spritzer
Member of the Trade: Mjölnir Audio
- Joined
- Aug 22, 2002
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Yup, sorry about that...
I must say I'm a bit worried about the SR-009's brightness after receiving the latest version of the SR-007Mk2 SZ3-XXXX (the mk2.5 as we often call it). Compared to the Mk1 and early 007A SZ2-xxxx it is painfully bright and far too forward for its own good. If the SR-009 is anything like this then I'll get rid of it quickly. The SR-007 I can fix simply my swapping in my spare Mk1 drivers but the SR-009 fix would involve custom fabricating new diaphragm retainer rings and then stretching my own film....
I have indeed said quite a bit about this and for me the WES is by no means a high end amp. It is just a butchered GES where all the fine points of the design are missed so you end up with this mess that is just expensive. Before I heard the WES I knew there were major problems with the design and listening only confirmed that. It's a dull, flat and lifeless amp that is embarrassed by much cheaper units.
HE90, SR009, SR007 MkI, Omeg2 Mk I, R10 (both versions)... Dude...
I am glad to read from your comments that LCD2 lacks bass depth which the other high end phones do have... At least I am not imagining things
A thousand LCD2 legions will point me to the flat response graph again, but I believe in what I hear.
In direct comparison to my old maxed GES I think the WES has better air and ambience, with a deeper and wider soundstage, and more power. It's not a giant leap forward, but it's definitely not a step backward for me. And, I'm not trying to justify my expensive investment, because I got a nice discount on the demo WES that doesn't do single ended input. Would I rather have a BHSE, yes - Do I think the WES is a bad amp, no.
Overall, from the recent impressions posted by the early adopters, I have to say I'm rather disappointed with how the SR009 is turning out. This new flagship really should have been head and shoulders above all its predecessors. That some head-fiers are saying they prefer the older ones for certain types of music just isn't good enough for such a highly priced item. And then there's this brightness thing.
I hear the same thing, although to maybe not the extent you do. It has a lot of midbass which I think people confuse as bass. There is low bass too, but I didn't hear as much low bass impact or detail as on the HD800.
Thanks for the impressions kiertijai.
In the past, I've found that I can get into a complete muddle if I try to compare too many things in a short space of time. So it's not surprising if you find you change your mind the next day.
Overall, from the recent impressions posted by the early adopters, I have to say I'm rather disappointed with how the SR009 is turning out. This new flagship really should have been head and shoulders above all its predecessors. That some head-fiers are saying they prefer the older ones for certain types of music just isn't good enough for such a highly priced item. And then there's this brightness thing.
I'll audition it of course when they restart production, but time to get back to thinking about the BHSE instead.
I heard none of that with them side by side in the same room. The GES had by far better control while both WES's were muddy and made the SR-007 Mk2 appear slow.
Overall, from the recent impressions posted by the early adopters, I have to say I'm rather disappointed with how the SR009 is turning out. This new flagship really should have been head and shoulders above all its predecessors. That some head-fiers are saying they prefer the older ones for certain types of music just isn't good enough for such a highly priced item. And then there's this brightness thing.
I'll audition it of course when they restart production, but time to get back to thinking about the BHSE instead.
Now, the one and only caution I have toward the 009 is that it is basically an extremely resolving and revealing headphone (but in no way artificial sounding like HD800 and such). As such, don't expect jelly if you feed it rubbish. If you're listening to good quality recordings (most of Jazz and Classical stuff for instance), it's a safe bet you'll love it. If you're listening to lots of electronic / rock / pop, then it's a crapshoot. Excellent with some recordings, not great at all with others.