[Music Alchemist]

 

• It's only money.
• And it's yours.
• Why putzy around when you can have one of the very best, if you can afford it.

 
Yup, true. The problem is whether I can afford it. If I had thousands of dollars lying around, I would go straight for the 009. And that may very well be the case in the near future. On the other hand, I may have just $500 or so to spare, without knowing when I would have over six times that amount. In that situation, I would be tempted to get the 207 first.

 

[jackskelly]

If cost isn't an issue, I would say to go for the SR-009. Right now is a great time to buy the SR-009 from Japan; it's recently been at it's lowest price ever due to the yen's decline in value over the past several years.
 
I had never owned a STAX headphone (or any electrostat for that matter) when I bought the 009 a couple of years ago, but now I'm hooked on the sound. I considered the HD800 to be my reference headphone before I bought the SR-009, but after getting the 009 I practically stopped listening to the HD800 and I later sold it (the 009 is better in almost every way).
 
I've also heard the former flagship, the SR-007 (MKI version). It's cheaper than the 009 and it's quite excellent too (though I do think the 009 sounds better).

 

[Music Alchemist]

17 votes for the 009 and still only 1 vote for the 207! Poor little guy doesn't get any love. lol
 
Ya know...I'm thinking that if I only have five hundred bucks to spare, spending it on a headphone (plus amp) wouldn't be the wisest choice, since I have other things to worry about. It would probably be more prudent to wait until I am in a better position financially. Then again, since I'm so lazy and usually only bother making enough to cover expenses so I can goof off, by the time I am making an extra five hundred, I would probably be making thousands anyway. Hopefully I'll be able to add other components to the 009 system (like a Schiit Yggdrasil!) soon after acquiring it.

 

[Music Alchemist]

Like the poll says...SR-009 or bust, baby!

 
It makes more sense ultimately to wait until I have plenty of extra money to be spending so much (whether it's $500 or $3K+) on audio equipment. Thanks to everyone who helped! Hopefully I'll have the SR-009 system in the next month or two.

 

[Music Alchemist]

I ended up buying the SR-207 first because it was over half off the retail price. (!!!) Couldn't pass that up.

 

[catscratch]

Keep in mind that when you're dealing with electrostatic-level resolution, source matters a lot. It doesn't matter that much for a HD595 or M50, but it can be everything with the 007 or 009. So when you're building your ultimate system, budget quite a bit of it for that. Otherwise, you'll end up doing what I did, which is basically buying one source after another until you learn not to skimp on it. Same thing applies to amps, though with easier-to-drive 'stats like the 207 amps matter less. But the 007 on a Blue Hawaii is a totally different animal from a 007 with a 313. Electrostatics are a HUGE money pit, and many friends I know stay away from them specifically for that reason.

Also, I should mention that stats can sound very different from one another. Even different versions of the same headphone can sound quite different from one another, like the old 007 Mk1 I have and the new 007A I just got. Some I like (this new 007A sounds killer) and some I flat-out hated (SR-404 springs to mind). Some I wish I never even heard (HE90 with the HEV90 was amazing, but dear Lord that price...)

Basically, what I'm driving at is - go to a meet, listen to the 009, and try a few stats for yourself to see what's what, which I guess is pointless advice since that's exactly what you're doing already

Lastly, while jumping straight into the deep end is cheaper in the long run, taking your time to learn what's what is a lot more sensible. I had a ton of fun experimenting, and while not all the experiments worked (and some were basically money thrown away) in the end I got a far more accurate idea of what I like and what I don't, and what I need to get to get there.

 

[Music Alchemist]

Keep in mind that when you're dealing with electrostatic-level resolution, source matters a lot. It doesn't matter that much for a HD595 or M50, but it can be everything with the 007 or 009. So when you're building your ultimate system, budget quite a bit of it for that. Otherwise, you'll end up doing what I did, which is basically buying one source after another until you learn not to skimp on it. Same thing applies to amps, though with easier-to-drive 'stats like the 207 amps matter less. But the 007 on a Blue Hawaii is a totally different animal from a 007 with a 313. Electrostatics are a HUGE money pit, and many friends I know stay away from them specifically for that reason.

Also, I should mention that stats can sound very different from one another. Even different versions of the same headphone can sound quite different from one another, like the old 007 Mk1 I have and the new 007A I just got. Some I like (this new 007A sounds killer) and some I flat-out hated (SR-404 springs to mind). Some I wish I never even heard (HE90 with the HEV90 was amazing, but dear Lord that price...)

Basically, what I'm driving at is - go to a meet, listen to the 009, and try a few stats for yourself to see what's what, which I guess is pointless advice since that's exactly what you're doing already

Lastly, while jumping straight into the deep end is cheaper in the long run, taking your time to learn what's what is a lot more sensible. I had a ton of fun experimenting, and while not all the experiments worked (and some were basically money thrown away) in the end I got a far more accurate idea of what I like and what I don't, and what I need to get to get there.

 
Thanks for the insights. In my case, I'm not worried about it, because I want the Schiit Yggdrasil DAC, Smyth Realiser A8 virtual surround sound processor, and also to collect every STAX headphone ever made someday. (mwahaha!) The SR-009 is next on my list. Gonna start out with a STAX SRM-323S amp until I can afford an ultimate amp like the DIY T2 or Kevin Gilmore Nanotube. (Possibly a Mjölnir KGSSHV Carbon in the interim.) I also want the MSB SELECT DAC, but only after I'm rich.

 
By the way, the SR-207 has the same sensitivity as the SR-009. As far as I can tell, it's not actually easier to drive. I'm using 75-90% of my SRM-212's volume knob to reach my desired listening level.

 

[catspaw]

Carefull with loudness with stats, they are actually louder than you might perceive.
The higehr the quality of audio, the louder we tolerate it.