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The Headcase Stax thread


thrice

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Yeah, it's just those two boxes glued together as they don't even share a power transformer.  Also the XLR inputs on the back aren't balanced at all so bone stock ED-1 and SRM-1 Mk2. 

As Spritzer said, except the two are placed in a large box - they aren't actually glued together in reality. I love the sound of mine, but opinions vary tremendously on diffuse field equalisers - that's why Stax abandoned them.

Edited by John Buchanan
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Hi all,

 

I have just receive a pair of Lambda Signature from Ebay with a few problems.

 

The first problem is more worrying, the driver is detached from the mounting board in the right element. The strain relief seem to be working fine, but the driver has somehow managed to detach itself and is rattling within the housing of the element.

 

Does anyone have experience with a driver that has detached driver that is rattling within the housing of an element? Is it going damage the driver beyond repair? Or is it just a matter of pushing the driver back into the mounting hole and be careful from then on?

 

In comparison the second problem is more minor but rather strange, the left element of the headphones is mount upside down in its housing. This is probably easily fixable and just involve opening it up mounting it the right way around.

 

I would greatly appreciate any input from members here. Lambda Signature is one of my favorite headphones, so I won't mind another pair. But if it is too much trouble then I would rather return it.

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What do all of you use to test amps?  I don't want to plug O2s into something I don't yet trust, but I also feel silly about buying sacrificial headphones.  The cheap ones are all normal bias...

 

 

SR-003 (or maybe the slightly older cheaper Lambdas SR-202 or Nova Basic, or Pro Classic, etc.)

Edited by padam
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I use a SR-207 but any of the electrets are handy to have around.  No need to worry about the bias supply then. 

 

Are the imbalance issues unique to the 009s, and if so a design flaw?

 

Spritzer do you know what is causing the imbalance? Something inherent in the design?

 

It's not a design flaw and all electrostatics can suffer from this.  You need the diaphragm to be high resistive for the drivers to work in constant charge mode but this opens up the possibility for other sources of said charge.  The SR-009 stators are rather heavy so mix temperature variations, static, humidity and you end up with problems. 

 

Hi all,

 

I have just receive a pair of Lambda Signature from Ebay with a few problems.

 

The first problem is more worrying, the driver is detached from the mounting board in the right element. The strain relief seem to be working fine, but the driver has somehow managed to detach itself and is rattling within the housing of the element.

 

Does anyone have experience with a driver that has detached driver that is rattling within the housing of an element? Is it going damage the driver beyond repair? Or is it just a matter of pushing the driver back into the mounting hole and be careful from then on?

 

In comparison the second problem is more minor but rather strange, the left element of the headphones is mount upside down in its housing. This is probably easily fixable and just involve opening it up mounting it the right way around.

 

I would greatly appreciate any input from members here. Lambda Signature is one of my favorite headphones, so I won't mind another pair. But if it is too much trouble then I would rather return it.

 

That happens as the glue that holds the drivers in place weakens over time.  If the driver hasn't split open then you are good to go with simply applying new glue pads and put the driver where it belongs. 

 

It's backwards as in the mesh cover faces away from the ear?  That needs to be made right so just use a knife to pry the driver gently off the baffle and reattach the right way around. 

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Hi all,

 

I have just receive a pair of Lambda Signature from Ebay with a few problems.

 

The first problem is more worrying, the driver is detached from the mounting board in the right element. The strain relief seem to be working fine, but the driver has somehow managed to detach itself and is rattling within the housing of the element.

 

Does anyone have experience with a driver that has detached driver that is rattling within the housing of an element? Is it going damage the driver beyond repair? Or is it just a matter of pushing the driver back into the mounting hole and be careful from then on?

 

In comparison the second problem is more minor but rather strange, the left element of the headphones is mount upside down in its housing. This is probably easily fixable and just involve opening it up mounting it the right way around.

 

I would greatly appreciate any input from members here. Lambda Signature is one of my favorite headphones, so I won't mind another pair. But if it is too much trouble then I would rather return it.

 

Same thing happened to me and it was not cool.  To my amazement the PO who was deceased had done all sorts of dumb mounting/disassembly of my LNS including the pads on the wrong sides and upside down on the aluminum frames and losing the screws that hold it all together.  Fun fun fun.

 

I ended up using a very small amount of glue to re-attach the drivers on both sides so they stay put, I used polyurethane gorilla glue but will probably go back and use better glue in the future when I am up to the task.  Before that I had to use tape to cover up some punctured holes in the dustcover screen which fell apart on me at the same time and also had to re-glue together.  I think I grew some hairs on my chest after I did all of the above, I am shocked the set still works great today!

Edited by Mr.Sneis
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Thank you gents, I think I know where I stand now.

 

That happens as the glue that holds the drivers in place weakens over time.  If the driver hasn't split open then you are good to go with simply applying new glue pads and put the driver where it belongs.

 

It's backwards as in the mesh cover faces away from the ear?  That needs to be made right so just use a knife to pry the driver gently off the baffle and reattach the right way around. 

 

Do you know where can you get some new glue pads or would some double sided tapes do?

 

Yeah, the mesh cover is facing away from the ear. The seller insist that it was the way it came all those years ago, if that is the case it is a rather interesting case of screwy QC work....

 

I ended up using a very small amount of glue to re-attach the drivers on both sides so they stay put, I used polyurethane gorilla glue but will probably go back and use better glue in the future when I am up to the task.  Before that I had to use tape to cover up some punctured holes in the dustcover screen which fell apart on me at the same time and also had to re-glue together.  I think I grew some hairs on my chest after I did all of the above, I am shocked the set still works great today!

 

Don't really want to use glue, but I will have to see how it go.

 

@rx

Was that LS from a NZ ebayer?

No, I did bid on that one as I don't mind a spare driver to replace a damage one that I have. But it went way over what I think is worth....

The manual that go with the set might be an interesting read though.

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Thank you gents, I think I know where I stand now.

 

Do you know where can you get some new glue pads or would some double sided tapes do?

 

Yeah, the mesh cover is facing away from the ear. The seller insist that it was the way it came all those years ago, if that is the case it is a rather interesting case of screwy QC work....

 

 

Don't really want to use glue, but I will have to see how it go.

 

No, I did bid on that one as I don't mind a spare driver to replace a damage one that I have. But it went way over what I think is worth....

 

Always take buyer's word like that with a grain of truth, really doubt Stax installed the driver/dust protector reversed, probably a shoddy job done by the previous owner or mishap fuckup possibly by an authorized Stax service distributor.

 

I have encountered situations like this many times and I have used various quality 3M alike double sided tape and most of them don't last long (considering the hot temp's in Melb) the driver and screen protector will sift out of place. I have used small dabs of super glue and other "not-so-messy" adhesive with luck, avoid Loctite though.

 

Yeah that faulty LS went for more then what it's worth, I was the first bidder. Didn't bother after it went after $150, especially when LS's been going for around $280-300 as of late (in working condition too).

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I really doubt that the phones arrived like that but it could be a Monday unit or the assembler had just done 100 Sigma's (as the driver there is facing this way).  For glue you can use good double sided carpet tape, the type that doesn't leave any residue.  Tesa makes some nice stuff plus a bunch of other manufacturers. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi all,

I need your advice for the best amp to use with a SR- 407 .

Last week I have listened to the SRS-4170 system and it sounded quite good to my ears.

As I learned from this thread, there are  other amps to use with the SR-407. Some of you tested the Chinese KGSS. It sounded OK, but there were some shortcomings. After that the subject disappeared from this thread.

I also read a lot of positive reviews of  the Woo Ges-amp. This one should sound a bit warmer than the  Stax SRM-006tII, but I didn’t thought the 006 was sounding cold.

I live in the Netherlands and there is no possibility to listen to Ges or the Chinese amp.

The Chinese amp is a lot and the Ges a bit cheaper than the 006. Apart from the price I want the best amp, so I need your advice.

Most of the time I listen to chamber- and choir-music, but I also listen to Tom Waits, Nick Cave etc.

Perhaps this disqualifies me in the ears of some Stax-users, but I own a Hifi-man-400 headphone and I must admit that I like the sound of  it, especially the low frequencies.

Thanks in advance, Cornelis

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The GES would only be a good match to the 407 as the 407 is pretty much horrid.  Even the 207 is better let alone the older Stax models.  The GES is a fine amp if you can get an old one cheap but I wouldn't buy new. 

 

The Chinese KGSS will need major work before it will work properly.  Some components are run right on the limit while the volume control simply needs to be replaced.  My amp has hit customs so you can expect some pics on how to fix it next week. 

 

The 006t isn't my favorite amp so perhaps try the 323S and the 727.  The 727 is pretty bad in stock configuration but once modified it is quite nice. 

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Hi Spritzer,

Thanks for your quick response. As I understand  you correct; the 207 is a better phone than the 407 and the 323amp is better amp than the 006t. So I will be better off  buying the SRS-3170 set instead of the SRS-4170?

The shop where I was listening offered only the SRS 4170 set, so I could not compare them.

Woo offers the Ges amp and the 407 as a bundle. Even with import duty and Vat it is cheaper than the SRS-4170 set. Unfortunately they don’t sell the 207. Do you  think this combination offers a  better quality than the SRS-3170 set?

The Chinese amp in combination with the 207 looks also interesting. I am no technician, but I have soldered some  amps, so I am able to replace the pot and some resistors. I only need to know which and the values ofcourse. Photo’s of the modified amp would be wonderful.

Thanks again, Cornelis

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The 207 is still a bit on the bright side but nothing like the 307/407/507 so it's the one I'd pick.  They are easy to find on ebay as a part of the SRS-2170 system.  The small Stax  amp included isn't the best but it's quite good for the price.  All the systems on ebay are 100V but it uses as normal 12V/1000mA adapter but with the polarity reversed.  It's easy to find a 230V unit and simply reverse the output plug to fit the Stax amp. 

 

323S plus the 207 would be my choice but the Chinese KGSS will be better once it it fixed.  I'll start a new thread when the KGSS gets here and I start to rip it apart. 

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The modded Chinese KGSSS with the 207 looks very interesting to me. Unfortunally the 207 is only sold as part of the SRS2170 system, so this makes this route rather expensive. Thanks for your warming tot reverse the polarity. I think I would'nt have noticed it. I am looking forward to the new thread.

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The modded Chinese KGSSS with the 207 looks very interesting to me. Unfortunally the 207 is only sold as part of the SRS2170 system, so this makes this route rather expensive. Thanks for your warming tot reverse the polarity. I think I would'nt have noticed it. I am looking forward to the new thread.

 

The modified Chinese KGSS is superior to the current stax amps like SRM-727/007TII, but you need to rewire the input section and the pot must be replaced. Also you must do some small changes like thicker cables for the voltage input section and its better to take a new a case for the bigger pot and better cooling.

 

The Woo Audio GES is a good amp for the SR-407 and in my ears a better choice then the current Stax amps but not on the level of the KGSS. I prefer only the SR-407 in the new lambda series, but the older Lambdas like Signature, Nova Signature are even better. :dance:

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