My new hifi journey

[tony]

Hopefully when this lock down eases I can get a chance to hear that Stax system. Did you trade in the older kit Dave?

[DaveF]

Did you trade in the older kit Dave?

Yes they'll be in Cloney's in about 2 weeks or so.

[DaveF]

So made the trip down to Cloney's recently to trade in the old Stax setup for the new SRM-006ts Valve Energiser and LR-700 headphones. Hadn't been down that way in several years so it was nice to be back in the shop checking out some very nice equipment.



First up, the valve energiser(amp) is a far bigger unit than the old one. That caught me out as I though all the units in the range were the same. Heavier too and well ventilated at the top where 2 of the valves peek out ever so slightly at the top of the unit. This unit now also allows both my TT and CDP to be connected at the same time and can switch between them without having to power off and reconnect. It might seem like an obvious feature to have on any amp but no, the lower level amps from Stax don't allow for this. Operation is typical of any valve amp - press a button, a few lights flash as the valves warm up for 30 secs or so and then you're good to go.
The new headphones are top of tree for the Lambda range and are end-game headphones for many despite the Omega series offerings from Stax. These are are the mark 2 model which only came out not so long ago. The frame that holds the earcups is now made of aluminium instead of the plastic of old giving them a more solid feel. They are still pretty delicate so they need to be handled with great care. Definitely requires the safety of a mancave or sky lounge as I now call it. Like Ivor, I too have now evolved beyond you cave dwellers.
At nearly twice the price of the old setup I had reasonably high expectations of an improvement but with the laws of diminishing returns at this level I more or less had set expectations of an incremental step up in performance and not much else. How wrong I was! These are a substantial upgrade in pretty much every area from build quality of the headphones to the all important sonic performance.
With deeper earcups on this model this has given a bigger than expected improvement to the bass which is very welcome indeed. If I had one small criticism of the old pair was that they were a bit bass light at times. Not a big deal on some recordings but for others it would rob the midrange of a little warmth and weight. These new LR-700's paired with the valve amp lift the performance to a whole new level - oceans more detail but with that all important midrange warmth, weight, presence and musicality. As with the old setup, it has that ace up its sleeve of allowing for long fatigue-free listening sessions.

So that's the all important front end of the upgrade sorted. Looking forward to further improvements as the headphones loosen up some more over the coming days. Now for the vinyl side of things....

[Ivor]

Like Ivor, I too have now evolved beyond you cave dwellers.

Oi! Leave me out of this!

[Fran]

Stax are the holy grail alright, any sets I've ever heard have always been just beautiful to listen through. When I've gone to Munich over he last few years, they always have a nice booth where you can go sit and listen to them for a while. Its a lovely oasis when you need to rest the ears from the rest of the show.

Well you may wear Dave, happy listening!

[DaveF]

A fine little piece of jewelry arrived yesterday in the form a Hana ML cart, this one being the low output variant. While there are more exotic looking carts out there, the Hana is still a beautifully crafted piece of work.
This is the first cart I've bought in many years, actually its the first proper high end MC cart I've owned. The trusty old Clearaudio MM cart (itself I very well regarded cart) has served me well over the years but it's stylus is almost worn down completely. It was time for change.

Hana have been making a lot of noise (in a good way) in Hifi circles for a couple of years now and while other carts such as Van den Hul and Ortofon were considered, the one interesting comment that kept coming up regarding the Hana was that it was very musical and seriously challenged carts at 2 and 3 times it's price. 'Top Tier High-end performance at an affordable price' is basically how you could summarize it all. I took the plunge and pressed the 'buy' button.

A week later it arrived and I'll admit I was nervous as hell changing over the cart given that it has been so long nevermind handling the new one that has cost me a tidy sum. Anyway I managed it, got it aligned and tracking weight set correctly. It's a much heavier cart than the old MM so I was surprised at how much I had to move the counter weight back. Took some very fine adjustments to get it right.

Whenever I change a piece of hifi equipment I feel that I always have to manage my expectations as to how it will perform or what it will give me. Now I do like shiny new things but I need to be able to justify the cost too. Am I just going to get an incremental step up in quality for lots of $$$ or is it going to raise my system to a whole new level or is it going to be a backward step in some ways? I've made plenty of hifi mistakes in the past to make myself very mindful of this. So with abated breath I cued up some good quality pressings that I know very well.

Sometimes with new gear it's not always immediately obvious if it has changed much. Not so with this Hana cart. Right from the bat it was clear that this was a different presentation. Pretty much every facet of my vinyl playback has taken a big step up. Most notably a very fast and tuneful bass and instrument separation. A very dynamic cart in terms of quiet to loud passages in a recording, this was something noted in the reviews and it really is there in spades. Don't mistake that as being bright, it's not. I know it's a cliche but it really is like having a new record collection all over again. The cart seems to have this uncanny ability of making me think to myself 'wow wasn't that a great tune' as opposed to sitting there analyzing all the 'Hifi' sounds.



While it's early days yet, I've been very impressed so far. No doubt the cart will open up over the coming days and weeks so I'm looking forward to that.
If anyone is in the market for a new cart I'd highly urge you to put the Hana on your list. You're mileage will vary with mine depending on your system but I think it's a no brainer. The slightly cheaper SL is also considered a bargain too so there is a Hana for all budget types more or less.

There is another Hana ML owner here too and has had similar experiences to mine. Similar music too so we both couldn't have been imagining it all.

Highly Recommended.

[cybot]

Fantastic review. Well worth waiting for. Beautiful in situ too. Long may Hana bring you pleasure 😊

[Fran]

That's a great read Dave, The cart looks lovely for sure and I like that you can see the cantilever from the front which makes alignment so much easier. I wish you many happy hours of listening....

[Ivor]

Very much in line with my own reaction, I have a few more variables but yes, even swapping turntables the Hana is constantly impressive. A huge leap from the mid range "well regarded " carts I've had for the past decade. More anon!

[ConorW]

Would like to hear the Hana, nothing but great reviews. Must drop by sometime Ivor.
Using a Benz Micro Glider low and be interested to compare.

Happy listening Dave.