PDA

View Full Version : the Superex professional ST-PRO-B mods



goraman
25-06-2010, 23:39
Every one who has heard them loves them and is suprised at the layers in even the lowest bass and there sealed ability to block out noise and create a 3D open air sound feild that extends way outside of your head with vast space between insterments and I have listened to them for 12 and 14 hour sessions with no problems other than sweaty ears.They are a 2 way headphone with a crossover offering awsome bass a fat midrange and nice easy detailed highs that wont offend your ears.

Made in 1968 as good as they are there is very small improvements to be made.
and just renewing the ear cussions has been trial and error till I discovered the trick.

I am trying something different right now as pictured on the headphones here,There is to some point a relationship beween pad thickness and bass.If you have exsive bass and not much soundstage the pads are worn out,but a thicker pad will only give you wider soundstage to a point and to thick bass suffers.I think Superex factory pads found the sweet spot so after a little more fooling around I'll put the rebuilt factory pads back on. The factory cussions can be rebuilt useing 1 inch medum dencity foam by makeing 2 slices in the inside of the pads pulling up the foam and cutting it in half then pulling it out slowly with needle nose pliers.
Then cut a very long strip 17"long 1"X1" of foam and push,pull it into the hollow vynil pads and cut off any excess then use a little black electritions tape to cover the cuts you made and install,the repair should be invisable when assembled.

The fist 3 pictures where experimental, pic4 you can see the yellow worn down foam that was removed and the black pads refoamed from the 1" foam sheet.

I have dissasembled 4 sets of pads and rebuilt them,I can say with 100% certainty they only used foam so the gel rumors can be sqwashed.

goraman
25-06-2010, 23:49
Always rememberto take off the badges on the ear cups because there is a screw there to dissasemble them. And goop in the purple tube is what works best to put them back on.
The capacitors must be 0.01 uf so far I like the AudioCap Thea and the Russian PIO caps the best,the AudioCap is what is in this picture.
Also I installed a 1/8 stereo femail jack in the left ear cup and rewired with 3 strand Kimber Kable PBJ.
Now any cable with a 1/8 male jack will plug in and you can roll different cables of different lenghts.I am useing 3 feet of Kimber PBJ with a 1/8 male on one end and a 1/4 male on the other .
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=027-700




http://cgi.ebay.com/0-01-uF-750-V-Paper-Capacitors-MBM-Box-100-New-/350368807331?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item51939bb9a3

another good choice

goraman
26-06-2010, 00:29
The rebuilt factory pads.
I know these phones are ugly as Hell but they flat out smoke my Grado 325i's and the impeadance is 42 ohms even an Ipod can drive them.
And yes,the Headband is from the SuperX Pro B IV a later modle,these have been used for 42 years so you could say there broken in,but the head frame flat broke one day so I replaced it from my spare parts stash.
I can't listen to my Grados with a SS headphone amp the 325i's need tubes but the SuperX Pro B sounds good with both but better with tubes.
They have more bass,better imageing and mids are not as forward ,highs are far more pleasent than the Grados.
42 year old headphones beat Grado 325i for extended listening.
I have spent alot of time with this modle in my 44 years and feel I have fine tuned it some.
Also If you should get a crack in the cup at the bolt hole for the headband bracket as seen in this photo,JB weld a nylon washer to the inside and spread some thinly on the outside aswell and let it dry.That will keep you in buisness for years to come.

Treat them with respect when working on them and never get upset if you get stumped just settle down youll figure it out.
There isent alot of these left so do no harm.
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/41303/question-about-old-cans read post #3.

goraman
27-06-2010, 01:19
http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?3094-Headphones-anyone/page2

Read post #18 .

bullduck
29-06-2010, 21:50
Thanks for some great tips. I was wondering if you've had the opportunity to hear any of the other Superex models besides the Pro B's. If so, which were they and how do they compare?

Marco
29-06-2010, 22:07
Hi 'bullduck',

Welcome to AOS! :)

Could you do me a favour please and pop into the Welcome area and introduce yourself properly, giving your first name, basic location, system details and music tastes?

This is the required procedure here for new members joining our community - thanks! :cool:

Marco.

goraman
30-06-2010, 00:44
Thanks for some great tips. I was wondering if you've had the opportunity to hear any of the other Superex models besides the Pro B's. If so, which were they and how do they compare?
I have also owned the studio pro B IV's and have heard
ARS and the STM non of them cold beat the pro-B The ARS and STM has much less cubic volume in the cups and later modles where not matched as closely and the cross overs where not as simple,not to mention the internals where made for faster production to keep up with compeditors so the hand matched,hand picked,hand made aproch took a back seat to volume production,leaveing the ST pro B as there best sounding headphones.
There last headphones where electrostatic and where said to be awsome but lacked bass and where not easy to drive but not menny attempted such a thing in the60's early 70's.
The big problem with Super-X was marketing and marketing then finally marketing.http://www.radiomuseum.org/r/superex_headphones_electrostatic.html

goraman
06-07-2010, 04:11
That pair I picked up on ebay for parts was very salvagable.
PIO Caps a new plug and a pads rebiuld and thier sound as the pound.

1.Remove ear pads by carfuly pulling and slideing them off.

2.on the inside of the pad make two 1 inch long slices on each side.
3. pull the foam up through the plastic cover and cut it on each side.

These pictures are the old foam being removed.

goraman
06-07-2010, 04:15
Step 2 for pad rebuild.
4. pull the foam out slowly and use the needle nose pliers to push and pull it through till the pads are empty of all old foam.
5.cut 17 inch by 1 " square med density foam strips and use your pliers to push and pull them through till the whole foam is inside.

The first 2 pics are the old foam.

Last 3 pics are the new foam going in.

goraman
06-07-2010, 04:18
Continued...
6.tape up the slits with black vynil electritions tape.
7.Replace the pads and rock out!!


Some real oldieshttp://www.foundvalue.com/photo/vintage-superex-pro-st-pro-headphones-1962-x-con-34682

goraman
10-07-2010, 04:55
Superex headphones in the movie "Talk to Me " The old gray pro B's are in a movie bassed on the life of Pettey Green.
http://members.rottentomatoes.com/dor/objects/874260/talk_to_me/videos/talk2_me_trlr2_060807.html

goraman
30-07-2010, 00:17
Specs are as follows: Doubble headphone dynamic woofer,ceramic tweeter:4-16ohm impeadance:frequency responce 18-22,000 c.p.s. 60-18,000 +3db.
normal power,30mw;max power,2 watts.Cable length 7ft.
4 conductor cord in 1/4 3 pole stereo conector.

goraman
19-08-2010, 05:15
a cool link.


http://vintageheadphones.blogspot.com/search/label/Superex

goraman
22-08-2010, 05:10
I have found the perfact replacment ear pads for all the Superex pro modles.
They are made of pleather by a current company named Calrad (headphones for metal detectors. Model 15-135 is an upgrade replacment set.
The phone number for the company is 323 465 2131.
They fit like they where made for them,I have tried so menny pads before finding these and they are a perfact fit.

Well, these pads have very soft 1/2 inch foam,makeing for discomfort and a very forward presentation with less soundstage.
I didn't give up on them though,after removeing the foam I was able to replace it easily with 1 inch just like in the pad rebuild pics.
They seem to be working sweetly now.

goraman
22-08-2010, 07:55
Any carbon fiber guys here,my next mod is to make new ear cups.
Exact copys useing the old ones as a mold.
I understand it's alot like fiber glass.

I REALLY SHOULD GET A LIFE

goraman
31-08-2010, 00:32
Pics of Superex ST-pro B time capsiled.

dobias
18-02-2013, 15:02
Goraman,
I was happy to find a Superex ST-Pro-B and planned on modding it as you outlined. That is, until I found the model IV I had purchased had two transformers each speaker and no capacitors.
Do you have an alternative 'fix' for the model IV or do I need to live with it, as is?
Frank Dobias

goraman
18-02-2013, 18:12
There isn't much to do for the IV.
I would leave it.

pmusiaowski
10-07-2019, 08:15
Hi, Goraman! I thanked you in the Welcome section for guiding me to these truly outstanding headphones.

I would like to add my five cents to the discussion.

If this is not the right place, I'm sorry, I'll move the post.

As for the presentation of the sound, they are unique headphones. No other headphones sound like that. The general characteristics of the sound remind me of the highly praised AKG K240 DF, used in recording studios and radio studios in Germany. But the AKG 240 DF does not have this very special spatiality of the sound and bass.

I came across Superex PRO-B headphones by browsing the old Lafayette catalog. My first thought was: "Nah, Koss Pro 4AAA did not sound so good, so it makes no sense to spend the money in vain again." But then I came across your post that was really interesting, i.e. that Superex PRO-B has a unique sound that even electrostatic headphones do not have. And I confirm this!

At home I have Lafayette F500 and Lafayette F990 headphones, another 2-way system of the era, made by Elega in Japan produced under the name Elega DR-119CH:

http://20cheaddatebase.web.fc2.com/elega/DR-119CH.html

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/lafayette-f990-owners-mods-impressions-eq.756312/

and both Superex PRO-B and Lafayette F500 come to life only on the Realistic Sta-220 and Sansui 3000A amplifiers. These two receivers are among the best that have ever been produced. They are unique when it comes to extracting high-quality bass from the speakers.

Japanese engineers, i.e. those people who produced the best amplifiers of the era, i. e. Sansui 3000A, Sony STR-6060FW and Realistic Sta-220 (Hitachi SR-1100) knew what they were doing, because everything depends on the design.

In my opinion, the Superex Pro-B headphones have been specially made for jazz and classical music and hence their unique presentation. Rock music does not sound so good on them, at least not all songs, but all jazz music sounds highly outstanding with superb clarity, sweetness and unique tone.

As for the mods, one idea to get most from Superex PRO-B's extraordinary headphones is to use Sansui 3000A, Sony STR-6060FW or Realistic STA-220 with an adapter like HiFiMAN HE-Adapter to be able to connect the headphones straight to the loudspeaker inputs. I was using HiFiMAN HE-Adapter with AKG K240DF headphones after ordering the adapter from China.

But it is also possible to make such an adapter:

http://www.dms-audio.com/power-amp-heaadphone-adapter

or to buy a cheaper one from China:

https://hifi-exquis.com/headphone-adapter/273-oldchen-aiqin-speakers-to-headphone-output-adapter.html

The most important thing to remember is that the sound will be the sound of the amplifier to which we connect the adapter and the Superex PRO-B headphones, and hardly anything can beat Sansui 3000A, Realistic Sta-220 or Sony STR-6060FW.

Best regards,
pmusiaowski

pmusiaowski
18-09-2019, 10:55
UPDATE: In the last month, I've bought Khadas Tone Board and the sound in combination with Superex Pro-B is simply breathtaking!

https://www.khadas.com/tone


I think some aspects make Superex headphones best headphones in the world.

I bought all the versions from the US to be able to compare them as they are my favorite right now, and the only version worth buying is the grey one with six black small sponges in the headband if someone wants to know.

ST3RST1K4R
16-05-2022, 11:17
Every one who has heard them loves them and is suprised at the layers in even the lowest bass and there sealed ability to block out noise and create a 3D open air sound feild that extends way outside of your head with vast space between insterments and I have listened to them for 12 and 14 hour sessions with no problems other than sweaty ears.They are a 2 way headphone with a crossover offering awsome bass a fat midrange and nice easy detailed highs that wont offend your ears.

Made in 1968 as good as they are there is very small improvements to be made.
and just renewing the ear cussions has been trial and error till I discovered the trick.

I am trying something different right now as pictured on the headphones here,There is to some point a relationship beween pad thickness and bass.If you have exsive bass and not much soundstage the pads are worn out,but a thicker pad will only give you wider soundstage to a point and to thick bass suffers.I think Superex factory pads found the sweet spot so after a little more fooling around I'll put the rebuilt factory pads back on. The factory cussions can be rebuilt useing 1 inch medum dencity foam by makeing 2 slices in the inside of the pads pulling up the foam and cutting it in half then pulling it out slowly with needle nose pliers.
Then cut a very long strip 17"long 1"X1" of foam and push,pull it into the hollow vynil pads and cut off any excess then use a little black electritions tape to cover the cuts you made and install,the repair should be invisable when assembled.

The fist 3 pictures where experimental, pic4 you can see the yellow worn down foam that was removed and the black pads refoamed from the 1" foam sheet.

I have dissasembled 4 sets of pads and rebuilt them,I can say with 100% certainty they only used foam so the gel rumors can be sqwashed.


I appreciate everything you have shared with us just as much as the other guy in this thread. I have been doing crazy experiments with these and trying to find more historical dates, times and documents to go with these as they have been lost to time. I don't just focus on the Pro-B line but their other oddballs like the ST-V, APS II, as well as the ST-S\ST-Models which modified can beat the Pro B originals In sound quality depending on the purpose.

I have found several versions of the Pro BV and VI models that have different speakers from different time periods so I question a lot of folks claiming one model is better than the other.

but I would like to ask if you or any other have done any benchmarks on these or tested them with the oscilloscope to produce any statistical results as many new production headphones have published benchmarks which I can compare which ones use the common 32ohm neodymium type speakers VS other types not commonly found.

I have found tests from way back from old magazines published featuring the QT-S model which is a rare quadrophonic model they had made which sadly bombed in comparison to the competition but never have I found the ST-S,M\PRO B ever bench tested or proven what they are really capable of...I am also looking for schematics on these but I doubt they exist or are easy to find.

...at some point, i intend to post some photos of my own mods with these that i have done that make these the most beast portable audio machine on your head for loud music


Hi, Goraman! I thanked you in the Welcome section for guiding me to these truly outstanding headphones.

I would like to add my five cents to the discussion.

If this is not the right place, I'm sorry, I'll move the post.

As for the presentation of the sound, they are unique headphones. No other headphones sound like that. The general characteristics of the sound remind me of the highly praised AKG K240 DF, used in recording studios and radio studios in Germany. But the AKG 240 DF does not have this very special spatiality of the sound and bass.

I came across Superex PRO-B headphones by browsing the old Lafayette catalog. My first thought was: "Nah, Koss Pro 4AAA did not sound so good, so it makes no sense to spend the money in vain again." But then I came across your post that was really interesting, i.e. that Superex PRO-B has a unique sound that even electrostatic headphones do not have. And I confirm this!

At home I have Lafayette F500 and Lafayette F990 headphones, another 2-way system of the era, made by Elega in Japan produced under the name Elega DR-119CH:

http://20cheaddatebase.web.fc2.com/elega/DR-119CH.html

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/lafayette-f990-owners-mods-impressions-eq.756312/

and both Superex PRO-B and Lafayette F500 come to life only on the Realistic Sta-220 and Sansui 3000A amplifiers. These two receivers are among the best that have ever been produced. They are unique when it comes to extracting high-quality bass from the speakers.

Japanese engineers, i.e. those people who produced the best amplifiers of the era, i. e. Sansui 3000A, Sony STR-6060FW and Realistic Sta-220 (Hitachi SR-1100) knew what they were doing, because everything depends on the design.

In my opinion, the Superex Pro-B headphones have been specially made for jazz and classical music and hence their unique presentation. Rock music does not sound so good on them, at least not all songs, but all jazz music sounds highly outstanding with superb clarity, sweetness and unique tone.

As for the mods, one idea to get most from Superex PRO-B's extraordinary headphones is to use Sansui 3000A, Sony STR-6060FW or Realistic STA-220 with an adapter like HiFiMAN HE-Adapter to be able to connect the headphones straight to the loudspeaker inputs. I was using HiFiMAN HE-Adapter with AKG K240DF headphones after ordering the adapter from China.

But it is also possible to make such an adapter:

http://www.dms-audio.com/power-amp-heaadphone-adapter

or to buy a cheaper one from China:

https://hifi-exquis.com/headphone-adapter/273-oldchen-aiqin-speakers-to-headphone-output-adapter.html

The most important thing to remember is that the sound will be the sound of the amplifier to which we connect the adapter and the Superex PRO-B headphones, and hardly anything can beat Sansui 3000A, Realistic Sta-220 or Sony STR-6060FW.

Best regards,
pmusiaowski

I would confirm with pmusiaowski on directly connecting them into the inputs that it improves the sound dramatically and you don't need the best Amp in the known universe to get similar results I've used the TPA3116 with the pro-b series and with that chippy choppy amp sounds clean and ridiculously great.

in fact arguably all music sounds better on the ST-S with the TPA3116 with direct Amp connections then the Pro-B without rebuilding the crossover network to handle the extra load of 15+ whoppers