[rgs9200m]

So now we have a bass-heavy 009, like the R10? 

 

[n3rdling]

I'll wait for the measurements.

 

[astrostar59]

Hi David. My 6 months old UK sourced 009 is the same signature  as yours, so I am thinking the change came very recently.
 
As I said in an earlier post, I wish Stax would leave minor adjustments to the treble response to system adjustments like in Audirvana+ has. If they change the 009 for the worse then that is wrong. Innerfidelity in their review said it was as straight through as you could get i.e. no signature, just what is in the source. I tend to agree. The 007 Mk2s was darker and a bit veiled, also slower. But those things may be the older design and lower tech of those phones, not sure. It is agreed by most that the later 007s had a bit of a mid bass hump. Not sure about the treble levels though, I was under the impression both the 007s Mk1 and 007 Mk2 had the same treble responses.
 
Anyone who has both can chine in here to confirm that please.
 
I am wondering for the masses though, if the later 009 with lower treble energy might suit more modern DACs that tend towards detail and brightness?

 

[David1961]

Hi David. My 6 months old UK sourced 009 is the same signature  as yours, so I am thinking the change came very recently.

As I said in an earlier post, I wish Stax would leave minor adjustments to the treble response to system adjustments like in Audirvana+ has. If they change the 009 for the worse then that is wrong. Innerfidelity in their review said it was as straight through as you could get i.e. no signature, just what is in the source. I tend to agree. The 007 Mk2s was darker and a bit veiled, also slower. But those things may be the older design and lower tech of those phones, not sure. It is agreed by most that the later 007s had a bit of a mid bass hump. Not sure about the treble levels though, I was under the impression both the 007s Mk1 and 007 Mk2 had the same treble responses.

Anyone who has both can chine in here to confirm that please.

I am wondering for the masses though, if the later 009 with lower treble energy might suit more modern DACs that tend towards detail and brightness?

Hi Julian,

The new 009's might be preferred by some if not most to the old version, but from using the PH tubes with my BHSE with the source being the K-01, I preferred the SQ of the old version.

Because I changed the tubes from stock Mullard's to the PH's well before myself and Mark heard my BHSE with my K-01, we didn't heard both the 009's with the stock Mullard's while the K-01 was being used.
So if we'd have heard his new version 009's using the stock Mullard's with my source then his 009's might've sounded better than the old version.
I myself are not keen on how some of the songs in my collection sound while using the stock Mullard's with my BHSE while that source of mine is being used, but with the PH's I couldn't be happier.

After hearing the old and new 009's, and also hearing the 007mk1's, ( although that was sometime ago ) I would guess that the new version of the 009's could be something between the old 009's and 007mk1's.

 

[astrostar59]

Interesting. I think you are correct, the new version 009 might fit more (bright) DACs out there. I am very happy with mine with my source,
the detail and transparency is everything to get closer to the music. I would miss loosing any of it, it would be like going back to the treble of my 007s.
 
I wonder if anyone knows when the change happened i.e. Stax started shipping? Of course, we won't hear shi* out of Stax as usual, but it might be 
possible to work it out by users who have both versions or have mates who just bought them.
 
I think Birgir is happy with the 009s now? (finally). Maybe his are the new versions. Again, makes me think his DAC is brighter than mine.

 

[Rossliew]

I have a pair of 007 Mk II and they do sound noticeably darker, not as dark as the HD650 but noticeable. The soundstage is more intimate and I hear less airiness surrounding instruments. Then again, I am pairing it with the KGST which is hybrid and a tad warmish sounding due to the tubes present. From your experience with the 009s, are the newer ones darker? I'm actually looking for a brighter set to complement the 007s.

 

[RiStaR]

I have a pair of 007 Mk II and they do sound noticeably darker, not as dark as the HD650 but noticeable. The soundstage is more intimate and I hear less airiness surrounding instruments. Then again, I am pairing it with the KGST which is hybrid and a tad warmish sounding due to the tubes present. From your experience with the 009s, are the newer ones darker? I'm actually looking for a brighter set to complement the 007s.

 
I'd be careful with generalizations like that. Tubes (well designed and executed) don't automatically mean a warm sound. From my experience, the stuff that comes out of Kevin's schematics definitely don't steer that way.

 

[Rossliew]

   
I'd be careful with generalizations like that. Tubes (well designed and executed) don't automatically mean a warm sound. From my experience, the stuff that comes out of Kevin's schematics definitely don't steer that way.

Fair point but if you'd check Birgir's website now, he has a KGST newly built for sale and it does mention in the description that it is warm sounding and therefore a better match for the 009. I do recall reading reviews that the WA6SE, although tube based, is solid state sounding. 

 

[RiStaR]

 
Fair point but if you'd check Birgir's website now, he has a KGST newly built for sale and it does mention in the description that it is warm sounding and therefore a better match for the 009. I do recall reading reviews that the WA6SE, although tube based, is solid state sounding. 

 
Okay... I just wanted to address the tube vs ss generalization, that's all.  For my Mk1... moving from the KGSSHV to the megatron, the big change for me was how holographic and involving the tube amp was, and that gain is offset by losing a bit of the bass "slam" that I got used to from the KGSSHV. 
 
That said, it does sound like you have an issue somewhere. So I've never heard a Mk2 before, but based on what you're describing that's a strange response from the headphone? It's losing "air"/treble compared to which amp - same source (what source)? Hopefully someone else (Geoff, Nopants or Birgir maybe?) can jump in with comments on how the KGSTs does with the 007s. 
 
From the accounts I've been reading while all the KGSTs were being built, it seems to sound pretty good and seem to have pretty good drive? I know the treble or "air" on my mk1s are okay even on the really weak SRM-252 (it wasn't ideal on a lot of ways and I didn't spend much time on it but treble was not among any of the issues I remember or noticed). 

 

[cucera]

I think Birgir is happy with the 009s now? (finally). Maybe his are the new versions. Again, makes me think his DAC is brighter than mine.

He was the first that gave me the hint when I bought my BHSE from him and he ownes a new one.

 

[mulveling]

I too think we're jumping awful fast into the conclusion of Mk I/Mk II versions for SR-009. I remain very sceptic until we see further proof. Mine were purchased from PJ in July this year and they're what I'd consider very slightly on the bight side of neutral. That said, I wouldn't change them a bit, as they sound brilliant -- plus they don't irritate my ears like other bright(er) cans such as the HD800. Purk's pair of 009 is older than mine (by a year or two, I think) and sound ever so slightly warmer than mine, but I'd attribute that to pad condition and headband compression before anything else.

 

[Rossliew]

   
Okay... I just wanted to address the tube vs ss generalization, that's all.  For my Mk1... moving from the KGSSHV to the megatron, the big change for me was how holographic and involving the tube amp was, and that gain is offset by losing a bit of the bass "slam" that I got used to from the KGSSHV. 
 
That said, it does sound like you have an issue somewhere. So I've never heard a Mk2 before, but based on what you're describing that's a strange response from the headphone? It's losing "air"/treble compared to which amp - same source (what source)? Hopefully someone else (Geoff, Nopants or Birgir maybe?) can jump in with comments on how the KGSTs does with the 007s. 
 
From the accounts I've been reading while all the KGSTs were being built, it seems to sound pretty good and seem to have pretty good drive? I know the treble or "air" on my mk1s are okay even on the really weak SRM-252 (it wasn't ideal on a lot of ways and I didn't spend much time on it but treble was not among any of the issues I remember or noticed). 

I'm just worried it confirms what everyone else is saying i.e. the Mk II sucks? Anyway, I'm still waiting for my balanced interconnects to arrive so i can use the setup on a fully balanced mode. Maybe that might help...i hope. Unfortunately I don't have another Stax amp or can to compare with but from memory, the humble SR-407 with a matching Stax amp (can't recall which model) gave a more realistic out of the head sound and bass was no lacking either. So, that's that then..

 

[astrostar59]

If we are comparing the 407 or 507 withy the 007 MK2s don't worry. The 007s are a lot more sophisticated and have more dynamics and bass than the lower models (if you power it with a BHSE/KGSS/KGSShv). The 007s are not bad at all, far from it. It is just they are a tad dark compared to the 507s treble and of course the 009s. 
 
The Stax range is about right, more money spent = better SQ IMO. Though you need a better front end to go with the jump. It is not a good idea to stick a revealing 'show me everything' 009s onto a cheap DAC or amp.

 

[Michgelsen]

Quote:

It is not a good idea to stick a revealing 'show me everything' 009s onto a cheap DAC or amp.

 
Although the SR-007 still sounds really good out of a SRM-252, so it's all very relative in the land of audiophiles...

 

[Tachikoma]

The Stax range is about right, more money spent = better SQ IMO. Though you need a better front end to go with the jump. It is not a good idea to stick a revealing 'show me everything' 009s onto a cheap DAC or amp.

Well.... a lot of people do prefer the 207 over the more expensive Lambdas.