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The Headcase Stax thread


thrice

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Bringing this over from the LIO train wreck -- apologize for being so out of the loop but what was the "fix" and when did it surface? I'm enjoying the hell out of the 009 and BHSE combo.

 

:wub:

 

Not sure when it was implemented and Stax aren't saying, the whole mantra that they will continue to improve (or fuck up) the product holds true with them.  :)  Basically they changed the diaphragm setup so now they aren't as bright.  For me they went from basically unusable to very good just because of that.  

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Given that used 202's from YJ go for cheap as chips yeah that sounds about spot on with my pair, huge treble, not much mid bass to lower mid range but I find that surprisingly neutrally helpful on some recordings. The 404's are pretty bassy, dominant mid bass section but liquid smooth sounding with a little etch present on the upper mids that some people find emphasized, bright and uninvolving, ymmv of course. The problem with 202 drivers in the Sigma enclosure would be the sound would be too brittle and light sounding and the treble would be the main bit you will hear. The Sigma/404 combo is different because the dominant mid bass of the 404 drivers in it's stock enclosure becomes a bit more distant in the bigger Sigma enclosure thus resulting in a more neutralish and slightly laid back balanced sound with the low's nicely filled that even the stock Sigma's and Sigma Pro's fail to accomplish and provide to the listener. 

 

By all accounts the Sigma has a large mid to upper bass hump and rolled off treble even though the SR-Lambda which uses the same drivers is very close to flat with a slight midrange emphasis and gently rolled off extremes. I don't think using a driver with more bass (except for the low bass) is going to help the issue, but I haven't heard a Sigma/404 so reserve judgment until then.

 

All this talk of a SR009 that isn't as bright really makes me want one now. Maybe I'll pick up a used pair a few years down the line.

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All this talk of a SR009 that isn't as bright really makes me want one now. Maybe I'll pick up a used pair a few years down the line.

 

Thanks Birgir. I don't find my set bright at all -- whether due to Stax's efforts or my own tin ears -- so it's all good.

 

I don't think my set is bright either and this is an older set.  In a direct comparison with Mulveling's new set, my SR009 is very slightly warmer sounding.  Not sure why is this.  The only time that I find the SR009 unbearable is when I'm running it off the KGSTwith RCA tubes.  The GE tubes work much better for me.

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Not sure when it was implemented and Stax aren't saying, the whole mantra that they will continue to improve (or fuck up) the product holds true with them.  :)  Basically they changed the diaphragm setup so now they aren't as bright.  For me they went from basically unusable to very good just because of that.  

 

Maybe at some point in the future I'll send my new 009s to Tyll for measuring.

 

He measured my original pair way back when (link) so it would be interesting to see if there are any substantial differences in the charts for a newer pair.

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The serial on mine is 2561 so yours could be the fixed one.  Stax would never tell us though... 

 

The goal of the foam mod is to increase the height of the earpads behind the ears to get a better angle of the drivers above the ears.  I made a wedge shaped piece of foam (think ( on it's side) and out the thickest part where the small recess behind and under the ears is. 

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Birgir, could you provide a picture of the when mounted to the headphones? Somehow I have a hard time understanding exactly what you did. I would greatly appreciate it. 

 

Here you go, this is a shot of the left earpiece:

 

PJmIKkeh.jpg

 

So the goal is the increase the height of the earpads in the back to get a greater angle.  The greater the angle, the better the soundstage. 

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One must do mod with the 009 is to stuff the inside of the earpads with some foam. This restores the soundstage they are missing.

Could EP-007's be used on 009's Birgir, and if so would they achieve the same goal ?

Edited by Dave R
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