General Asylum: REVIEW: Stax SR5/SR6 Headphones by Jeff B

While this particular model is no longer available, there certainly are new and improved ones out there. And while the retail of electrostatic headphones are higher than the stand alone dynamic headphone models, great discounts on new old stock can be had through one of the Stax North American distributors, Morishita and Associates, who are in Canada. For example, my set retailed for about $750, I bought the set new for $275. Definitely in line with better traditional headphones.

Well now the review:

There is alot to be said for planar and electrostatic type of drivers. The sound coming out of them are extremely quick, and coherent from top to bottom. Reproduction is liquid, detailed, and even from top to bottom. Their is no better transparency available than from these type of music reproducers.

While electrostatic speakers are quite expensive, electrostatic headphones are not as pricey, particularly if this might be your only means of listening. They do retail for more than, say, a Senneheiser 600, itself considered as good as it gets in traditional designs and they only cost $350. However, the headphone jacks on amps are not usually of high quality so you're limiting what is possible with those phones. The answer to that problem? An external headphone amplifier like those from Headroom or Creek or the like. The good ones, however, jack up the cost, so we're not just looking at $350.

This brings the Stax closer in cost. With Stax phones, you're actually getting two pieces. One is the headphones themselves. The second is the driver. The driver actually plugs into the speaker terminals in your amp. This means you're using the high quality output of the amp, not the headphone jack. Electrostats require high voltage to run, so the driver also acts to jack up the voltage. When you purchase Stax phones, you purchase the headphones and you purchase the driver. There are varying quality drivers. A number of solid state ones, and a number of tube drivers.

My set is close to the bottom of the line in each. I don't do a ton of listening through phones, but I wanted to recreate the quality I get with my Magnepans. These are very easy and non-fatiguing to listen to. In some ways, they are hyper-detailed. This is not to say that they are bright. They are not. It's just that you will hear everything on that record, CD, or tape. Every breath, strum, mistake, harmony. It will be as good as everything upstream allows. Some say that using these is the best way to check turntable tweaks because they will reveal every little thing.

I have heard the Sennheiser 600's through an external headphone amp. They do not compare to the Stax. Nothing does. There is an openness and liquidity that can't compare to electrostatics. You might have heard that once you own Magnepans, you don't go back to traditional speakers. These are the same way. Interesting, the one downside to these is that they don't quite have the same slam as traditional headphones (Sound familiar to the Magnepan discussions?). You're trading in quickness for sheer ability to move alot of air. Quality for quantity. Choices!

Now about the price I got. Now, I have seen the obsolete Stax products occasionally on Audio Advisor's site. I bought a discounted headphone extension cable. Retailed for $100. I bought it for $49. Morishita sells it for about $80.

Meanwhile, while YEI in California sells the new products as does Morishita & Associates, Morishita also has had the obsolete models brand new for cheap, cheap, cheap.

Here is the information for them:

North America
Morishita & Associates Limited
#713-2895 Derry Raod East
Mississauga, Ontrio L4T 1A6
Canada
Tel 1-416-244-6200
Fax 1-416-246-0829
E-mail info@morishita.net
http://www.morishita.net
Mr. Harold Morishita

REVIEW: Stax SR5/SR6 Headphones Review by Jeff B at Audio Asylum