STAX SR 009 - AMAZING - Page 2

Frankly, I'd hope it's nothing short of amazing given that it's a $5,000 headphone that needs a specialized amplifier to drive properly, which will likely run above $2,000...

That level of Stax performance is something I'll only get to dream about for a long time. At least I have these vintage Lambdas to get some idea of what they may sound like.

Quote:

Originally Posted by aross 

Check my profile.  I am retired and NOT in the audio business, or ever was.

 

Hereafter, I'll keep my thoughts to myself.  I posted my review because I was really overwhelmed by what Stax had accomplished.  Now I will just shut-up.

Don't keep your thoughts to yourself, my friend. Nice review.

Aross - there are lots of jealous retards here who can't afford the 009 and try to undermine Stax whenever they can. They haven't even tried a Stax and whatever they say now, they will shut their mouth and be ashamed when they have a chance to listen to it. Just like when the Beats guys listen to the LCD2 - oh and they will probably go "oh my beats sound better" just to hide their shame. Why Stax doesn't bother to go to cheap meets? It is because they have class.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NamelessPFG 

Frankly, I'd hope it's nothing short of amazing given that it's a $5,000 headphone that needs a specialized amplifier to drive properly, which will likely run above $2,000...

 

That level of Stax performance is something I'll only get to dream about for a long time. At least I have these vintage Lambdas to get some idea of what they may sound like.

I really doubt you NEED a $2000+ amp for the 009. If it's anything like the differences between an SRM323s and KGSS for the 007, it's extremely small. Plus, the 009 is supposedly more efficient.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Radio_head 

Some reviews... yes.  but stax doesn't care.  at all.  They don't even bother sending reps to canjam, rmaf, or any of the conventions, they are uncommunicative and indifferent to distributors, have no delegate answering questions in forums with thousands of posts and hundreds of thousands of views dedicated to their products, and they seem generally unconcerned with how their products are received.  They are the least suspect company to use such a tactic.  Overzealous fanboys?  By the hundred.  Actual representatives of the company reaching out to the plebian masses?  Nonexistent to my knowledge.

Yes. They are almost mystical in their silence and detachment. 

OP, please don't let hostile and peevish replies deter you from further posting. Thank you for taking the time to write down your impressions. Maybe one day I will hear these headphones.

Quote:

Originally Posted by googleli 

Aross - there are lots of jealous retards here who can't afford the 009 and try to undermine Stax whenever they can. They haven't even tried a Stax and whatever they say now, they will shut their mouth and be ashamed when they have a chance to listen to it. Just like when the Beats guys listen to the LCD2 - oh and they will probably go "oh my beats sound better" just to hide their shame. Why Stax doesn't bother to go to cheap meets? It is because they have class.

Pretty much summed up what I wanted to say.  There's to much damn disrespect going on around here with personal reviews.  I've had the opportunity to listen to the O2 and Woo at a past meet and even to this day, IMO, it is the pinnacle of everything a headphone would ever want to be.  It's somewhat ironic how technology over 50 years old still holds the golden crown for those who've owned it or at least auditioned it. If I had to give a car name to Stax, it would be a Bentley or Rolls Royce - very exclusive in all regards.

Quote:

Originally Posted by wind016 

I really doubt you NEED a $2000+ amp for the 009. If it's anything like the differences between an SRM323s and KGSS for the 007, it's extremely small. Plus, the 009 is supposedly more efficient.

Points taken. I'm just used to hearing about people here drive SR-007s and SR-009s with BHSEs and KGSSs if they can't get BHSEs.

Speaking of which, I could use a proper Stax amp with both Normal bias (for my current SR-Lambda) and Pro bias (to have a good upgrade path if necessary)...haven't decided if I should save up for an SRM-1/MK2 Pro or build an ExStatA solid-state, though. All I know is that from here on out, my main home listening headphones are going to be electrostatics of some sort; I just like the way the Lambda delivers sound too much.

I'm actually kind of left wondering why Stax isn't mentioned as much in this forum. New setups are expensive, yes (factoring in driver units), but buying used, especially on discontinued Lambda models, can yield quite a bit of bang for the buck. Perhaps it's because a lot of people keep going on about wanting bass, and while I find the Lambda quite adequate there, those people seeking recommendations might be disappointed by not getting a head concussion or something along those lines (not enough impact), in which case I don't feel quite as confident recommending something that's already hard enough to get at just $250-300 (with a transformer box that has additional cost in needing a speaker amp to feed it).

Honestly I think the review could be better. It seems like we could find & replace "STAX SR009" with <Good Headphone> and "Woo Audio WES" with <Good Amp> and the review would still sound coherent. Comparing and contrasting is a better method.

Quote:

Originally Posted by purrin 

Honestly I think the review could be better. It seems like we could find & replace "STAX SR009" with <Good Headphone> and "Woo Audio WES" with <Good Amp> and the review would still sound coherent. Comparing and contrasting is a better method.

Then, go ahead.
 

With the find and replace?

Quote:

Originally Posted by purrin 

With the find and replace?

Did you review the SR-009?  I haven't been able to find it.

Just a few scattered comments here and there on the boards and in PM. I'm waiting until after the meet where I get to hear it on the BHSE and a new prototype amp that someone's building. I've already measured the 009. The results are excellent - the most linear FR and possibly the best CSD compared to all other headphones I've measured yet.

Subjectively, it sounds a little bit bumped in the middle to upper midrange and tails off a bit in lowest octaves or two, but overall very smooth. Smooth in that I don't hear any abrupt changes in FR which makes it very "speaker" like since 95% of headphones usually have some nasty resonance nodes. Very fast in the treble, similar to O2 in clarity of fast percussion work. Overall slam is great.

There are some shortcomings with overall dynamics, lower bass slam, bass extension (which I already mentioned), and even ultimate low level information retrieval. I still think the BA + <insert TOTL dynamic> sounds more "involving" and "musical" (for whatever those two vague terms really mean), but I want reserve final judgement until I hear this thing properly powered. One person I trust says a DIY T2 does justice for it. But that is out of the question for me.

. double post