home entertainment 2007

an appropriately windstorm-like
whoosh. More
important, the more powerful
vacuum motor and
pump sucked up all of the
cleaning fluid, drying an LP
in a single rapid revolution—
a definite improvement.
Did the HW-27
Typhoon’s more powerful
vacuum help me hear previously
buried musical details
that the HW-17F or Loricraft
hadn’t revealed? I can’t
say, nor can I even posit
how or why it might have.
Otherwise, the Typhoon is
a clean, efficient record-cleaning
machine that’s almost fun to use. And
it’s made in the US, and so is a relative
bargain compared to the overseas competition.
CONTACTS
Jan Allaerts, Belgium. Web: http://
users.pandora.be/jallaerts/.
Stax Limited, 7-1 Chikumazawahigashi,
Miyoshi-machi, Iruma-Gun,
Saitama Prefecture, Japan 354-
0046. Tel: (81) 49-258-3988. Fax:
(81) 49-258-2659. Web:
www.stax.co.jp. US distributor:
Yama’s Enterprises, Inc., 16617 S.
Normandie Avenue, Suite C, Gardena,
CA 90247. Tel: (310) 327-3913.
Fax: (310) 324-7422. Web: www.
yamasinc.com.
Thorens Services AG, Im Junkholz
44, 4303 Kaiseraugst, Switzerland.
Fax:(41) 61-813-03-39. Web:
www.thorens.com. US distributor: 2
Channel Distribution, 1500 South
Ninth Street, Salina, KS 67401. Tel:
(785) 820-2931. Web: www.2chan
neldistribution.com.
VPI Industries Inc., 77 Cliffwood
Avenue, #3B, Cliffwood, NJ 07721-
1087. Tel: (732) 583-6895. Fax:
(732) 946-8578. Web: www.vpi
industries.com. (Note: www.vpi.com
is a vendor of legless reptiles: “The
on-line source for boas, pythons &
sandboas!”)
Wireworld Cable Technology,
12349 SW 53rd Street, Suite 201,
Cooper City, FL 33330. Tel: (954)
680-3848. Fax: (954) 680-1525.
Web: www.wireworldcable.com.
ANALOG CORNER
The Stax SR-007 Electrostatic Earspeaker and SRM-007tII
vacuum tube driver unit.
Stax SR-007II Omega II
Electrostatic Earspeaker
and SRM-007tII tube amplifier
I know this isn’t strictly analog, but have
mercy! I’ve wanted to hear Stax’s Earspeakers
for decades, and when the
opportunity presented itself, I couldn’t
say no. The SRM-007tII is a three-input,
tube-powered energizer/amplifier capable
of powering two sets of Stax electrostatic
headphones. 1 It includes a volume
control, which means you can base a
headphone audio system on it. You can
also use it as a swell late-night accessory
by driving it from your preamp’s Tape
Out, though at $3900 for the amplifier
plus headphones, it’s a pricey accessory.
I spent a few months of very-latenight
listening with the extraordinary
Staxes, which had all the pluses and
minuses of electrostatic loudspeakers.
They were superbly open, transparent,
extended, “fast,” and subjectively linear.
On the other hand, even as earpieces firing
into tiny canals, their dynamics were
somewhat limited compared to the best
moving-coil headphones, such as AKG
701s, and while the SR-007II’s bass
response was very good—especially as
Stax has increased the size of the
diaphragm—it, too, lacked the punch and
impact of a good dynamic driver. So even
in headphones, the well-known tradeoffs
of electrostatic drive-units persist.
That said, the combination of tube
warmth and electrostatic transparency,
plus superb build quality and a very
comfortable fit, added up to a Class A
listening experience. I was sorry to
have to return them. If you’ve got
plenty of money and a music-loving
kid in college, you could give him or
her a heck of a dorm-room hi-fi. ■■
1 Jonathan Scull reviewed the Stax SR-007II for Stereophile
in July 2001—see www.stereophile.com/headphones/
895. —Ed.
“ From the first second you can feel that this is
"high end". Voices are splendid, superbly centered
with perfect tone quality. A complete success.
A piano is transcribed with a rare sensibility...
These qualities and much more than these were
found integrally when listening. The maturity
of the A4 reveals a very advanced optimization.
The design and price are two other strong points.
A superb success.”
JEAN HIRAGA
Revue du Son et du Home Cinéma
www.Stereophile.com, May 2007 31
A4
US Importer: Musical Sounds (203) 877-7776
www.musicalsounds.us
Canada: Audio Dream (403) 280-5894
www.audiodream.ca
International: BC Acoustique +33 (1) 43 68 25 00
sales@bc-acoustique.com