So yesterday I discovered there is a Hi-Fi store near me that actually does have Stax models available for purchase and demo. Was right under my nose this whole time. So I quick booked a demo to try out some of the infamous advanced-lambda series. Unfortunately, they did not have the SR-L700, only L500 and L300. Kinda had already decided I was gonna buy the L500 with a good energizer, but I demoed them for a little while to be sure. I also tried the SR 007, however I did not like it as much as either of the lambda series, it was a little ‘too dark’ for me. From quick listens, I did not find a whole bunch of difference between L300 and L500, but I did think the 500 had just a little bit more soundstage and ‘emphasis’ on the sounds.

Anyways, little did I know by that point, it was my lucky day!! They were out of stock on the L500, so instead, they offered to sell me the demo version for an slightly used price. I pointed out that the demo one was the mk1, and he reduced the price even more! Only paid around 300 euros for it. Not only that, but they also had one used energizer, SRM 353x, in great condition, which was selling for like 600 euros. So I left the store with a SR-L500mk1 + SRM-353x combo for 1000 euros.

Been listening to it since then, and holy crap! Here are my preliminary opinions:

Compared to the 800S and Aryas, it has a sound with so much more well defined “body”, it feels much more natural. It feels like these headphones have the ‘reference sound’ that every other headphone is desperately trying to reach, but failing.

It’s incredibly detailed, instruments are very well separated from each other, and the sound is VERY punchy. For me, its basically the 800S details and definition (even better, probably) but you don’t have to sacrifice the bass. Instead, I’m met with the most amazing bass i’ve ever heard, its probably what impressed me the most with this earspeaker. This may be related to the fact I’m quite used to the 800S and Arya, which aren’t known for having a very punchy bass. But anyways, its so accurate, so powerful and punchy, I’ve been comparing drums focused music on the L500 vs the 800S, and the L500 make the 800S look like a joke in that aspect. They can be easily EQed, too. While the 800S can also be easily EQed, it can only improve the bass quality to a certain degree. The aryas, in my experience, cant be bass boosted at all, it distorts very easily. The L500 tho, can achieve bass so powerful with EQ you feel the tremor it causes.

The treble and mids on it are also great, everything is emphasized equally, every single detail is delivered to you on a silver plate, and it does so without a hint of harshness. It brings tears to my eyes...

They can get insanely loud before any hint of distortion. They share that with the 800S, but the Aryas however will distort the bass if you try to listen to higher volumes. So if you like listening to loud music, you will love these.

The only aspect where they fall behind the 800S and Arya are soundstage, comfort and build. The 800S and Arya are both soundstage monsters, fully surpassing much more expensive headphones, such as the Susvara, so this is not surprising. The L500 soundstage resembles the Aryas, while being a little smaller. The 800S has the ability of making sounds feel more far away from you and gives a better sense of direction to the sound. The Arya also has better layering, giving it a more “fun” presentation.

While not uncomfortable, L500 cannot compare to the 800s, and is a little bit worst than the Aryas. They have a very plasticly build, which do makes them very lightweight, but also introduce quite a bit of creaking, which can be quite annoying at times.

But despise of those things, they are insanely great headphones. The electrostatic sound is simply beyond my wildest dreams, I’m very impressed.

Its really a shame they require such expensive exclusive amps to work, but damn, once you hear them, it is very clear why they do.

10/10, I cannot live without it anymore.

Wow maybe but a lotto ticket also! Always wanted to try these, might have to venture into the city now for a demo myself

Cool! Stax is probably my next upgrade though it will take me a few years to get there. Here it costs 4 Anandas lol

You like the bass on these? I found the early roll off to be quite disappointing. Since the front volume aint sealed, bass rolls off at 50Hz and the roll of is rather steep.

Blue tack can fix that, but I could hardly modify a store demo.

I found even the Sundaras and Anandas bass to be better due to proper extension. I would have thought that the Arya was similar in that regard.

That combo is one of the best deals I've seen in the modern Stax world. A neat trick with the L series is that you can buy the L700's earpads and swap them onto the L500 to get something more similar to the L700 sound. Not required by any means, but it's an interesting flavor change that's also wayyy cheaper than getting the L700 itself. That was the route I originally wanted to go with, but the store was also out of the L500, so they offered me a used L700 at an incredible price, so how could I refuse? If you ever want to mix it up, perhaps look into swapping the earpads. Otherwise, enjoy the setup!

It’s amazing how different they sound. I had some new version of Lambdas, SR507 they were, with an old T1 amp about ten year ago. Even these dinky old SR5 ones I had blew away dynamics, it sounds like the music is coming from outer space. And they’re expensive, I bloody sold em to put towards the deposit on a house.

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Stax are the best bang for your buck but they do have their quirks, I adore my L300, got it with the 252 energizer for $420. Happy to see their isnt too much of a difference between the L300 and L500.

So…. Stax on stax?

I thought the Stax word was Strax which in Swedish means Soon in English. 😅😂