Stax vs Audeze

[Boerd]

I have a Beyer Manufaktur 880 (32 ohms) driven by a Benchmark HDR.
They are very good. I am very pleased with them.
In my opinion any dynamic headphone would be an incremental improvement (if any).
But, upgraditis kicks in once in a while

Are electrostatic/orthodynamic headphones worth the money?
Is one of them better?

Cons:
Stax are not mobile - you're tied to a bulky amp.
Durability is a question mark for both (???). The membrane is in both cases microns - isn't that fragile?
Manufacturing consistence - I've seen measurements on both that are way worse than others ...
Check this for measurements Headphone Data Sheet Downloads | InnerFidelity

Pros:
The measurements between 20-200 Hz region look better than the measurements of any dynamic headphones.
In general they measure very well.

I'd like to hear your opinion. Are the planars worth the hype and money?

[TLS Guy]

I have a Beyer Manufaktur 880 (32 ohms) driven by a Benchmark HDR.
They are very good. I am very pleased with them.
In my opinion any dynamic headphone would be an incremental improvement (if any).
But, upgraditis kicks in once in a while

Are electrostatic/orthodynamic headphones worth the money?
Is one of them better?

Cons:
Stax are not mobile - you're tied to a bulky amp.
Durability is a question mark for both (???). The membrane is in both cases microns - isn't that fragile?
Manufacturing consistence - I've seen measurements on both that are way worse than others ...
Check this for measurements Headphone Data Sheet Downloads | InnerFidelity

Pros:
The measurements between 20-200 Hz region look better than the measurements of any dynamic headphones.
In general they measure very well.

I'd like to hear your opinion. Are the planars worth the hype and money?

Stax have been at this a long time and are the gold standard. I know that are not mobile. They are basically aimed at the high end professional market. I Have heard the Stax over the years and their electrostatic phones are head and shoulders over the dynamic types in my view. I'm not sure headphone measurement mean much, certainly a heck of a lot less then loudspeaker measurements.

As long as the driving device has a voltage limiter the phones will be durable. I have not heard of reliability issues with Stax phones.

[Boerd]

Measuring headphones includes positioning them on a "dummy head" so I see why you're saying it's not reliable.
So, your verdict is "head and shoulders over the dynamic types".
Thank you!

[Boerd]

What do you think of Audeze? Any idea?

[MinusTheBear]

What do you think of Audeze? Any idea?

Pretty much the most tonally accurate headphones you can buy in the market today.

[MinusTheBear]

Measuring headphones includes positioning them on a "dummy head" so I see why you're saying it's not reliable.
So, your verdict is "head and shoulders over the dynamic types".
Thank you!

Headphones are much simpler and easier to quantify than loudspeaker measurements, however you need to listen to them as well. Note: flat frequency response from 20hz -20khz is considered tonally bright.

[Boerd]

Do you think they're better than the STAX? Blasphemy!!
They're also made in USA.

[Boerd]

I spent some time searching on the net for reviews/measurements.
Audeze seem to have a problem with the highs. Quite a few people characterize these
headphones as "dark". In the end STAX 009 look to be the better headphones.
Now my problem with STAX (besides price) is they're not very practical.
I already have the Benchmark on my desk at work. If I was to buy the STAX
my desk starts looking like a hifi shop (I'd have to buy the STAX amp).

[Boerd]

Anybody has any idea how long can a Stax (like the 009 or 007) last?
5 years? 10 years?

[TLS Guy]

Anybody has any idea how long can a Stax (like the 009 or 007) last?
5 years? 10 years?

Unfortunately I think you are out of luck with Stax. They went out of business, and the bones were bought by a Chinese outfit, and I can't find that they have produced any. Needle Doctor can no longer get them. So you would be looking for old stock or used. Stax had been in the electrostatic transducer business for sixty years, making electrostatic headphones going back into the fifties. I have never heard they were unreliable. However they were very expensive as they are complex and hard to manufacture just like electrostatic loudspeakers.

So I think that now leaves the Sennheiser HD 800 as the top of the mountain.