# Stax headphones



## deacongreg (Jul 29, 2008)

Those of you that love headphone listening, I`m sure are familar with Stax headphones. Lauded and reviewed for years as some of the best headphones that you could buy. But I always found them, especially years ago, insanely expensive.
However, its come to my knowledge now, that they have two pairs of headphones, priced right at the AKG 701`s and the Sennhesier HD 600`s and 650`s.

Truly unbelievable.

http://www.hometheaterreview.com/eq...tax_sr-001_mk_2_headphones_reviewed002233.php


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## slwiser (Jul 15, 2006)

You can also checkout the Stax SRS-005 system which is a small amp with earphones like those reviewed. This system can be purchased for a fairly reasonable price.

They are also very nice sounding...I also own the SR-007MkII feed by a Headamp KGSS amplifier for my primary electrostatic setup.

I have a Yamamoto HA-02 feeding a Ultrasone Edition 9 for my primary dynamic setup.

edit: I mis-spoke about the earphones in the SRS system above...The SRS-005 has the SR-003 earphones instead of the SR-001 noted in the review. The SR-003 are much like IEMs and are the nearest Stax phones to the big guy the SR-007MkII in sound profile. It comes with the SRM-252a amp. This is price around 600$ as a package.

Also note that these are current production models and are not old like the review earphone.


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## deacongreg (Jul 29, 2008)

slwiser said:


> You can also checkout the Stax SRS-005 system which is a small amp with earphones like those reviewed. This system can be purchased for a fairly reasonable price.
> 
> They are also very nice sounding...I also own the SR-007MkII feed by a Headamp KGSS amplifier for my primary electrostatic setup.
> 
> I have a Yamamoto HA-02 feeding a Ultrasone Edition 9 for my primary dynamic setup.


Really, thanks, I will have to look into that.


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## slwiser (Jul 15, 2006)

deacongreg said:


> Really, thanks, I will have to look into that.


Please note my correction above.


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## deacongreg (Jul 29, 2008)

slwiser said:


> You can also checkout the Stax SRS-005 system which is a small amp with earphones like those reviewed. This system can be purchased for a fairly reasonable price.
> 
> They are also very nice sounding...I also own the SR-007MkII feed by a Headamp KGSS amplifier for my primary electrostatic setup.
> 
> ...


Okay, I got it. I recently found out that the ONLY Stax dealer in New York is in Lynbrook Long Island, called American Audiophile. About an hour drive. My cousin and myself plan to take a trip there, maybe Saturday the 28th. Then, I`ll let you know what they have on display, what I listened to hopefully, and my impressions. You must love your SR-007MkII`s. I`m not familiar with the Yamamoto HA-02.

How is it as a headphone amp driving those Ultras?


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## slwiser (Jul 15, 2006)

deacongreg said:


> Okay, I got it. I recently found out that the ONLY Stax dealer in New York is in Lynbrook Long Island, called American Audiophile. About an hour drive. My cousin and myself plan to take a trip there, maybe Saturday the 28th. Then, I`ll let you know what they have on display, what I listened to hopefully, and my impressions. You must love your SR-007MkII`s. I`m not familiar with the Yamamoto HA-02.
> 
> How is it as a headphone amp driving those Ultras?


If you happen to have a speaker amp with a sound that you really enjoy, one of the best ways to listen to a Stax headphone is by using one of their Stax SRD devices that take a speaker output of the amp and set it up to feed the Stax headphone. The Stax SRD-007 MkII is such a device. It is simply a transformer unit. I had one and feed it with a Berning Micro-ZOTL amp and it sound wonderful. But I finally decided that I preferred the pure Stax headphone feed by a pure electrostatic amp. 

The Yamamoto HA-02 is a SEP type amp that has a wonderful sound feeding my Ultrasone Edition 9s. It would also work feeding a Stax headphone via the Stax transformer device. Here is a picture of the HA-02 feed by my Lavry DA10. 









Here is a picture of my Headamp KGSS or my electrostatic amp.










Here is a picture of the SRD-7 Stax energizer unit.


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## deacongreg (Jul 29, 2008)

Very, very nice, thanks for the pictures!! Well, I hope to be where you are soon. Having a couple of amps and headphones to listen, as I slowly build my system all over again.


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## WmAx (Jan 26, 2008)

I have tried many of the Stax headphones, and personally, the only one I found to be to my liking was the Omega II flagship, which is rather costly for a headphone. The 2nd best sounding was the Lambda, but it was a moderately distant 2nd place to me. It had an annoying upper mid-range coloration that annoyed me greatly, and it's build quality was not anywhere near that of the Omega II. 

-Chris


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## deacongreg (Jul 29, 2008)

WmAx said:


> I have tried many of the Stax headphones, and personally, the only one I found to be to my liking was the Omega II flagship, which is rather costly for a headphone. The 2nd best sounding was the Lambda, but it was a moderately distant 2nd place to me. It had an annoying upper mid-range coloration that annoyed me greatly, and it's build quality was not anywhere near that of the Omega II.
> 
> -Chris


Okay, i hear you. Your the first finally with anything other than positive to say. Bottom line for me is, to get an audition myself. Which may happen soon at American Audiophile in Long Island. I`ll keep you and slwiser informed.


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