VinylHanger
Navigaret ex ironia
I have an old pair of Stax SR-3 headphones at the house. I can't get at them right now and am wondering if anybody knows how many pins they have? I'm surfing the bay looking for an amp unit.
Stax SR-3 headphones
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VinylHanger
Navigaret ex ironia
Thanks a bunch. :thmbsp: Which adapter do you have?
Dang, somebody's gonna tell you headphone guys to get a room, and fortunately there is one, at www.head-fi.org.
SEE the neverending Stax thread that wouldn't die!
HEAR some of the craziest theories about insulation and wire you ever heard, stuff that beggars any attempt to satirize it!
But you'll have the chance to immerse yourself in all things Stax. I regularly send Staxers over here to learn about vintage amps to drive their SRD-7s and other transformer boxes. So you might as well return the favor. You won't believe this, but over there folks struggle to get just a few watts of clean power. While you're teaching them about affordable power, you'll learn more than you ever wanted to know about 5 and 6 pin Staxen.
SEE the neverending Stax thread that wouldn't die!
HEAR some of the craziest theories about insulation and wire you ever heard, stuff that beggars any attempt to satirize it!
But you'll have the chance to immerse yourself in all things Stax. I regularly send Staxers over here to learn about vintage amps to drive their SRD-7s and other transformer boxes. So you might as well return the favor. You won't believe this, but over there folks struggle to get just a few watts of clean power. While you're teaching them about affordable power, you'll learn more than you ever wanted to know about 5 and 6 pin Staxen.
I almost picked up a couple pairs of Stax headphones at a garage sale. Had to pass because they were greasy and didn't have amps with them. Don't worry, they went to a good home.
willhowl
Well-Known Member
What's wrong with us Staxites?(Staxons?)(Staxists?)
Stax are very cool headphones. I have some stashed where I can't get at 'em easily. Hence, not sure of model,etc. I have seen the Stax website,will check there for matching pics. Pretty sure mine are not TOTL, but they sound good anyway. Mine are the only ones I've seen live, in captivity.
So,wualta, are ya jealous,...........or what?
Just keedin',dude..........willhowl
Followup: Mine are SR-44, 1975- unsure of "driver" box model-very clean condition-gotta dig 'em out!
Yes I DO have the box! .........willhowl
Stax are very cool headphones. I have some stashed where I can't get at 'em easily. Hence, not sure of model,etc. I have seen the Stax website,will check there for matching pics. Pretty sure mine are not TOTL, but they sound good anyway. Mine are the only ones I've seen live, in captivity.
So,wualta, are ya jealous,...........or what?
Just keedin',dude..........willhowl
Followup: Mine are SR-44, 1975- unsure of "driver" box model-very clean condition-gotta dig 'em out!
Yes I DO have the box! .........willhowl
Staxenistas!
My point was, if you've made it to Staxdom, you're special enough to require a special forum. Staxen are indeed cool 'phones. I've got about 5 pairs, including an SR-X Mk 3/SRD-7 combo, plus the OEM clones Stax made for Radio Shack and Magnavox (which are both based on the SR-3!). So you see, I'm already in way too deep myself.
Heh heh. No no, just inviting fellow Staxenistas over to where the Stax are jumping and the mineral wool is high. Also riffing on the almost total lack of headphonery here on AK, which is as it should be. It's not the specialty of the house, and you have to be special to enjoy headphones.willhowl said:
My point was, if you've made it to Staxdom, you're special enough to require a special forum. Staxen are indeed cool 'phones. I've got about 5 pairs, including an SR-X Mk 3/SRD-7 combo, plus the OEM clones Stax made for Radio Shack and Magnavox (which are both based on the SR-3!). So you see, I'm already in way too deep myself.
You've got Stax's first attempt to market an electret-diaphragm electrostatic. Your adapter box is the dark brown SRD-4, with transformers similar to the ones in the SRD-6 box (but see Spritzer's comment on this below). The 44s need EQ to sound flat, but they should take a good amount of boost gracefully.willhowl said:
willhowl
Well-Known Member
Staxmaster!
wualta, I prostrate myself before your obvious mastery of Staxology!
My adapter box is indeed the SRD-4, as confirmed by pics on the Staxsite.
I've REALLY gotta dig 'em out-I know right where they are, just a lotta stuff to move to get them.
Your comments on EQ are intriguing- I have an abundance of EQuality laying around....and.......How does a Marantz 2015 sound as a Staxamp?
later.....willhowl
wualta, I prostrate myself before your obvious mastery of Staxology!
My adapter box is indeed the SRD-4, as confirmed by pics on the Staxsite.
I've REALLY gotta dig 'em out-I know right where they are, just a lotta stuff to move to get them.
Your comments on EQ are intriguing- I have an abundance of EQuality laying around....and.......How does a Marantz 2015 sound as a Staxamp?
later.....willhowl
No need to probate yourself-- I'm strictly small potatoes over at Head-Fi. Which should give you some idea of the depth of the madness.
Turns out that your 44 will plug into any of the better Stax transformer boxes (SRD-7, SRD-7 Mk 2, SRD-7 Pro), and it will plug into all of the big expensive Stax direct-drive amplifiers! Find a raging Staxenista in your locale, buddy up, and find out what your 44 really sounds like.
Can't help you with the Marantz 2015, since I don't own one, but 15 watts per channel, though it may seem like overkill for headphones, really isn't, especially not if we're talking electrostats. Headroom is at least as important for 'phones as for speakers, so go for the quietest receiver/amp/integrated you can find-- that is, the one with the lowest noise floor, as heard when the volume control is set at MIN and the tone controls are out of the circuit-- with at least twice the power, unless the 2015 turns out to be the champeen quietest of them all.
Turns out that your 44 will plug into any of the better Stax transformer boxes (SRD-7, SRD-7 Mk 2, SRD-7 Pro), and it will plug into all of the big expensive Stax direct-drive amplifiers! Find a raging Staxenista in your locale, buddy up, and find out what your 44 really sounds like.
Can't help you with the Marantz 2015, since I don't own one, but 15 watts per channel, though it may seem like overkill for headphones, really isn't, especially not if we're talking electrostats. Headroom is at least as important for 'phones as for speakers, so go for the quietest receiver/amp/integrated you can find-- that is, the one with the lowest noise floor, as heard when the volume control is set at MIN and the tone controls are out of the circuit-- with at least twice the power, unless the 2015 turns out to be the champeen quietest of them all.
spritzer
New Member
One thing to add before I rip wualta a new one... 
The SRD-4 shares the transformers with the SRD-5 and SRD-X. The SRD-6 and SRD-7 are the same internally and the SRD-7 Mk2 is the best of the bunch and worth quite a bit even today.
One thing to note about the Stax amp and adapters is that the sound changed dramatically in the mid 70's, the older units such as the SRD-1,2,3 and 5 are all much warmer with more bass bloom while the SRD-6 and 7 are a bit drier and leaner, more "neutral" even. The best thing you can find to drive that SR-3 is the amp designed for it, the SRA-3S. Synergy to die for.
What is that I feel sticking in my back... :tears: ...you know full well that no Stax fan is completely sane.
The SRD-4 shares the transformers with the SRD-5 and SRD-X. The SRD-6 and SRD-7 are the same internally and the SRD-7 Mk2 is the best of the bunch and worth quite a bit even today. One thing to note about the Stax amp and adapters is that the sound changed dramatically in the mid 70's, the older units such as the SRD-1,2,3 and 5 are all much warmer with more bass bloom while the SRD-6 and 7 are a bit drier and leaner, more "neutral" even. The best thing you can find to drive that SR-3 is the amp designed for it, the SRA-3S. Synergy to die for.
What is that I feel sticking in my back... :tears: ...you know full well that no Stax fan is completely sane.
VinylHanger
Navigaret ex ironia
Well it looks like I won an SRD-5 amp for 37 bucks free shipping. Hopefully it is working and gets here quick. I'm excited to say the least.
Damn, you did good!!
I've got a set of garage sale 5 pin SR-30s here I want to check out, but no box! :thumbsdn:
Let us know how you like them. I use a set of Grado SR-80s, but rarely listen to them much and I womder on the Stax compare????
spritzer
New Member
I've never heard any dynamic that can compare to a Stax headphone when it comes to musicality and the essence of the music. I'm a certified planar head and own almost every Stax headphone ever made so my preference is clear.
What did I tell you! Spritzer here is our biggest Staxenista, and now he's broken through the membrane that holds our two universes apart and stands among you. All I can say is: buckle up.
[whispers to audience]You see what I mean?
Speaking of transformer boxes, any of them will work with the garage sale SR-30 because it's an electret type electrostat, but see if you can get hold of an SRD-7.
Anyway-- welcome, Spritzer!
The man has disassembled and restored/modified more 'stats than I will ever own.
Then you might have to do some fancy footwork to explain the very different bass distortion specs, not to mention the different tolerances for frequency response.spritzer said:
[whispers to audience]You see what I mean?
If you can ever find one. Note that he's talking about a dedicated tube direct-drive amplifier, not just a transformer box.spritzer said:
Speaking of transformer boxes, any of them will work with the garage sale SR-30 because it's an electret type electrostat, but see if you can get hold of an SRD-7.
Anyway-- welcome, Spritzer!
The man has disassembled and restored/modified more 'stats than I will ever own.
Not to nitpick, but remember that the SRD-4/5/6/7 are all passive boxes with step-up transformers inside.
Stax made a line of dedicated (and expensive) direct-drive tube and transistor amplifiers as well. However, the transformer boxes are more plentiful on US eBay and allow you to use your own veteran amps to drive the 'phones, which of course also lets you use a superior transducer to listen to the differences between your amps, if any.
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energyandair
Active Member
I have a SR3 - SRD5 pair which I find really useful when assessing speakers (The better the speaker, the more it sounds like the Stax).
As they are driven from the amp's speaker output rather than a headphone output, when you hear a difference, you can have some confidence that it is a difference between the speakers and the headphones rather than the difference between the power amp and the headphone amp.
David
As they are driven from the amp's speaker output rather than a headphone output, when you hear a difference, you can have some confidence that it is a difference between the speakers and the headphones rather than the difference between the power amp and the headphone amp.
David
