Juansan2

Agreed about the prices. Hopefully the improvements will be worthwhile even though I doubt they will be justified at the new price. P.S.: the Audeze rep has stated “on that other site” that the very best amp that they have heard matched to the CRBN and CRBN2 is your Carbon CC.

Any news or feedback about the CRBN2? Is there a release date and will you be auditioning a pair @spritzer?

I’m waiting for the Stax website to post that 9000 owners need to return their sets as the screens were installed the wrong way around….. 🤣

Same here, lost me when he said that the “room effect” didn't work with his eyes closed.

Exactly!

Sorry but what the absolute f*ck is wrong with some people?

Thank you very much. The front panel is really cool, “glossy” but in a very understated and refined way. It sounds absolutely superb, this really is my end game now coupled with the sr-007 mk2s.

Please accept my apologies for any lowering of the signal to noise ratio in advance but my sincere and profound thanks (as a philistine of all things electronic) to people like Birgir, Kevin, Justin and the rest of you that have influenced (directly and indirectly) the creation of masterpieces such as the one below and the influence they have on the lives of us mere mortal lovers of music. This is the culmination of a dream of over 15 years in the making: Special thanks to Birgir for his efforts and support to this community at large

You could consider a modified SRM-717 or similar from Mjolnir Audio. Spritzer sometimes has these on his website and could be a suitable alternative to the more expensive and/or harder to source BHSE/Carbons.

The thing is that for many people (myself included) that grew up in the period where Stax products really represented the pinnacle of what headphones could do and were known for their transparency and neutrality it feels like such a let down that they have succumbed to colouring the sound signature to “wow” buyers. There are plenty of brands that have been pushing a signature “darker” sound with great success so it really feels like a sell out that Stax have taken the opposite route.

I had never heard the 717 unmodified at all. This is my first experience with it, purchased about a year ago from Spritzer/MA and I’m pretty sure it’s not the amp itself. Frankly it is absolutely sublime on everything except those few remastered Vangelis albums but which sound ok on my other gear, in particular the album spiral, so I am a little perplexed. If I play them quietly on the 717 they sound fine but if I increase the volume (from my DAC, not the actual 717) to a level equivalent to other tracks that I listen to, the Vangelis albums start to sound hard, compressed, glassy. I’m not sure why, it could be that they are excessively compressed as recordings, but then I don’t understand why they sound ok on other gear. Maybe it is because the 717/007 combo is so revealing that it is showing up potential over-compression of the recording which not even the kse1200s show. Just wondering if it was a known phenomenon that certain types of tracks can do that 🤷🏻‍♂️

I was wondering whether anyone has any ideas about something I have come across using my sr-007 mk2s running from a modified srm-717. When I listen to some remastered CDs (in particular a Vangelis CD called Spiral) that seem to be recorded with a relatively low recording level I have no problems when using my Shure IEMS (SE846s and KSE1200s) - the recordings sounds fine, linear, normal and clear (albeit a bit quieter so I have to crank the volume up higher than other stuff). However when I listen with the Stax set-up it sounds almost like it runs out of steam, the sound becomes “harder” and more glassy and frankly “harder to listen to” and I wonder what is causing this or if it makes sense to anyone. Could the lower recording levels have anything to do with this? I can’t imagine that it should as the input volume into the amp is handled by my DAC and not the amplifier itself (as the volume pot is set on bypass) so the DAC already raised the input level to a similar level as more modern recordings. I am wondered if it makes sense to anyone here.

I was really gutted to read about what happened. I don’t have a clue how some of you guys manage to disassemble these expensive toys with such nonchalance. I have the manual dexterity of a rhino and was sweating bullets when I did Spritzer’s port mod to my 007 mk2s.

Same here. Initial impressions beginning to filter through all appear quite positive but I will wait until a real impartial description is posted by Birgir or someone trusted. I’m curious to know how they compare to the other Stax offerings and the CRBN, but not in a hurry to get them, working my way to a Carbon CC for now.

The above is one of the better ones I had seen, it goes into details about removing the adhesive

I have seen videos on YouTube explaining how to replace ear pads on their planar magnetic headphones and the comments were that the glue residue is not as difficult to remove as many believe.

I was listening to them again last night and I really love what the 007s do, there is simply no comparison between them and the Audeze's I had before (which actually cost more, albeit without needing an amplifier to drive them). It is true that maybe they "harden" a tiny little bit when the volume is a bit louder, maybe its just my hearing. If only I could find a suitable amp to drive them to their full potential…...😜. Anyway back to the CRBN

I was thinking the same thing but my worry (however premature) is that eventually Stax may retire them. If someone wanted to hoard them as an eventual replacement does anybody have any idea as to how long they could/would survive unopened in their box? Any ideas about the life expectancy of a pair in normal weekly use?

I genuinely cannot understand why some people would even contest your and Spritzer's findings, especially with all the photographic evidence provided. I appreciate that a scammer feels the need to protect his imagine in order to continue making money but to come on a place like this (of all the forums) and peddle this moronic BS beggars belief. The more these things are reported the better off we will all be, however much these people/companies disappear and then pop back up.

Couldn’t agree more

I’m using one of his modified SRM-717s and I’m actually really happy with it and the advice he gave me (especially considering it was initially going to be paired to an L700 and not the 007 mk2s as I was initially looking for an electrostatic alternative to my Audeze planar magnetics, not to actually replacing them, which is what I ended up doing because to my ears they didn’t sound as good as the Stax). But then as I got into it more and from what I have read here and elsewhere and discussing the situation with him I know I can do better and that is what I’m aiming to do. Fortunately I have started working again after a year of being stuck home so buying a carbon or a carbon CC is now much more than just a pipe dream and however good the X9000 may be the amplifier is my next upgrade. Hopefully by Christmas 🎄

Thanks so much (as always) for your help!

Thanks Spritzer, it’s not a huge change but enough to be noticeable on some tracks. So am I correct in thinking that on top of all the other benefits of the Carbon that we discussed, the increased current availability from it would also help resolve that issue?

One thing I personally notice listening to the 007mk2 is that when I crank the volume a little higher than my usual they seem to sound a bit little bit muddier/lose resolution. Is this a physical limitation of the headphones or could it be that the amp runs out of steam at higher volumes?

is there any news about reviews in English as I'm not finding much on google? I know they will all say they are the best ever but at least to get an idea.