October 17, 200817 yr Faust3D - love your avatar - I had the clear vinyl version of that album many long years ago and now only have the Wumme set. Groundbreaking band!
October 21, 200817 yr Just wondering if anyone can offer any comparison of the SR-Lambda and the RS-1. I stuck with dynamics for a few days and going back to the Lambdas was like but I have yet to try some really good dynamics.
October 21, 200817 yr come on over for some Thiel love. Honestly, I'm just frantically trying to escape the reality that speakers are king. I'm already enrolled for the speaker-case army, just need to set up shack somewhere first.
October 21, 200817 yr Getting back to headphones. I have been A/B-ing Lamda Sigs against 404s. Amp is KGSS and source is a good CDP with high-quality classical CDs. The idea was to be blown away by the Lambda Sigs, which I just got. But I was not. Many times I thought the 404s were actually better: transient response, detail, etc. Am I crazy? I know hearing diminishes with age ... is it over for me? Can you put Viagra in your ears? Do they get bigger? Do you have to seek immediate medical attention if you listen for more than 4 hours? Seriously -- what's up with this?
October 21, 200817 yr Bang & Olufsen 4x oversampling CD player with analog and digital outs, but I'm using the analog (single ended) right in to the KGSS. I have a spare DAC, not too high end (Moodlab Concept -- cheap but got great reviews) and I could put that into the mix I guess ... it is se out, not bal. I have a much much better CDP on the way, with balanced outs and a world-class DAC inside, I could wait for that and try again, going balanced into the KGSS. You think? Added: Kimber PBJ RCA analog interconnects / Tara Labs Power Conditioner / Zu Birth Power cables ... all the lowest lines of these manufacturers, but high-end compared to the ratshack stuff I used to use, no?
October 21, 200817 yr Funny, I was just listening to my Sigs and thinking how good they are. But I have not heard the 404 in a while. My rig is very different though.
October 21, 200817 yr So I'm looking at the output of the SRM-1/MK2 compared to the 727A, and the difference is 80V (450 - 370). My question is: would be a worthwhile upgrade for me to get a 727A or an used 717?
October 21, 200817 yr Many on HF like Wadia, but I got it because you can access the DAC and use it with other digital gear (other but not all CDPs allow this), and because it will produce hi bit-rate PCM from the actual SACD layer of SACDs on its digital out, to be captured error-free by an S/PDIF PC capture card (there are some mod boards for other CDPs that allow this, but all-in-all the Wadia does everything). Now I can be totally PC playlist based: redbook tracks ripped with EAC, and SACD tracks ripped with the Wadia, and the PC output on USB converted to S/PDIF by an Empirical Audio Off-Ramp, into the Wadia digital in, thru the Wadia DAC, then out the balanced analog to the KGSS and finally to Stax phones. [in reality it is more complex than that, since my wife likes her D2000 better than Stax, and she needs her own attenuator, so we are building a balanced Beta-22 with an XLR pass-thru. The Beta-22 will drive the balanced/markl modded D2000's and pass-thru the balanced analog to the KGSS for me]. I'm actually going to listen with Spitzer-mod 007a's, but I don't want anyone else to use them, so when the extended family gathers I will hide those and plug other Stax into the KGSS ... that's why I was trying the 404s and the Lambda Sigs. Still like the 404's better. I know that's not possible, but I hear what I hear.
October 21, 200817 yr So I'm looking at the output of the SRM-1/MK2 compared to the 727A, and the difference is 80V (450 - 370). My question is: would be a worthwhile upgrade for me to get a 727A or an used 717? Yes it would be. All of my headphones sounded better through the 717, not just the highly inefficient O2. (Although I will be putting my 717 on IC soon, this is an honest opinion.)
October 21, 200817 yr Ugh, I hate the 404. But, I never heard it in my current system. I actually did like it off the McAlister amp, when it worked. It was a lot like a Grado with soundstage. But that was pretty much the exception. I do need to hear it again on an SRD-7 Pro off a punchy speaker amp, since that could probably get it singing. A used 717 is a terrific bargain. I can't believe how much amp you get for $800-900. It may be a SS amp but it has a warm(ish) tonality and a fluid sound. Very open, very airy, not too bassy but still very good. Haven't heard the 727 though.
October 21, 200817 yr Hi, Just registered and looking for help. About a year and a half ago I bought a used Classic 3030 system due to my tower speakers going into storage because of 2 young children/wrecking machines ! I've now also bought a second hand Sr-007 Mk1. It was kind of an impulse buy as I won't have the funds for an amp for a while. My question is a two parter: 1) Is it OK to use the 3030 amp with the Omega until I get a better amp. Is there any chance at all that it might damage the headphones. (eg could it cause clipping if it is underpowered ?) 2) I was tempted and had a short listen using the 3030 and it sounds great (I had the volume pot pointing to 11 o'clock). What order of magnitude improvement should I expect from say a 717 amp , and what is the technical reason for the improvement, I assume more power = greater control ? I'm a beancounter for my sins and do not know the difference between a watt/ohm/volt etc. so I'd appreciate any advice or explanation in laymen terms. Why are such powerful amps needed for physically small headphones/drivers ? Thanks.
October 21, 200817 yr Nah, underpowering it won't harm it. I've never heard of a stax amplifier clipping...
October 21, 200817 yr The 404 sucks to my ears (I've had 9 new units here) but the vintage SR-SC1 I had was brilliant so it could be that cryo actually does something or there were some changes made during the 10 year life of the SR-404. Speakers are the ultimate goal but headphones offer something that speakers could never pull off i.e. the sheer amount of detail and presenting the sound without the bloat that most speakers are guilty of. Once you go over to the dark side then no dynamic speaker will do so a full range panel for me please. Me thinks Jacob needs to spend some time with a SR-007 Mk1 and a BHSE.... A used 717 is a terrific bargain. I can't believe how much amp you get for $800-900. It may be a SS amp but it has a warm(ish) tonality and a fluid sound. Very open, very airy, not too bassy but still very good. Haven't heard the 727 though. The only thing I don't like about the 717 is the slightly overblown soundstage (which works well with the SR-Omega and the Omega hybrid) but it is a minor quibble. I do miss the power of the BH though and I'm always reaching for the volume control to get the extra bass that is missing... It looks like the 717 will be in my computer setup for a while now so I'm thinking about doing some mods to it. Nextgen RCA sockets, better caps, better wiring, replace the pot with a TKD unit etc. The 727 sounds like a bad tube amp... think Cary.
October 21, 200817 yr anybody know if the First Watt F1 or F2 would work well with the SRD mkll pro? The amps are 10 and 5 watts and are current source based. http://www.firstwatt.com/products/f1.htm First Watt: Products: F2
October 21, 200817 yr Is there a reason why Stax chose to design the Omega series using round earpads as opposed to the rectangular earpads of the Lambda series?
October 21, 200817 yr Is there a reason why Stax chose to design the Omega series using round earpads as opposed to the rectangular earpads of the Lambda series? Err, because the omega 2 uses round drivers as opposed to the rectangular drivers in the lambda?
October 21, 200817 yr Yeah that was a stupid question by me: what I really meant to ask was why the change in driver shape then?
October 21, 200817 yr The 404 sucks to my ears :prettyprincess: Never heard the Lambda Sig/Nova. But the SR-Lambda (normal bias) is the only Lambda version I'd want to own if I was forced to.
October 21, 200817 yr A rectangularly shaped driver could just as easily have a larger diaphragm than the O2. I'm guessing that the round shape was simply... better? The vintage stats all used round drivers, and I prefer them over the lambda series.
October 21, 200817 yr 1) Is it OK to use the 3030 amp with the Omega until I get a better amp. Is there any chance at all that it might damage the headphones. (eg could it cause clipping if it is underpowered ?) Unfortunately, you will soon destroy your headphones. This is inevitable. All I suggest you do is send them to me, and I will take care of them for you.
October 21, 200817 yr A circular driver has an equal stretch pattern over its surface on each excursion, a square one does not, it will pinch around the corners. Ever see a square cone on a coil driver?
October 21, 200817 yr Add that to the epic size of the SR-Omega driver (90mm across) and it's clear why Stax used circular drivers. The circle is also a very stable shape and resonances spread evenly which was one of the major design targets of the Omega range.
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now