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The Headcase Stax thread


thrice

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With the 007t the SR-007's bass is meh, overblown, muddy and lacks all the texture which the 007 does so well, but feed them well and they shine. Me thinks Tyll needs to spend some time with a properly setup 007 (the arcs will also have to be modified to fit his head) and see why we love them so much.

I never liked the 6CA7's all that much with the O2's since the bass was too boomy and they did some strange things to the treble. They were a much better match to the He90 though but in the end I did change back to the Mullards due to their more linear bass and better tonality.

Spritzer, have you had a chance to listen to the 007tA? If so, did you hear any major differences?

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Further to the above, I am still seriously considering a Woo GES. One concern I have is that I think the GES needs just a bit more oomph with the mk1. I had that pot turned up pretty far to the right at the NYC meet. Of course, that was under meet conditions, but I'm pretty sure the phones would benefit from a GES with more slam. I guess my question is whether this is achievable?

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Spritzer, have you had a chance to listen to the 007tA? If so, did you hear any major differences?

I've had two here and heard no difference to speak of.

Further to the above, I am still seriously considering a Woo GES. One concern I have is that I think the GES needs just a bit more oomph with the mk1. I had that pot turned up pretty far to the right at the NYC meet. Of course, that was under meet conditions, but I'm pretty sure the phones would benefit from a GES with more slam. I guess my question is whether this is achievable?

The GES circuit could be modified by changing out the tubes (to something like the ES-1 uses) but I'm not sure if that will be enough of a change. You are still dealing with output caps which limit the output of the amp and certainly don't make the sound "better". A better option would be to get somebody to build an ES-1 (without all the patented Mikhail fuck-ups) or wait for the new DIY hybrid amp which is underway.

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@Baby E,

Why did you send back the Jades? Were they defective or was it because they could not hang with the big boys? :D

Hey, it seems you're hanging around in this thread quite often. ;)

I gave up the Jade after the Mafia caught me and threatened to take away my K701. I couldn't bear to be without the K701 while I sat on the "throne" doing bomb drops, so I offered to give up the Jade instead. It's gone now, on its way to some Mafia ^%)$%! big shot!

*cry* I hate my short little legs! I wish I were a giraffe!

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Further to the above, I am still seriously considering a Woo GES. One concern I have is that I think the GES needs just a bit more oomph with the mk1. I had that pot turned up pretty far to the right at the NYC meet. Of course, that was under meet conditions, but I'm pretty sure the phones would benefit from a GES with more slam. I guess my question is whether this is achievable?

I had a GES for a while at my house and totally agree about the lack of slam. I'm just not sure you're going to get it out of that amp. I think Naaman's HeAudio cans were a better match for this amp, and probably a more euphonic but synergistic combo. I enjoy the KGSS with the mkI but realize why people prefer the BH, and honestly is wasn't until I heard this combo that I had anything to gripe about the KGSS.

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The SR-404 frame plus the better glue which I use does bring about a slightly different sound which is more controlled. The earpads also change the bass quite a bit.

Yeah, but it all does not matter 'cos Sigmas got the soundstage and Lambdas, whichever version, do not have that special soundstage magic. :cool:

To be honest I prefer Sigma soundstage to SR-007 and to all other headphones I heard, even K1000. I think with better drivers, much better than SR-404, and rigid housing a truly spectacular headphones can be created. Too bad that's just a pipe dream and Stax will most likely never make an updated Sigma version.

Treat above with an assumption that you are taking to soundstage fanatic :rolleyes:

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So, anyone else think that the SR-007 is dark-sounding? :P

I'm listening to it now and it sounds pretty damn good. I also used it yesterday and the day before. I switched out the GE 6CA7 and put in a Mullard xf2 00-getter quad on the ES-1 and kept the Bendix 2C51 and Tung-Sol 6SN7GT round plates I was using before with the Jade. Bass impact and quality seem quite good. Dynamics are excellent. On Tyll's thread about the HD800, he mentioned the O2's poor bass and dynamics, which surprised me.

I'm also using a Zana Deux with various dynamics such as L3000, PS-1, HD650 and I don't think their dynamics are better. The L3000's bass quality is top-notch, but it also has several weaknesses such as congestion and lack of air. The PS-1 has massive bass impact but it can become overbearing and I don't think its bass is as detailed or textured as the L3000's. The HD650 is hardly a high-dynamics headphone; it is smooth, slow and laid-back and sometimes bordering on muddy compared to the Qualia or electrostats. Bass quantity is decent but I don't think it is exceptional quality bass.

I packed up the Jade Sunday night and shipped it out yesterday, so I don't have it anymore. Somehow I'm not missing it, even though I was listening to it all the time during the past two weeks.

Why did you return the JADE after your love affair with them in your top 5? My JADE shipped to me today and I don't want to be disappointed.

As for O2 - with my GES and vintage Telefunken 12AX7 they are certainly not dark, same goes with GE "Wurlitzer" or new-issue cryo treated Mullards. The 12BZ7 it came with made the O2 dark but not my other stats.

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Hell, O2 is not dark even with my T1S with Toshiba tubes. Warm and very detailed, bass is controlled nicely but I can see how it can be tighter, since I played with a lot of orthodynamic headphones. I tried O2 with stock GES at the head-fi meet and I don't feel that T1S is inferior, different yes, but not inferior. :D

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Completely unrelated:

My Koss ESP10 came today. I can't test them until I modify the pin outs but they look to be in good condition, except for the fact that they smell a bit like they've been dipped in horse manure and the pads are complete crap and unusable. It even came with the original headphone box, manual, some random manual for an electret mic, and a random crappy 1/4" coiled extension cable!

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Hell, O2 is not dark even with my T1S with Toshiba tubes. Warm and very detailed, bass is controlled nicely but I can see how it can be tighter, since I played with a lot of orthodynamic headphones. I tried O2 with stock GES at the head-fi meet and I don't feel that T1S is inferior, different yes, but not inferior. :D

The GES prototype floating around for demos and Sherwood's SRM-T1 sound very similar in detail and sound signature, with the T1 having a couple more dB of bass output but slightly less bass control to go with the extra bass. The maxed GES adds more transparency and detail to the sound which is very welcome. This was with ESP950, HE60, and Lambdas just before the O2 mk2 arrived.

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T1 having a couple more dB of bass output but slightly less bass control to go with the extra bass.

I remember the proto-GES and the T1 sounding identical after we bumped the bass a little. I see your "less bass control" and raise you a "you can't come to my birthday party."

:D

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Completely unrelated:

My Koss ESP10 came today. I can't test them until I modify the pin outs but they look to be in good condition, except for the fact that they smell a bit like they've been dipped in horse manure and the pads are complete crap and unusable. It even came with the original headphone box, manual, some random manual for an electret mic, and a random crappy 1/4" coiled extension cable!

Ahh the joys of buying used headphones from people that don't give a fuck... :palm:

I'm not sure how this would be given the schematic and the M-M-M-MASSIVE upgrade from Wima to Auricaps ... but hey, whatever floats your boat / empties your wallet.

They could have tinkered with the cap values a bit to create a different sound. A change in the output caps would have a rather large impact on the sound...

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Mundorf Silver/Gold are maxed out. V-caps are maxed out. Jensen silver foil are maxed out. AN or Kondo caps are insane and you should be institutionalized. :D

It is very easy to just fiddle about with the cap values to create some effect that is an improvement. I'm not doubting that better caps make a difference but you have to remeber what the caps are doing there in the first place...

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If I'm not mistaken, HeadphoneAddict enslaved a wizened old Japanese man, forced him to hand anneal silver over a period of ten years, and then required him to manufacture all components by hand. He also rewired a Tango transformer with Gold stripped off Tut-Ankh-Amen's tomb and wired everything to the board with flux brewed from the blood of the undeserving.

Perhaps Father Postjack should hear about this.

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wait, none of those are options on the order page?!

Sure aren't. The balls on those people not allowing their customers to pour thousands into "upgrades" which they don't need. Just wait until Mikhail hears of this and shows them the right way of selling headphone amps. They are also quick to deliver their amps. Those people sure have a lot to learn...

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I remember the proto-GES and the T1 sounding identical after we bumped the bass a little. I see your "less bass control" and raise you a "you can't come to my birthday party."

:D

I said "slightly" less bass control, while they sounded almost identical I thought the GES bass was slightly tighter once the EQ was applied. .

I can't seem to multi-quote on this iPhone, so to the other issue - maxed vs not. I only said I hear more transparency and detail, not a change in sound signature or more power. Also, remember the prototype was not up to the level of a standard base-line current production GES according to Woo and another user who compared them together. I'm not claiming anything magical.

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If I'm not mistaken, HeadphoneAddict enslaved a wizened old Japanese man, forced him to hand anneal silver over a period of ten years, and then required him to manufacture all components by hand. He also rewired a Tango transformer with Gold stripped off Tut-Ankh-Amen's tomb and wired everything to the board with flux brewed from the blood of the undeserving.

Perhaps Father Postjack should hear about this.

He was Chinese, not Japanese.

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