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All of the headphones discussed here were comfortable to wear using eyeglasses—at least the eyeglasses I tried. But there are so many varieties of frames that I urge you to try before you buy with your glasses, if you plan to wear them with the headphones.

Similarly, all of these 'phones are of the open-back, circumaural variety: Circumaural means that they surround, rather than sit, on the external ear; open-back means that others sitting in the same general area as the headphone wearer will hear a rather scratchy, bassless rendition of whatever the listener…

Unless otherwise noted, the Stax headphones auditioned here were driven from the analog output of a Krell Reference 64 D/A processor. The transport was a Krell DT-10, connected to the processor by ST optical link with ST sync lock. The interconnects between the processor and headphone interface units were AudioQuest Lapis Hyperlitz, alternated with TARA Labs RSC where noted.

Comparison products included the Sennheiser Orpheus HE 90, the Koss ESP/950, and Sennheiser's own HD-580 driven by the HeadRoom Supreme dedicated headphone amplifier.—Thomas J. Norton

Description: Electrostatic headphones with SRM-Xh direct-drive amplifier. Open-back design. Transducer principle: electrostatic, push-pull. Frequency response: 8Hz–35kHz (no tolerance specified). Sensitivity: 108dB/1mW input. THD: 0.001% at 95dB. Bias voltage: 580VDC. Inputs (SRM-Xh): 1 pair, analog.
Weight (headset): 15.1oz.
Serial number of sample tested: 33973.
Price :(SR-Lambda Pro Classic headset and SRM-Xh amplifier), $849.95; headset alone costs $474.95 (1994). Approximate number of dealers: 150.
Manufacturer: Stax, Japan. Web: www.stax.co…

Bushman's Revenge is, in the purest sense, a power trio: Even Helte Hermansen on guitar, Rune Nergaard on bass, and Gard Nilssen on drums. They are joined on two tracks by Stole Storløkken's Hammond organ. They are from Norway. They crush. As much with the fury of their homeland's black metal as with the angst of 1960s American free jazz, they crush. They play instrumentals.…

Matthew B. Crawford's Shop Class as Soulcraft argues that an intimacy with manual trades may revitalize a connection to the material world that has been lost by those who spend their lives in offices or cubicles, staring at computer screens for eight to twelve hours a day, unable to quantify exactly what it is they do. I'm digging it. It aligns, in many ways, with a philosophy John…

Further up the audioband, the ARC's clean, extended, detailed reproduction of high frequencies made it a good match for jazz and classical recordings. Miles Davis' trumpet on "If I Were a Bell," from Relaxin' (CD, Prestige VICJ 60125), had…

Description: Tubed integrated amplifier with remote control of volume and source. Tube complement: four 6550C, two 6H30. Overall negative feedback: 7dB. Output power: 50Wpc continuous (17dBW), 20Hz–20kHz. Frequency response: 1Hz–80kHz, –3dB, at 1W. Total harmonic distortion (1kHz): typically 1.5% at 50W, 0.05% at 1W. Input sensitivity: 470mV RMS single-ended, for rated output (32.5dB gain into 8 ohms). Input impedance: 50k ohms, single-ended. Maximum input: 3.5V RMS (any input). Hum and noise: <0.1mV RMS, –106dB ref. rated output (IHF weighted). Power-supply…

Analog Source: VPI TNT IV turntable, Immedia tonearm, Koetsu Urushi cartridge.
Digital Source: Lector CDP-7T, Creek Destiny CD players.
Preamplification: Vendetta Research SCP-2D phono stage, AudioValve Eclipse line stage.
Integrated amplifier: Creek Destiny.
Power Amplifier: Audio Research Reference 110.
Loudspeakers: Alón Circe.
Cables: Interconnect: MIT Magnum M3 & MI-350 CVTwin Terminator. Speaker: Acarian Systems Black Orpheus.
Accessories: Various by ASC, Bright Star, Simply Physics, Sound Anchor, VPI.—Robert J. Reina