For anyone saying I am deleting comments. I am deleting comments that are related to Aurastys. This guy is a pathological liar and has been banned from nearly all online audio communities. I am not deleting them because they are criticism. You post blatantly false information, you get removed. No time for this junk.
@@CriticalTechReviews He's in the audio comm and has opinions that differ from that of max and hphq (the greatest crime), basically just doesn't really like dynamics, while hphq loves them.
One thing I've learned about e-stats is the amp powering them and eq'ing them makes a noticeable difference in the sound you get from them. Have not heard e-stats from an iESL, but from my RME ADI-2 DAC to NAD C275BEE stereo amp with Mjlonir Audio SRD-7 transformer and eq'd for subbass reinforcement (low shelf 3.5dB @ 57Hz with Q1.1, 1.5dB @ 82Hz with Q1.3) the L700 modded L300 Limited I had outdid an Argon Mk3 in subbass presence and midbass punch and wasn't too overshadowed by TH-X00 Purplehearts (actually noticeably punchier in midbass than those Fostex). L300 Limited actually has a little bit more low end punch than the L700, more so once you put the L700 pads on it, and then some when seal the pads. The L700 has a smoother sound with a little higher resolution, while an L300 Limited with L700 pads and headband will have more low end presence and a punchier sound. Differences are not huge though...have to listen back to back to tell the differences... they are very close sounding to each other, and very close in price when you put L700 pads and headband on the L300 Limited. If you heard an L700 one day and and L300 with L700 pads and headband the very next day you would be struggling to come up with any difference between them. The 007 MKII is indeed a jump up from the L700/L300 Limited... more detail and low end subbass presence that I like more than the L300 Limited. But if you want e-stat that does subbass really nice and differently, the STAX 404 Limited is quite a special one. Different sounding than the newer L series, much less bright and warmer overall with smaller sound stage. The subbass does things I've never heard any other headphone do, not even the flagship STAX.... while impact is just very slightly more than the L300 Limited and a little more solid sounding, the resonances and harmonics/separation it brings out in the subbass region makes the 007 MKII sound flat and one-noted in comparison...piano is great to hear what the 404Limited does with subbass intonation. But I don't own estats anymore. While they are really interesting sounding and have great technical performance, I find when having them on my head I don't really listen to the music... more distracted by everything they are presenting and end up just disecting the songs to listen to specific parts of them rather than just enjoying the song. Timbre was not an issue on my setup... sounded natural with the warm NAD amp and eq. I actually would rather listen to my modded TH-X00 Purplehearts or modded Koss Porta Pros most times over the STAX L300 Limited though. Just plain more enjoyable with warmer, fuller, more relaxed highly euphonic sound - especially with the Garage 1217 Project Ember amp and the right tube (like a Mazda 12AU7WA or a Mullard CV4024/12AT7.) Of the estats I owned, I'd put them as follows for overall enjoyment compared to each other: STAX L300 Limited (L700 clone modded) = STAX 404 Limited > Kaldas Research RR1 = Nectar Audio Sound > Koss ESP950 > STAX L300 (do not like) Of estats I've heard, I'd put the STAX 007MkII ahead of everything else, STAX 009 and STAX L700 with the L300 Limited, STAX STAX 207 below the 404 Limited, MrSpeakers Voce with the Kaldas RR1, and Sonoma Model One below the STAX L300 (Sonoma Model One seemed flat/compressed sounding [more like a planar magnetic than an estat] and had REALLY bad cable microphonics).
I've tested every Audeze, Focal, , STAX (including SR-009s) and every Sennheiser including the Orpheus... The best cans I've ever heard in my life were a pair of STAX L700. and the bass was the heaviest, head-slamming, ear-thumping sub-woofer like bass I've ever heard in a pair of headphones. I don't understand the comments about STAX lacking bass.. Maybe the shop I listened to them in had them modified some how..
STAX aren't lacking in bass other than a bit thin in subbass impact - they have excellent low end. With the right amp and EQ they will have nice impact and be extremely punchy, but they will never have the subbass impact level of a Fostex TH-X00 Purpleheart driven off a warm SS amp... that has MASSIVE subbass energy in comparison to most anything else. The Kaldas Research RR1 has a fuller low end than the STAX... it comes the closest to dynamic driver solidity.
Tbh, I don't know how important the energizer is in terms of brand but owning both the l700s and a stax energizer, I have never had any problems with timbre sounding unnatural at all. Bass isn't overdone but sounds tight and responsive. Maybe it's just the energizer, maybe it's different ears for different people. But I own the Stax and they sound better than I think everything else I've listened to
I find that the Stax Lambdas and Omegas can have wonderful, natural timbre and tonality if paired with the right driver. They are picky. I attend classical concerts, play piano, and believe I have a good handle on what acoustical instruments sound like. Stax are a great choice for classical and jazz. I do like some of the newer ortho headphones that friends have, but they are not as natural in the treble in my view. What the reviewer says about the speed and airiness is right on the mark though. Everyone hears things differently so just thought I'd share my opinion.
I personally think that some of the issues related to the sound of this headphone (lack of very fine details in bass and mid, average soundstage and lack of micro dynamics) would go away with a stronger energiser like Carbon or KGSV. What energiser have you used with them for the review? The Stax energisers these days are very underpowered. I went about 3 weeks ago to a local hi-fi store where I had a chance to listen to sr009 with 6tmk2. However as soon as I exceeded volume above 60% they started distort bass so heavily that it was simply unbearable. It's very sad that reviewers don't mention about it because for someone who got used to the Audeze volume levels a basic STAX configuration would not be sufficient. So I personally think if you own a good pair of planar magnetic headphones (anywhere near LCD-2) in order to make a real upgrade with STAX you would then need to invest at least 3000$ in a third party energiser with the adequate power level.
Audeze lc2c is crap in every way. Its colorised sound and poor frequency response. Bad bass and awful treble. I forgot to mention bad build quality. For their not cheap price tag there are many better options.
@@wadimek116 Interesting. I do own Audeze lcd-2 and I can hardly agree even with a single point you have mentioned. I would imagine that lcd-2 clacisc should be very much the same as lcd-2...
@@sebek0311 They cannot be used as studio monitors as other headphones like hd 800 because lcd2c is colorised on bass and trebble. You got no seperation in instruments which is also bad. Not sure why they cost so much. Maybe the better models are better but for now I will step back from this. Also I see why people might enjoy the sound but its still not correct and colorised compared to others. Focals wins in terms of bass accuracy which is almost perfect.
Yeah it seems like the best route to go use these things is to use a Woo WEE or the iESL with a fat speaker amp. According to currawong with the SR-009s and the (6 grand!) T8000s, there's bass slam?! I can't imagine what that'd sound like...
@@amritjanardhanan Im always taking balanced dac and then most accurate amp. So sound profile is flat and I can actualy tell how good speakers or headphones can play.
These EQ very well! Roon has a terrific AutoEQ with MANY headphone presets (most Stax are listed). The un natural quality you refer to goes away once they are EQed. These and most Stax are the go to for both Classical and Jazz (ACOUSTIC MUSIC).
I have a theory why they made them so flimsy: The membrane is very delicate - how do you make people taking care of this properly? make whole headphone flimsy, so you have no choice but to take care of them. I have Stax L300 Limited, love it! I always keep it in a plastic bag, take them carefully in my hand, be mindful of cable.... Do not think of them as headphones, think of them as an audio apparatus. If you love detail in music: all the fuss is sooooo worth it! You hear 10x more then on your typical system. It is like going from old crt television to 4k. About bass - well they do have it, and not just little, there is enough bass - but it is very lean. It has no typical distortion. It only gives you the signal, without the harmonics of large membranes and room. You do not feel the weight of membrane. We are so used to that, the clean bass can sound weird. For me personally it is no issue at all, but i can understand why people can be put off.
Weird frequency response? Are they measured correctly? Can they be measured the same way as traditional headphones? No, these headphones aren't for bassheads. Denon headphones or Ultrasone have very deep hard hitting bass. Even Sennheisser Orpheus doesn't punch hard. If you want to know what sounds correct...compare the sound with actual music instruments (real piano) and not other headphonessystems. Maybe all other headphones are wrong...I am just saying. I am missing a lot of important information and proper research from this review.
My measurements are absolutely within line of other measurements of the L700. And of course I never said these were basshead headphone. When I talk about impact that is more of a result of dynamic range, not amount of bass. Even say a Sennheiser HD650 is not a bassy headphone but it at least has enough DR to have impact. And as for timbre, timbre is how something sounds in relation to how it sounds in real life. So no, when I mentioned things like piano and chimes sounded very off, saying how do I know these are right and other things aren’t isn’t a correct statement. I know these aren’t correct because it doesn’t sound like what it does in real life tonally.
Difference between Pro bias and Normal bias is not only the pins but the pins. as you notice there are 6 wires on the cables but only 5 pins on the socket for pro bias. this bias line was only combined at the the amp to hinder people from sticking normal bias headphones into pro bias sockets which would damage them. pro bias has a 580 Volts output, Normal bias can only withstand 230V.
Using a Mjolner audio Kgsshv carbon with Stax L700 sr 007 and sr 009 transforms the sound , the issue is providing a high enough voltage to power them especially the sr007mk2 .
I was really curious about stax and you just dropped that timbre thing and I'm like thank god I don't have to spend 1500€ hahahah just wanted to ask you, I have a pair of HD600 and the thing I love the most is their natural sound, like you say, their timbre, so what do you think would be a nice next step? To gain a bit more bass and maybe soundstage and detail but remain natural and charming. Great video BTW!
LCD-2 Fazor, but they're way more laid back than the HD600. Not more bassy but more extended for sure. I recommend them with the oratory EQ with your preferred amount of bass shelf.
The old Lambda PRO are better in sub bass. They go straight to low 20hz. They were ordered by Mercedes to get full bass coverage. BUT only with the ED-1 EQ what is made precisely for them.
The same sound as L700? No. There is quite an uograde in going to L700, although the energizer affects the degree of difference. L700 needs at least D50 or 353x.
I compared the L300 with the L500 and the L700 for a long time and came to the conclusion that I liked the sound of the L300 best, especially in the treble range. So I bought the L300. After a few weeks, the headband broke. So I ordered the aluminum headband of the L500 from Japan and am now very satisfied. Compared to the HD800, the DT1990pro and the K712pro, the L300 always wins for me. However, I have to say that I mainly listen to classical music, baroque music, acoustic jazz and American country with it. Music like EDM, which needs more slam in the bass range, sounds best to me with the DT1770pro or the LCD-X.
@@xstx8859 Sure I never said they had good bass extension or sound stage, they are just the benchmark of timbre. I mean better choice for mid-fi depends on what you are going for. HD600 series holds it own fairly well. Personally I would call midfi like over $200 but
I love the potential of estats. Stax in particular. I hate purism, right? Take a pair of Stax and go full fucking ham with an equalizer and listen to the magic happen. On top of that, an energizer alone isn't enough, obviously. A dac and tube amp brings out their full potential. Obviously not everyone has the money for what is widely considered the best amp for these (Blue Hawaii) but if you can add a little color and get a nice dac, and turn up that bass a little, you can solve that estat low-end roll off and add so much color. Stax beg to be played with, and not enough people do so and write off their flaws as an unfixable quirk.
Good review, but these headphones will only match their energizer. The iCan into the iESL is not going to sound good. A great speaker amp into the iESL will sound better, but it you want a full, dynamic frequency response you need a stax energizer.
Went down the stax route. Owned a pair of sr009. Regret it. Sold them. Just get yourself a pair of hd800s if you like that kind of sound and call it a day and save yourself the headaches.
@@dnalekaw4699 you are delusional I owned both side by side for several months and they are more similar than different. Both colder and analytical sounding headphones. The stax aren't worth the extra money especially when you consider the complicity of having an energiser + the potential of drivers failing due to iffy quality control.
That is not correct, the Stax srs-5100 is not a headphone, but a combo of the L500 headphones plus the srm-353X driver unit, and that combo is not for sale anymore (it got replaced by other systems). The L700's are the flagship of the Lambda series.
I liked your review, until you started bashing stax-people. Wtf? I have no experience with "them", but the credibility of your review went flushing down the drain, for sure.
In the communities where I hang on there are Stax fanboys who go around and spew total BS claims like ones I said in the video. Was just saying don't do that.
@@maxsettings7884 Could be, I don't know, but this issue has nothing to do with the headphone review itself. Makes the viewer aware of the biased circumstances of the reviewer, ergo shattering the credibility of the review. You should check out Joshua Valour's video about knowing your reviewer.
@@alexpea22 I wouldn't question the credibility of this review since max and metal571 along with clavinet are the realist reviewers who judge timbre and the realism of sound. You basicly can forget Joshua valour and many others in that regard.
@@drakedoggy103 Realism of sound is subjective, just like realism of a drawing compared to what was drawn. Or the quality of a photo lens. Take apple for example, they have implemented a look-nicer-filter on the front camera. Some hate it, some love it. Realism? Hell no. What about the sound of a kick drum from a drum set. The raw sound can often be bloated, sloppy and weak. We make it better by altering the sound with different mics, positions, cushions, compression, eq and other plug ins. I get that the reviewer find the timbre on these to be strange. I appreciate that information, and will surely check if I feel the same way next time I audition them. Because to me they sounded bloody good without any issues what so ever. Imagine Lew from Unbox Therapy actually badmouthing apple fanboys in a review of an Apple product? Wouldn't look good. He reviews the products, not the fans of the products.
@@drakedoggy103 yea but he tends to just be wrong on timbre and I don't think he really knows how to compare timbre. He mainly mentions timbre to say 600 has "better" timbre than whatever he is reviewing. As someone who's owned one longer than even him I can say it's not the worst timbre mut much more plastic like than many of the headphones he called it better than while some are closer to the "realistic" or "natural" timbre signature most people seek.
For anyone saying I am deleting comments. I am deleting comments that are related to Aurastys. This guy is a pathological liar and has been banned from nearly all online audio communities. I am not deleting them because they are criticism. You post blatantly false information, you get removed. No time for this junk.
Jesus this is some drama on the level of the shit I see in the furry community. Who is Aurastys? All I get on google is a guy who makes music.
@@CriticalTechReviews He's in the audio comm and has opinions that differ from that of max and hphq (the greatest crime), basically just doesn't really like dynamics, while hphq loves them.
I *love* how these look. Like retro future, Bladerunner prop.
All this guy does is complain about eveything. These are literally one of the best headphones on earth
One thing I've learned about e-stats is the amp powering them and eq'ing them makes a noticeable difference in the sound you get from them. Have not heard e-stats from an iESL, but from my RME ADI-2 DAC to NAD C275BEE stereo amp with Mjlonir Audio SRD-7 transformer and eq'd for subbass reinforcement (low shelf 3.5dB @ 57Hz with Q1.1, 1.5dB @ 82Hz with Q1.3) the L700 modded L300 Limited I had outdid an Argon Mk3 in subbass presence and midbass punch and wasn't too overshadowed by TH-X00 Purplehearts (actually noticeably punchier in midbass than those Fostex).
L300 Limited actually has a little bit more low end punch than the L700, more so once you put the L700 pads on it, and then some when seal the pads. The L700 has a smoother sound with a little higher resolution, while an L300 Limited with L700 pads and headband will have more low end presence and a punchier sound. Differences are not huge though...have to listen back to back to tell the differences... they are very close sounding to each other, and very close in price when you put L700 pads and headband on the L300 Limited. If you heard an L700 one day and and L300 with L700 pads and headband the very next day you would be struggling to come up with any difference between them.
The 007 MKII is indeed a jump up from the L700/L300 Limited... more detail and low end subbass presence that I like more than the L300 Limited. But if you want e-stat that does subbass really nice and differently, the STAX 404 Limited is quite a special one. Different sounding than the newer L series, much less bright and warmer overall with smaller sound stage. The subbass does things I've never heard any other headphone do, not even the flagship STAX.... while impact is just very slightly more than the L300 Limited and a little more solid sounding, the resonances and harmonics/separation it brings out in the subbass region makes the 007 MKII sound flat and one-noted in comparison...piano is great to hear what the 404Limited does with subbass intonation.
But I don't own estats anymore. While they are really interesting sounding and have great technical performance, I find when having them on my head I don't really listen to the music... more distracted by everything they are presenting and end up just disecting the songs to listen to specific parts of them rather than just enjoying the song. Timbre was not an issue on my setup... sounded natural with the warm NAD amp and eq. I actually would rather listen to my modded TH-X00 Purplehearts or modded Koss Porta Pros most times over the STAX L300 Limited though. Just plain more enjoyable with warmer, fuller, more relaxed highly euphonic sound - especially with the Garage 1217 Project Ember amp and the right tube (like a Mazda 12AU7WA or a Mullard CV4024/12AT7.)
Of the estats I owned, I'd put them as follows for overall enjoyment compared to each other: STAX L300 Limited (L700 clone modded) = STAX 404 Limited > Kaldas Research RR1 = Nectar Audio Sound > Koss ESP950 > STAX L300 (do not like)
Of estats I've heard, I'd put the STAX 007MkII ahead of everything else, STAX 009 and STAX L700 with the L300 Limited, STAX STAX 207 below the 404 Limited, MrSpeakers Voce with the Kaldas RR1, and Sonoma Model One below the STAX L300 (Sonoma Model One seemed flat/compressed sounding [more like a planar magnetic than an estat] and had REALLY bad cable microphonics).
I've tested every Audeze, Focal, , STAX (including SR-009s) and every Sennheiser including the Orpheus... The best cans I've ever heard in my life were a pair of STAX L700. and the bass was the heaviest, head-slamming, ear-thumping sub-woofer like bass I've ever heard in a pair of headphones. I don't understand the comments about STAX lacking bass.. Maybe the shop I listened to them in had them modified some how..
STAX aren't lacking in bass other than a bit thin in subbass impact - they have excellent low end. With the right amp and EQ they will have nice impact and be extremely punchy, but they will never have the subbass impact level of a Fostex TH-X00 Purpleheart driven off a warm SS amp... that has MASSIVE subbass energy in comparison to most anything else. The Kaldas Research RR1 has a fuller low end than the STAX... it comes the closest to dynamic driver solidity.
Tbh, I don't know how important the energizer is in terms of brand but owning both the l700s and a stax energizer, I have never had any problems with timbre sounding unnatural at all. Bass isn't overdone but sounds tight and responsive. Maybe it's just the energizer, maybe it's different ears for different people. But I own the Stax and they sound better than I think everything else I've listened to
I find that the Stax Lambdas and Omegas can have wonderful, natural timbre and tonality if paired with the right driver. They are picky. I attend classical concerts, play piano, and believe I have a good handle on what acoustical instruments sound like. Stax are a great choice for classical and jazz. I do like some of the newer ortho headphones that friends have, but they are not as natural in the treble in my view. What the reviewer says about the speed and airiness is right on the mark though. Everyone hears things differently so just thought I'd share my opinion.
Stax uses ribbon cables with spaces between each wire to reduce resistive capacitance.
The metall in mk2 version is aluminium !
I personally think that some of the issues related to the sound of this headphone (lack of very fine details in bass and mid, average soundstage and lack of micro dynamics) would go away with a stronger energiser like Carbon or KGSV.
What energiser have you used with them for the review? The Stax energisers these days are very underpowered.
I went about 3 weeks ago to a local hi-fi store where I had a chance to listen to sr009 with 6tmk2. However as soon as I exceeded volume above 60% they started distort bass so heavily that it was simply unbearable. It's very sad that reviewers don't mention about it because for someone who got used to the Audeze volume levels a basic STAX configuration would not be sufficient.
So I personally think if you own a good pair of planar magnetic headphones (anywhere near LCD-2) in order to make a real upgrade with STAX you would then need to invest at least 3000$ in a third party energiser with the adequate power level.
Audeze lc2c is crap in every way. Its colorised sound and poor frequency response. Bad bass and awful treble. I forgot to mention bad build quality. For their not cheap price tag there are many better options.
@@wadimek116 Interesting. I do own Audeze lcd-2 and I can hardly agree even with a single point you have mentioned. I would imagine that lcd-2 clacisc should be very much the same as lcd-2...
@@sebek0311 They cannot be used as studio monitors as other headphones like hd 800 because lcd2c is colorised on bass and trebble. You got no seperation in instruments which is also bad. Not sure why they cost so much. Maybe the better models are better but for now I will step back from this. Also I see why people might enjoy the sound but its still not correct and colorised compared to others. Focals wins in terms of bass accuracy which is almost perfect.
Yeah it seems like the best route to go use these things is to use a Woo WEE or the iESL with a fat speaker amp. According to currawong with the SR-009s and the (6 grand!) T8000s, there's bass slam?! I can't imagine what that'd sound like...
@@amritjanardhanan Im always taking balanced dac and then most accurate amp. So sound profile is flat and I can actualy tell how good speakers or headphones can play.
those hd800s look really... weird :/
These EQ very well! Roon has a terrific AutoEQ with MANY headphone presets (most Stax are listed). The un natural quality you refer to goes away once they are EQed. These and most Stax are the go to for both Classical and Jazz (ACOUSTIC MUSIC).
I have a theory why they made them so flimsy: The membrane is very delicate - how do you make people taking care of this properly? make whole headphone flimsy, so you have no choice but to take care of them. I have Stax L300 Limited, love it! I always keep it in a plastic bag, take them carefully in my hand, be mindful of cable.... Do not think of them as headphones, think of them as an audio apparatus. If you love detail in music: all the fuss is sooooo worth it! You hear 10x more then on your typical system. It is like going from old crt television to 4k.
About bass - well they do have it, and not just little, there is enough bass - but it is very lean. It has no typical distortion. It only gives you the signal, without the harmonics of large membranes and room. You do not feel the weight of membrane. We are so used to that, the clean bass can sound weird. For me personally it is no issue at all, but i can understand why people can be put off.
Weird frequency response? Are they measured correctly? Can they be measured the same way as traditional headphones?
No, these headphones aren't for bassheads. Denon headphones or Ultrasone have very deep hard hitting bass. Even Sennheisser Orpheus doesn't punch hard.
If you want to know what sounds correct...compare the sound with actual music instruments (real piano) and not other headphonessystems. Maybe all other headphones are wrong...I am just saying.
I am missing a lot of important information and proper research from this review.
My measurements are absolutely within line of other measurements of the L700. And of course I never said these were basshead headphone. When I talk about impact that is more of a result of dynamic range, not amount of bass. Even say a Sennheiser HD650 is not a bassy headphone but it at least has enough DR to have impact. And as for timbre, timbre is how something sounds in relation to how it sounds in real life. So no, when I mentioned things like piano and chimes sounded very off, saying how do I know these are right and other things aren’t isn’t a correct statement. I know these aren’t correct because it doesn’t sound like what it does in real life tonally.
I’d really like to see reviews on the 007 or 009.
Are these just not making the review circuit? I don’t see too many folks talking about them.
I actually might be doing that in the next few months. Have a possible lead on a 007 and 009.
Hi Max
Can you please make review on the argons MK3 ?
And what is the best pads for it ?
I will if someone offers a set for review.
@@maxsettings7884
I hope that because i am thinking in buying one but i am waiting for your review
Difference between Pro bias and Normal bias is not only the pins but the pins. as you notice there are 6 wires on the cables but only 5 pins on the socket for pro bias. this bias line was only combined at the the amp to hinder people from sticking normal bias headphones into pro bias sockets which would damage them. pro bias has a 580 Volts output, Normal bias can only withstand 230V.
Using a Mjolner audio Kgsshv carbon with Stax L700 sr 007 and sr 009 transforms the sound , the issue is providing a high enough voltage to power them especially the sr007mk2 .
haii max..what gain ican and impedance iesl for L700?
I was really curious about stax and you just dropped that timbre thing and I'm like thank god I don't have to spend 1500€ hahahah just wanted to ask you, I have a pair of HD600 and the thing I love the most is their natural sound, like you say, their timbre, so what do you think would be a nice next step? To gain a bit more bass and maybe soundstage and detail but remain natural and charming. Great video BTW!
LCD-2 Fazor, but they're way more laid back than the HD600. Not more bassy but more extended for sure. I recommend them with the oratory EQ with your preferred amount of bass shelf.
Am really loving those Senns HD800S in Red profiling...
Having shoddy build quality at that price is inexcusable, i don't care if they sound like a choir of angels singing in your ears
The old Lambda PRO are better in sub bass. They go straight to low 20hz. They were ordered by Mercedes to get full bass coverage. BUT only with the ED-1 EQ what is made precisely for them.
I think you’d really like the 007mk1
Stax L300 limited are incredible same sound as L700 just a lot cheaper in my opinion they beat any dynamic moving coil headphone
The same sound as L700? No. There is quite an uograde in going to L700, although the energizer affects the degree of difference. L700 needs at least D50 or 353x.
I compared the L300 with the L500 and the L700 for a long time and came to the conclusion that I liked the sound of the L300 best, especially in the treble range. So I bought the L300. After a few weeks, the headband broke. So I ordered the aluminum headband of the L500 from Japan and am now very satisfied. Compared to the HD800, the DT1990pro and the K712pro, the L300 always wins for me. However, I have to say that I mainly listen to classical music, baroque music, acoustic jazz and American country with it. Music like EDM, which needs more slam in the bass range, sounds best to me with the DT1770pro or the LCD-X.
Which headphones do you consider having good timbre? Does the he-500 have good timbre?
What do you mean about the timber sound ?
HE500 leans a bit plasticky. HD600 series always been the benchmark of timbre.
@@maxsettings7884 but hd 600 series lack base extension and don't have big soundstage. Is there some better choice for mid-fi?
@@xstx8859 Sure I never said they had good bass extension or sound stage, they are just the benchmark of timbre. I mean better choice for mid-fi depends on what you are going for. HD600 series holds it own fairly well. Personally I would call midfi like over $200 but
@@maxsettings7884 between all the headphones you mentioned which one you consider the best except aiva and verum ?
I tried these and didn't like them. They're quick but they sound so hollow to me. And sounds so unnatural.
I could see that being a problem for some. Some people actually like that kind of sound though. So like I said this one is going to be pretty split.
I love the potential of estats. Stax in particular. I hate purism, right? Take a pair of Stax and go full fucking ham with an equalizer and listen to the magic happen. On top of that, an energizer alone isn't enough, obviously. A dac and tube amp brings out their full potential. Obviously not everyone has the money for what is widely considered the best amp for these (Blue Hawaii) but if you can add a little color and get a nice dac, and turn up that bass a little, you can solve that estat low-end roll off and add so much color. Stax beg to be played with, and not enough people do so and write off their flaws as an unfixable quirk.
Good review, but these headphones will only match their energizer. The iCan into the iESL is not going to sound good. A great speaker amp into the iESL will sound better, but it you want a full, dynamic frequency response you need a stax energizer.
Hilarious description of the Stax community, so true. And I say this as a Stax listener.
I mean frankly I don’t really like the entire headphone community as a whole because you know people are crazy 😂 So I guess I just hate everyone.
Beats boy . stax are the best once you hear it you never forget.check you hearing ability. I love my stax 700 !
I was just able to hear them all back to back... think my list goes l300 ltd》L700 > l500 in this series.
seal port, flat bass
Bismillah
You sound like you would love the Denon ah-d 9200.
Zeos fanboys are gonna dislike your videos a lot
Ha probably.
I don't! I always like different perspectives.
Love Zeos
Went down the stax route. Owned a pair of sr009. Regret it. Sold them. Just get yourself a pair of hd800s if you like that kind of sound and call it a day and save yourself the headaches.
I recommend the hd 650 over the hd 800 for real
@@davidmason8212 They are completely different and do not compare with the 800s or 009 when concerning technicalities at all.
@@dnalekaw4699 you are delusional I owned both side by side for several months and they are more similar than different. Both colder and analytical sounding headphones. The stax aren't worth the extra money especially when you consider the complicity of having an energiser + the potential of drivers failing due to iffy quality control.
You can argue the 009 are superior but I'd rather have the hd800s plus money for a high end tube amp and still have change afterwards
@Kasper Suomalainen muddy and mushy are words I'd not associate with hd800.
Actually Staxs l5100 are the flagship of this series But super great review man!!!!
That is not correct, the Stax srs-5100 is not a headphone, but a combo of the L500 headphones plus the srm-353X driver unit, and that combo is not for sale anymore (it got replaced by other systems). The L700's are the flagship of the Lambda series.
I liked your review, until you started bashing stax-people. Wtf? I have no experience with "them", but the credibility of your review went flushing down the drain, for sure.
In the communities where I hang on there are Stax fanboys who go around and spew total BS claims like ones I said in the video. Was just saying don't do that.
@@maxsettings7884 Could be, I don't know, but this issue has nothing to do with the headphone review itself. Makes the viewer aware of the biased circumstances of the reviewer, ergo shattering the credibility of the review. You should check out Joshua Valour's video about knowing your reviewer.
@@alexpea22 I wouldn't question the credibility of this review since max and metal571 along with clavinet are the realist reviewers who judge timbre and the realism of sound.
You basicly can forget Joshua valour and many others in that regard.
@@drakedoggy103 Realism of sound is subjective, just like realism of a drawing compared to what was drawn. Or the quality of a photo lens. Take apple for example, they have implemented a look-nicer-filter on the front camera. Some hate it, some love it. Realism? Hell no. What about the sound of a kick drum from a drum set. The raw sound can often be bloated, sloppy and weak. We make it better by altering the sound with different mics, positions, cushions, compression, eq and other plug ins. I get that the reviewer find the timbre on these to be strange. I appreciate that information, and will surely check if I feel the same way next time I audition them. Because to me they sounded bloody good without any issues what so ever. Imagine Lew from Unbox Therapy actually badmouthing apple fanboys in a review of an Apple product? Wouldn't look good. He reviews the products, not the fans of the products.
@@drakedoggy103 yea but he tends to just be wrong on timbre and I don't think he really knows how to compare timbre. He mainly mentions timbre to say 600 has "better" timbre than whatever he is reviewing. As someone who's owned one longer than even him I can say it's not the worst timbre mut much more plastic like than many of the headphones he called it better than while some are closer to the "realistic" or "natural" timbre signature most people seek.