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The Headcase Stax thread


thrice

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Must ignore O2 hype....

Resistance is futile.

By the way I have the same "problem", I try to convince myself to get a cheap tube amp for my Beyer (like I would need another amp), but I know I want a KGSS for my 202 just to prepare for the total, complete and utter surrender.

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Regarding the pads then I have mine somewhere between the temple and the eyes so what works best for you is the right one. The SR-Omega has the pads pointing towards the chin (directly forward) but they are rather different and fixed in place.

The SR-007 loves to be cranked and needs all the power you can give it, hence my plans for a very upgraded Blue Hawaii with rare output tubes.

Fuck

Fuck

Fuck

Fuck

Fuck

Fuck

Fuck

FuckdyFuckFuck!

Must ignore O2 hype....

That isn't hype... they are the best. Period.

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Resistance is futile.

By the way I have the same "problem", I try to convince myself to get a cheap tube amp for my Beyer (like I would need another amp), but I know I want a KGSS for my 202 just to prepare for the total, complete and utter surrender.

Phah! Puny KGSS quivers at the mighty powah of the great god Hafler.

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That isn't hype... they are the best. Period.

Wow, I'm sure glad that's settled. I guess the rest of us should now either buy them or get the pair back they just sold to Jack. :stick:

I like the O2s but preferred both the HE1.2 and the 4070 but a wide margin out of the 007tII and an ES-1.

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Wow, I'm sure glad that's settled. I guess the rest of us should now either buy them or get the pair back they just sold to Jack. :stick:

I like the O2s but preferred both the HE1.2 and the 4070 but a wide margin out of the 007tII and an ES-1.

They are the best from a technical standpoint. No other ESP can do soundstage layering or have the same amount of control under a lot of stress i.e. large dynamic swings at high volume. You may not like their laid back presentation but there is no denying the quality of the design.

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They are the best from a technical standpoint. No other ESP can do soundstage layering or have the same amount of control under a lot of stress i.e. large dynamic swings at high volume. You may not like their laid back presentation but there is no denying the quality of the design.

That's one of my mental foibles with the O2, as tempting as it may be I really prefer upfront than laid back. The 003 is great if I wazz up the treble a bit. The O2 descriptions all say laid back or dark or smooth and it doesn't sound like my kind of sound.

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That's one of my mental foibles with the O2, as tempting as it may be I really prefer upfront than laid back. The 003 is great if I wazz up the treble a bit. The O2 descriptions all say laid back or dark or smooth and it doesn't sound like my kind of sound.

They are laid back in the same sense as the Quad ESL57 is laid back i.e. it simply presents the music for you and doesn't force it. Choose the best cables and source for them and they are anything but dark. Amplification is an issue but the old Hafler should be fine with a rewired SRD-7 or an Illusion.

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They are the best from a technical standpoint. No other ESP can do soundstage layering or have the same amount of control under a lot of stress i.e. large dynamic swings at high volume. You may not like their laid back presentation but there is no denying the quality of the design.

I guess it's a good thing that I don't know anything about design as I can focus on whether I enjoy the sound coming out of the headphone. Two headphones, one with a better design and the other better sound, I will stick with the latter. I'm not saying the 02 is a bad headphone, only that I preferred the other two. I guess we have a different definition of best.

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I guess it's a good thing that I don't know anything about design as I can focus on whether I enjoy the sound coming out of the headphone. Two headphones, one with a better design and the other better sound, I will stick with the latter. I'm not saying the 02 is a bad headphone, only that I preferred the other two. I guess we have a different definition of best.

We are all looking for different things but you can't have a great sound without a great design. My standards are fairly high so even if I do enjoy every ESP I've heard they need to do something more then merely sound good to set them apart. That being said there is no one phone for everybody but after having heard almost every high end model ever made (haven't heard the Qualia yet) there is no headphone better then the SR-007 for those that want the truth unblemished. That is my definition of best as it simply plays what it is being fed without mucking it up to much. I judge sources, amps and cables by the same criteria and I'm certainly not a big fan of things to tailor the sound to some specific fashion.

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PJ Pad Placement Update: I actually like the seam on the pad pointing even further down then I was previously, which actually puts the thicker part of the pad behind and slightly above my ear. Seem weird, I know, but its hard to deny the comfort and amazing bass this position produces.

I'd like to reaffirm what humanflyz said earlier in this thread about the OII about the instrument separation. Its so effortless for me to mentally pick out any one instrument in a mix and focus on it. I'm also definitely hearing nuances in things like guitar plucks and vocals that I've never heard before. It is very hard to take this things off my head, they are the only can I've ever heard that really does the "disappearing act" I've heard other people talk about. Pure musical enjoyment!

Unfortunately, this means that I really want to try these on a dedicated amp (KGSS), and I really want to try the 4070 as well.

Here's a question: how does the bass on the 4070 compare to the OII bass?

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Here's a question: how does the bass on the 4070 compare to the OII bass?

Very, very different no matter how you tune your SR-007. The 4070 bass has tremendous extensions but very little bloom and can never hit as hard as the 007. There is also a bit of overhang with the 4070, similar to the SR-Omega but different though this isn't really noticeable unless you push them hard.

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Hey Stax Fans-

So I've got a few adapters sitting here at my house from a recent buying spree. I'm currently using an SRD-7/Pro, but I also have an SRD-7MKII, which I'd like to hook up so I can do comparisons between the OII and the normal bias Lambda. This particular MKII was modded before I bought it. Instead of a fixed speaker wire coming out the back, I'm supposed to run my own speaker wire from my amp to what was formerly speaker outputs on the back (apparently they are inputs now). Actually this sounds like a good thing, because I can run my own thicker speaker wire instead of using the thinner stock wires.

Just wondering if spritzer or anyone else has heard of these mods before I proceed and end up blowing my amp up or something. Not that I didn't trust the seller, but I figure its worth asking about. ;D

Also, an update: I just was listening to "The Grobe", a ween song full of gnarly ass Dean Ween distorted guitars, and the OII smartly out-Gradoed my RS-1 with its delicious crunchy midrange goodness. I was just sitting here rocking out with my cocking out, no doubt. Also last night I put on some Paul Van Dyk and literally stood up and danced for about fifteen minutes with the cans on my head. I mean, good gracious, these things are something else. :prettyprincess:

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Hey Stax Fans-

So I've got a few adapters sitting here at my house from a recent buying spree. I'm currently using an SRD-7/Pro, but I also have an SRD-7MKII, which I'd like to hook up so I can do comparisons between the OII and the normal bias Lambda. This particular MKII was modded before I bought it. Instead of a fixed speaker wire coming out the back, I'm supposed to run my own speaker wire from my amp to what was formerly speaker outputs on the back (apparently they are inputs now). Actually this sounds like a good thing, because I can run my own thicker speaker wire instead of using the thinner stock wires.

Just wondering if spritzer or anyone else has heard of these mods before I proceed and end up blowing my amp up or something. Not that I didn't trust the seller, but I figure its worth asking about. ;D

Also, an update: I just was listening to "The Grobe", a ween song full of gnarly ass Dean Ween distorted guitars, and the OII smartly out-Gradoed my RS-1 with its delicious crunchy midrange goodness. I was just sitting here rocking out with my cocking out, no doubt. Also last night I put on some Paul Van Dyk and literally stood up and danced for about fifteen minutes with the cans on my head. I mean, good gracious, these things are something else. :prettyprincess:

SR-Lambda vs SR-007 comparisons needed. Though I don't get to hear my Lambdas for another few weeks :'(

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SR-Lambda vs SR-007 comparisons needed. Though I don't get to hear my Lambdas for another few weeks :'(

I can probably do a quick n' dirty comparison just from memory, as I did a hell of a lot of listening with the Lambda.

Highs: The Lambda is brighter, no doubt (actually maybe just on the side of to bright, just barely though, but keep in mind my amplification [840A] tends toward the bright), but the OII's treble is still no slouch. I certainly don't think the OII's treble is rolled off or in any way lacking detail.

Mids: This is where the OII clearly smokes the Lambda. Don't get me wrong, the Lambda's mids are still quite lovely, but they don't ring 100% true and natural to these ears. They sound just a little bit fakey. The OII's midrange is just so perfect. Not overly smooth, not overly liquid, which are terms I usually use to describe midrange in a positive way, but in this sense, I can only say the midrange sounds so right. Guitars crunch, vocals soar, both male and female.

Lows: Both cans perform excellently in the bass category, though I'd say the Lambda's bass "thump" is more intense and startling, while the OII's bass reaches lower (reeeeaaaal low) and is more rounded.

Soundstage: Both cans have a wonderful soundstage, but like I said earlier in this thread, the OII's disappear on my head like no other can I've heard. Its almost like they somehow have an impossible natural crossfeed, as sounds just seem to flow right through my brain as the move from channel to channel.

Attack: The Stax 'stat attack is the fastest I've ever heard, same for both cans. It was what most attracted me to the Lambda the first time I heard it.

Is the OII darker on the whole? Sure, I suppose so, but I have to take issue with descriptions that claim the OII is "laid back". If the music wants the sound to be right in my face, a la rock music, then it is right up in my face, no doubt.

Disclaimer: these are brief impressions from memory, written in the middle of the OII honeymoon, etc., i'm a pirate, lol

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