recabling my Stax sr-009 to pure copper cable

More paranormal activity taking place on the Audiogon ?

Try playing your headphones at very high volume (louder than you would want to play them if they were on your head) for a few hours.

I've found that my older Stax headphones sound similar to what you are describing if they are not used frequently and/or given that kind of workout from time to time. That has been the case ever since they were new.

The fact that the symptom is not exhibited by different Stax models which are copper cabled does not by any means necessarily indicate that the cable material is responsible for the difference.

Regards,
-- Al

How do you know it is the wire that is the source of your concern? Have you heard a set with different wiring? Have you heard other Stax electrostatics and compared the sound?

I have only heard the 009s once, at an audio show where it was powered by a Woo amp. I own a Stax Omega II Mk 1 headphone and a Blue Hawaii SE headphone amp. Because I heard the 009 in an unfamiliar system, I cannot really compare the two. I have read the comments of others who tend to agree that the 009 sounds brighter. Some actually like the additional top end lift of the 009. To me, the Omega II's are themselves a bit too bright, and they are extremely merciless when it comes to matching upstream components.

If you don't like what you are hearing, it might be worth trying a cable swap, but, there are a whole lot of other ways to alter the sound as well. The easiest, and usually most effective, is to swap tubes (assuming your amplifier/interface is tube based). I would next look into the interconnect cables to the amplifier. Even power cords matter too, so that is another place to investigate.

Good luck on your quest.

SnibelSnabel: You are not hearing things, IMO. Copper is definitely warmer than plated wire or some silver cables. I use an old pair of Cardas Cross cables in my headphone system. It does add a euphonic coloration to the sound however.

Generally speaking, my experience has been that silver, being the second best conductor we can use besides gold, is one where silver will improve performance across the board on all levels. Initial 'tinniness' will always occur in cables with silver because I suppose it's some kind of chemical trait. This trait will give way later on after the cable has fully broken in, but this takes time. TRANSITIONING TO COPPER IS NOT RECOMMENDED because copper is completely inferior as a conductor. The 009s are known for a particularly sharp sounding signature, so I'd personally recommend either waiting longer until after the headset has broken in some by playing music on it for long periods as others have suggested or completely eliminating the problem by getting a tube energizer to fuel the cans. The latter is money restrictive, but would definitely provide a definitive solution. Whatever you choose, I would strongly recommend sticking to the silver cables, as Stax is one of the few companies that understands the value of good cabling on their products. There's a reason they don't allow interchangeable cables on their sets.