxen's regarding dynamics IMO (main exception : Lambda Nova Signature). So the transformer-like sound exhibited by SRX+ (again, with details and soundstage from top notch dedicated amp) may be my choice to get the best experience with those unloved ones. Ali

I've tried KS-H4 on my SRM-1/mk2 pro, it was utterly disappointing...blown away by Lambda NB / Gamma Pro. Oh, and BTW Birgir, sorry for the match yesterday Ali

Stax are already cheap...SRS-2170 (and now 3100), used or vintage stuff that is most of the time more reliable than hype-of-the-month new stuff (who said Audeze ? ). I understand Dan's approach about different voicing, but saying he'll make the e-stat market (far) bigger with 4-digits stuff sounds...well...presomptuous to say the least. I don't understand this plug thing neither. IMO, nothing to do with technical and/or provider issues whatsoever, just part of the business plan. The HF thread is not particularly revealing, there's plenty of people who don't like Stax, its reputation (or the way they picture it), the community around (which may be rude sometimes, BTW ), etc... Putting more distance beetween us-inflexible-zealots and his products might be a smart move for Dan when it comes to money. Time will tell. Ali

Sorb, definitely. Ali

Ah, remembering your old fights with Anax Ali

007 vs. 009 perpetual motion debate dripping from HF to HC, who whould have believed that ? Ali

Indeed, lots of sweet things among former Lambdas, almost one model for each taste, and at mid-fi prices. Love the face of the random newbie listening to some Lambda NB when telling him it's from 1979 and can be found as a set (SRD + headphones) for the price of average Beats bling-y POS. Ali

Looks like speculations are back on track for next TOTL amp from Stax. Considering mafia's knowledge, components' market and price point (let's say under $10k), what kind of amp is more likely ? There are so much circuits in the DIY stuff... Ali

Best suggestion ever Ali

I've met far more burnt SR-X than burnt SR-5, thus my writing. But I'm not really into statistics, and would be hard in such a niche market. Speaking of drivers, SR-5 gold and SR-X/mk3 have theoretically the same ones, but they are different from one another on my units : PCB spacers on SR-5 Gold, Inox ones on SR-X. And when using SR-X diaphragm/spacers in SR-5 Gold drivers, there's a strange tickling noise when bias comes in...maybe slightly different stator/diaphragm gaps. I think I'm looking at one of the several production changes made by Stax without saying...the same on amps, right ? Aside from drivers, there's something that could explain my impressions with SR-X more easily burnt : vinyl on original pads peels off like bad leprous skin, then more risks to have some particle making its way through the dust cover and entering the driver...I had to remove one of thes particles from a SR-X/mk3 pro driver to get rid of some annoying buzz. 2 cents. Ali

Yep, normal bias SR-X were often exposed to that issue (too much volts through SRD boxes => arcing). Curiously, it looks like SR-3/5 aren't as concerned...don't know why. BTW, you can try to unmount them. If there is no sight of arcing, a re-coating with some antistatic product could work. I did that with rinse aid some months ago ( http://www.head-fi.org/t/498292/my-diy-electrostatic-headphones/1725 ), it stills work perfectly but some say it's not very durable as coating. Generally speaking, check out Wachara (chinsettawong) posts / threads here and out there, there's a ton of knowledge in them. Ali

I've never been in that "thinner = better SQ" thing, BTW. I was only commenting thickness vs. diaphragm tensioning But material properties / stiffness (elastic domain vs. plastic domain) are probably as much important as the thickness in that issue, and comparison to whatever material Stax uses (or did use in the past) may be completely irrelevant. Ali