Stax Omega2 Preview

A really good friend of mine lent me his Stax Omega 2 set up. I’ve been listening to it on the HeadAmp KGSS amplifier, while comparing it to the HD800 out of the Grace m902, the Burson HA-160, and the Beta22 amp. Needless to say, the Omega 2 sounds is on a class of its own.

While the Lambdas remain to have many weaknesses, the Omega 2 is quite flawless in the technicalities. Most noticeable is how black the background is and how clear the separation is on the Omega 2. Out of the Grace m902 and the Burson, the HD800’s midrange is not very clear, but even on the Beta22, it’s still a tad below the Omega2 + KGSS set up.

I was particularly amazed when listening to Beyonce’s vocals on the Cadillac Records soundstrack, clearly much better than the HD800’s rendition of the vocals on that track.

Playing Belafonte live on Carnegie Hall, however, the HD800 was able to give a better sense of the live ambience.

But if there is one thing that makes the Omega2 superior is the black background of the music and the precise separation.