Headphones that melted our brains
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- Опубліковано 8 вер 2024
- Resolve, Chrono and GoldenSound check out some electrostatic headphones from Stax and HiFiMAN at CanJam NYC 2023. These were some of the craziest sounding setups we heard at the show - check out our candid reactions in this video.
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You know a pair of headphones is good when they cure Andrew's "dead inside" condition
Yeah. Him, Crin etc. are definitely in need of some psychedelics. Make that impostor syndrome and social anxiety go away.
Honestly I'd be scared to hear something like the Shangri-La Sr, even though I really want to. Scared because I know after the session I'd have to go home to my peasant Arya SE, and deal with the emotional damage that might cause.
my thoughts exactly!
You can always upgrade to a HE1000SE 😁 But same, my setup sounds great, but it definitely won't sound great after trying a Shangri-La
I'm feeling the same thing when looking at these electrostat videos. The cure: I put on my Arya Stealths and a really good studio recording - one that has some subbass - and turn up the volume. To push those impure thoughts out of my brain, LOL....
I've heard all, sr, se, arya, 9000 mentioned here. Didn't hear the l700 or 007. Electro any day.
true haha, im more impressed that my system can pull the sound
The Stax were really something. I wrote elsewhere that I almost jumped out of the seat because I thought someone started playing the guitar a few feet from my head. It was a remarkable experience listening to some of these headphones. For whatever reason, I liked the sound of rectangular "ear speakers" better.
PS. I'm still waiting for the seminars to be posted. =)
Gladly Goldensound recorded at least two. Can't wait as well.
“Be wary & cautious of any audio thing that can impress initially, as living with them can be tiring & fatiguing eventually”
I was at the show, listened to the L700 paired with the Woo Audio WA7e. After the show, I walked 2 blocks to Audio 46 and ordered the same setup. I was mind blown!
Now you know why I have 2 L700s lmao.
A few things about them:
1) The bass is highly seal dependent. When you get a good seal, it's flat down to 20hz. So yes, they can have subbass - but you need to get a good seal. In my case, it involved modding the headband to fit better.
2) You do need to EQ them. The FR is smooth, but wrong. Around 1.2khz there's about 5db worth of shout, the upper mid can be a bit recessed, depending on fit, and there are some small peaks in the treble. Nothing too terrible, but smoothing the treble out goes a long way.
3) There may be unit to unit variation. I have a mk1 that sounds magical and a mk2 that doesn't sound nearly as good. It could be fit related though, as there are differences in the pads and headband. Who knows. Based on your reaction, I'd say you're hearing good units that fit at least relatively well, though Golden's comments about subbass makes me think he's not getting a good seal in the bass.
4) They're relatively easy to drive - a stock 007t pushes them fairly well - but they will also scale with better amps. If you plan on EQing them a lot and boosting some frequencies more than a few db, you will need the extra headroom a powerful aftermarket amp provides. If you like to listen loud, then aftermarket amps are also a good idea, most stock Stax amps, especially the tube ones, will be somewhat volume-limited.
Yes, the price to performance ratio on these is kinda silly. They're a bit like the HD6X0 or Koss 60ohms of the electrostatic world. Having said that, yeah it does get better. Try to hear an early SR-007, one with a 70xxx or 71xxx serial number. In the right system, that's still the best headphone I've ever heard, and that stupidly resolving yet totally fluid character that a good L700 has, a good 007 has even more of it. But the 007 needs a nuclear reactor of an amp and there's no way around it.
Try to get your hands on an HE90 in good condition too. Your jaws will fall right through the ground. HE60 in good condition is great too, but it's hard to find one that's in good shape. These headphones had drivers that were sealed to the baffle with rubber o-rings, and these o-rings perish over time, so if you have an HE60 that's bright and lean, chances are the o-rings are gone.
There are even older electrostats that are supposed to be really good (like the Sony ECR series) but sadly they're basically all gone now. Though you might still be able to find a Stax SR-X Mk3 Pro, they're very rare, and a bit bright, but man are they resolving and dynamic. That's another rare old estat to try and track down. And of course the SR-Lambda normal bias, in good shape, will melt minds all day, and that came out in 1979.
I just wish Sennheiser would remake the HE60 and give us an HD600-like tuning in an estat that doesn't cost as much as a luxury car, but in the meanwhile, there are other options.
There is nothing like a good estat, really. They do have their problems, they're primadonnas that need more effort to extract good sound out of than other types of headphones, and you have some issues and considerations that just don't exist in other drivers, but man, when they're right, they're so very right.
Ever since I bought the Stax L300 a few months ago, I honestly have stopped craving anything else. I'm coming from HD600, sundara, Edition XS and LCD-X 2021 and the Stax are by far my favorites. I really do not know why Stax are not talked about on forums and reddit as much as other brands. They truly are up there easily.
IMO Stax requiring a special expensive amp is what holds them back. A lot of headphone users are either budget conscious when it comes to dac/amps, or they spend good money on a nice trad amp to run multiple headphones but don’t want to invest all over again in a market that until the last 2-3 years was limited to one brand only. But now with Hifiman, Audeze and even Dan Clark getting on the electrostatic train it might change soon.
Barrier of entry due to needing a energizer.
Because for most people Stax's electrostat tuning/timbre is off. So while their models, especially top ones, are very technically impressive, people choose other headphones over them, even if a little bit of pure technicality, resolution etc. get sacrificed in the process. Similar thing might be said about Raal SR1A/SR1B.
@@mikeg2491 not really. You can (or could) get into the base level stax with energiser for under 1k and the energiser has a pass through so you can still have a standard amp running off it..that's exactly how I run mine.
@@barneyrubble9309 but that’s the thing, for years it was mostly just stax entry levels, stax mid levels, & stax high levels for electrostatic choices. it’s a big to-do for many people to go buy a whole amp just for one audio brand and its confusing if you’re not familiar with the tech. I myself was confused for awhile thinking I needed some kind of special power outlet like a high-end appliance or electric car and just never bothered diving deep into them LOL. Also since it was a Japanese company you just didn’t see the hardware floating around much in the west compared to other brands, hence why fewer forum posts about it. I experience this with Audio Technica headphones which I think are beautiful sound HPs but hardly get any love compared to say Sennheiser because AT just doesn’t do much marketing or distribution in the US much outside their record players or mics. Right now I’m waiting on back order for an AT amp and dac I ordered weeks ago.
During my first trip to CanJam last year, hearing the Stax at the show. I sold my Sennheiser HD800 and the Susvara afterward, Stax just got something that other headphones can't reproduced.
Which Stax do you have in place of those ?
You should checkout the head-fi thread about DIY electrostatic headphones. People are able to make headphones that come really close to Staxs.
I am really surprised that none of them had tried Stax headphones before. I tried them at a convention nearby and I was really impressed by them and preferred them over any other planars like Arya, HE1000SE, LCD X etc.
I’m always intrigued that you can resolve a track past what I presume the audio engineer would have heard but it keeps sounding better.
Resolution isn't always about producing what the engineer has heard, most often it is what the mic picks up during the recording.
Omg the audiophile cringe level is at max in this thread
@@machineagevoodoo2106 you ok?
That is called placebo lmao....
@@leviathan5207resolution is not about out-resolving the track/mix/source. Lmao. Some gear just accentuates minute details(that's in the mix) compared to other gear.
I've never had the opportunity to listen to an electrostatic HP. I've really fallen in love with planars. The Arya Stealth has been my daily driver and the best HP I've ever owned. But I feel like there's still levels of audio well beyond what I experience with my equipment. Wish I could go to one of these Can Jam type gatherings. I have alotta health problems, don't travel well. I would love to gain some of these experiences one day... I wanna explore the final frontier of headphone audio lol.
I would LOVE the opportunity to listen to the Hifiman Shangri-la Sr. It's one of the most beautiful headphones I've ever seen and I can hardly fathom how good it must sound. If I was given the choice to listen to one and only one Electrostatic setup, the Shangri-la would undoubtedly be it. I do love my Hifiman's. Ill be forever grateful for the world of experiences they opened me up to...
I got to try the stax x9000 at my local hofi shop in Berlin. Its the only headphone I've ever tried that has seemingly infinite speed. Like no matter how complex the music got, its just devoured it that it was nothing. Even the susvara sometimes feels like its stating to choke at times in comparison. I cant imagine what the big 3 mega flagships sound like.
The Stealths are that good - but just not that good. Not electrostatic good. The only things preventing me from electrostatics are: 1) The need for yet more devices on my desktop - ie: the energizer; and 2) planar bass.
Get the l700, it's cheaper than arya and sounds better
The way I put it into words, is that with certain setups, you literally unlock a level of music that you can’t with things like Bluetooth or cheap buds, it’s a really beautiful thing, just like he said
Electrostatic headphones with bass and impact from ab-1266 would be a total endgame, but considering technological differences it might be like wishing for a fried ice.
Warwick electrostatics slam pretty hard, very much on the same level as most planars.
The problem with the AB-1266 Phi TC is that it is a completely unballanced headphone. Considering the price they ask, it is a poor contender in almost every aspekt except the bass. Bass impact, slam, punch and dynamics are to die for but the bass texture is not class-leading at all...
@@enjoshi-godrez8775 So I've heard. Only $36K you say???
@@Ezees23 the bravura is only $6k. Thats 84% off, what a steal!
The 007 mk1
What?? This super duper Headphone reviewers experts had never tried Stax before??😮 Those models exist for years…. I do agree that L700 are truly special
Get their Vintage systems! Like the SR-5, still highly regarded as one of the best they ever made, can be picked up cheap. I paid 200$ ish for mine. And they keep blowing my mind. Made in the 80s and with modern hardware you can really get amazing results out of them, they can even sound a bit bassier than most Stax if you EQ them.
Ears on Fire! The listeners are in the right place to be amazed by what they hear. 👍🏽
Ayup. Love to see some estat love. I've been very happy with my Lambda Pro that I got in nearly perfect condition because they've only been taken out of its box a handful of times.
These reactions are the only reason I want to go to a show. I know those reactions don't last forever, but I want to know what else is truly out there. Now to start saving $20K......
Stax are 20k?
@@mokisan lol - I'm afraid once I go down the electrostat rabbit hole, only the most expensive would do...
@@danieljohnson6370Yeah. I could buy a Stax SRM006TII and Stax SRM006TII and already I'm thinking where can I go from here?! With Tungstens on the way, I don't two systems to get to the next level.
Dunno why I never realized this, but Chrono have really nice voice
I bought my first electrostatic in 1974 and have heard most of the Stax offerings and the lack of Bass is just a deal breaker for me.
I prefer a well designed Planar or dynamic
Lack of bass ?
Everyone knows they get flat to 20hz with a good seal + EQ.
I am scared that such experienced guys having so much and enjoy something new. Just coping with my edition xs + k7 combo
You're kind of living my dream dude, so it's all a matter of perspective :). You have gear 99+ percent of music listeners don't have, really a thing to appreciate
@@sboisbiu_2825 I think that main problems here:
1) People get used to good things very fast and taking it for granted
2) There is something better and you want it. But it could be better for 5% for 3x price. Audiophile rabbit hole in it's finest.
In such moments I ask myself "Do I enjoy my setup (music, games etc) or I want to spend more money for gear and then convince myself that it was worth it?"
Arya Stealth + discrete Class A amp = thank me later; But please stop there, LOL - unless you're ready to spend ~$3K.....
@@EvLTimE the problem is some people make it look like they are a lot better, not just 5% better. But idk i have never tried a 1k headphone and a 4k heasphone. It is really just 5% better?
@@Charles500-yz9eb Since that comment I pulled trigger on Arya SE and I could say that 5-10% better tuning and more technical sound separation can't justify 3x price but I really like how they sound and more comfortable + also I got high-end allrounder headphones and now don't see any reason to buy anything else or wonder if there anything better.
My reaction was similar. Unfortunately, in that room it was so loud when I was there I couldn't really enjoy them as much as I would have liked. Agree about the sub-bass.
The X9000 is also the best thing I've ever heard too. I did like the HE1 a lot too, but didn't have them both at the same time, so can't really compare.
how you like something that you dont have
@@raytumbal3288 Difficult concept to grasp, I see.
@@raytumbal3288 because he had the opportunity to try them, dumbass
Haa look at me in the back with that fresh polo ski goose.
L700 gang eating good tonight
I'm always worried about using EStats in a humid country like where I'm living.
Don"t do it unless you have proper dehumidification.
it was great seeing you guys at the show.
If they ever make some ~$2000 ish Electro statics with some thumping sub bass i'd snag them up so fast.
There is, but its connected to a $4000 dsp system which makes it have subbass. In any case, you'll be spending that money again on the energiser.
Its all abou sealing. I got aftermarket pad lifters on L700 and there is sub bass like audezes.
Wait. I have x9000 and L700 mk2 side by side on my desk. How is L700 more technical than x9000?
I imagine these would be great for movies.
Yeah that’s great but why don’t you mention the brand and model?
They are all stax. The first was the L700 ($1400), the second was the 009s ($4500), the last was their newest flagship, the x9000 ($6200).
I may be attending my first canjam this year. But I know I'll never recover.
It's Stax enough said...
may be the first good headphones color all the other high quality headphones
The electrostatic headphonea reminds me of ejit samdwich
So there are upgrades to the HD600 other then the HE 1 ...😃?
Have you guys ever tested any in ear electrostatic earphones/IEMs?
The content we need
Guess I’m going to have to get those limited editions up and running .
Love to see it!
I'd rather hear it lol
@@prithvib8662 I was lucky enough to hear the X9000 through an amazing system listening to recordings I was a recording engineer on. What they said about it spoiling the experience from other headphones is true! I think about it everyday. It was like I was back in the hall during the session. Crazy stuff!
Electrostatic isn't for me... I really love the clarity, but I really love the planar woomph and thump so much.
Sub bass FTW.
Then just known what you talking about.
They go flat to 20hz with proper seal and EQ. (beefy energizer required tho...)
Good news! You can trade stacks for Stax!
Once you Stax, you never go bax.😊
ThanksMuch!
There's something about head-wearing a device fed by 580V that doesn't feel comfortable to me 😂
Now im torn between the he1000 v2 and the stax l700 😢
HE1000SE , you can drive it with ease.
@@tycinis yeah I chose to go with the He1000 v2 and they're a dream!
What where those last pair of headphones from hifiman?
Shangri-la Sr.
I own the he60 hev 70..isvthis good as you tested?
Aaand that's my wallet being emptied again in the future!! Just seeing your reactions has ignited my upgrade-itis again
Isn't cap + glasses really bad for listening to headphones?
Depends on the design of the headphones. But in my case I use intentionally thin arms to the glasses and a cap with very thin material to avoid any issues. And yeah I have also measured the differences on my head and there's no effect with these for most headphones.
@@ResolveReviews Glad to hear you've atleast tested if there's a difference. I see a lot of headphone reviewers on youtube wear caps and I doubt all of them have taken the effect into consideration
So in order to have any sub-bass and not look like a ridiculous "audiophile", wearing what looks like mini bookshelf speakers on my head, I'd have to spend $10,000 here on the Stax SR-X9000 and that's not including the 2nd $10000 I'd need for the driver amp unit or 80 grand on Hifiman's Shangri-La system? Nope! I'll stick with planars.
Welcome to 'club', guys! Ones you hear a proper Estat chain you are bugged.
How about a comparison of Stax TOTL and Susvara!?
Hey,
You might want to check out videos about it at Amplify Audio Reviews channel from Sajid Amit. One of my two favorite reviewers, very natural thoughtstream. Has them reviewed independently and stacked togethed (multiple top Stax models) in quite few videos.
@@Peace_Guard I know these. I want to hear the Headphones' reviewers.
Hifiman Shangri-la Sr on my bucket list (to own) 😆
Heads filled with chocolate.. I knew it.
If headphones don't make you happy for over 15 grand, then they need to rethink their company.
OK, so buy one of each of those to know bliss. On it.
How do the Senheiser HE 1 s compare to these?
better in every way , but the price is also 3 times more
Aren’t you supposed to put the metal part of the headphone on the headphone stand and not the leather?
Usually yes. But the Stax headbands don't stretch when put on something relatively large surface area (like with the Stax headphone stands, or those omega-shape ones you can find online pretty easily). Putting on something pointy might still be an issue though.
Just review Stax SR-L300, it seems the most neutral model they have.
who is that at the end of the video wearing batik shirt?
Where other brands stop with their best efforts, Stax starts with their basic models.
It is a different level compared to dynamic headphones.
And then we go back to the 800s and....THERE IT IS!
💗
your camera went flacid
How did you guys still managed to hear the music when your brain is melted 🤣
I really like this channel and watch most reviews. But I was always very scared to see reviewers judge all theese headphones and rank them without having profound knowledge on estates. You just won't end up with a valid rating when you do not have an estate comparison.
I do like planars and also some dynamic driver headphone (and own some flagship models) but when it comes to transparency, detail resolution, speed and texture there is NO comparison whatsoever. Even planars do not come even close to one of the estats reference cans like Stax SR-009, X-9000, Sennheiser HE-1 and Hifiman Shangri La (I heard them all). And yes: this also holds true for bass texture (of course not for bass slam and punch).
You've owned a susvara?
@@samulhardif8331
No Samul,
the Susvara might be the only exception as I have never been able to listen to it through an adequate amp. However, if I read all the forums, the Susvara only shines with amps in the 5.000 $ + range - so you end up with a rig in the X-9000 $ range (including energizer). So, if the Susvara should be an alternative, you won't save any money. And, after all, with estats you can achieve this kind of clarity, transpareny and speed for a much lower price (probably with the exseption of RAAL ribbon cans).
🧠
People who listen to multi kilobuck headphones with hats on are suspicious to me.
Ikr so easy to ruin good headphones by wearing a cap
@@znoozaros Dynamic headphones are okay, but electrostatics need to have a good seal all the way around for bass response.
@@IamPinhead can't generalize "dynamic headphone are okay" also depends on head shape and the seal/pad material
My fedora adds to the soundstage on my Hifi XS.
I’m lost, the headphones are still on your ears no? What’s the difference between a cap & a bunch of hair?
cool
now pin this
As before: no pretentious names anywhere, none whatsoever. None.