Article: Review: Stax SR-L300 Electrostatic Headphones

[Sonis]

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[Sonis]

3 hours ago, davide256 said:

Are they able to handle full  dynamic range? The Stax headphones I've listened to didn't do better than "polite" volume, weren't a good choice for full orchestra and

Wagnerian opera

Even if you like your hearing damaged, the SR-L300 will do it for you! Of course, this has a lot to do with what amplifier/energizer one uses. For instance, the HiFiMan Jade2 amp won’t drive the phones as loudly as will Stax’s own, new, SRM-700T amp, but still, the HiFIMan amp will certainly drive them as loudly as I would ever want to drive them.

[Sonis]

Good News! Stax informed me, just this AM, that the Stax SRS-3100 system (a pair of SR-L300 phones bundled with a dedicated SRM-252S amplifier/energizer) will be available for sale here in the USA in the second half of this year for around US$800. This means that one will no longer have to buy this combination “gray-market” from Japan through Amazon/AmazingJapan, or various overseas E-bay resellers.

[Sonis]

2 hours ago, k-man said:

And since 2017, from this review (giving details of the UK distributor). When where these made?

The phones and the amp/energizer are still being made. They simply don’t sell them, at the moment, in North America. So your question is somewhat puzzling. There’s no way to tell exactly when they were made. But I guess they get new stock when the GB importer/distributor runs low....

I read the Hi-Fi+ article you referenced. I need to make it clear that my experience is with the SR-L300 using the new Stax SRM-700T (for Tube) amplifier/energizer, and the HiFiMan Jade 2 amplifier/energizer. I have no experience with the SRS-252S amp/energizer at all. I’ve never even seen one, much less heard one. But the choice of amplifier/energizer has an awful lot to do with how these phones sound. The new $3400 SRM-700T definitely make these (and indeed, any ES phones) sit up and do tricks. And while the HiFiMan Jade 2 amp/energizer sounds very good, the SR-L300s don’t play as loudly through it as through the Stax amp, and the Stax amp has slightly better bass. So, what I’m saying is that really one has to view any ES phone set-up as a system. You have to get both parts right for best performance. When Stax re-introduces the SRS-252S to the US market later this year, they are going to send me one, and I will revisit the amp/phone interface at that time. So, Stay tuned.

[Sonis]

9 hours ago, bluesman said:

Great piece!  FWIW, Stax cushions have always seemed a bit thinner & more fragile in feel than most others. They actually glued themselves together on my SRX Mk 3s after being left unused for a few months when we built our house & moved.

 

Thanks for the info & its articulate presentation!

I’m given to understand that replacing the SR-L300’s included ear pads with those from the SR-L700, or an aftermarket thicker and better pad will increase the bass response of these phones by a goodly amount. Haven’t tried it myself, however.

[Sonis]

1 hour ago, ednaz said:

Right out of films about 2040 that were made in 1980.

?????????!!!!!

[Sonis]

1 hour ago, davide256 said:

mm

I like the fact that the SRM-252 energizer is 12Vdc/4W, means one can power it with a JS-2.

That’s a legitimate reason to be interested in that solution, I suspect. 

[Sonis]

1 hour ago, ednaz said:

Design.

You mean the shape? Well, both the older Sigma series Stax phones (with the angled ES elements) and the Lambda series (like the SR-L300) use the rectangular ear cups. While I agree that they might look clumsy, they are functional and quite comfortable.

[Sonis]

14 hours ago, ca95f said:

I'd be interested in a comparison with Massdrop's version of Koss's 950s the so called esp/95x. At $500 including the energiser, they currently are the electrostats to get...

 

Can’t help you there. I’ve seen only pictures of the Koss, I’ve never actually seen a pair, much less heard one. But the nonstandard connector puts me off. It means you can only power these with the supplied energizer, and if it isn’t the best sounding way to power them (and I’m not saying it isn’t), you are stuck. 

[Sonis]

4 hours ago, jtnt said:

We had these and the top of the line SR-009s at Capital Audiofest paired with our Z10e electrostatic headphone amp, and there were more than a few people who preferred the SR-L300. Goes to show, follow your ears not the price tag.

 

~Nicholas from LTA

I’m not saying that the SR-L300 is in any way better than the SR-009s phones, I’m merely saying that the SR-L300 is closer to the quality of the SR-009s than the price point would indicate as being possible. The 009s are about 10X the price of the L300s, but the former aren’t even really twice as good! It certainly is true that the flagship model is better made, with higher-quality materials than the SR-L300, but sound wise, both are excellent, albeit in different ways.

[Sonis]

51 minutes ago, Musicophile said:

Interesting thanks for the review. Any comparison possible to the Sennheiser HD800?
 

I’ve always wanted a Stax since I first heard one back in the 1980s, so I’m tempted to get these to complement my HD800. 

Very different headphones. As it happens, I have compared the Stax SR-L300 directly to the Sennheiser HD-800. The 800s are good, but directly compared, are a much cruder presentation. They have more “slam” and are probably better for rock, but the Stax have less distortion, better top-end presentation, and a more natural midrange. On the bottom, because of the dynamic phone’s larger diaphragm area and longer excursion, the bass sounds “bigger” with the HD-800, but the bass is slower and doesn’t go as deep as the Stax. The Stax also images better.

[Sonis]

8 hours ago, MeiSh5am said:

You're not stuck, adapters are available to connect the Koss ESP to any STAX Pro bias energizer, although those are costly in comparison to the entire Koss kit. Still, the Koss is probably among the most economical ways to start with electrostatics.

Thanks for the info. I wasn’t aware that connector adapters were available to allow a pair of Koss ESP to be powered by a Stax “pro” compatible amplifier. Could you point us to one of these adapters? Much appreciated.

[Sonis]

2 hours ago, Musicophile said:

So I just went to my local headphone dealer and tested out the L300 and L500, on a nice chain with my IPhone with Qobuz app and highres material feeding a Chord Hugo 2 into a Stax SRM-727 II. 
 

I agree that both are very good, and in a certain sense “better” than my HD800. But I now know I could never buy them, they are just terribly uncomfortable on my head, even the L500 with the faux leather pads. 
 

I’m sorry but headphones unlike speakers are always a compromise between SQ and comfort. For example, I didn’t buy the Audeze LCD-3 as they are far to heavy. I can wear the HD800 for hours without any fatigue.

 

Slightly OT, while at said Hi-Fi shop I also tested the Focal Clear, the Dan Clark AEON2 and the Hifiman Arya, all Sorgen directly off the Hugo 2.
 

I could see myself buying the Aryas. 

You are right, headphones are a very personal buying decision, and comfort is a big component in that decision. For instance, I don’t find the Stax Lambda series to be at all uncomfortable and due to the lightness of these phones, I find that I can wear them for hours without fatigue. But as you found out, YMMV!

[Sonis]

22 minutes ago, MeiSh5am said:

 

Just google "koss stax adapter," that should return various offers, most of them on ebay.

https://fongaudio.com/store/default/headphones-31/koss-esp-950-to-stax-5-pin-adapter-cable.html

https://www.ebay.com/itm/254193539126

Expensive little suckers, aren’t they? Thanks for the info!