Sisterray

Much of the Stax gear sold on eBay comes from estate sales bought by people who don’t know what they have. I was lucky when I bought a 207 pair & a pair of Lowther drivers from an audiophile who resells what he finds at those sales. The prices were good & everything was as represented. The obvious difference was that he knew what he had & priced accordingly.

Everyone has different sensitivities, and I don’t notice any of that, but that doesn’t diminish your preferences. We like what we like. What do you think of the build-quality & comfort?

What do you guys specifically dislike so much about the 507s?

What relevant specs distinguish the performance of the SR-507 from that of the SR-207? I recently acquired a 507 pair & did a comparison using the twin sockets on an SRM-1/MK2. The phrase that popped into mind after a few minutes of comparing the two was “dirty windshield”, the dirty windshield being the 207s. Of course, this was obvious when comparing the two. By itself, the 207s are outstanding when placed up against electrodynamics & wipe the floor with the latter. The 507s beat the other pair in clarity & bass definition. Voices are better defined & percussion is more detailed, “wetter”, deeper-sounding. Is the thinner diaphragm responsible? I do want to do more testing before selling the 207s. I have a better amp to buy. ;} I got the 507s at an outstanding price, brand new. The build quality & comfort are significantly better than those of the 207s. I highly recommend them.

It is, indeed, a matter of value. Then it comes down to whether an amp that is nearly 25 years old is worth updating. I am concerned about components failing that I am not qualified to troubleshoot & replace. Recapping & rebiasing are things I can do, but I think a new amp is in order. Thnaks for putting things into perspective.

I’m in a quandary over the next amplifier step. My SRM-1/Mk2 is no younger than 24 years, because I believe production was ended in 1995. (It has two probias sockets, if that helps dating.) It hasn’t hasn’t been recapped & rebiased. I’m considering a 47-step Goldpoint for it & new RCA jackets. If I have the work done, it’ll be over $500. The SRM came out of a studio & cost around $450. It sounds great & has been very reliable for the six months I’ve had it. It drives SR-207 & SR-507 stats. The three options are: 1) Refurb the SRM-1/Mk2; 2) Buy a new SRM-353X; and, 3) Buy a transformer box, buy a Class D Audio brand Mini Amp board (which I’ve used), and use my Goldpoint attenuator. 2) seems more reasonable over 1) since the 353X is new- production. Which sounds better? I would have put about $1000 USD into an amp that is at least 24 years old while a new SRM-353X is about $1000 itself. 3) is attractive since I’d be customizing the rig from the ground-up. I would buy one of Spritzer’s SRD-7 boxes. This rig would cost me about $800 to $900. Importantly, I don’t listen to speakers anymore, so the Class D amp would be used exclusively for the Stax. What direction should I pursue?

How would the SRM-1/Mk2 likely compare to the Stax & Moljinir transformer boxes when driven by current Class D amps?

Why a difference?

Is there a problem with plugging stats into a live amp or unplugging from a live amp, as opposed to plugging into & unplugging from an unpowered amp? I have made those mistakes a couple of times.

Is an acrylic omega-style stand for my Stax SR-207 earspeakers a no-no because of static buildup? I just bought it but haven’t received it yet. I would use a dust over.

Talking about the pads: Given the price for Stax earspeakers, I was shocked to learn that the pads are affixed using adhesive sheets. I expected something more “mechanical” than adhesion. One pad is already peeling away a little bit.

I came across a video on YouTube on fitting very different, muff-style pads to the 207, using adhesive sheets & printed adaptor plates. Worthwhile? I would expect the sound to be quite different after that mod. On my 207 pair, the pad profile appears to be angled. I’m considering using 507 pads because they are leather. Those seems to be flat. Would I alter the sound significantly by using the 507 pads? Those adaptor plates feature ports. Do they really make a difference in the bass response? I’m very satisfied with bass reproduction as they are. Does it become muddy or boomy due to the ports? I don’t understand how they work since the drivers are completely “open”. What’s being vented?

The SRM-1/Mk-2 has been played everyday for two weeks, and I am very pleased with it. Definitely a more solid sound than that of the SRM-252S. I need to get ready to do the recapping. I am considering replacing that weird & frustrating volume control with a Goldpoint 47-position attenuator, however, I do not know whether it will fit.

I did buy an SRM-1/Mk-2 through eBay a few days ago. I’ve subsequently come across a recapping procedure, so I plan on doing that in the near future. It’s a Model C, and it came out of a studio. It has two pro bias sockets.

I just bought that unit I mentioned earlier. $400. I expect to do work on it, especially recapping.