Which is the most detailed can?

[av98m 0]

You DO know there's a free storage space for your new cans 1 block away from you right?

[cmk 0]

I haven't bought it...yet.

[Barradio 0]

I had listened to the Lamba Pro with the SR 313 drive unit, very airy and transparent sounding . Form the review of the Haedfi the Omega 2 seem to be better and aslo look nicer (not so big) to me.

[cmk 0]

Well at 3x the price, the Omega ought to be better, but whether its worth 3x the $$$

 

I am waiting to hear the classic and signature earspks and compare the 313 and the 414 amps to see if the tubes really make that much of a difference. Have a kangtao to get the Signature combo for just over $2k. Anyone interested?

[Rameish 0]

CMK are you sure you got the prices right?

 

FYI only: the manufacturer's list prices in Japan:

 

http://www.airy.co.jp/sub_stax.htm

 

118,000.00 JPY   =   1,866.07 SGD (for the 4040 signature II ie SR-404 earspeaker and SRM-006t (tube amplifier) However you will get a 110/120 volt model if your ordered from Japan.

 

I know that the Singapore prices are more ex so maybe 2k is a good deal. How much more that 2K is it? I itching LOL

Edited March 23, 2004 by Rameish

[Rameish 0]

BTW I had listened to the SR-404 with the SRM-313 for about a week and yes it's very nice but a tad laid back.

 

I would think the Earspeaker would make more of a difference than the amp. So maybe get the Omega II for now and a lower end amp then upgrade when funds allow.

[cmk 0]

Rameish

Definitely correct based on current exchange rates and it is the 220/240v model with 1 yr warranty. Like I said, just over. Will pm you.

 

The laid back sound of the Stax gives it a much bigger out of the head soundstage, more akin to listening to spks, which I find more appealing. Also I feel that they have the most comfortable cans for long term listening.

 

Anyway, the prices for the system are much cheaper than if you were to buy the components individually, so do consider. The good thing about the system is that the amp and cans are already matched.

Edited March 23, 2004 by cmk

[Rameish 0]

Thanks for the PM CMK. Didn't realise the prices included shipping and insurance. I was thinking you knew somone at the local agent.

 

Hmm...which to get LOL. The Omega II would surely be the way to go if you wish to cure any upgraditis fever but it's price is - gulp LOL

 

While the 4040 system does come with a tube amp thrown in and is alot more manageable price wise.

 

Hmm...

 

What are your thoughts?

 

 

[Barradio 0]

Earspeaker would make more of a difference than the amp. So maybe get the Omega II for now and a lower end amp then upgrade when funds allow.

What are your thoughts?

Right on, same thinking too.

Edited March 23, 2004 by Barradio

[Rameish 0]

Barradio,

 

Yeah but am I right on this? This is true for dynamic headphones I feel but with the Stax I really don't know. LOL. I guess if I do decide to go for it, I will have to make a few more trips to Kingsley. Maybe I can bring them down on the price as well to close to Japan's prices. Well one has to give the local guy a chance to price match or come close.

 

CMK,

 

Do you know when the Omega II be in town

[cmk 0]

Guys

I actually think the other way around. The electrostatic earspks are very neutral. Just a question of the type of material - how thin the membrane is. If you look at the prices of the Classic and Signature earspks, there's only a slight price increase. But if you compare the prices of the 313 vs the 414, there's a huge jump- like 2x, probably because of the tube circuitry and the balanced input.

 

Right now based on memory and the Stax name alone, I'm willing to just go for the 4040 Sig system. Omega is a different story altogether. Unless it offers incredibly superior sound to the Sig, I'm still held back by my left brain.

 

Last I heard when calling Desmond was a couple of weeks, but I won't put money on the ETA. You know how these things can drag on. I'm with you on supporting the local agent, if the price is right.

Edited March 24, 2004 by cmk

[Rameish 0]

I'm smelling a PowerBuy here LOL. Anyone interested? If we can get 2 or 3 buyers I think Kingsley will bring the price down. It would be foolish of them not to esp when the margins for commercial hi-fi products alllows them to do so. I even saw a another japanese website that offer the 4040 system for slightly under S$1,700 (without shipping). However they won't export - sigh.

 

I will only audition at Kingsley if I'm buying from them you see. So I really hope they would be happy with S$2K for the 4040. If the Omega II offers 10% improvement over the 4040 I think that would be worth the while. My 2¢

 

 

[Barradio 0]

Me to need to audition the 4040 and Omega 2 before deciding it?

[Rameish 0]

hmm...here a review by Jonathan Scull of Stereophile:

 

http://www.stereophile.com/accessoryreviews/895/

 

In conclusion he says he prefers his Senn HD-600 + Cary 300 sei combo

 

hmm...food for thought not being a wet blanket as I would like to hear it for my self if and when Kingsley brings it in - the Omega II that is.

[cmk 0]

Powerbuy? Looks like we already have 4-5 interested parties, huh HPC?

 

+10% with the Omega you might get indeed. Still, at approx $6k its...cough, cough... a lot of mola. I haven't reached that level of ...yet If I do go for it, it would only be a moment of impulse, where the heart makes decisions rather than the brain.

 

Read the Stereophile review. I don't think he "prefers" the Senn/Cary combo, rather that its presentation is "wet" with single ended triode type sound. This would favour female vocals with its euphonic presentation, but for the purist, this type of sound obscures detail. I don't know about you guys, but I'm more for detail/neutrality with a hint of tube sweetness. As this ultimately means that you can listen to a wider variety of music without too much colorations. The interesting thing about the review, is that it does compare the SS and Tube versions of the preamp and his conclusion was that they actually sounded pretty similar, just that the tube version had its characteristic warmth, but the SS version was also very musical. Having heard the basic 2020 solid state combo, I found it very musical and lots of subtle information in the decay. I think I could live with either.