Topic: Stax SRS-002 (003) Impressions updated; comparisons pending (Read 14498 times)

Anaxilus. · « **on:** January 18, 2013, 02:39:08 AM »

Initial impressions:

Fit is going to be tricky for folks not used to these. Small ears beware
Tried deep insertion (to the extent possible) and using the tragus/anti-tragus to lock them in place. Works but not the best comfort or sound.
Requires a dangling type of fit where the tips barely attach the housing to the canal. Done right, they should be light enough to stay fixed w/o falling out.
Did not like the sound the first day or two. Mids congested and muffled, unresolving, lacking detail across the FR.
By the third day, either I nailed the fit, the amp broke in, the drivers charged or any combination occurred and they started producing enjoyable melodies.
Need to drive these from a serious stat amp to see how much this amp is holding them back, I presume a decent amount based on relative detail extraction and performance across various volumes compared to my typical portable rig.
Not going to try that headband, looks like a scalping device. Why not ear hooks?
Slight channel imbalance on pot at lowest audible volume.
Pretty decent bass response, much more than I was expecting from a portable Stax.
Mids are clear and sharp but not to the clarity of the IE800 or euphony of the ES5. Seem 'accurate' but unromantic. I am not seduced by the vocals.
Certainly quick and clean signature but not artificially doped like some dynamics that roll off the low end to fake resolution (thin RE-0/272, Shure flagships).
Treble is largely polite and inoffensive but jury is still out on naturalness. Not sure if cymbal crashes have the proper weight and shimmer yet.
There is a treble or upper mid peak somewhere that can lead to fatigue over time at louder volumes. Nothing compared to most analytical BA signatures or the EX1000 though.
Strings sound nice and quick, plucky. Less weighty than BAs.
I think the signature is cleaner on eco mode but a tad less dynamic in the low end. Maybe there is a slight gain diff, don't think so. We'll see what measurements reveal.
Flaws in recordings fleshed out by the UERM and HD800 are better reconciled/forgiven on the 002. Not necessarily masked/hidden in the way other phones do.
SS seems nice and open compared to sealed IEMs but imaging is no the cleanest or sharpest. I wonder if the IR has some of the hash from the 003.

Summary observations:

So far I have to say the 002 is not the greatest IEM (it is an 'earspeaker' so perhaps unique and incomparable in a sense) I have ever heard but it does a lot right and has a plethora of unique features w/o any real sins of commission. A typical Stax trait I personally observe as the driving force behind most of their appeal. That of being more than a jack of all trades though short of master of all despite what many often suggest. Nothing in the experience immediately pisses you off, assuming you get a proper, comfy fit (big caveat). Uniquely, no other earphone has in combination zero isolation providing complete ambient awareness, is totally open, retains this level of low volume dynamics and clarity, and asserts little to no inner ear canal pressure. This is definitely more comfy on the ear drum then the typical pressurized environment of a custom shell. Though not initially 'wowed' these are slowly winning me over with what they do right. I can't say the same for most of the gear I've sampled over the l ast year or so. It's been awhile since I've had a new toy that keeps me listening to the music, especially when head-bobbing at 35-40dB! This is the best low volume listening IEM I have heard yet for my tastes (FX700, K3003, briefly IE800 included).

Comparisons w/ the UERM and ES5 to follow....

Some picks of tip rolling. Best I've gotten for my ears so far. As one can see from the top pic, the stock flanges are little more than black silicone washers. This is just to show that alternatives are possible.

wilzc · « **Reply #1 on:** January 18, 2013, 03:02:27 AM »

Had my eye on these ever since my HeirAudio 8.A died.

AstralStorm · « **Reply #2 on:** January 18, 2013, 03:12:53 AM »

Measurements would be nice.

Also, what are the dimensions, e.g. nozzle length and diameter? The huge driver bulge looks quite uncomfortable.

anetode · « **Reply #3 on:** January 18, 2013, 04:16:34 AM »

The previous version was even worse in terms of molding. Listening to them I felt... violated

I can send in the old version for measurements, see if there's anything to this newfangled material Stax has switched to.

Cristello · « **Reply #4 on:** January 18, 2013, 04:52:23 AM »

Are those tips from the IEM that came with your Nokia N8?

Anaxilus. · « **Reply #5 on:** January 18, 2013, 06:20:56 AM »

Quote from: anetode on January 18, 2013, 04:16:34 AM

The previous version was even worse in terms of molding. Listening to them I felt... violated

I can send in the old version for measurements, see if there's anything to this newfangled material Stax has switched to.

That would be great! We'll run the full suite.

No, those are big honking Meelec single flanges.

MuppetFace · « **Reply #6 on:** January 18, 2013, 07:07:11 AM »

Like I said in the shoutbox, I was having fit problems too. Weirdly the old Stax tips work a lot better for me than the new ones.

The little amp is decent, but man the performance of these is impressive out of a bigger amp. I also tried swapping the cables and using my older SR-003 on the portable, and these newer ones out of a pro bias jack.

shipsupt · « **Reply #7 on:** January 18, 2013, 08:03:47 AM »

The wait only gets worse when you guys post impressions, ha. Soon, soon...

Anyone play around with "economy" mode and see what change it's making in the sound?

Anaxilus. · « **Reply #8 on:** January 18, 2013, 08:22:53 AM »

Quote from: shipsupt on January 18, 2013, 08:03:47 AM

The wait only gets worse when you guys post impressions, ha. Soon, soon...

Anyone play around with "economy" mode and see what change it's making in the sound?

Yes, from limited intermittent use today, I'd say bass. In full mode the bass becomes more fleshed out. I was listening to some Godsmack and noticed the bass seemed a little softer than when listening earlier. I realized I was in econo mode and flipped the switch and it was fixed. Some adverse to bass might like the sound in econo mode better. At louder volumes, normal mode seemed a bit less refined than econo, I'll have to check distortion between the two modes. Becomes difficult to tell after psychoacoustic adjustment of course..

Anaxilus. · « **Reply #9 on:** January 19, 2013, 03:37:34 AM »

Impressions updated. Comparos to follow.

Author Topic: Stax SRS-002 (003) Impressions updated; comparisons pending (Read 14498 times)

Anaxilus.

Stax SRS-002 (003) Impressions updated; comparisons pending

wilzc

Re: Stax SR-002 (003) Impressions pending

AstralStorm

Re: Stax SR-002 (003) Impressions pending

anetode

Re: Stax SR-002 (003) Impressions pending

Cristello

Re: Stax SR-002 (003) Impressions pending

Anaxilus.

Re: Stax SR-002 (003) Impressions pending

MuppetFace

Re: Stax SR-002 (003) Impressions pending

shipsupt

Re: Stax SR-002 (003) Impressions pending

Anaxilus.

Re: Stax SR-002 (003) Impressions pending

Anaxilus.

Re: Stax SR-002 (003) Impressions pending

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Author Topic: Stax SRS-002 (003) Impressions updated; comparisons pending (Read 14498 times)

Cristello