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Most headphones are dynamic with quite a bit of mass to move. Electrostatic headphones have the advantage (in theory) that they have a lot less mass to move. They generally sound cleaner, faster and seem to give the impression of more details as you hear the nuances differently (for example the quiver of a violin string or the skin texture of a drum) This I found true of the Older Stax Omega SR-007 Mk II with the 007t Mk II amp with a CEC CD Player. Have heard this unit off and on over the last several months at Music By Design at Adelphi. Go take a listen. Compared to top flight Senns or Beyers through the likes of Cary SLI-80 or CAD 300 SEI it's a matter of taste. This goes to show you how much the Senn HD-650 or even the 600 need really good amplification to really shine. In the end go and listen for yourself. You're reacing an area/level where it's too expensive to listen to opinions - even mine. :-)

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Most headphones are dynamic with quite a bit of mass to move. Electrostatic headphones have the advantage (in theory) that they have a lot less mass to move. They generally sound cleaner, faster and seem to give the impression of more details as you hear the nuances differently (for example the quiver of a violin string or the skin texture of a drum) This I found true of the Older Stax Omega SR-007 Mk II with the 007t Mk II amp with a CEC CD Player. Have heard this unit off and on over the last several months at Music By Design at Adelphi. Go take a listen. Compared to top flight Senns or Beyers through the likes of Cary SLI-80 or CAD 300 SEI it's a matter of taste. This goes to show you how much the Senn HD-650 or even the 600 need really good amplification to really shine. In the end go and listen for yourself. You're reacing an area/level where it's too expensive to listen to opinions - even mine. :-)

Rameish, Thanks.

 

i confused with the many series. eg,

high-end series OMEGA(SR-007mk2),

New A series LAMBDA (SR-507,SR- 407,SR- 307),

 

SHOULD I go for the ear speakers system (SRS-4170,SRS-3170,SRS-2170,SRS-005S)?

 

i am not sure what MBD carry now, and would like to walk in with some knowledge and understanding on STAX.

 

how much is a Stax Omega SR-007 Mk II with the 007t Mk II amp?

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Like all headphone manufacturers Stax makes a variety of gear to suit an individual's budget. All I know is the 230 volt version of the amp cost more. Go to stoneaudio.co.uk to get a rough idea of the prices. I'm sure sg prices are less ;-).

 

As to wether the lower end stax are beter than the equivalent dynamic type headphones well you should try it yourself. Music By Design has Grado headphones to compare with.

 

There's nothing more for me to add - go listen and decide based on your budget. Don't gett to caught up in technology and specs : always remember it's the music.

 

Lastly spend what you can afford. If you skimp you'll probably end up selling the cheaper stuff at a loss and going for the more expensive one too soon. If you over indulge then you're putting yourself a hole financially.

 

TA

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Currently in the market we have 3 standards:

 

1. Dynamic

2. Orthodynamic

3. Stax or electrostatic

 

To help the discussion along I have included short descriptions and examples of each:

 

These categories base the headphones on the type of technology used to create their sound. The difference between the two types is in the transducer principle used; that is, how the headphones convert the electrical signal from a media player into sound waves that can be heard.

 

1. Dynamic

 

 

 

Dynamic headphones work just like two miniature speakers. The signal is transmitted through a connection to a standard jack. Once the electrical signal reaches the earphones, a magnet forces a voice coil to vibrate rapidly inside a diaphragm — a paper, fibrous or plastic cone-shaped object. The inner works are then lifted up and down much like a piston, often faster than the eye can see. This rapid vibration is what stirs the air and creates vibrations called sound waves which are then picked up by our eardrums.

 

 

 

Dynamic headphones are by far the most common type used by the average music listener, musicians and professional studio mixers alike. The most popular manufacturers in the music industry all make dynamic headphones, including Sony, Beyer, Sennheiser, Grado and Audio-Technica. They can cost $8 or $800 US Dollars (USD) upwards and can be wired or wireless, open-air or closed-back, ear buds or studio-quality.

 

2. Isodynamic (aka orthodynamic)

 

 

 

Orthodynamic headphones were very popular worldwide (if not so much in the US) in the 1970s. Several companies manufactured such headphones or the parts for them, and numerous others contracted with those Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to make parts or complete headphones for them to sell under their band names. Fostex and PMB OEM heaphones are by far the most common.

 

Manufacturers include(d) Audeze, Fostex, Hifiman, Kenwood and Dual.

 

Isodynamic drive headphones have drivers with flexible plastic film diaphragms into which a flat voice coil (spiral or serpentine in shape-- see photos below) is embedded or glued on for even distribution of the drive force. That is, the diaphragm is driven more or less equally over its entire surface at once, obviating the need to make the diaphragm rigid so that it can therefore be as lightweight and agile and nonresonant as possible. Isodynamic diaphragms are either lightly tensioned or corrugated to supply restoring force.

 

 

 

Magnetic assemblies (bar magnets or perforated disc magnets) on both sides of the diaphragm supply the magnetic field against which the voice coil's varying magnetic field reacts, which makes the diaphragm vibrate.

 

Isodynamic diaphragms are more massive than electrostatic diaphragms, but the equal-force drive principle allows them to move very quickly and in a coherent, uniform way, so provided there is sufficient mechanical damping, an isodynamic headphone gives excellent transient response and a sound quality not unlike that of an electrostatic

 

3. Electrostatic

 

Electrostatic drivers consist of a thin, electrically charged diaphragm, typically a coated PET film membrane, suspended between two perforated metal plates (electrodes). The electrical sound signal is applied to the electrodes creating an electrical field; depending on the polarity of this field, the diaphragm is drawn towards one of the plates. Air is forced through the perforations; combined with a continuously changing electrical signal driving the membrane, a sound wave is generated. Electrostatic headphones are usually more expensive than moving-coil ones, and are comparatively uncommon. In addition, a special amplifier is required to amplify the signal to deflect the membrane, which often requires electrical potentials in the range of 100 to 1000 volts.

 

 

 

Due to the extremely thin and light diaphragm membrane, often only a few micrometers thick, and the complete absence of moving metalwork, the frequency response of electrostatic headphones usually extends well above the audible limit of approximately 20 kHz. The high frequency response means that the low midband distortion level is maintained to the top of the audible frequency band, which is generally not the case with moving coil drivers. Also, the frequency response peakiness regularly seen in the high frequency region with moving coil drivers is absent. The result is significantly better sound quality, if designed properly.

 

 

 

Electrostatic headphones are powered by anything from 100v to over 1kV, and are in proximity to a user's head. The usual method of making this safe is to limit the possible fault current to a low and safe value with resistors.

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Thanks for the introduction. I've been a Grado fans and have been looking for a replacement. so far, there's none. will drop by MBD.

I had a Stax SRX MK3, a Grado 325, and Sennheiser 580/600/650/800's. The headphones I just mentioned are usually regarded as among the brighter sounding headphones. Some of the popular (and sometimes expensive) headphones currently being sold are "darker" sounding than the above, and that's one of the first things people notice about the differences between headphones, along with the bass. Some highly rated headphones have heavy bass, some have light bass, and others are in between. Once you get past the more obvious sound signature from the frequency response, then you get into driver designs like the Sennheiser 800 which create a large "soundstage" with huge earcups and angled drivers. It's not always easy for people to discern the finer points of headphone sound when presented with such dramatics. Then there are the electrostatics like the Stax SR-009, which I would buy today if I had $7000 USD. But some people might think the Stax doesn't have enough bass, so before you buy something that's not ideal for you just to get a particular sound signature, you could also consider a small amount of equalization to compensate, if that would help.

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Anybody knows if MBD will be bringing in the SR-009? That is a pair of headphones I would really like to try out given all the buzz around it...

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MBD had a couple of 009 - they were sold even before they could be unboxed - so I and even the owner of MBD havent had the chance to hear them. Right now there are limited supplies (as always). Wait a while and I'm sure they'll have one for demo. It costs a bit more then the 007 II so be forewarned.

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MBD had a couple of 009 - they were sold even before they could be unboxed - so I and even the owner of MBD havent had the chance to hear them. Right now there are limited supplies (as always). Wait a while and I'm sure they'll have one for demo. It costs a bit more then the 007 II so be forewarned.

 

Thanks for the info! At its kind of pricing, I think few except the well-heeled will be 'rushing' out to buy them...

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