We've been selling STAX for most of our near 20 years in business. The company is unique in that they only make electrostatic headphones, or ear-speakers as they prefer to call them, and the associated energiser / headphone amplifiers.

Electrostatic 'phones need both an amplifier to supply and control the audio signal and a high voltage low current feed to energise the plates either side of the ultra fine membrane. Sounds slightly scary but perfectly safe. Logical too, with the extremely low mass of the diaphragms and the natural advantages of open back designs not to mention custom designed and matched amplification, these have the potential to offer extraordinary audio quality.

Latterly, things had rather gone 'off the boil' and Symmetry, the UK distributor, had taken to offering optimised versions of the valve energisers (better valves, better bias alignment, tube dampers) to try to maintain standards.

The penny seems to have dropped in Japan and this year (2011) sees a complete revision of the STAX range. All models have been redesigned (more internally than externally) and the quality is claimed to have risen back to and above the level we were experiencing a decade or so ago. The new range should once again be judged as they come, without the need for local adjustment.

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In chasing quality, the prices have risen too (the exchange rates and rise in VAT have not exactly helped in this regard either) but better products have got to be a good thing.

To dip our toes, OK maybe ears, into the new range we have plumped for the Limited Edition 600 valve energiser along with the new 507 ear-speakers. The combined cost is £2240. From the results we are getting from this, admittedly fairly expensive, combo, STAX are well and truly back on form. Personally I'd place this above the last generation (and substantially more expensive) Omega system.

Here we have valves that naimies can love. The bass quality, the attack, the timing is all there. It comes too with a real sense of openness, terrific resolution and a natural refinement. It adds up to something we find effortlessly musical and engaging.

All things to all men is a big requirement but these certainly come close to meeting it.

There is one valve-based and two transistor energiser/phone packages below this combination and a new Omega system above. Listening to this has already brightened our year, we look forward to investigating further. The 600/507 combo is available for audition now.