[goldwerger]

A few people pm me about the differences between the SR-007MK1 and SR-009S. Here is my opinion between the two headphones.

SR-007MK1 is more laid-back presentation with better bass kind is like Sennheiser HD650, SR-009S like Sennheiser HD800 brighter presentation more forward. Instruments sounds better on the SR-009S probably due to its technical ability to extract details over the SR-007MK1. Dynamic wise probably the SR-009S edge out the SR-007MK1 but not by much. Both headphones are very competent, comes down to your personal preferences.

Most of the characteristics between them are quite similar, not a drastically improvement going from the SR-007MK1 to SR-009S. In the end, hearing the headphones yourself will probably the best of course not everyone do have the luxury to do so. Those are just my opinion once again, may not be the same for everyone else.

Dynamic: SR-009S 10, SR-007MK1 9
Speed: SR-009S 10, SR-007MK1 9.5
Tone/Vocal: My preference SR-007MK1 10, SR-009S 8.5-9 if you listen for long time, if short session it will be 9.5
Soundstage: SR-009S 10, SR-007MK1 8.5?
Imaging: SR-009S 10 for sure, SR-007MK1 9
Detail: SR-009S 10 detail monster, SR-007MK1 8.5-9
Bass: My preference SR-007MK1 9.5, SR-009S 8? Only out of T2 is 10
Midrange: Again preference SR-007MK1 10, SR-009S 9.5 for short listening, 8 for long listening.

This is out of T2 only, so scale rating is meaningless from different setup keep in mind.

I had the chance to test the 009s on the WES (good), t8000 (meh), and BHSE (excellent) and personally didn't like it as much as I my 007mk1. I agree with your assessment, the 007's mids are better, and the bass is (much) better. Overall, I found the 009s more resolving but unnaturally sounding; the timbre was just not as pleasant to my ears.

I'll add that I also had the privilege of testing the X9000 on the same above amps, plus the Eksonic T2 (wow!. Less of an evolutionary headphone, rather a distinctly new one. Somehwhat laid back across the entire FR, while exceedingly resolving at the same time, I found it made the music very holographic and a pleasure to listen to. I kept going back to them. One day...

 

[ipaddy]

Testing these during CanJam - I noticed the same thing!
According to @Evshrug - the reason is the European required max volume level limiting.

But that kills the whole thing!

But wait, if so, then why could I get much higher volume with the Grell on my iphone??

Did you try turning up the volume on the Grell itself?

Yes.

As this is the report & impressions thread, figure I should report "barely loud enough" was the case for me with my Samsung Z Fold 3. I also had numerous drop outs of the left channel during my audition. So it didn't leave the best impression with me.

I had numerous drop-outs on the left channel as well while sitting at the booth.

I was told that it was because of all Bluetooth devices in the room. I was dubious, but then asked if I could go out of the room, where it should not be a problem if that's the case.

And outside the room, where people checked in, I didn't have dropouts.

So I bought it. Possibly, it's a little more sensitive to external unrelated BT. But since I had no dropouts outside the room, I figure the great sound quality was worth it.

Subscribed!
I don’t need to duck under any more doors, thank you for offering. Thanks for accepting my technical difficulties, hope the mic audio was ok


Me too! grell currently plans to be there!





I also used the TWS/1 on an android player, a HiBy R6 Pro, on the airplane on the way to the show (and booth visitors will have noticed I also had it on the table for guests to test), and we also had an Android tablet for our other test unit. Full disclosure, I also noticed the volume was quiet on takeoff , I was able to hit 100% and the volume was just OK. However, as I kept listening, a bit after we reached cruising height, the volume got louder and I was able to comfortably use it with my android player at 64% for the rest of the flight. I also started watching Dune on the return flight, and I had plenty of volume headroom then as well.

We do have to observe European volume limits, but I think there’s something else going on too. We need to look into it more, but my current theory is some combo of ambient noise + psychoacoustics, and ANC needing to borrow more volume power… though it’s worth noting that we took our four samples straight out of the box on day one, and updated the firmware Saturday Night (which increased the max volume) and we had less volume complaints day 2. Axel caught a bit of a fever, so he’s working on that, but he may have better thoughts when he’s back to 100% @ipaddy keep me updated! And if you haven’t yet, update to firmware 2.3.0!

And yeah @m8o, I was crestfallen about normally well-behaving units having dropouts at the show. After the first day, we took the demo units back to our hotel rooms, ran firmware updates, and I thought we had fixed them after a somewhat unsettling dinner gave me the opportunity to listen for several flawless connection hours in my hotel room and walking back to the show… only for the issues to come back on the show floor again.

Both WiFi and Bluetooth use the 2.4 GHz band, and Axel used an app to calculate how much traffic was being sent on those bands within the show room; it was pretty much a worst-case scenario for wireless products, and other companies told us they were having dropouts at their booths nearby, too. With that in mind, everyone who visited was super kind, and the issue seemed to come in waves and we appreciated everyone who stuck around to hear it when the noise subsided.

How do I update firmware? The units at the booth were not updated?

 

[jmwant]

I found a winner for the $500 IEM price bracket. The BGVP NE5. That IEM has excellent clarity and forward mids. I didn't believe it was $500. It sounded more like an $800 IEM.

Wow that's unexpected. Better than Moondrop Variations?

 

[Niyologist]

Wow that's unexpected. Better than Moondrop Variations?

I'm not sure about that. I haven't tried the Variations.

 

[BKJarvis]

Wow that's unexpected. Better than Moondrop Variations?

Better is so subjective. But in my opinion yes. People that like moondrop/Harmon though will probably prefer the variations. They are very different sound signitures

 

[chrisnyc75]

Would be very interested if someone can compare Eksonic Aeras and ZOTL Z10e. Heard many good things about both amps, and they are in the same price range. Too bad Z10e didn't appear at Canjam...

There was absolutely a zotl z10e at CanJam, on the Audeze table iirc. I preferred the eksonic - to just about everything.

 

[John Massaria]

Looks pretty good! How does it sound (I didn't get to hear it)?

1st thing to remember about bone conduction headphones: The best ones sound worse than the worst earbuds.

 

[qboogie]

I had the chance to test the 009s on the WES (good), t8000 (meh), and BHSE (excellent) and personally didn't like it as much as I my 007mk1. I agree with your assessment, the 007's mids are better, and the bass is (much) better. Overall, I found the 009s more resolving but unnaturally sounding; the timbre was just not as pleasant to my ears.

I'll add that I also had the privilege of testing the X9000 on the same above amps, plus the Eksonic T2 (wow!. Less of an evolutionary headphone, rather a distinctly new one. Somehwhat laid back across the entire FR, while exceedingly resolving at the same time, I found it made the music very holographic and a pleasure to listen to. I kept going back to them. One day...

The X9000 really blew me away as well. I had high hopes for Audeze's CRBN but aside from a little more bass impact, the X9000 just outclassed it in every other parameter, tonal and intangible. Pure finesse.

I am still very excited to hear Audeze's next foray into e-stats in a few more years. Or a mid-cycle refinement to the CRBN similar to what the fazors did for their early planars

 

[Frankie D]

Had a wonderful time at CanJam this year, as expected. Made sure I got there bright and early to cram in as much listening as I possibly could.

For the sake of brevity, I'll condense my impressions into as close to a paragraph as I can on each (tough for me lol). As such, I'll touch on about ten of my experiences on the day (although I certainly had more).

Woo/Abyss Room:

Abyss 1266 TC (on WA33): The most impressive low-end display of the entire show; if bass slam/impact is your thing, look no further than the 1266 TC on a high-powered tube set-up. Overall, out of these, you get a fast, tight signature, wide soundstage, and THAT BASS. Drawbacks are the mids are a bit recessed, tonality isn't the most "accurate" (natural) and you're losing out on some of the transparency/"detail" you might get from some others (see Stax impressions). But, with that said, one of the absolute highlights of the show. Surprisingly more comfortable than you might expect, as well.

Stax X9000 (on WES): Another absolute highlight of the show. Transparency and detail seemed unmatched by any other set-up. Everything just sounded so natural and alive. Fast, fast, fast. Probably the most balanced of the Stax options. The only notable con was the bass isn't going to do it for you if you're used to the impact and depth of the best dynamics or planars.

Audeze CRBN (on WES): For an e-stat, it's very well balanced. If I can only own one headphone and it had to be an estat, I'd take this over any of the Stax options because there was more bass impact. But if I can own two headphones.....I'd take any of the 009S or X9000 over this. I liked how balanced it was, but there was no single element of it that really impressed me over any other headphones in this price point.

Abyss Diana TC (on the brand-new WA23 "Baby Elite"): You can certainly hear some similarities to the 1266 TC here (with respect to the treble presentation and detail retrieval), but the Mids are much more present/forward here, the soundstage is smaller and while the bass is still very fast and tight, not as much impact/slam. If you don't listen to the Diana TC and the 1266 TC back-to-back, I think you'd come away more impressed by the Diana TC than I did, but comparing directly to its big-brother didn't have it coming out as desirable. Still, a very good headphone; although I'm not sure I prefer it over the Diana V2. The WA23 didn't seem like the best amp match for it, had to get quite up near the top of the volume knob to get it loud.

DCA/HeadAmp Room:

DCA Stealth (on GS-X Mk. II): I think DCA did a good job here of avoiding a lot of the pitfalls for me with many closed-backs (which is odd tonality/lack of naturalness), it does indeed sound somewhat like an open-back (certainly more so than the ZMF VC or Focal Stellia do). Sound signature is incredibly clean, with no overemphasized frequencies of material note. Perhaps that's it's downfall, as well, as it just didn't move me much. I was impressed by its technicalities and it's comfort/weight, but couldn't see myself reaching for them much.

DCA Voce (on Blue Hawaii): This reminded me more of the Audeze CRBN than the Stax line; you could tell they went for balance and more depth than you get from the typical Estat. They achieved that to some degree as they seemed more lush and less thin than other Estats, at the expense of not coming away with the exceptional transparency and speed of the top Stax offerings. I can see it as a worthy contender to the Stax 007 perhaps, but it didn't do it for me like the X9000 did.

Stax 009S (on Blue Hawaii): This was another highlight for me; definitely comparable to the X9000 in speed and detail. 009S seems a touch brighter and a little less effortless/natural than the X9000, perhaps a little thinner, as well. Not a sizable overall difference between the two, though, although I slightly preferred the X9000. Overall, worthy of its place towards the top.

Stax X9000 (on Blue Hawaii): Nothing materially different than what I experienced from my impressions of the X9000 off the Woo Amp.

Abyss Diana TC (on GSX Mini): This was a more preferable pairing for the DIana TC than the Woo WA23, certainly more headroom here and just a bit cleaner presentation of the same items I noted with the Diana TC above.

Eksonic Room:

Stax 007 Mk I (on the brand-new Eksonik Aeras): If you want some of that effortless-ness and speed of a Stax but crave more warmth and body, the Mk I is likely your ticket. I prefer the 009S and X9000 signature, but I can see how the 007 Mk I could be a better long-term listening option if one is worried about listening fatigue. I was very impressed by the Eksonik Aeras; a ton of clean juice to power the 007, and the amp's form factor is much preferable to me over the behemoth chassis of the WES or Blue Hawaii. This was another highlight.

Audio46 Booth:

T&A Solitaire P (on T&A HA200): From a visual aaesthetic perspective, one of my favorites from the show. It's a very classy looking combo. The Solitaire P had a lush presentation and a lot of depth, as well as a delivery I can see working with a wide selection of genres and be pleasing to most's listening tastes. It does border on dark, though, and the soundstage was a bit narrow. No particular element stood out to me but I can see how this would work as a primary driver for many/many styles. Clamping pressure was too weak, and overall build quality didn't scream $6k+. Overall, I'd take a Final D8000 (Non-Pro) over these any day but if you disregard price point, they would be a crowd-pleaser.

T&A Solitaire P-SE (on A&K ACRO CA1000): Sound signature of these is immediately more noticeably neutral than the dark Solitaire P. The treble is less muted here with the P-SE than the P, mids more forward, but bass less thick. Overall, I preferred the sound of the P-SE over the P, and didn't notice any drop in technicalities at all. They seem fairly easy to drive, as well. Build quality of these is a shock for this price point; had a comparable build to a $200 Sennheiser.

Audeze Booth:

Audeze LCD-5 (on a Nagra and Burson Stack): For my tastes, this is the best headphone Audeze has made yet. By far the most balanced headphone I've heard from them; sound signature moves away from the usual Audeze darkness and takes on a more neutral approach. Bass was tight and impactful without being too much, and the overall transparency has increased here (I find Audeze to have a bit of a veil sometimes across their lineup). Another notable improvement was comfort; manageable weight and clamp on these. Overall, well-done to Audeze here for making a fine headphone with no glaring faults.

Dcs Room:

Focal Utopia (on dcs Bartok): Not my first rodeo with the Utopia, but any chance to spend some time with a Bartok is a good time to take lol. The Utopia has a bit of a narrow soundstage, aggressive, in-your-face sound signature and a bit of a "wall of sound" approach. Not exactly my cup of tea, although build quality and comfort are nice and the street/used price of a Utopia makes them a better value than some others.

Abyss 1266 TC (on dcs Bartok): While not materially different than my experience on the Woo, I did get a sense that the bass slam was toned-down a bit on the Bartok, and the treble was a bit smoother here. I felt that the WA33 drove the 1266 better than the Bartok did.

Sennheiser HD800 (on dcs Bartok): Not my first rodeo with these either; going from Utopia to HD800, you really do get hit in the face by the sizable difference in soundstage presentation between the two. While the HD800 or HD800s were never quite near my favorites, it's an undeniably capable headphone, with that impressive soundstage trick and quality comfort, and one of (if not the best) option you can get at a $1k street price.

Bartok certainly does seem to just smooth out anything connected to it. It's an impressive piece of gear, for sure, should one disregard the price point.

I also listened to other notables such as the Meze Elite, Mysphere and the Raal Sr1a. The Mysphere and Raal were tough to judge in this setting, even in the "quiet rooms" I tested them in; the complete lack of isolation made background noise distracting even with relative quiet of those rooms. With that being said, I disliked both; Mysphere was uncomfortable to wear and the bass distortion was comically bad at volume, and while the Raal SR1a was a clear step up, I also got bass distortion at volume. This format just might not be my thing.

Thank you to Head-Fi for organizing this, and for all the volunteers and exhibitors. All of the exhibitors were polite, helpful and knowledgeable; I especially want to thank Audio46 and Eksonik for being exceptionally friendly.

I guess we all hear a bit different. I felt the 1266 played through the WA33 was the best sound at the show with tactile bass, no vocal issues at all and an excellent timbre overall. My other two favorites were the STAX 9000 in the same room as you mentioned also on a WA33 ( modified for electrostats) and the LCD 5 attached to the Nagra dac and Burson amp.
I would also give a mention to the Hedd 1 with the tiny Centrance dac and amp. An amazing sound and price for the whole system. Thanks for your impressions.

Interesting, I thought it was dry and antiseptic.

The fit of the 1266 makes a huge difference. Even the placement of the ear cups. They should actually be a bit loose on your head which is different from every other HP. Great for glasses, bad for movement.

 

[szore]

The fit of the 1266 makes a huge difference. Even the placement of the ear cups. They should actually be a bit loose on your head which is different from every other HP. Great for glasses, bad for movement.

Yes, there was no 'seal' around the cups...it felt strange.

 

[dirtrat]

Yes, there was no 'seal' around the cups...it felt strange.

Thats normal from what they told me. I pretty much listened to all of the TOTL headphones over the 2 days I was at the show, and I felt the two best sounding headphones were the 1266 and the RAAL SR1a Ribbon Headphones with their new VM-1a Tube amp. Those are also a strange fitting headphone.

 

[szore]

Thats normal from what they told me. I pretty much listened to all of the TOTL headphones over the 2 days I was at the show, and I felt the two best sounding headphones were the 1266 and the RAAL SR1a Ribbon Headphones with their new VM-1a Tube amp. Those are also a strange fitting headphone.

My favorite was the Stax off the Stax amp...not sure what models they were but it was amazing...Also the Sendy Peacock of all things off the Caiyin tube amp CS 55-A was a dream...

 

[jamato8]

There was absolutely a zotl z10e at CanJam, on the Audeze table iirc. I preferred the eksonic - to just about everything.

What did you think of the Z10e?

 

[goldwerger]

The X9000 really blew me away as well. I had high hopes for Audeze's CRBN but aside from a little more bass impact, the X9000 just outclassed it in every other parameter, tonal and intangible. Pure finesse.

I am still very excited to hear Audeze's next foray into e-stats in a few more years. Or a mid-cycle refinement to the CRBN similar to what the fazors did for their early planars

Completely agree. And indeed it's a net positive when a new serious player enters estat, it can only mean good things for the market segment. For a first product it was a great launch. Not competitive to my taste, but they are a good company and will iterate, as well as encourage competitors to do so

 

[chrisnyc75]

The X9000 really blew me away as well. I had high hopes for Audeze's CRBN but aside from a little more bass impact, the X9000 just outclassed it in every other parameter, tonal and intangible. Pure finesse.

I really wish I had known there was a 9000 there. I got some time with 007, but I didn't even see a 9000. In my brief listening, I greatly preferred the CRBN - my first experience with e-stats and it was something of a revelation. I will make a mental note to seek out some demo time with a 9000 locally.

What did you think of the Z10e?

It sounded great, but tbh there were too many variables (including a headphone I was unfamiliar with) for me to be able to say anything about it with any level of certainty.