Although I totally agree with Al's assessment and experience, as I had the same ( I no longer own any of these Stax products ), I would like to add one more thing, which I am not sure Al " completely " answered, based on the entire question. The passive adapter was, an aluminum box, with a switch, a resistor or two, and some basic wiring and jacks, which was nowhere as expensive as the amplifiers Stax offered, nor, as Al stated, not as good, ultimately, as the Stax tube driven amp. I tried many amplifiers with the passive box, and found it to be an excellent way to " listen " to qualitative differences of amplifiers, although, unfortunately, never found the Stax phones to be comfortable, for long term listening. As far as history, Stax has been around for a very long time, have developed amplifiers and speakers, and, are still in business today, catering to the ear speaker community. Enjoy ! MrD.
Stax amplifier vs Stax adaptor
I’m wanting to know what the difference in sound quality would be between a Stax amplifier and a Stax adaptor. The Stax seem to run happily on just a few watts, from a set amp with an adaptor. I’ve never tried a Electrostatic amplifier, nor do I understand how one works. The after market of an adaptor seems to be minimal, while a used Electrostatic amp seems to command substantially more.