[Previously posted to Stax X9000 thread ... I hadn't known about this thread when I wrote this.]
Today was an exciting day for me ... I got to listen to both the Stax SRX-9000 and the Audeze CRBN !!!
That calls for a HUGE SHOUT-OUT to Justin & his team from Headamp. I had known there was an audio event called the Florida Audio Expo coming up in Tampa, but it wasn't until yesterday afternoon that I realized that Headamp was there this weekend with a bunch of gear. Since that's less than a 2 hour drive from me, and the opportunity to hear a variety of TOTL headphone equipment doesn't happen often in these parts, I quickly reserved a ticket, and drove over this morning. One of the arguably nice things about a general audio show is that most of the attendees don't have a great interest in h/ps, and so there weren't long lines of people lined up behind every headphone station.
Context:
* 60+ year-old male with what's probably typical hearing for my age ... 14k is the last test tone I can hear.
* I love music and headphones, but I am not a trained or IMO a particularly perceptive "technical" listener.
* my main "poweramp-to-ears" equipment is old Stax. I have several Lambdas models, with a Birgit hybrid of 407 drivers in a 404 shell being the one I listen to the most. The amp is Stax SRM-1/Mk2. My story to myself is "old Stax equipment was TOTL in its day, is much cheaper than new TOTL gear, and still sounds 90% as good." This theory had never been actually tested in recent years.
* my before-the-power-amp chain was upgraded in the fall to Roon Nucleus --> Schiit Yggy LIM --> Schiit Freya+.
* I was looking for answers to 3 big questions:
(1) can I, with my aging ears and amateur listening skills, actually hear any improvements that current TOTL/SOTA gear offers?
(2) If so, is it a big difference, or a small difference?
(3) What would be my first-choice upgrade path ... e-stats, or traditional, or RAAL-ribbon, bearing in mind the perceived amount of *increased enjoyment* and the associated cost.
* I took the #1 Stax Lambda with me, to try to calibrate somewhat for the different amps involved.
* I played a variety of tunes and artists that I typically listen to at home. How the headphones etc sound with "audiophile quality" recordings is of some interest, but how would they impact my normal daily listening is what would drive my purchasing decisions.
Disclaimers: This reporter can neither confirm nor deny the possible influence of confirmation bias in the outputs of the listener's brain, after being provided with various inputs in a non-double-blinded test, in a typical audio show setting with moderate levels of ambient noise and nearby chatter. It's very hard to match levels when switching between different headphones, etc. YMMV. Much of what I heard aligned with what I've been reading on h/p forums, which could be confirmation bias, or evidence of the wisdom of crowds, or both, or neither. It's all subjective opinions, and probably not reproducible. Some equipment got more ear time than others. I liked some stuff and combos more than others, but I didn't actively dislike anything. This is a good time for headphone & music lovers.
My e-stat impressions:
* the HeadAmp Blue Hawaii SE made my Lambdas sound MUCH better than they do at home. (I'm going to assume that Roon music on the Naim streamer is close to a break-even with my at-home chain.) Smoother and yet more precise, very dynamic, bass significantly improved. As a show newbie, I forgot to ask if it was running with the stock tubes or something different. The volume control was continuous, so I assume that means it had the optional ALPS RK50 potentiometer.
* SRX-9000 with the BHSE was the showcase combo. My three word summary is "flawless and effortless." I heard nothing I could nitpick. I came back to this combo a couple of times, might have gotten 60 minutes in total. Awesome.
* CRBN to me was a half step behind. I think it edged the SR-009s. All three are clearly a good step up from my familiar Lambdas.
* I was hoping to also compare the value of an SR-700 Mk2 or -500 or -300 vs the top tier, but they didn't make the trip.
* Nothing sounded nearly as good on the Stax SRM-T8000 amp. Less dynamic, less expansive, bland. In this case, I am pretty confident that what my brain was telling me was truth, not just regurgitations of other people's opinions. So I didn't give it a lot of ear-time. (For some reason, I didn't think to try the Lambdas on this amp.)
* if budget says I can't upgrade both the e-stat headphones and amp at the same time, I now think my optimal path would be to do the amp first. That's different than yesterday's thinking.
Also listened to some top conventional headphones and amps.
* I liked the Audeze LCD-5 very much. It's right up there in the SRX-9000 & CRBN league IMO. In 2nd place was the Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC, which besides sounding very good did not feel uncomfortable to me at all. (But I probably only wore it for 5 minutes.) The HiFiMan Susvara didn't do much for me, which surprised me a bit. Maybe I didn't crank it up enough. Also listened to several DCA models, Meze Elite, Senn HD-800s, Focal Clear MG. Somehow managed to not listen to the Abyss Diana.
* I liked the HeadAmp GS-X Mk 2 amp a LOT. Would also be very interested if they come out with tube sibling. The GS-X Mini is close.
* the new RAAL PDT-1A tube amp was on-hand. I don't think that's technically even available for purchase yet, so a chance to preview it. I didn't ask about the price but I think that will be a competitive offering.
They didn't have a RAAL-ribbon setup here this weekend, so how much I like that as one of the possible paths to my end-game solution is a puzzle for another day. They packed a bunch of gear and listening stations in a smallish room, and can't bring everything.
Anybody going to CanJam next weekend probably doesn't need to be told this but ... must do your own shoot-out between SRX-9000 and CRBN.
Thanks again to HeadAmp for making this happen. No amount of forum reading is as informative or useful as being able to listen to a bunch of good gear, side by side, with your very own ears.