Stax amps -- anyone heard one?

cdfac

cdfac

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Since picking up the Stax preamp, I've often thought of picking up a Stax stereo amp or some monoblocks to match it, in name if not cosmetically. They are, however, generally quite rare here in the US. I'm wondering if anyone has heard one or more of them and could tell their tale?

The DA-80 stereo amp has popped up two or three times in the last year (including one current eBay store listing), but it's only 45Wpc which, albeit Class A, is not really big enough for my needs. There is also currently a pair of DA-80M monoblocks at auction (for the most part it's a bridged version of the DA-80), but they're in Vietnam and that's a lot of money to drop on shipping considering that the timing for me isn't good now or for the near future.

The DMA-X2 monoblocks, OTOH, are the ultimate Stax pieces and reportedly among the best S.S. amps produced, at least at the time - 600W primarily in Class A w/ four fans per amp (presumably they're quiet). A pair will likely bankrupt you though at somewhere in the $15-20k range, judging from the one archived sale i saw. The DMA-X1, which came out in between the 80's and X2, is also a beast and looks like a cross between a shredder and a PC tower!

You can see some pics of all of their amps and preamps here:
http://earsp.web.fc2.com/kakoamp/kakoamp.htm
I've drooled over them many times!
 
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Echowars did up either a Stax pre-amp or amp a bit back.

I doubt much with the Stax name was ever bad....
 
thedelihaus said:
Echowars did up either a Stax pre-amp or amp a bit back.
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Yep, that's the one I ended up with. The only thing he did to it was replace a couple blown transistors.

I doubt much with the Stax name was ever bad....
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I suppose this is true. The interesting thing to me is the wide range of [for the most part] top-notch products they managed to produce over the years, and yet many people don't know they made anything other than "earspeakers" and whatnot. Apparently they either made very little profit or even lost money on much of this other high-end stuff and so I guess that's why it wasn't produced in larger quantities and was the first thing to go when times as times got tougher.

Here are a few more links as well:

http://translate.google.com/transla...http://audio-heritage.jp/STAX/amp/dma-x2.html

http://translate.google.com/transla...refox-a&hs=02t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official
 
I have their Quattro II CDP. Very, very rare. Odd in some ways. It is really a transport and DAC on one chassis, there are even two seperate power cords, but no digital out. Weird. But amazing sound, quite captivating. Very solid imaging, no digital nasties and lots of body.

Never heard their amps.
 
600 watts Class A? Look out for your power bill! I remember Stax from their Electrostatic headphones. Or were they called Servo-static?
 
Raynald said:
I have their Quattro II CDP. Very, very rare. Odd in some ways. It is really a transport and DAC on one chassis, there are even two seperate power cords, but no digital out. Weird. But amazing sound, quite captivating. Very solid imaging, no digital nasties and lots of body.
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I remember when you picked it up, now that you mention it. What a nice piece. I'd like to hear that one and also the DAC-X1t at some point (there is one of those on A-gon right now for a LOT of money).

The Stax company from Japan is not related to the record company from America in any way, AFAIK.
 
sealy said:
600 watts Class A? Look out for your power bill! I remember Stax from their Electrostatic headphones. Or were they called Servo-static?
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looking at the power consumption, the X2 may only do around 150W in true Class A, but it's not clear from the translated Japanese whether it converts to Class AB above that point or whether there is a sliding Class A bias involved. the same is roughly true for the X1.
 
I have since 1982 a DA-80, 45 pure Class-A Watts more than enough for my EV SentryIII.
When I hear two floors over me dance the coffe cup on the table.

Michael-Otto
 
In about 1984,I used to go to one of the(no longer existent)hi-fi stores in Sydney.The store was owned by a which company was the Australian distributor for Stax(amongst other products like Luxman and Celestion,).

As you can imagine,I always remember one particular system which consisted of a Luxman CD player,I'm not sure which preamp they were using at the time,but the amp was a pair of the Stax DA-100Ms,the speakers were Celestion SL 600s.

It sounded great. :thmbsp:

I lusted(:smlove:)after those Stax Monoblocks. :yes:

Even to this day I remember the demos.The room that the system was in was enormous.The ceilings were 20 foot high easily.The Celestions had HEAPS of room around them,and the system did imaging and soundstaging like nobody's business.:jawdrop:

Despite the size of the room and the fact that the Celestions were a little-bit of a tough load for some amps(quite inefficient),the volume level was realistic.

At the time I was living very close to abject poverty,with absolutely no chance of purchasing anything on the same strata of hi-fi performance.I would devise ways that I could possibly purloin those Stax amps.I never tried because I just didn't have a conscience which could let me get away with it.I am an honest man,however I liked those Stax amps SO MUCH that I would consider desperate means to acquire them.That was the first and last time I ever liked a component enough to consider stealing to acquire it.
 
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