Frequency Balance, Range
The Omega2 has a dark sound signature, similar to what I’m hearing on the Sennheiser HD650. The treble is very smooth, far from sounding offensive, and since the background is very quiet, you don’t really need to boost the treble to hear the details in the music. In fact, the Omega2 is very good for low level listening.
Moving down from from the treble, you have a full bodied midrange that’s just as smooth and very transparent as well. Then it extends down to a full upper and mid bass. Bass punch is quite strong, roughly almost the same as the HD800 (give and take depending on amp combination). The bass is not boomy (of course no!), but the Omega2 does have a slight bump on the lower midrange to upper bass area, and it’s very strongly felt as a hump.
One of the most noticeable change from the SR-404LE is low bass performance, where the SR-404LE still can’t go very deep on the lowbass. However, the extension to low bass is not as linear as that on the HD800, nor does it extend as low.
While listening to the Beethoven Symphony No.9 by the Berlin Philharmonic and Claudio Abbado, a DDD Recording by Deutsche Grammophon, I also noticed that that the Omega2 is less extended in the treble and the bass, and less detailed than the HD800. Frequency extension and detail level have been quite an issue on all the electrostatic and older orthodynamic headphones I’ve heard. It seems that the faster transients and the blacker background on the planar headphones gives the illusion of very good detail, where it actually is the faster transients doing a great job of playing busy and complex passages. Of course, I never expected this to be an issue with the flagship Omega2. But on slow passages, like the 3rd movement of the 9th Symphony, the difference on frequency extension and detail is very noticeable between the HD800 and the Omega2.
Sometimes a small treble roll off can be preferable, as long as it is not too extreme. A slight roll of on the upper treble can be more pleasing to the ears, and even works to cut off any sibilance present in the recording. Likewise, a slightly less detailed presentation is not as big of a deal as it looks on writing. The Omega2 is living proof for this. Despite the shortcomings on extension and detail level, the presentation of the music is far easier to like than the HD800. The frequency balance might not be too flat, yet it sounds very good on the ears, and I think that’s all that matters. I do feel that the Mk1 version, supposedly without the upper bass hump, would be more fitting for a reference headphone like the Omega2.
Soundstage performance
The most striking difference between the Omega2 and the HD800 is the very black background that I hear on the Omega2. On a world-class concert hall, one of the things that accoustic engineers note is how quiet the hall measures. Most classical concerts doesn’t use active electronics to amplify the sound, and the quieter the hall, the clearer you can hear the sound of each instruments. Upon this very quiet background, every instruments come out like rays of light on the blackness of the stage. The experience is quite breathtaking.
The soundstage of the Omega2 is not as wide as the HD800, and the Omega2 actually feels less open than the HD800 or many other open design headphones. By itself, the HD800 with the Beta22 amplifier has a very good instrument separation, yet the HD800 lacks the quiet background that I’m hearing on the Omega2 that makes the instrument less clear separated on the HD800. The black background of the Omega2 sometimes makes me feel that the HD800 has an imprecise separation. Upon longer listening, I noticed that the Omega2’s soundstage portrayal is not very realistic. Naturally, when I play a recording such as Beethoven’s No.9, the orchestra should be laid very wide in front of me, with each instrument group taking a place in that soundstage. The stage can be panned very wide to the left and right, but it’s only natural to have the stage positioned in front of you. With the Omega2, upon the black soundstage, the instruments don’t originate from one stage in front of me. Some instruments can sound from very hard panned left, some from the top of my head, and strangely, almost nothing from the front. I do think that the Omega2 sounds more impressive overall, mainly due to that black background, but after long listening periods, I do miss having the stage portrayed clearly in front of me.
In comparison to the Lambda staxes, most notably the SR-404 Limited Edition, the Omega2 soundstage performance is quite far ahead of the SR-404LE. The primary difference betweent the two seems to be that on the SR-404LE, the left and right soundstage is fairly disconnected, where on the Omega2 it’s more coherent. Additionally, the SR-404LE doesn’t nearly have as black background as the Omega2, and the instrument separation is not as good as on the Omega2.
Vocal performance
The Omega2 has a full sounding midrange and has great clarity. This naturally is a great recipe for a great vocal reproduction, and indeed it is. For smooth female vocals, the Omega2 has the perfect reproduction in terms of body, presence, focus, and smoothness.
In comparison to the HD800, the Sennheiser has just as good of a vocal performance, though slightly different in character. On the HD800, vocals have a heavier weight while still maintaining clarity, vocal texture is better on the HD800, and has a better center focus on the soundstage. Having a more linear top extension does make the HD800 more transparent to any sibilance in a recording, where the Omega2 is fairly safe from it.
If you like your vocals to have a rich texture and listens to a lot of live recordings, then the HD800’s rendition is better for you. If you avoid sibilance, like a smooth vocal presentation, and has many closed mic-ed studio recordings, then the Omega2 would be preferable.
Matt
You made it sound like the omega 2 was the end of the road at the beginning of the article but by the end you made it sounds like you prefer the hd800? Was there any definitive winner in your book?
Mike
Hi Matt, I'm glad you asked that question. Sometimes writing reviews, gosh, are not easy, and I may lead people to the wrong impression. I probably need to edit my conclusion there.
I pointed out that the Omega2 has a limited extension (top and bottom) in comparison to the HD800. Detail is also less, and the thing with the soundstage coming from all around you but not the front. But I also said this:
I also want to quote the introduction part, where I said:
I think that's the highest praise I've given any headphone. Despite the technical shortcomings, what matters is how it plays the music. I can tell you that if I play a random playlist to ten people, 8 of 10 will probably choose the O2 over the HD800. It's just that good.
The conclusion is not very positive, true, and that's probably what gives you the negative impression. Should've ended the article a different way. Again, thanks for the question. I do appreciate you asking that.
Matt
Thanks for the detailed response Mike. I think the new ending does a great job of summing it up.
Mike
Thanks Matt.
Mike
I added some stuff to the conclusion, to avoid further confusion. I also added some small stuff to the part about the Frequency Balance.
Jose
Very nice review Mike. Thanks for doing such a great job every time!
Mike
Thanks Jose. We strive because of support from people like you. 🙂
Ian
Thanks for a great review. I've always wanted to try Stax gear but been frightened off by the cost which you mentioned in the concluding paragraphs. Just waiting to see comments over the next few months for a couple of new developments:
* New headphone from Stax – SR5-7 – http://www.stax.co.jp/Export/SR507e.html
* Woo Audio's Electrostatic Energiser – http://www.wooaudio.com/products/wee.html
Mike
If you want to start cheap, then I can recommend you the Koss ESP-950 (http://www.headfonia.com/koss-esp-950-electrostatic-system/), or the SR-2025 system (http://www.headfonia.com/stax-sr-202-welcome-to-electrostatics/). The Koss ESP-950 can be bought new for $648.46 along with the amplifier. The SR-2050A can be bought for $699.99 along with the amplifier.
Both earspeakers are actually very good performer, and the SR-202 on the SR-2050A system is probably still the favorite lambda for a lot of people. What they need is a better quality amplifier. The SRM1Mk2 amp I used for this review (http://www.headfonia.com/stax-sr-202-welcome-to-electrostatics/) is a good bang for the buck amplifier for Stax.
From what I heard, the SR507 isn't going to be cheap. 🙂
manaox
Nice review Mike, thanks for taking the time to write a detailed review and comparison.
Mike
Hey dude, haven't seen you back here for a while. Been busy with other things?
Budi
Mike, thought I may want to chip in a bit. Your article said that Mk2 solely available in black. This is not particularly correct. The black Mk2 is for export product whereas for domestic Japan, the Mk2 still comes in champagne color housing and brown cable. Just wanted to clarify
Mike
Thanks for the info, I'll add it in!
Budi
Mike, my apology, it actually comes in silver color for domestic market. Attached is the link http://www.stax.co.jp/Japan/sr-007a.html
Export market remains the same ,black on black pads/cable. Once again my apology
Mike
Thanks dude. I didn’t even check the website because I thought you’re the O2 expert. 😛
Ahok
Tried this yesterday, (soooo late lol)
and im pretty much agree with mike, that this is a more preferable headphone to most people, because its signature is easier to preceive for many people,
and played most genre yesterday, from rock, to classical to j-pop,
all songs played by the omega2 flawlessly,
I also have the chance to audition the SR-009 (yeah), side by side with the SR-007Mk2,
driven from the SRM-007tII,
even though the technicalities on the SR-009 is slightly better, slightly here means the difference is really small, (a bit better soundstage and extension),
I prefer the darker sounding SR-007Mk2, as its very relaxing to hear, the brighter and less bodied SR-009 is not as relaxed as the 007Mk2
Anonymous
Awesome review there man. 😉
You know after the LCD-2 is released I think it would take a lot of people away from the O2. Tonally very similar (the version 1 at least), and though it’s not quite electrostatic-smooth like the O2, the bass is just phenomenal, and it doesn’t require a $2000 amplifier to drive. And at the end, bass remains the #1 problem I see with Stax headphones. Especially more that our music these days tend to be beats-heavy.
Ahok
yeah, LCD-2Mk1 is very similar tonally wise to the O2Mk2,
the LCD-2 is a steal for its price, for its phenomenal bass, simplicity of its setup, and the level of sound it produces,
i think the LCD2 is more suited to nowadays beaty music than the O2, which has narrower genre bandwith, although i have no problem playing j-pop music on the O2Mk2, 😀
Chevrol1
This review is a joke.
How many times did he wrote “black background”?
What is a black background, is it absence of noise or what? If so, how many headphones noise by them themselves?
” you know that you’re still not using the best amplifier there is for the Omega2.” -about SRM-717.
Ok, says who? Any independent test results that confirm this?
Actually, Omega2 might be the best headphone in the world, I don’t know, but this kind of bullshit and nonsense isn’t useful for anyone.
Mike
Yes I was just joking and this article is a total bullshit.
STARSTERN
the same amp that you suggest for the audeze lcd 2-3 ,is also suggested by you to pair the stax Omega2 sroo9 ?
in other words its BHSE or alo 6 or somthing else ?
Dave Ulrich
Electrostats usually require a special amplifier
Mike
No the Stax headphones need a different type of amp.
STARSTERN
which one you suggest ?
Mike
I like the WA5 + WEE combo
STARSTERN
sound wise they do better then BHSE ?
just bringing that one up again ,since seen many prefer that for their stax
Mike
Yes best set up I’ve heard
STARSTERN
thank you ;
recently have came across ,some reviews saying that lcd-xc by audeze with the wright amp ,they get almost the same quality sound ,as stax 009 with paired BHSE ,i asked them and waiting whether respond will come ,my question ,stax 009 as electrostatic can only be better in transparency and detail ,but sometimes thats a minus ‘since it gives a very analytic touch to the listener ,while audeze lcd x should be the better in the sound signature that you always prefer ,’which is warmness and joy ” am i wright ?
Mike
The Stax sound is unique and it’s a nice sound to listen to. The problem is ultimately Stax just can’t deliver a decent bass even from the BHSE. Planars are taking over as it’s very easy to get the bass out of planars.
And what music these days don’t require bass?
STARSTERN
BHSE with Psvane EL34PH’s tubes !?
Tugbars
Probably while saying “black background” he is refering to the better clarity & separation with 007 due to faster transient response of electrostatic drivers. Hd800’s transducer’s is not as fast as 007, so the sound layers get blended to each other during complex passages. When 007 fed by a better amp like KGSSHV Carbon the soundstage gets wider and the bass & treble extends more. KGSS is a good amp but it’s like 3 times weaker than Carbon. 007s are the hardest to drive STAX, they need a lot of power to work at their full potential.
OffRamp
I think the reason he didn’t understand black background is because he never has equipment where he experienced it. You got to pay for that…
I really need to write a progress report for the guys here as stuff I finally got up and running.
At present trying to decide what electrostatic amp I’m going to buy. It’s a tough choice Woo Audio WES, BHSE, Stax 007t, or so.
Got the 339 did tube roll, main system running, got V850, V281 sold out, lotta stuff sold out.
Probably get a second DAC to run electro’s, Mytek or something?
Always in the background
Always reading around