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The Only SR-009 thread you need to read. Or a mini-meet at Larry's.
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Oct 1, 2011 at 8:50 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 15
nikongod

nikongod

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Hello Head-fi
 
On this rainy Saturday October First, in the 2011'th year of the common era we did convene upon Larry's house and did listen to several fine headphones. Some more fine that others, but none that suck. This is to say that the worst headphone we heard on this day "certainly did not suck" and the best was absolutely outstanding. Were talking game-changer good. Of course I am refering specifically to the SR-009
 

 
Above is a picture of what the headphones look like in their wooden box, in case you didnt know. 
I retouched the lettering on the box because I thought it was too dark. The lettering is not really this contrasty against the wood box. If this bothers you I suggest that you stop being a whiny little nancy-pants.
 

 
This is a photo of what the headphones look like inside the wooden box, inside the cardboard box, inside the original plastic-wrap. Thats right kiddies. We got to crack open a brand-spanking-new set of SR-009 in Larry's house. Dont tell anyone, but I got a little high off of the smell. 
 

 
They are Doug's headphones so it seemed fitting that he should open them. Now that I look at it, it seems fitting that the hear-no-evil monkey is right behind Doug. I think he put some sort of special blessing on the headphones which were opened in his presence. 
 

 
This is what the headphones look like moments before the wooden box is opened. 
 

 
Taah-Daah! Headphones on. 
Nothing is playing yet....
 

 
This is the Blue-Hawaii that Kerry built. It sounds pretty awesome. We figured that we should run the 009 off of it, because we figured they would sound pretty awesome too. Despite what some people may think, it is very hard to have too much awesome in one place. We tried today and only achieved "about the most awesomeness ever". Maybe later we will have too much awesome for one place, but I doubt it. 
 

 
This is what Doug looks like running the 009 off of the Blue-Hawaii. He looked like that for a few songs. 
 

 
"These headphones are OK" Coming from a guy who has owned all sorts of interesting headphones that means a lot...
 

 
Kerry made a play to wrangle the 009 away from Doug by offering him a listen on the HE90/HEV90. Doug saw through this attempt and politely turned him down. 
 

 
After what felt like weeks Doug let the rest of us have a go. 
Maybe it was only 3 or 4 tracks. 
 

 
Above are several pictures of awesome headphones. 
 

 
Doug listening to O2mk2
 

 
Kerry rocking out with the O2MK2
 

 
We spent some time listening to these headphones too. 
They are the K1000 and they are totally awesome. They are really a must hear. 
 

 
Larry + K1000 = teh happy!
 

 
Doug + K1000 = teh happy!
 

 
We ran the K1000 off of the red wine audio isibalina. We also ran the SRM-717 off of the isabelina's outputs. 
 

 
Lots of headphones and amps. 
 

 

 
 
 

 
Oct 2, 2011 at 1:59 AM Post #4 of 15
The 009 + BHSE is the finest rig on the planet at the moment IMHO, and with the exception of the Qualia I do believe I have heard every significant contender for the prize (although I have only limited listening time with the original Omega, and the only T2 I have heard had noise problems; still I am intimate with O2 Mk 1 and Mk 2, the full Orpehus, HD800, K1000 etc.).
 
We listened to classical (both orchestral and chamber), rock (hard and soft), female vocals, jazz, swing, and pop.  We missed opera, dnb, house/electronica, and rap, but the conclusions would have been the same.
 
We listened to hi res downloads, redbook CDs, and SACDs.  We also listened to the humming and singing of the head-fi'er wearing the 009s since it is impossible to resist doing that with these phones on your head.
 
This phone has no weakness: stunning bass, knife-sharp transients, sweet mids, searing highs without a touch of edge or shrill.
 
Think this way: take a bunch of Stax engineers, wringing their hands over everything they did (slightly) wrong with the 007 O2 Mk 1 and O2 Mk 2.  Then give them all HD800s to listen to for a year.  Challenge them by saying: please Stax, lift from the HD800 all the little things it gets right, study its sound which -- when the HD800 excels (which it does not always do, as you know) -- is nearly perfect -- and paint them on to the far-more-solid canvas of the O2.  Finish the exercise by letting the new phones have a play date with some beyer T1's to learn smoothness, manners, get a manicure -- be a gentleman even in the presence of musical harshness.
 
The result is the 009.  Perfection when paired with a BHSE.  Am I going to sell everything else I own to buy one?  No, because the euphonics of the Orpheus is still my drug of choice (and I am an addict), plus my wife -- having recently abandoned her beloved Denons -- has fallen hard for the O2's driven off the BHSE.  So we feel no need.  But I no longer cling to the fantasy that I have the best HPs in the world.  Doug does.  Or, more correctly, he will when Justin ships him his BHSE (mine is a Kerry).
 
Thanks to Doug for letting us join him for his first moments with the 009s, to Ari for the superb photos (and for being Ari -- my wife says they broke the mold when they made Ari, I believe she has filed papers to adopt him), and to Kerry for supplying the BHSE (and for being Kerry -- they also broke the mold when Kerry was made, and then they beat the hell out of the mold-maker, but that's another story).
 
 
Oct 2, 2011 at 2:59 PM Post #5 of 15
That meet is just pure win but you guys need more headphones, I have you beaten even without calling in Stuart for a mini meet...
tongue.gif

 

 
Oct 3, 2011 at 2:00 PM Post #10 of 15
You guys just had too much fun.  I agree the SR-009 is scary good, does everything right and nothing it does seems wrong.  But with certain genres, I'm still being drawn to the HE90s.  Solution:  get one of each and have the best of both worlds.
 
Oct 3, 2011 at 10:59 PM Post #12 of 15
On a more serious note, my actual thoughts:
 
I have not been following the great SR-009 thread, because like many threads on head-fi it is far too difficult to discern between speculation from people who have not heard anthing they are talking about and people who have actually heard some (if not all!) of what they are talking about. Someone at the meet (kerry?) said that following that thread spoiled hearing the 009 for him. Im inclined to agree, as loosely following the HD800 hype threads did not prepare me for that. 
 
Some comments: 
Apparently its been said that the 009 are bright. Umm, maybe compared to the inside of a cave on the night of a new moon with heavy cloud cover. Bright? No. They are not veiled, or dark either. I'm sorry to disappoint people who want to complain about stuff but these headphones are EXTREMELY even handed. The highs are what I would consider to be perfectly represented. They dont jump out at you in front of anything, as they can on other headphones - I have spent a lot of time getting the HD800 to do this in my home system. At the same time, there is very ample detail and micro-detail in the highs, and pretty much everywhere really. 
 
After a few tracks passing the headphones back and forth we just kind of sat there and tried to describe what we heard. It was difficult. I never want to say it, and it seems nobody else in the room did either, but once the topic was breached I think it was well agreed upon. Not only did I hear things I have never heard before, I heard things you have never heard before. These headphones are that good. 
 
I owned the 007 for a while, and only occasionally miss them with my current harem of the R10 and HD800, but STAX has seriously outdone themselves with the 009. By a wide margin. 
 
Oct 6, 2011 at 1:16 PM Post #13 of 15
Man... wish I could have been there. I'm dying to hear the HE-90 and meet some of you guys. Hopefully a few of you show up at the November NY meet.
 
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