[Hun7er]

  Whats the street price on the SR007?

 
MK1 has an range of 1400-2000 dollars.
MK2 less than 1400 dollars.

 

[Music Alchemist]

The SR-009 and SR-007 are two of the few high-end headphones on my "definitely buy someday" list. I suppose someday, I may be able to just buy all the high-end headphones that interest me and not worry about budget, but for the next year or two, I have to prioritize.

 

[coinmaster]

It's of my philosophy that you should "buy once and buy right" instead of buying low(er) end and then buying again later. Generally speaking with this philosophy you get both higher quality and higher enjoyment. Like buying a quality soldering iron vs a crappy one, the crappy one will probably be more of a pain to use and will probably need to be replaced after a bit.
It's a bit hard to do with headphones because you really gotta try them all out. But if you think you can score with a particular headphone I think it would make more sense to simply save up for it. Totally worth the wait.
 
For me in particular. I doubt I will ever be able to demo the stax line so it is difficult for me to purchase them considering they require a specific type of amp.

 

[Music Alchemist]

  It's of my philosophy that you should "buy once and buy right" instead of buying low(er) end and then buying again later. Generally speaking with this philosophy you get both higher quality and higher enjoyment. Like buying a quality soldering iron vs a crappy one, the crappy one will probably be more of a pain to use and will probably need to be replaced after a bit.
It's a bit hard to do with headphones because you really gotta try them all out. But if you think you can score with a particular headphone I think it would make more sense to simply save up for it. Totally worth the wait.
 
For me in particular. I doubt I will ever be able to demo the stax line so it is difficult for me to purchase them considering they require a specific type of amp.

 
They do require a dedicated electrostatic headphone amplifier (either that or a converter powered by a speaker amp), but like I mentioned before, the entry-level STAX system is under $400 if imported from Japan. The fact that at least one person I know loves it, yet disliked the SR-009 is pretty impressive, though I'm sure I would like the SR-009 more.
 
I'm in a somewhat unique position in that I'm not worried about electrostatic headphones' bass response compared to planar magnetics, since I bought the JVC HA-SZ2000, which is widely considered to be the ultimate basshead headphone. (I still want the Abyss, though!)

 

[coinmaster]

Hmmm, there's a electrostatic converter? Oh damn, I did not know this.

 

[Hun7er]

Woo WEE or Stax SRD7 or Audiovalve Verto

 

[Music Alchemist]

  Hmmm, there's a electrostatic converter? Oh damn, I did not know this.

 
Yes, but that entire entry-level STAX system costs less than a Woo WEE converter, not to mention adding a speaker amp.

 

[coinmaster]

What do you mean by speaker amp? A headphone amp won't work?

 

[Music Alchemist]

  What do you mean by speaker amp? A headphone amp won't work?

 
The converters only work with speaker amps.
 
By the way, here's a good link about how electrostatic technology works: http://www.kenrockwell.com/audio/stax/electrostatic.htm

 

[coinmaster]

   
The converters only work with speaker amps.
 

Well that sucks. I didn't realize there was a difference other than output level.

 

[Music Alchemist]

  Well that sucks. I didn't realize there was a difference other than output level.

 
Electrostats require ridiculously high output levels -- like hundreds of volts! Read the link in my edit for details about the technology.

 

[coinmaster]

Yeah I've actually read that before, it kinda puts me back at square one with electrostats though, since I own a headphone amp. Also, for the record, if I was to buy an electrostat I'd probably go straight for the top, so a $400 converter wouldn't be a huge issue.

 

[Music Alchemist]

  Yeah I've actually read that before, it kinda puts me back at square one with electrostats though, since I own a headphone amp.

 
Which electrostatic headphones are you interested in?
 
The SR-009 is pretty expensive, but there are more affordable ones that cost far less than the HD 800, even when you throw in an e-stat amp.

 

[Music Alchemist]

Also, since you are looking to buy a new DAC, you could instead try out electrostats for lower than your DAC budget.
 
(I would advise properly comparing affordable and expensive DACs before keeping an expensive one.)

 

[coinmaster]

I'd say the SR-007 since they are supposedly more euphonic, and euphony is the goal of my search. I am a bit addicted to the high end sound of my HD800s though, so I still want at least the same level of sound quality.