Preview: Stax SR-404LE, Headamp KGSS

Good things come to those who wait. The SR-404 Limited Edition headphones seem to be the second most desirable Stax model after the flagship Omega 2. Since the Omega 2 sells for over $2,000, while the SR-404LE sells for roughly $700, everyone seems to want to get a piece of the LE action. Not to mention that only 1,000 pieces are made (they are a “Limited Edition”, after all), most of which have been sold out worldwide, with only a few pieces remaining in a handful of dealers. So, I’ve been wanting to hear how this Lambda sound for a long time. And now a good friend of mine lent his entire rig for us to do a review on. At the moment I’m still trying to source a SR-404 Signature so we can make a comparison between the two.

Anyway, some teaser shots for now..


The Stax SR-404LE. Current king of the Lambda design. The red ring behind the grill looks real awesome.


The Headamp KGSS sells for $2,295. A staggering piece of an amp. Thanks to the Blue Hawaii SE, the KGSS is “only” a second tier amp now. It comes with individual volume control for the left and right channel. With a stepped attenuator control, channel imbalances found in the headphones are easily fixed.

Hopefully we’ll be able to get a hold of a SR404 Signature, as well as a Koss ESP950 for a comparison with the SR-404LE.

Okay, now it’s time for some auditioning.

4.2/5 - (5 votes)
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2 Comments

  • Reply April 9, 2010

    Mike

    Okay, we've confirmed a SR-404 Signature (thanks simxpower), and a SR-Lambda Pro (thanks Anton). That should make a fairly good 3-way comparison with the SR-404 LE.

    Still having my finger crossed, hopefully we can throw a Koss ESP-950 into the mix as well.

  • Reply April 9, 2010

    Mike

    SR-Lambda Pro arrived.

    SR-404 Signature arrived.

    Doing 3 way comparison with the SR-404LE at the moment.

    These staxes make my HD800 sound so slow.

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