[Spare Tire]

Anyone done it?

So a couple of years ago, I mean probably a decade ago when I was here, there was someone who posted about sending in their stax sigma to the American distributor to get it upgraded with lambda 404 drivers, cable and headband. I contacted the distributor back then for a quote and it was about 600 USD. Was a broke student back then so didn't go through with it, also didn't want to just toss my sigma drivers seing as they were the only normal bias phones I had and the amp would be quite lonely without it.

Back then I thought I'd ask for the old cable and drivers and headband back and make a wooden enclosure to mount the old drivers on. Now my woodworking skills are rudimentary to say the least. Fast-forward a decade, 3D printers are a common household item, has anyone gotten around to resurecting the sigma enclosure via 3D printing? And having stax mount a modern lambda driver in it.

 

[scott16]

Anyone done it?

So a couple of years ago, I mean probably a decade ago when I was here, there was someone who posted about sending in their stax sigma to the American distributor to get it upgraded with lambda 404 drivers, cable and headband. I contacted the distributor back then for a quote and it was about 600 USD. Was a broke student back then so didn't go through with it, also didn't want to just toss my sigma drivers seing as they were the only normal bias phones I had and the amp would be quite lonely without it.

Back then I thought I'd ask for the old cable and drivers and headband back and make a wooden enclosure to mount the old drivers on. Now my woodworking skills are rudimentary to say the least. Fast-forward a decade, 3D printers are a common household item, has anyone gotten around to resurecting the sigma enclosure via 3D printing? And having stax mount a modern lambda driver in it.

 

[scott16]

Somebody should do this I got the Stax Sigma Dimensions from somebody years ago if that helps.

https://ibb.co/eKKV2p

The driver side wall is 7cm x 12cm
the ear side wall is 7.5cm x 12cm
and the back is 4cm x 12cm.

The top is 7.5 x 7 x 7 x 4

I'm sure this can all be easily made on a 3D printer just not sure how the walls would be connected together, you could make the enclosures in 2 pieces (instead of 6 separate walls) but still you need to connect the 2 pieces together after installing the drivers.

 

[Milck]

Would it not be possible to laser scan an enclosure and then 3D print that? Might cut out the trial and error

 

[scott16]

Would it not be possible to laser scan an enclosure and then 3D print that? Might cut out the trial and error

I'm sure that's possible but I can't do it bc I don't have any stax sigma earspeakers anymore (back in the 80s I had them but not now).

 

[scott16]

a

 

[scott16]

Did anyone ever find a good way to make a Stax Sigma enclosure with a 3D printer?, it's a good idea if anyone ever figures it out.

 

[scott16]

I'm building the Stax Sigma Enclosures out of wood I found a seller on ebay who laser cuts the wood,
the Dimensions are the front wall is 2.75" x 4.50" with a 1.80" x 2.80" elongated hole in the center, the side wall is also 2.75" x 4.50" with no hole, the ear hole side is 3.00" x 4.50" with a 1.80" x 2.80" elongated hole in it, and the back wall is 1.5" x 4.50", the wood is 1/8" thick, the top and bottom pieces look like the attached picture, I'm going to epoxy all the wood pieces together to make the enclosures. Here's the drawing of the bottom and top pieces. https://postimg.cc/bsSRyV43

 

[scott16]

Ear Hole side glued to bottom.




Front Side glued to bottom


Back side glued to bottom


Top glued on


Make sure the Left and Right enclosures are reverse (like a mirror Image) the holes you see in this pic are the ear holes,

 

[scott16]

Ear Hole side glued to bottom.




Front Side glued to bottom


Back side glued to bottom


Top glued on


Make sure the Left and Right sides are reverse (like a mirror Image) the holes you see in this pic are the ear holes,

You do need a right angle bracket to hold the wood against for the 5 minute the epoxy takes to set, I just used the side of a small heavy space heater I had which had a flat side, and the bottom piece was put on a flat kitchen counter top, and I just held the wood side up flush against the space heater by hand for 5 minutes while gluing it to the bottom piece until the glue set up, and then waited a couple hours until it dried well before attaching the next side.


I got the wood pieces laser cut from these people (it cost me about $21 as a special order).
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Circle-Laser-Cut-Out-Wood-Shape-Craft-Supply-Unfinished/323240386973?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&var=512311400443&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649


I got the epoxy glue (4.5 ounces) for $$9 (only used about 1/4 of it for this https://www.walmart.com/ip/Bob-Smit...poxy-4-5-oz-combined-net-weight-128/186804689

I still need to finish it (sand off excess glue, paint or stain the wood), insert acoustic foam padding, and then tape on the drivers (or whatever they are called) to the enclosures I think I will tape the drivers onto the front of the enclosers rather than inside the enclosers bc it will be easier to do that..

 

[scott16]

I just dilled the holes in the enclosures to put them on the headband assembly, one hole goes on the back wall, and the other hole goes on the front wall
the hole on the back wall is about 1/4" from the ear hole side, and the one on the front wall in right on the edge of the ear hole side they are about halfway down (I had to use the
headband assembly to figure out the exact djstance (it wasn't exactly in the middle)
once I drilled the holes I had to glue small thin washers (about 1/2" OD and 1/4" ID) around the holes to keep the headband assembly from falling off, now the headband assembly stays on good.

Here's a pic of the front with the holes drilled and washers glued on.


Here's a pic of the back with the holes drilled and washers glued on
.


I still need to paint or stain the enclosures.

 

[scott16]

I finished the headphones they sound great and look pretty good too (I used the regular bias stax drivers, the pro bias ones are a bit thicker
so I'm not sure they will fit right inside the enclosers they might need to be attached on the frone wall (outside the enclosers) otherwise the ears might be too close to the drivers).






Here's a pic of accustic foam I used to fill up some of the empty space in the enclosures, I took this pic before a I attached the side wall onto the enclosure.




Here's a pic of the foam from the ear hole side.

 

[Spare Tire]

Nice work scott16. But since this was laser cut, you might have asked the guy to make it with dovetails and front grill while we're at it. Might have made it easier to assemble and safer for the drivers.

 

[scott16]

Yeah I could have, I don't think I need the dovetail I used enough epoxy it seems very strong (after the wood was glued together
I filled it in with some extra epoxy just to be sure it can't ever come apart), I used goop glue on the last piece of wood (the side piece) just in case I ever have to
remove that piece in the future but the rest of the enclosur is epoxied together very solid (it shouldn't ever come apart).

 

[SHAMuuu]

Yeah I could have, I don't think I need the dovetail I used enough epoxy it seems very strong (after the wood was glued together
I filled it in with some extra epoxy just to be sure it can't ever come apart), I used goop glue on the last piece of wood (the side piece) just in case I ever have to
remove that piece in the future but the rest of the enclosur is epoxied together very solid (it shouldn't ever come apart).

dammmmnnnn son. those look'n supa supa dope.

Thank you for sharing. A real DIY hero.

Bless you sir.