Hey nice, I spot the Stax SR009, I used to have a pair and loved them! What amp are you using to power those?
KeithR's "Dream Speaker" Search
- Thread starter KeithR
- Start date
No surprise as those two (duos and opus) are not contenders except for each other. I will take 5k tannoy gold and Devore O96 over them
I see a pair of Stax electrostatic headphones. I can't see your amplifier but I believe you can elevate your headphone system.
Possibly, depends which HP amp is used. Top contenders are Blue Hawaii, Hifi Man amps, some others. Sadly Stax's own amps are weak.
It's none of those. It's the Ray Samuels Audio B-21 Raider. It is a limited run of 20 amplifiers with the electrostatic amplifier just amazing. It also has a 2nd full amplifier for dynamics and planars which is also amazing. I will say I am biased as I own serial number 001 but you can do a search and it has been reviewed by The Absolute Sound and some headphone YouTubers.
I should add that as of this weekend, Ray told me there were 4 available and then it's over. He hand assembled each one as if it was going to be his personal unit.
Thanks, I use a Stax T8000. I bought an entire setup used, and it’s been great for 3 years. I’d probably like the Blue Hawaii more but it’s a difficult piece to put on a rack size wise and I don’t feel the need to spend more. The Stax also allows me to use my Nagra as a preamp/remote control.
The Ultime 2 is the best dynamic driver system I’ve heard (see my review a few months ago). It won’t fit in my room nor budget and is a big reason I went with the pricy SX version of the 5.
KeithR's decision process
We are doing a large renovation, but I'm not getting a new listening room. As such, my existing room is only 13' wide and I'm stuck on the short wall as a fireplace is on one side, and an opening to the rest of the house is on the other. I have ~30' depth but really use around 20' due to the dining area behind the audio room. This creates a null in the bass around 50-60hz.
My first option was Cessaro Opus SE with matching dual subs (~$105k). I had heard them at Axpona and was super impressed with the "you are there" soundstage. They also could match my room sitch with the sub flexibility. However I just couldn't escape the fact that i) I'd really want a horn midrange if I'm going horns and ii) just always have been a coherency guy and worried about the myriad of sub adjustments to get there with external ones. I'm not a "fiddle" kind of audiophile, more of a set and forget it one. Also, 4 large boxes in a short wall setting isn't super nice looking (but I could get over that). In the Cessaro line, the Alpha 3 is the real deal - but also $185k and out of budget. I wish Cessaro would bridge the gap with a $100k true horn speaker.
Secondly, I considered the Avantgarde Mezzo (~$115k). My dealer friend Todd on this forum is the AG whisperer in the US and that would have been a huge huge help on such a complicated speaker system. I really enjoyed his Trios with bass horns and after hearing them and Duos at his house, knew the only AG for me would require the Mezzo's short horn for better bass texture and coherence. I stewed on this one quite a bit, but ultimately thought I wanted a bigger room for them. I know horns can be shoehorned into tight spaces, but feel the AGs need room to breathe for me to be 100% positive on the coherency and the Mezzos are a very large speaker system. Also, I was concerned about noise and the need to change amplification which could lead to an entire new electronics search (which after my 10-15 amps over the past 5 years I'm exhausted from). Perhaps my LTA gear would have been ideal and thinking now, I probably should have tried them on Todd's Duos as its an easy 20lb amp to bring over.
Anyways, with a larger room in the future who knows what I would do and perhaps one of the horn options would work better. Then it came back to reading old reviews on this thread and what I was most impressed by - and honestly the Stenheim Ultime 2 was it. I liked the Alumine 5SE very much but knew I needed to get closer to the Ultime 2. That path Stenheim now gives is the SX version with an 80lb base for bass stability (likely good on my short wall predicament), and room adjustment (which I find mandatory on big expensive speakers). The Stenheim also fits my room exceedingly well as its not 30" deep like the Fynes, and the SX version adds 4" in height for greater scale and soundstage. The system is simple, but effective with the room options meeting my criteria. It also didn't require new electronics and I already knew the WestminsterLab REIs were a great match.
Dallas has a great Stenheim dealer in Chris Hesse from Euphoria Hifi and that's all she wrote.
We are doing a large renovation, but I'm not getting a new listening room. As such, my existing room is only 13' wide and I'm stuck on the short wall as a fireplace is on one side, and an opening to the rest of the house is on the other. I have ~30' depth but really use around 20' due to the dining area behind the audio room. This creates a null in the bass around 50-60hz.
My first option was Cessaro Opus SE with matching dual subs (~$105k). I had heard them at Axpona and was super impressed with the "you are there" soundstage. They also could match my room sitch with the sub flexibility. However I just couldn't escape the fact that i) I'd really want a horn midrange if I'm going horns and ii) just always have been a coherency guy and worried about the myriad of sub adjustments to get there with external ones. I'm not a "fiddle" kind of audiophile, more of a set and forget it one. Also, 4 large boxes in a short wall setting isn't super nice looking (but I could get over that). In the Cessaro line, the Alpha 3 is the real deal - but also $185k and out of budget. I wish Cessaro would bridge the gap with a $100k true horn speaker.
Secondly, I considered the Avantgarde Mezzo (~$115k). My dealer friend Todd on this forum is the AG whisperer in the US and that would have been a huge huge help on such a complicated speaker system. I really enjoyed his Trios with bass horns and after hearing them and Duos at his house, knew the only AG for me would require the Mezzo's short horn for better bass texture and coherence. I stewed on this one quite a bit, but ultimately thought I wanted a bigger room for them. I know horns can be shoehorned into tight spaces, but feel the AGs need room to breathe for me to be 100% positive on the coherency and the Mezzos are a very large speaker system. Also, I was concerned about noise and the need to change amplification which could lead to an entire new electronics search (which after my 10-15 amps over the past 5 years I'm exhausted from). Perhaps my LTA gear would have been ideal and thinking now, I probably should have tried them on Todd's Duos as its an easy 20lb amp to bring over.
Anyways, with a larger room in the future who knows what I would do and perhaps one of the horn options would work better. Then it came back to reading old reviews on this thread and what I was most impressed by - and honestly the Stenheim Ultime 2 was it. I liked the Alumine 5SE very much but knew I needed to get closer to the Ultime 2. That path Stenheim now gives is the SX version with an 80lb base for bass stability (likely good on my short wall predicament), and room adjustment (which I find mandatory on big expensive speakers). The Stenheim also fits my room exceedingly well as its not 30" deep like the Fynes, and the SX version adds 4" in height for greater scale and soundstage. The system is simple, but effective with the room options meeting my criteria. It also didn't require new electronics and I already knew the WestminsterLab REIs were a great match.
Dallas has a great Stenheim dealer in Chris Hesse from Euphoria Hifi and that's all she wrote.
Congratulations and happy listening!
Have you ever considered Zellaton speakers? And what are your thoughts about Stenheim vs Zellaton?
I heard Zellaton speakers at the Dallas show and they sounded good on the few tracks I heard. Wonderful presence from the wide bander on Dean Martin. The issue is the one I'd want is the Stage Ultra and it is ~$150k and is an 89db/4ohm speaker - that's not my wheelhouse. Also, there is only a single dealer and he's in NYC.
What's great about Stenheim (which AudioArts used to distribute I'll add) is their dynamic capability, while retaining all the good tone and excellent coherence. It might surprise folks, but they are as dynamic as my 96db Fynes. One of the first things I noticed. I would say the Fynes are more forward, touch more presence as a result. The Alumines are more mid-hall.
Congrats on the new speakers. Any idea what the crossover points are - thanks...
Congratulations Keith. The room has a nice, clean aesthetic. Can you briefly describe how your Stenheims sound different from your former Fynes?
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