I bought a used pair of Stax 30's on ebay...paid a little too much but they were advertised and were in extremely nice shape. I had no previous experience with electrostatics. I do however have a couple pairs of Sennheiser 600's. When I got the Stax I hooked them up to a Cary 2A3 tube power amp and WOW. They rival the Sennheisers in almost every department except comfort. The upper mid range and highs are a little better on the Stax....not brighter, just more detail. Almost equal in the low bass, with the Sennheisers just able to "illusion" the low bass slightly better. The Stax have a bit more "presence" and the illusion of being there is almost scary. I also have a Cary 300B SET integrated that really makes the mid-range come alive on the Stax. I also have a Krell 300i and have tried the Stax with it and found that it is a little brite and some matierial can sound "strident" especially horns. The Krell has no earphone jack so I have never listened to the Sennheisers with that amp. As previously stated, the Sennheisers are more comfortable to wear, especially for extended sessions, but the Stax are worth the discomfort. I have recently purchased another pair of Stax, but do not have them in the house yet. Larry
