Are there speakers after Stax?


I just got a chance to listen to my new Stax SRS-4040
Signature System II, and it blows away any speakers I have ever heard. It has its own dedicated, direct-drive tube amp (006t) and the full-range electrostatic drivers use a diaphram that is actually lighter than air.

The coherency and balance is outstanding, as is the transient response. But the delivery of fine, inner nuances and minute details is simply mind boggling. No speaker I have heard even comes close to what these baby's can deliver -- and this without highlighting any particular segment of the audible frequency spectrum. The bass is ultra quick and smooth, the midrange, beyond compare, and the high frequencies the most delicate and detailed that I have ever heard.

I may find it difficult to go back to speakers after hearing what this system can do. When you don't have to deal with room reflections, bass anomalies, and controlling vibrations/acoustic feedback, not only is there a true performance advantage, but the price/performance ratio is much better.

I know that some 'philes shun cans, but after my session last night, I feel these folks are missing the boat.

In a couple of months I'll be moving out of state and looking to buy new reference speakers for my new home. As fine and detailed as my InnerSound Mk-II speakers were, the Stax SRS-4040 system seems to be an order of magnitude better. I really don't think there are any speakers that can compete at this level, but I'm open to suggestions. Does anyone else feel this way???
plato
Not Jurk, Plato, but Jörg and yes, the Jecklin floats are good es headphones indeed, but they cannot touch the Stax. As far as the general question is concerend, I think Duke has said it all. When I stumbled on this thread just now, I also thought that the best solution would be a pair of Soundlabs or the old Quad 63. Cheers,
T_bone, that's a good question, and unfortunately the answer is no. The RKV has 2 headphone jacks on the front and 2 sets of RCA inputs on the back, but no speaker terminals.

The stock cable for the K-1000's is terminated with a male 4 pin XLR connector in case you want to plug in directly to a balanced amp. There is also an extension cable that comes with the K-1000 package that has a female 4 pin XLR on one end and 4 bare wires on the other end for direct hook ups to speaker terminals. This is obviously not the best option, plus the stock AKG extension cable is a real cheapo (relative to the marvelous headphones). This is why most people will either modify or replace the stock cables.

There is a DIY guy over at head-fi who has made a very nice and afforadable cable for a couple of us. It's better looking, better performing and lower priced than the Equinox replacement cables, IMO. Check this thread out:

http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31464&highlight=k1000

BTW, you can also buy an Audio Valve "Impedanzer" to go with the RKV, which does have speaker terminals, but the Impadanzer would not be used for low impdedance headphones such as the K-1000's, so that doesn't really help either. The Impedanzer is a great addition to the RKV because it allows you to use the amp to match impedence levels of any set of headphones (it does wonders for the Sennheiser, Grado, and Audio Technica lines).

Of course all of this drives up the cost of your K-1000 setup. Here is a link to Meier Audio's website since they sell both the RKV and the K-1000's. Dr. Jan Meier is a great guy to deal with if you're thinking about putting together a multiple item order.

http://home.t-online.de/home/meier-audio/
I agree with Plato. Many times when listening to audio stuff, I've thought the designer was a jerk. Especially over priced tweaks.
I have had a couple of Stax headphones, some Fontek electret headphones, the Jecklin floats, and Soundlab A-1 speakers.

The Jecklin electrostatic was my favorite. I always used it laying down. The headphone didn't touch your ear and the weight was supported by the bed. They were very good.

The soundlabs are actually better than the headphones for me.