Is Stax headphone still in business

It's a bit unfair to compare SR-80, Stax's lowest end model long since out of production, to Sennheiser HD650's.

Stax hasn't made a self-charged electret model headphone in a long time. Electret headphones have internal charge. This usually requires physically thicker diaphram, resulting in less extended response, and the often the charge dissipates over time anyway, losing dynamic range.

Plus the SR-80's had a transformer type stepup box. All Stax's sold now have tube or transistor based stepup devices.

I picked up a pair of SR-80's on ebay around 2005 for about $50. Current top Stax package goes for $4650.

I picked up a pair of SR-80's on ebay around 2005 for about $50. Current top Stax package goes for $4650.

The current flagship from Stax is the SR009 which goes for $5200 for just the headphones. It requires a dedicated headphone amp which can run upwards of an additional $2-5K for the better ones available.

@Jax, there's no need to spend more than 2k on a headamp for a stax. I've auditioned amps on the 1k price range with them, and i was pleased.

The Stax 507 (about $500) with one of the Stax drivers is better than any dynamic can in that price range for acoustic music, IMO.

I heard the new SR-009 Stax at RMAF with a Blue Hawaii SE amp and was blown away. I don't really care for headphones much but this combo has changed my mind. The price is sky high but if I had to give up my speakers that is the headphone rig I would replace them with.

Just before trying the Stax I tried Sennheiser hd-800, Audeze ld-2/ld-3, and Hifi man 6's on a top of the line Apex amp. While I enjoyed those phones I did not feel I was missing anything.

If I could afford to spend $11,000 on the Stax, BHSE combo I think I would.