FIRST EVER electrostatic headphone review! STAX SR007 Mk2 & SRM-500t

[@paulpavlou9294]

I’ve been using a pair of Stax SR-5’s for 43 years now in my office system with a SRD-7 Adapter and still love them I also love my SRX-Mk3’s and have SR-Lamda Pro’s and a pair of my beautiful SR-L 300 Limited Edition which I consider my end game headphones/Earspeaker, which I run with a Stax SRM-Mk1/Mk2 Professional Energiser/amplifier. I will purchase a Mjölnir-Audio Carbon amplifier when I’m able to. Please review more Stax gear as I think there worth a good listen to even for an old fart like me whom is loosing my hearing, I’m a great fan of all things Stax including or especially vintage Stax pre the sale of the company to Edifier. Keep the Stax reviews come, I love your work. Merry Christmas.

[@PassionforSound]

Thanks for sharing your experiences! More Stax content planned for 2024. Merry Christmas!

[@gerhardschmidt6634]

I really liked the test with the detailed descriptions and comparisons. He also dispels the prejudice that electrostatic headphones generally sound analytical and cold. I'm the owner of a STAX Lambda Signature set with the SR-404 since years, which still sounds fantastic, and so I haven't seen the need for an upgrade yet. In this respect, I would be interested in a test of the L700, which quite a few people prefer over the 007 and which is also cheaper.

[@PassionforSound]

A few have said that the L700 is their preference too. I'll try to get one in for a listen. Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@martinjandijkstra3205]

What I dont understand is the opinion that it can stop too fast. If music stops then the transducer has to stop too. Unlike you prefer additional smear or reasonance, the capability to directly stop after the musics stop is a good thing

[@PassionforSound]

@martinjandijkstra3205 that's only if the music was mixed with a similar setup. Most mixing engineers will be using studio monitors with dynamic drivers so the sound will be mixed to suit how they sounded in the studio. If the headphones behave differently, the sound won't match what it was meant to.

[@trevr10]

A blast from the past reminder for me. Back around 1994 living in Berlin we had a Stax SRM-T1S and Lambda Nova Signatures. At the time they were the best I tested. Being in the Army we could get them tax free making them a really good deal.

[@nothingelse1520]

I'm literally listening to a SRM-T1S right now.

[@PassionforSound]

Very cool

[@thecomiccurator]

Wonderful video, one of the best out there for data and understanding of different tone preferences. Excellent. A few things, first the Topping amp has no voltage protection in the circuits and its purely forced electricity directly into the drivers. Stax has voltage protection though on all their amps and also for example, the Hifiman Jade II amp does not have any voltage protector. These amps are not advised to use on expensive electrostatics. Mjolnir Audio has lots of data on this. Also, buy the SYJ replacement earpads for the 007. I have the same one, the MKII, and I love it with these SYJ replacement pads that fit it perfectly, they alter the sound for the better. You'll see that the stock 007 pads are low quality and have a metal brace that connects into the middle of the driver, it is what causes the ringing sensation on treble now and then. These other pads make the 007 feel more like a 009 with more bass and more warmth. All for $40 or so on the pad replacements. It is worth looking into for $40 or so. I have a Mjolnir 006TA CCS modded amp, and its just absolutely insane for the price with this 007MKII, I prefer this model because it is indeed bassier than the 007A models. Its elegant sounding, but fun, musical, and a tad bassy, with sparkling treble. For me, thats a huge win. It is all powered by either an Xduuo XD05 BAL2, or a Burson Conductor 3, depending on what genre I want to listen to, sometimes the extra bass switch on the Xduoo makes it sound better than the Burson. Please try the SYJ pads if you are able and please do not use the 007 on the Topping for extended usage. It literally has no voltage protector inside, thats why its so cheap.

[@PassionforSound]

Thanks for all the extra info! This is very interesting to someone like me who is new to STAX/estats.

[@s2030081]

SRM-500t seems to be designed to use with the Lambda series. I guess it would be better to pair with L500, L700 in a system building point of view. Some years ago when I build my first electronic system (L500 + srm353x), I am surprised this amp + headphone sounds better in may aspect than my HD800s alone, and with slightly lower price. As for other electronics headphone/system to look out, I think it should not be difficult to tryout SRM-D10 + SR009s in audiophile shows. Yes, there is a T8000, but D10 pair with 009s is actually quite good, if you don't compare it to other desktop Stax amps. The SRM-D10 was actually designed to pair with SR003 mk2. Highly recommended to have a try on D10 + SR003 mk2. The SR003 mk2 can be equipped with CES-A1 and turn into a closed IEM, very interesting and handy idea. It is quite comparable to the kse1200, especially D10+SR003 mk2+CES-A1 is much cheaper. A tip for trying out Stax amp: for mid range and TOTL Stax amps nowadays, there is a bypass mode to bypass the internal volume control. It will make a significant different to the sound. If there is a preamp in front of the Stax amp, highly recommended to try the bypass mode. Remember to turn the preamp's volume to lowest before you turn on bypass mode. Lastly, Stax like tubes. Not just using tube in the headphone amp, try adding a tube preamp to the chain :)

[@PassionforSound]

Thanks for sharing your experiences 🙂

[@karstenjuhljrgensen4338]

Great video and I look forward to hear what you think of the EHA5. I use a 006tII to drive a pair of 009's and bought the EHA5 to drive my old lambda signatures I bought way back in 1994. That was a good call I thought and I was surprised by the quality I got from it, including when it was driving the 009's. So, obviously, I'd like you to review the 009's. In case you need a better argument than my ego-centricism, it should make a good buy for aspiring STAX users on the second hand market I would think.

[@PassionforSound]

Thanks for the tip on the 009s! I've already suggested to the local distributor that we might do more next year and he seemed open to the idea. 🎉🎉

[@philipheath2619]

thanks for that, nice to start with the sound impressions which is what most people tune in for. Regarding Stax, you've started with the most controversial model in the line up. Why?...it seems to split opinion like no other, its tuning is quite different to other Stax, you'll be told by fans you've got the wrong one(should have the unavailable Mk 1 version instead) and you'll also be told you've underpowered it with anything less than 10 giga watt nuclear power station. I think most would probably agree with you in that the 007 don't just don't wow you on first impressions. Looking at other models i'd suggest two options, try the lamda range (say L500 or L700) which would pair well with the srm 500T energiser. this would give a good feel for what a good entry level electrostatic system would offer. id then try the sr 009 to see what a higher level offering can deliver and which would work well with an amp like the srm 700s, or 700t. Id only listen to the x9000 if you can access a range of top quality amps (stax and non stax) as this headphone gives such an open window to the chain that you just end up getting an impression of what that chain is doing ie. if you change the amp or dac etc you get a bigger change than you'd expect. If you're feeling really brave then id get the x9000 and a range of energisers in for review and including the stax 700s and non stax offering like the BHSE, VIVA stx, DIY T2 and tell us once and for all if the stax amps are as bad as some say or if the hype around some of the non stax amps is just hot air. Thanks again for the review.

[@PassionforSound]

Thanks for the feedback and suggestions! I'll definitely try some other models in the future. I chose the 007 because I liked it's sound at the HiFi Show where I tried it, but you're spot on about all the comments. 😂

[@barneyrubble9309]

Got a pair last Year but went in to demo the L700 which , whilst probably the definitive stax experience, was just to brittle sounding and 007mkii was just a more rounded sound. Run mine with a tube preamp through a Mjolnir kgsshv energiser...my end game.

[@PassionforSound]

Glad you're enjoying them. It would be great to try them with a higher end energizer like the Mjolnir.

[@clarkejones8090]

Excellent video, Lachlan. I enjoyed it, thank you. I am pleased you are investigating electro-static headphones/ear speakers and energisers for them. I would like you to try more . I prefer this organisation , with the sound reproduction part and the comparisons coming at or near the beginning. I do not like music being played, even at low volumes, at the same time as someone is speaking to inform /explain and I do not care for so-called "glamour" video of the pieces on review. I do appreciate a close or zoomed-in view of parts such as connections/ports especially if there is something to be said about them. Thank you for comparing the product to a similarly priced dynamic headphone and amp pairing. That was a fine idea. I personally value this aspect of reproduction: truth of timbre to the voice as in speech and to a musical instrument. Regarding note or sound decay . If I recall you mentioned bass. Was this the electric bass instrument? How did the Stax do with acoustic bass? Did you try choral music ? I think we are probably most used to hearing electric instruments being played live with dynamic speakers. So I wonder if the naturalness is music dependent and I wonder if we heard electro-statics more, then they would sound natural or more natural. Regarding the commitment to electro-statics or the financial barrier as even entry level electro-static headphones are relatively expensive and so are energisers (excepting the Topping EHA-5, although this costs substantially more than an entry level amplifier to drive a dynamic or planar headphone ) : I do not see this as very much different from ,say, deciding to buy a picky or hard- to- drive dynamic headphone. You can either not drive it , or not to its potential, from the headphone socket in one's integrated amplifier, from one's smart phone or from the entry -level headphone amplifier that one already has. So you have chosen to buy a relatively expensive and dedicated headphone amplifier to drive this demanding dynamic headphone. Regarding a possible objection to electro-statics on the basis that you can't mix and match or not so much: You can't use your excellent amplifier for dynamic or planar headphones with the electro-static headphones of your choice and there seems to not be a wide variety of affordable and energisers from mainstream manufacturers at this point. Probably true. I sometimes wonder why , in home audio or 2-channel audio, active loudspeakers are not the norm. Is it because one does not get to choose the power amp? Even though the amplifiers in the active loudspeaker are optimised for its drivers? Cheers and Merry Christmas

[@PassionforSound]

Some great points, Clarke! Thanks for the feedback on the video production side of things. I was actually just playing with the idea of adding some very low level music in the background so you might have talked me out of it, but I also might try one video with it as an experiment. Merry Christmas!

[@taidee]

I like the pairing setup (I know the energizer kind of make it necessary) but I like it for other stuff too.

[@PassionforSound]

I've done a bit more of this in a different way for the HiFiMan Prelude review.

[@anthonyclark4569]

Me having just bought a set of Meze Empyrean 2’s - These are End Game! Also me -Electrostatics sound cool!

[@PassionforSound]

I'm keen to try the Empy 2s soon!

[@js4135]

Just so you know, the cables are flat to reduce capacitance for better sound. They are really well made! They have to be heavy duty to take the high voltage. It a stat cable is light, it just means it's low quality :)

[@PassionforSound]

Thanks for the info. I don't question the build quality and went looking for a lightweight cable, but the flat design is ergonomically annoying even if it's done for a good electrical reason.

[@nikolaygramchev]

Very interesting review, bravo! The comparison for me is a bit unfair 😊 - the zmf got quite a solid amp while the 500 for the stax is not enveloping the full potential of the stax 700 mk2 (for that you need a minimum of srm-700t). Nevertheless, that's not criticism but just a notice since, according to me, from stax-700 mk2 up every stax beats any zmf in technicalities, all technicalities; the FR presentation is a matter of taste, of course, and to me, again, stax is more preferred. Suggestion for a future review - a bit of a vintage stax - stax lambda signature, which is one of the best for me.

[@PassionforSound]

Glad you liked the review. Which energizer for around $1,000-1,500 would you recommend instead?

[@nikolaygramchev]

@@PassionforSound Well frankly I cannot. The 700 mk2 is a power hungry set and needs a minimum of a SRM-700t or s. The STAX SRM-500T represents the trickling down of technology from its older and higher priced siblings-SRM-T8000, SRM-700S, SRM-700T. And while they are the same 'family' resemblances, the SRM-500T is not reaching the multi layering and the bass depths, nor the treble heights of its siblings; what it handles well with its frequency range is to be very well rendered and very musical. The 500t is good for the L-series up to L700. That's the 'problem' with Stax headphones - similar to Susvara, if the source power is not enough you do not get the real value. Meanwhile a Stax-700 mk2 + SRM-700t = Susvara in cost (amp for Susvara is minimum minimum a Burson Soloist 3XP or GT up, but that's extra).

[@PassionforSound]

Thanks for the info. I wanted to deliberately keep this first review to an accessible price point so this will help me plan future pairings for review.

[@SomeHandleIGuess]

The Stax 007mk2 in almost every way is a step back from the 007mk1. You can mode some versions of the mod mk2 to get them more in line with how the mk1 sounded. That being said, the 007 isn’t a headphone that will blow your mind on first listen like the l700 or 009 or x9000. It’s a headphone that just sounds good. Over time though I’ve always found myself reaching for it over the other offerings. It should also be noted that if you talk to anyone in the stax community, none of these amps shown can drive the 007. It’s the hardest headphone to drive stax has ever made most recommend something like KGSSHV or better to properly get the most out of them.

[@PassionforSound]

Hopefully I can try some other electrostatics next year.

[@Lost1ntheSauc3]

​@@PassionforSound I hope so too, for your sake as an audiophile. The top-end E-stat offerings are nothing short of astounding. I was not expecting such 'improvement' over similarly high quality Planars and Dynamics. It's really a different world up there.

[@CrazyAboutVinylRecords]

@@Lost1ntheSauc3 Why? Because life just won't be fulfilling without it? What rubbish.

[@carminedesanto6746]

GM ☕️🎄❄️❄️❄️ STAX is the name EVERYONE KNOWS. The frequency graph has the same 4K dip like my LCDX 🤔🤔 4:15 Yes , choose the music that works best with the gear ( music is the software….) Vocals is the key ..does it sound like a person ( particularly female vocals) . Great 👍 video.

[@PassionforSound]

Glad you liked the video. They're definitely a nice headphone, but hard to say if the vocals are truly lifelike.

[@sjqideez6626]

Hey Lachlan, thanks for this but as someone else mentioned both of the amps you have for the review are definitely not driving the 007 properly. It is like the Susvara of the estat world, it needs around 450-600V RMS. It would be great if you could review the Corina, L700 MK2, Shangri-la Jr or CRBN.

[@PassionforSound]

I hope to try more in the future for sure. Which energizer for around $1,000-1,500 would you recommend for the SR007 MK2?

[@sjqideez6626]

@@PassionforSound a KGSSHV is regarded as a “minimum” for the SR-007 but they go for around $2K. So maybe a SRM-717 or a SRM-727, I hope that helps.

[@PassionforSound]

Thanks for the feedback

[@hotspur1974]

Tried the Stax Srm-500t and STAX SR-L700MK2 at the Hifi show in Melbourne last weekend. I gave up listening to iem's in the same weekend. OMG the Stax are end game for me. 😀

[@PassionforSound]

I'm so glad you liked them! It's a nice combo for sure.

[@lupoal4113]

very well done!... just be careful about tubes inside the 500t, those from factory could not be the best choise... I have the 006ts driven a Lambda (wihich is more user friendly as you can switch from the front between three different inpunts) and use 6SN7GTB in it, and so it is completely another league! ... but just from the factory standars to RCA clear top is a step forward ;) ... let me add a feedback from my daily use: for classical music (well recorded like Mercury Living et similar) there is nothing better then Stax!

[@PassionforSound]

Thanks for the extra info!

[@wric01]

Side step the boutique 3k STAX system with TOPPING EHA5 Electrostatic Headphone Amplifier 399 and a 500 used stax or other similar electrostatic headphone.

[@PassionforSound]

The EHA5 is great! That review went live today.

[@LuckyX2]

I have a fun video idea for you: Do a comparison of STAX on a dedicated energizer amp vs using a standard speaker (or high power headphone) amp with a transformer adapter box.

[@PassionforSound]

Do those exist? The whole point of the energizer is to create the bias voltage so I didn't think you could drive a stat in any way that didn't include a proper energizer within the chain.

[@LuckyX2]

@@PassionforSound Yup, they exist. STAX even made one themselves, check out the SRD-7. It includes a circuit for bias as well. Woo Audio also makes one. Best option is making your own with Lundahl transformers but I realize that's a big leap for most people.

[@PassionforSound]

That's good to know! Thanks for the info.

[@pdcragin33]

The Dan Clark electrostatic may offer a different tuning approach that’ll be interesting.

[@PassionforSound]

I'll have to see if I can try them!

[@x32i77]

I would love to see a review of the Warwick acoustics bravura headphone system 🙏🙏🙏 It's still the best sound I've ever heard by a large margin . I heard and own alot of headphones like for example meze Elite, Atrium closed and open , verite open , dca stealth, focal utopia.

[@PassionforSound]

I've tried a few times to get a pair/system in for review, but so far no luck...

[@x32i77]

@@PassionforSound perhaps some friend can get you that unit somehow

[@PassionforSound]

The trick will be finding an Australian viewer or Patreon member who has one.

[@gusduhsjaak4974]

0:07 goodday! Hope that this findsyou well. I wonder about the ‘electricstat’ definition. Ever heard of Wharfdale’s Isodynamic? My two head phones are from 1972 or thereabouts. Kind regards, Gus

[@PassionforSound]

I might be wrong on this because I haven't double checked, but I believe isodynamics are similar to planar magnetics where it's a diaphragm containing a trace (wire) between two magnets and the signal travels through the trace.. This is different from an electrostatic where the whole diaphragm carries a static charge and is then pushed/pulled by the signal passing through the plates on either side of the diaphragm.

[@RX-rd4sc]

Zmf verite vs focal utopia vs zmf caldera What will you choose in order?

[@PassionforSound]

That's tough. Utopia (2022 version) and Caldera are equal and depends on mood / genre. Vérité is a clear third place for me

[@RX-rd4sc]

@@PassionforSound thanks👍

[@LillyAugusta]

STAX SR-L700MK2 would be a good choice for a review; SR-007mk2 seems to be the least one with the electrostatic sound character. Perhaps SR-009 would be a great choice, too... CRBN is definitely one to compare, and there are less-known brands (one-man project, affordable) on the market, which would be great material for a review. If you could get something like KGGSHV Carbon, at least, to pair with those, it would give us (you) a more complete picture of how it really looks (sounds), with their best potential. Cheers!

[@PassionforSound]

I'll see what I can arrange next... 🙂

[@codycast3069]

I would love to hear your take on the Warwick Bravura:)

[@PassionforSound]

Me too! No luck getting one here so far

[@IgorPetruk1989]

The general consensus is that all "omega" STAX, the round ones, are much less "STAX". They are not representative of what is STAX is all about. I highly suggest to use those excellent energizers you have with real STAX - the rectangular ones. For example L700 (high resolution), L300 Limited (the most optimal STAX) or L404 (vintage). With those you would likely immediately say "Now yes, this is different, this is STAX"

[@PassionforSound]

Thanks for that info. I wasn't aware of the round vs rectangular sentiment.

[@chefsteve8381]

As good as the 007 mk2 are, stax went backwards from the mk 1, but for me the real stax sound is the L700mk2...

[@PassionforSound]

You're the second person saying that. I'll see if I can try those next

[@MySpeedVision]

Any chance you’ll be reviewing the JDS Element lll MK2 boosted in the near future?!? 🎁😉 Love your work!

[@PassionforSound]

I'd love to, but so far don't have any access to JDS review units. Glad you like the content!

[@pokrog]

I really want Hifiman to make an HE400es and Edition ES and price them under $500, maybe $300 for the HE400 version and $500 for the Edition. Would really open the market up for people to try electrostatic headphones and given that Hifiman can actually tune things well unlike STAX, they could probably compete with $3000+ electrostats.

[@PassionforSound]

That would be very cool, particular with an affordable energizer like the EHA5.

[@pokrog]

@@PassionforSound Yeah for sure, just not with their built in Himalaya DAC please lol. Also you should EQ those SR-007s and see how the detail is when the treble isn't totally and completely absent.

[@PassionforSound]

They've already gone back, I'm afraid.

[@matthewhilty4209]

As a STAX owner I agree with the sidestep point. IMO STAX are not better than other headphones at their price point. STAX are great for Transparency but not dynamic note weight. I mostly use my STAX L300Limited (A weird Hybrid with a L700 driver with the L300 chassis) for gaming and movies due to their excellent ability to project sounds extremely accurately in the soundfield. If I have a track where there is a lot going on and I want to hear all the layers separated perfectly I use my STAX.

[@PassionforSound]

Thanks for sharing that with us. It's really helpful to better understand the benefits of stats.

[@mikeg2491]

I own quite a few TOTL HPs, Susvara, Utopia, LCD-5 etc. Never owned an electrostat. I took a gamble and got the Hifiman Jade II with the amp since it’s a fabulous entry price and marked down over the years. I know it’s a controversial model but crinacle ranks it high and I figure it will at least give me a flavor of the estat world. TBH while it’s a nice headphone I wasn’t just “blown away” like people say when you put on an estat for the first time. Either I really need to try Stax or my hunch is dynamics & planar tech has just caught up so well over the years that the gulf isn’t so wide anymore as it might have been 20 years ago?

[@PassionforSound]

I have a feeling it's the latter, but I need to test that for myself too. 🙂

[@rsvette123]

Great review thanks for sharing :)

[@PassionforSound]

My pleasure! I'm glad you liked it

[@SuperEnforcer88]

Great review!

[@PassionforSound]

I'm glad you liked it!

[@luigipuno5479]

I am planning to buy dac and amp for my deskstop for gaming and listenning what can you recommend , have you tried ifi products , i was looking to get the ifi neo dsd 2 or something on that price range for my pc desktop what can you recommend?

[@PassionforSound]

I haven't tried the recent iFi products, but they've always been solid in the past. What's your budget and do you want to stick to a single device or would you consider a separate DAC and amp? (And will you be streaming or connecting to a computer as the source?)

[@luigipuno5479]

@@PassionforSound i am in Australia, i would use it for streaming , pc and gaming as well it doesnt matter if it is a single device and stack ? The price of the ifi dsd neo is 1.5k aud

[@PassionforSound]

There's not a lot that will do a better job than the iFi I think at the price (because you're using it to stream as well)

[@luigipuno5479]

@@PassionforSound what can you recommend for me with 1.5k aud limit?

[@luigipuno5479]

If not for streaming 😀

[@sergeantsarge7081]

Is the DCA Corina next?

[@PassionforSound]

I'm not sure which one I'll get next...

[@matthewhilty4209]

If there are any L700 owners out there with recommendations for better sounding and more comfortable aftermarket pads please let me know.

[@radiocalico9124]

Vesper Audio makes custom earpads for a great price. I got some perforated velour ones at nearly double the thickness and it's 🤌

[@PassionforSound]

That's good to know. Thanks!

[@midorihibiki]

Seem like this Stax SR007 Mk2 could be an upgrade from my Sennheiser HD650.

[@PassionforSound]

That could be a really nice step up! It sounds like the choice of energizer might be important with the 007s so make sure to do a little research on that one before pulling the trigger. 🙂

[@andrydeen]

It may be advisable to reconsider listening to 007 on a stronger amplifier, any headphones when they don’t have enough power play many times worse than they should, Susvara or LSD4 if you don’t give them enough power, they sound flat and unemotional, there is no depth and texture of the music. I have an L700 with an amplifier 006t, and I tried the 007 with this amplifier and for me the L700 sounds better, but the 007 with Blue Hawaii is without a doubt better than the L700

[@PassionforSound]

As I said in the video, this is the gear I had available as an entry point option. I'd imagine all Stax sound better on a Blue Hawaii than on a mid tier Stax energizer.

[@rodrigolopez3730]

Z1R or STAX SR?

[@PassionforSound]

I'd take the ZR1

[@nothingelse1520]

The Topping EHA5 will literally shut itself off during bassy songs, multiple users have reported that. That was enough for me to pass on it for my Stax 007 mk2.

[@PassionforSound]

That's not good to hear! I didn't experience that with my unit, but I don't listen particularly loud. Is it volume dependent?

[@nothingelse1520]

@@PassionforSound not sure, a review on Amazon mentions a specific song

[@RaviSharma-sx1ey]

STAX - SR-L700 MK2 sounds much better than this!

[@PassionforSound]

Hopefully I can try those soon

[@maxt.1726]

Hifiman Mini Shangri-La

[@TheAETHER22]

I just want some high end skullhandy headphones. Imagine that rattling bass with high quality drivers

[@andrasnelhiebel6726]

Fostex TH-900

[@TheAETHER22]

@@andrasnelhiebel6726 I saw a review. Not even close

[@PassionforSound]

Apos Caspian?

[@TheAETHER22]

@@PassionforSound I don't think that's the one..I would think it needs to have bass using haptics and high quality massive neo magnets like the headsets you review

[@Peace_Guard]

​@@TheAETHER22 Try the ISK HD9999. Not high end by price, but is engaged in equal fight with my Meze Elites with angled alcantaras. Similar warmer-than-neutral tuning/FR, but with great slam/impact and much better timbre. Everyone should have those.