[prot]

Greetings prot. I wanted to chime in, kindly so, regarding the storied HiFiMAN HE-6. The cans do not need a megabucks amp. Some of us own vintage integrated amps; receivers, that can flat out deliver quality sound and really move air.   But...watch that volume!

That wouldve been my amp choice for it too: receiver (got a vintage marantz) plus the hifiman speaker taps adapter. However, many around here would consider that stuff subpar and insist for $2K+ HP amps like eddiecurrent, cavalli, beta22, etc.
Anyway, thanks for the addition and I stand corrected.

 

[catspaw]

The Price in Poland (even if ordered from pricejapan) is outrage:
2.700 dollar for the HP, +15% tarifs, +23% VAT. To that you add shipping.
In theory, this does not seem too bad right? Wrong:
If you buy something way beyond its nominal price in Poland, you have to pay also taxes from the price difference as "income tax" (yep you heard me right).
In theory in a normal shop this is not a problem since they dont have a way to track you, but once they stop your product at customs, since they have to know its price in order to impose the tarfi, they will inform the Tax office.
So, in reality you pay 15%+23%+18%+shipping (and note that this is still without knowing if you will ever receive the HP, and how you handle warranty since theere are almost no distributors in Poland for STAX (I could only find one).
 
 
The price ends up around 4500 , that is 16650 PLN, being about 70% of the average yearly income in Poland (so yeah, thx but no thx).

 

[Silent One]

   
That wouldve been my amp choice for it too: receiver (got a vintage marantz) plus the hifiman speaker taps adapter. However, many around here would consider that stuff subpar and insist for $2K+ HP amps like eddiecurrent, cavalli, beta22, etc.
Anyway, thanks for the addition and I stand corrected.

I do enjoy the HE-6/Sansui G-22000 pairing. Though, my main amp pairing for the cans cost $18k, I would never suggest that much is needed. Synergy more important than price.

 

[DreamKing]

He500 - bass is kinda colored but not as much as audeze. Overstepped by 560, mainly cause of weight and more neutral and balanced sound.
He6 - best hfman but still too heavy and you need a megabucks amp. Never heard a modded one and many swear by those. Maybe.
 

 
Mods' affects to the FR usually sounds exaggerated for anyone that is fine with stock sound. It's like if you have this one nagging nitpick and you manage to alleviate it, your evaluation of the mod's effectiveness will be super positive but might not be as positive for someone else.

 

[Music Alchemist]

  The Price in Poland (even if ordered from pricejapan) is outrage:
2.700 dollar for the HP, +15% tarifs, +23% VAT. To that you add shipping.
In theory, this does not seem too bad right? Wrong:
If you buy something way beyond its nominal price in Poland, you have to pay also taxes from the price difference as "income tax" (yep you heard me right).
In theory in a normal shop this is not a problem since they dont have a way to track you, but once they stop your product at customs, since they have to know its price in order to impose the tarfi, they will inform the Tax office.
So, in reality you pay 15%+23%+18%+shipping (and note that this is still without knowing if you will ever receive the HP, and how you handle warranty since theere are almost no distributors in Poland for STAX (I could only find one).
 
The price ends up around 4500 , that is 16650 PLN, being about 70% of the average yearly income in Poland (so yeah, thx but no thx).

 
Don't take this the wrong way, but...if I was in your situation, it would be far cheaper to just move to the US.

 

[prot]

Don't take this the wrong way, but...if I was in your situation, it would be far cheaper to just move to the US.

Since we are talking stax 00x I'm pretty sure it would be cheaper to move to Japan

 

[Music Alchemist]

Since we are talking stax 00x I'm pretty sure it would be cheaper to move to Japan

 
You can import it from Japan and pay only the extra shipping cost. I'm talking universal picture here. Japan may have import fees, taxes, and so on for imports of other stuff, but I dunno. I know the US doesn't.

 

[PioKra]

Hello fellow citizen. Regarding import

The Price in Poland (even if ordered from pricejapan) is outrage:
2.700 dollar for the HP, +15% tarifs, +23% VAT. To that you add shipping.
In theory, this does not seem too bad right? Wrong:
If you buy something way beyond its nominal price in Poland, you have to pay also taxes from the price difference as "income tax" (yep you heard me right).
In theory in a normal shop this is not a problem since they dont have a way to track you, but once they stop your product at customs, since they have to know its price in order to impose the tarfi, they will inform the Tax office.
So, in reality you pay 15%+23%+18%+shipping (and note that this is still without knowing if you will ever receive the HP, and how you handle warranty since theere are almost no distributors in Poland for STAX (I could only find one).


The price ends up around 4500 , that is 16650 PLN, being about 70% of the average yearly income in Poland (so yeah, thx but no thx).

to Poland it's not that bad. Usually you just have to pay customs and VAT. Pozdro, Piotrek

 

[JamesBr]

   
You can import it from Japan and pay only the extra shipping cost. I'm talking universal picture here. Japan may have import fees, taxes, and so on for imports of other stuff, but I dunno. I know the US doesn't.

There is business to be made here

 

[catspaw]

   
Don't take this the wrong way, but...if I was in your situation, it would be far cheaper to just move to the US.

With how the FED is behaving, no way .
Even If Poland is a country that has many short comings, the living standard is very good for city folk.
I got a 8 hour, low stress job, decent pay and low costs. I just wont buy the HE-1000 .
 

Hello fellow citizen. Regarding import
to Poland it's not that bad. Usually you just have to pay customs and VAT. Pozdro, Piotrek

"Usually" Is not good enough for me to spend 2700 dollars . However, this becomes even a bigger problem when I realize I would NOT buy a HP for that price without trying it first.

 

[Music Alchemist]

  With how the FED is behaving, no way .
Even If Poland is a country that has many short comings, the living standard is very good for city folk.
I got a 8 hour, low stress job, decent pay and low costs. I just wont buy the HE-1000 .
 
"Usually" Is not good enough for me to spend 2700 dollars . However, this becomes even a bigger problem when I realize I would NOT buy a HP for that price without trying it first.

 
I don't recall the HE1000 being part of this conversation.

 
Also, $4,450 is the current US retail price of the SR-009. The original US retail price was $5,250.
 
And yeah, this is kind of a rich man's game, even though you don't really need to be that wealthy at all to participate.

 

[catspaw]

   
I don't recall the HE1000 being part of this conversation.

 
Also, $4,450 is the current US retail price of the SR-009. The original US retail price was $5,250.
 
And yeah, this is kind of a rich man's game, even though you don't really need to be that wealthy at all to participate.

Yeah.... my brain mixed up a few things, I was refering to the Stax 009 .

 

[MacedonianHero]

   
I don't recall the HE1000 being part of this conversation.

 
Also, $4,450 is the current US retail price of the SR-009. The original US retail price was $5,250.
 
And yeah, this is kind of a rich man's game, even though you don't really need to be that wealthy at all to participate.

 
Just for the record, the price of the SR-009s hasn't moved (in Japanese currency), but it has been re-adjusted outside of Japan depending on how the Yen compares to the USD, Cdn $, etc...

 

[Music Alchemist]

  Just for the record, the price of the SR-009s hasn't moved (in Japanese currency), but it has been re-adjusted outside of Japan depending on how the Yen compares to the USD, Cdn $, etc...

 
Yep! I think everyone who is aware of PriceJapan knows how currency exchanges fluctuate.

 
...I'm so crazy. I am seriously planning on doing this:
 

1. Get the STAX SRM-323S amp once I get the SR-009
2. Try to be happy with that until I can considerably raise my budget
3. Perhaps collect other headphones in the meantime
4. Find someone to build a DIY T2 for me that will work with both the SR-009 and Sennheiser Orpheus HE 90
5. Finally, contact one of the HE 90 owners I know to buy it from one of them for $10K or more

 
I know someone who owns both the 323S and Cavalli Liquid Lightning 2. He more or less said the LL2 is only slightly better. Would you agree with this? Is the LL2 your favorite amp with the 009?

 

[MacedonianHero]

   
Yep! I think everyone who is aware of PriceJapan knows how currency exchanges fluctuate.

 
...I'm so crazy. I am seriously planning on doing this:
 

1. Get the STAX SRM-323S amp once I get the SR-009
2. Try to be happy with that until I can considerably raise my budget
3. Perhaps collect other headphones in the meantime
4. Find someone to build a DIY T2 for me that will work with both the SR-009 and Sennheiser Orpheus HE 90
5. Finally, contact one of the HE 90 owners I know to buy it from one of them for $10K or more

 
I know someone who owns both the 323S and Cavalli Liquid Lightning 2. He more or less said the LL2 is only slightly better. Would you agree with this? Is the LL2 your favorite amp with the 009?

 
IMHO there is no comparison with the 323S...sorry...the LL1 most likely. But the LL2 is a whole new ballgame (it's quite comparable to my KGSSHV with both the SR-007/009...which held its own against the mighty T-2 in a side-by-side comparison). That said, the T-2 is the best amp I've heard for Stax headphones.
 
On a "budget" I would go for a spritzer modded SRM727II.