[rgs9200m]

I will probably sell my 007ta amp w/the upgraded RCA tubes soon if anyone wants it (good price). Just a heads up.

 

[forestitalia]

Someone could suggest me a Stax service centre?
I have the sr507 with right channel imbalance, it is about 30% lower, mostly the bass. The cable is damaged, maybe a spark between wires occcured.
 
Now I live in UAE, tried to contact Stax Japan, they not even answer me, very upsetting considering I just bought an L700 too.
 
Some international service can repair my 507? I love it with heavy rock.
 
 

 

[AnakChan]

  Someone could suggest me a Stax service centre?
I have the sr507 with right channel imbalance, it is about 30% lower, mostly the bass. The cable is damaged, maybe a spark between wires occcured.
 
Now I live in UAE, tried to contact Stax Japan, they not even answer me, very upsetting considering I just bought an L700 too.
 
Some international service can repair my 507? I love it with heavy rock.

 
Stax Japan has been clear in the past that overseas models/units should have their repairs managed by their international distributors.
 
So where did you buy your SR507? Have you talked to them?

 

[bnsb]

Here is link to a an offer to repair Stax in the Sale thread.
 
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/824712/electrostatic-headphone-repair-stax-sennheiser-jecklin-float

 

[forestitalia]

   
Stax Japan has been clear in the past that overseas models/units should have their repairs managed by their international distributors.
 
So where did you buy your SR507? Have you talked to them?

I had the 507 as part exchange from a friend in UK.
I'm not interested in starting a discussion about Stax policy and blabla, I'm looking for someone I PAY to do the job. 
 
If is not possible repair a Stax out of warranty in the world that will affects my future purchases for sure.

 

[Xecuter]

I recently had a chance to have a listen to isquirrels Rig - Aurender/MSB Select dac/electro stat amp + SR009.
Let it be known that my previous experience with the SR009 with BHSE, SRM727II, KGHSSV and a few other amps has always left me disappointed in the 009.
This brief review will discuss the MSB Select amp with the SR009.
 
This is just my opinion and I’m sure many will not agree, but that’s why we are here, to share opinions.
The 009 from the BHSE is my reference with 009 and honestly, still my reference for the CLARITY possible from a headphone, do not mistake this for microdetail or plankton. The 009 in my opinion is NOT the hyper-detail king it is often hyped as.
 
 
The 009 is a fantastic tool for hearing pinpoint imaging, it has good transient response and separates instruments in well recorded pieces exceptionally well, however its ability to render low level information is good but not great. I often wondered if this was due to the lack of differing amplifier topographies and lack of competition or just a limitation of the driver design.
 
I don’t even mind that the 009 is not the ultra-resolving can I was told it is, I have a bigger gripe with the 009, which is why I never bothered to own it. My previous experience with the 009 is that it is not musical. The separation and clarity often distracted me away from the music and it was ruining even well recorded music. For perfectly recorded, simple, classical pieces with only a few instruments, it was exceptional. Hands down, the best for this genre of music. However, a lot of well recorded blues, jazz, big hall orchestral which is my predominant listening material sounded outright bad from the 009. It lacked cohesion and had a tendency to accentuate unpleasantness in the recording.
 
When I first heard the 009 - 2 years ago, my first thought was this thing is so detailed I will need to delete my entire music collection and start again, but the more I listened to my reference tracks, the more I realized it wasn’t picking up on more detail or the quality of the recording was not up to scratch, it was just the 009 driver. I had to try it again from a few more set ups with different DACs and I firmly believed the 009 was just not capable of sounding musical and cohesive.
 
This was all until I heard it from the MSB Select Electrostatic amp. This is not the KG/stax topography stuff as some are claiming, whatever it is, it something entirely different. That was very obvious to me. As soon as I heard it, I thought the sr009 was modified, it was not.
 
The sr009 from the MSB Select amp was musical. It was actually enjoyable with a wider range of music and left me rather confused. It had decent weight and timbre which I had never ever heard on anyone’s Stax 009 rig (even those with 100k USD upstream).  Yet clarity and the famous 009 speed and precision was still there now with cohesion, texture and musicality. This was the best I had heard the 009.
 
I still don't think microdetail was really improved from this amp, so I will continue to assume it is a limitation of the 009 driver itself. What do I mean by this..  It’s hard to describe but it’s the subtle stuff like the noises from the singer’s lips/lipstick parting, the ability to tell me not just that there is a gentle maraca in the back left of the band but and when the beads are colliding with the shell but the rough size and material of those beads, yet somehow doesn’t draw me away from the rest of the collaboration. Some call this plankton, some amps are able to dig it up and fewer transducers can render it properly. Point is clarity =/= detail IMO.
 
This amplifier is a must hear for stax fans. Unfortunately, it is out of the price point of most people (38k USD). I do hope that whatever this tech is, trickles down to a more affordable level. I do not believe this amp is KG/stax/headcase in nature at all, the voicing is unlike any other electrostatic amp I have heard. This is by far the most enjoyment I have had from the sr009 trumping the BHSE, however it was not enough to convince me to move in this direction. Maybe other transducers like the Shangri-la, future stax models or new players will make a headphone that pushes the stat technology further and in a direction I may prefer.
 
I will be interested to see how isquirrel goes improving on this sound, as he is a man determined to obtain the maximum potential of a transducer, however I am unsure if the SR009 will go where he wants to take it.
 
I have heard seen people try to discredit MSB due to a potential error in their marketing regarding their products performance. Honestly, marketing in audio is full of hullaballoo and information totally irrelevant to what could actually be heard by a human being. I listened to the voicing of this amp and I think it beyond anything I have heard from KG/Headamp/stax. I can only encourage you guys to give it a try.
 
Happy Listening
Xec

 

[yates7592]

Thanks for posting your valuable impressions here. I don't think many of us will ever get to hear the MSB amp. Just a question, and not trying to diss your impressions, but how much of an influence do you think the MSB Select DAC had on what you heard? In other words, I wonder how the sound would be if listening via MSB Select DAC and a different electrostatic amp?

 

[Xecuter]

  Thanks for posting your valuable impressions here. I don't think many of us will ever get to hear the MSB amp. Just a question, and not trying to diss your impressions, but how much of an influence do you think the MSB Select DAC had on what you heard? In other words, I wonder how the sound would be if listening via MSB Select DAC and a different electrostatic amp?

 
I think there are many factors that need to be considered from this sort of review. The Dac is one important factor. So is the Aurender w20. I heard an older aurender w20 firmware with obvious mid bass bloom that totally changed the signature.
 
I did not have my reference DAC with me to compare and this was also my first time heading the Select II. So unfortunately I can't place weight on what actually was the major influence.
 
I have heard the other electrostat amps from a few different very high end sources/dacs with different signatures. So again it's very hard for someone to read the review and get a good idea because there are always going to be so many variables and differences in taste etc.

 

[Beolab]

I recently had a chance to have a listen to isquirrels Rig - Aurender/MSB Select dac/electro stat amp + SR009.
Let it be known that my previous experience with the SR009 with BHSE, SRM727II, KGHSSV and a few other amps has always left me disappointed in the 009.
This brief review will discuss the MSB Select amp with the SR009.

This is just my opinion and I’m sure many will not agree, but that’s why we are here, to share opinions.
The 009 from the BHSE is my reference with 009 and honestly, still my reference for the CLARITY possible from a headphone, do not mistake this for microdetail or plankton. The 009 in my opinion is NOT the hyper-detail king it is often hyped as.


The 009 is a fantastic tool for hearing pinpoint imaging, it has good transient response and separates instruments in well recorded pieces exceptionally well, however its ability to render low level information is good but not great. I often wondered if this was due to the lack of differing amplifier topographies and lack of competition or just a limitation of the driver design.

I don’t even mind that the 009 is not the ultra-resolving can I was told it is, I have a bigger gripe with the 009, which is why I never bothered to own it. My previous experience with the 009 is that it is not musical. The separation and clarity often distracted me away from the music and it was ruining even well recorded music. For perfectly recorded, simple, classical pieces with only a few instruments, it was exceptional. Hands down, the best for this genre of music. However, a lot of well recorded blues, jazz, big hall orchestral which is my predominant listening material sounded outright bad from the 009. It lacked cohesion and had a tendency to accentuate unpleasantness in the recording.

When I first heard the 009 - 2 years ago, my first thought was this thing is so detailed I will need to delete my entire music collection and start again, but the more I listened to my reference tracks, the more I realized it wasn’t picking up on more detail or the quality of the recording was not up to scratch, it was just the 009 driver. I had to try it again from a few more set ups with different DACs and I firmly believed the 009 was just not capable of sounding musical and cohesive.

This was all until I heard it from the MSB Select Electrostatic amp. This is not the KG/stax topography stuff as some are claiming, whatever it is, it something entirely different. That was very obvious to me. As soon as I heard it, I thought the sr009 was modified, it was not.

The sr009 from the MSB Select amp was musical. It was actually enjoyable with a wider range of music and left me rather confused. It had decent weight and timbre which I had never ever heard on anyone’s Stax 009 rig (even those with 100k USD upstream).  Yet clarity and the famous 009 speed and precision was still there now with cohesion, texture and musicality. This was the best I had heard the 009.

I still don't think microdetail was really improved from this amp, so I will continue to assume it is a limitation of the 009 driver itself. What do I mean by this..  It’s hard to describe but it’s the subtle stuff like the noises from the singer’s lips/lipstick parting, the ability to tell me not just that there is a gentle maraca in the back left of the band but and when the beads are colliding with the shell but the rough size and material of those beads, yet somehow doesn’t draw me away from the rest of the collaboration. Some call this plankton, some amps are able to dig it up and fewer transducers can render it properly. Point is clarity =/= detail IMO.

This amplifier is a must hear for stax fans. Unfortunately, it is out of the price point of most people (38k USD). I do hope that whatever this tech is, trickles down to a more affordable level. I do not believe this amp is KG/stax/headcase in nature at all, the voicing is unlike any other electrostatic amp I have heard. This is by far the most enjoyment I have had from the sr009 trumping the BHSE, however it was not enough to convince me to move in this direction. Maybe other transducers like the Shangri-la, future stax models or new players will make a headphone that pushes the stat technology further and in a direction I may prefer.

I will be interested to see how isquirrel goes improving on this sound, as he is a man determined to obtain the maximum potential of a transducer, however I am unsure if the SR009 will go where he wants to take it.

I have heard seen people try to discredit MSB due to a potential error in their marketing regarding their products performance. Honestly, marketing in audio is full of hullaballoo and information totally irrelevant to what could actually be heard by a human being. I listened to the voicing of this amp and I think it beyond anything I have heard from KG/Headamp/stax. I can only encourage you guys to give it a try.

Happy Listening
Xec

Great informative short listening notes, always nice to read!


Just out of curiosity cam you develop the fact in short that MSB has an error in the marketing technical specs ? What is the error they have wrote wrongly in the specs?

 

[rgs9200m]

I had a very good time last night listening to my SR009 with lots of popular music. It's very musical. 
But nevertheless, it is definitely more raw and open-sounding than my SR007 mk 2.5 (current model).
 
So there are plusses and minuses to the 009. It's exciting with more distinctly defined images and vocals,
and the placement of musical objects and their size feels better defined.
So in that sense it's more realistic. 
 
The SR009 is more thrilling, like a roller-coaster ride. And if you have a decent digital front end and amplifier, the highs are present and clear but not abusive.
The highs are not shrill and they don't make my teeth hurt of give me headaches like some other headphones can do with strong music.
At least that's my experience and I do turn my SR009 often for this kind of fun.
 
But all in all, I prefer my SR007, because the images are just more silky, and the atmosphere around them seems a little thicker and humid and even a bit foggy.
The image placement is not as well layered as the 009, but that's a small sacrifice I'm happy to make.
 
And maybe there is, just sometimes, a touch more grain to midrange sounds like male vocals in the SR007 vs. the sheer continuity of sustained notes on the SR009.
But that bit of graininess is kind on a Stax-texture thing that I have heard in all Stax phones I have used for 25 years now and I accept (and maybe even like since I'm so used to it with Stax).
It's like you are really close to someone speaking an inch from your ear, so you can hear some roughness, so in a strange way it sounds natural.
 
In the 009, things seem to sound smooth as liquid and glass at all times to me.
I can't even decide which is more true-to-life.
 
I just prefer the ease on the SR007 that I slip on like an old shoe, maybe with a few warts and all, since it has that good-old unique fast but sweet warm full-of-detail combination of Stax traits that make me feel right at home
and are unique to Stax.

 

[Xecuter]

MSB quoted -170db measurement, nothing exists than can measure that. And also their original Signal to noise ratio on spec sheet was impossible under normal conditions.
As I said this stuff doesn't worry to me. It could just be a typo, but I have heard many people say they won't give it a chance because of this advertising. That's the only reason I mentioned it.

 

[arnaud]

An attempt at translating the recent stax tour / interview: http://www.head-fi.org/t/829843/stax-sr-009-and-t2-successors-confirmed-for-spring-2017/45#post_13130037
 
cheers,
arnaud

 

[fogwall]

I have an old Stax Sigma, connected via the energizer SRD-7.
 
I recently discovered a channel imbalance. The right/left proportion is something like 70/30.
 
Changing amp did not help.
 
I also noticed that the SRD-7 does not change the sound when powered on. If I leave it powered off, the sound is the same. Same volume, same imbalance.
 
Is the problem caused by a faulty energizer? Any suggestions?

 

[HemiSam]

  The SR 007's arrived yesterday.  Initial impressions are very positive indeed.  They are a step up from the SR-507's in both overall sonic presentation and comfort.  Instruments and vocals both to seem have a bit more realism, sound stage is improved in both width and depth.  It does sound like one is further back in the symphony hall with the 007's compared to the 507's.  The 507's sound a bit brighter to me.  
 
Another thing I've noticed is that the 007's sound is improved using the Stax SRM-007 tA over the SRM 006 tII.  The difference in amps is not so noticeable with 507's.  
 
For classical listening, the SR 007's are amazing.  I think for rock/blues, the SR 507's are fine, as the tonal balance seems to suit the music.
 
It seems that preferences with headphones really get rather subjective, perhaps more so than normal playback setups with speakers.  No two peoples hearing response curve is alike, so I'm sure that factors into this some.  
 
Over the next few months, would like to know more about the amps available to drive these wonderful headphones.  Always been partial to tubes to drive headphones.  For now, will be enjoying the SR 007's.  

 
There are some great deals on used KGSSHV amps these days.  I own two at the moment that I had built for me: the KGSSHV Carbon and the KGST.  The 007A's are one of my favorite pair of cans and I was surprised to experience how well they scale.  Some folks read this to mean you the poster is suggesting you have to go buy a more powerful and transparent amplifier to enjoy them.  That is not the case here, but what I would suggest is if you can have a listen to your 007A's with an aftermarket amplifier like a KGSSHV, then I strongly recommend you do.  I argue that they will indeed impress you more so than just some marginal improvement.  
 
I do not profess to have golden ears...far from the truth as I'm middle aged and my hearing has gone with the years, but I can plainly state that I was surprised that the Carbon took my 007A's above the KGST, as an example.  They both blow away the Stax amp's I have had the pleasure to listen to a meets.  What I cannot argue is that the Carbon was worth the money for value improvement from the KGST...that is very much a personal choice.  The KGST was very good and would have been a satisfying option for the rest of my listening years...truly.  It just surprised me that the Carbon further fleshed the ability of the 007A's out and the bottom tightened up as much.  Not a different headphone, just more effectively exploited / powered.  This is all to say that your 007A's will indeed scale impressively when powered well.
 
I would recommend you listen before you buy if possible.  If you are budget conscience, purchase a used KGSSHV that suits you (size, heat it might put off vs the location you can place it, voltage rating, number of outputs and inputs, volume potentiometer, color, etc...) from a reputable seller.  There are some amazingly good people here and a few sharks so be thoughtful about who you buy from...look for a good reputation and use PayPal or the like.
 
You can get some great deals on the older versions of the KGSSHV's and you will get great results.  If you are comfortable paying for a KGSSHV Carbon, I can profess that my Ygg > Carbon > 007A is a great combo if you like the 007A's.  I did not want to fiddle with the BHSE and, personally, prefer a warmer sound signature so have not pursued one.  I am also not a fan of the Cavalli products...sorry.  Not good value for money IMHO.
 
My two bits.  Best of luck on your journey.  Happy New Year!
 
HS

 

[JimL11]

  The SR 007's arrived yesterday.  Initial impressions are very positive indeed.  They are a step up from the SR-507's in both overall sonic presentation and comfort.  Instruments and vocals both to seem have a bit more realism, sound stage is improved in both width and depth.  It does sound like one is further back in the symphony hall with the 007's compared to the 507's.  The 507's sound a bit brighter to me.  
 
Another thing I've noticed is that the 007's sound is improved using the Stax SRM-007 tA over the SRM 006 tII.  The difference in amps is not so noticeable with 507's.  
 
For classical listening, the SR 007's are amazing.  I think for rock/blues, the SR 507's are fine, as the tonal balance seems to suit the music.
 
It seems that preferences with headphones really get rather subjective, perhaps more so than normal playback setups with speakers.  No two peoples hearing response curve is alike, so I'm sure that factors into this some.  
 
Over the next few months, would like to know more about the amps available to drive these wonderful headphones.  Always been partial to tubes to drive headphones.  For now, will be enjoying the SR 007's.  

SR007s are considered harder to drive than most other Stax headphones due to their frequency balance.  They have less output in the 2-5kHz range where the ear is most sensitive than most other Stax headphones. This is the region that we use to determine how "loud" something sounds so they need more power to reach the same subjective loudness level.
 
The pure tube stat amps currently available include the Woo GES, which is based on the Kevin Gilmore all triode amp design from the early 1990s.  The Aristaeus from HeadAmp is another all tube design which is based on the Sennheiser HEV90 amp designed to drive the HE90 headphones.  Both are considered somewhat marginal for driving the SR007.  Other tube designs include the Woo WES, which uses choke output loads, and the Ray Samuels A10, both of which have received somewhat mixed reviews (see InnerFidelity website). Considering there are less expensive amps that have better reviews I consider them relatively poor value for money, but that's just my opinion.
 
Two almost pure tube designs are the Gilmore Megatron and the SRX Plus, both of which have solid state current sources and loads but use tubes for all the signal handling, however they are both DIY only.  The SRX Plus uses 60 watts of power, whereas the Megatron uses over 200 watts and can almost double as a space heater in the winter.  Both are capable of driving the SR007.
 
Your Stax SRM-007tii is actually a hybrid amp, as are all of Stax's "tube" amps, with a solid state input and intermediate section and tubes only in the output section.  Due to its output stage design, it is somewhat marginal for driving the SR007s, and the SRM-006 is even more compromised.  The KGST, designed by Kevin Gilmore, is similar topology to the SRM-007 but uses more powerful 6S4A output tubes and current source loads so that those tubes are much more efficient at delivering current to the headphones.  The BHSE is the ultimate development of a hybrid amp, with the much more powerful EL34 output tubes triode strapped with grounded grid drive, which is the most linear output topology - it is a limited commercial production amp available from HeadAmp.
 
Solid state amps include a number of Gilmore designs including the KGSS (oldest), KGSSHV (newer) and KGSS Carbon (newest and best), and the Cavilli Liquid Lightning.  Cavilli also made a Liquid Lightning Mk IIT which used tubes in the 3rd intermediate stage but not the output, which is a rather curious design decision considering the same tube works well as an output tube in the GES and the KGST.  
 
The KG designs are available from Mjolnir Audio, and there are a couple other "hobbyist" builders that will build you one on commission, often with build quality that matches or exceeds most commercial designs.
 
The SRX Plus and all the Gilmore designs have a regulated power supply, as do the Cavilli amps.  None of the Stax amps have a regulated power supply.  Don't know about the others, but the Woo and Ray Samuels websites don't mention regulated power supplies, and I would think they would do so if they had them.  Or course regulated power supplies are more expensive than passive supplies.
 
I have only heard the Stax SRM-T1, SRM-727 with global feedback mod, SRX Plus, and BHSE, so take it for what it's worth.