[ericohgb]

 
Quote:

OK, after listening to the Stax system last night (John Lennon, Lennon Legend CD), The 009/007t combo takes the lead, and just plain awesome in just about every way. 
The bass is not as profound and does not have as much slam and impact as the dynamic system (or as I heard with the WES amp on the 009s), but it is transparent nonetheless,
more like a top-class monitor speaker as opposed to a big full-range speaker like a Wilson Maxx, say. But aside from that, I wouldn't change a thing.
There is no annoying brightness, and in fact, the highs are something I crave. When there is a something in the music like a cymbal or triangle or bell, it's like a drug, just so nice to hear and plain wonderful.
And those highs have the tube-signature that I love, extended an pristine and liquid, just gorgeous and lush, and not pinpoint and hard that I hear with solid state highs.
And the mids/highs and vocals and all instruments, especially strings, have Quad-like delicacy and purity. In fact, everything is so pure, there is not a false note anywhere, and critical listening stops for me and I just absorb the music as a whole.
So yes, the 007t is definitely a tube amp, with a touch of tube rush that is also something I crave.
 
And actually, as far as the bass goes, I have a Stealth Dream power cord that I have tried in many situations but I don't use now because it's a little pushy in the upper mids and high-pitched vocals,
but it is a champion of solid bass, and if I use that on the 007t, the bass tightens up completely and then the last piece of the puzzle is complete. But it does push those upper mids on lesser CDs,
so I still use my Shunyata Anaconda Helix cord as the best overall cord. But my point is that if I could find a cord with the Stealth's bass but the Shunyata's sweetness, I could have awesome bass too.
 
But as of now, the 009/007t system is totally addictive and as nice as even a megabuck speaker-based system to me, and I differ with those who have said you need a $5K amp for these.
In fact, I would easily be fooled into thinking the 007t amp is triple the price for the quality I hear, and I wouldn't be surprised if the 009 was voiced with it, as there is great synergy, and
I wonder what would be lost with another amp. Again, there is no fatigue, no brightness, and extreme insight and sweetness and musical intimacy and tonality to die for with this combo, and sheer beauty.

 
Which tubes are you using in your 007T?
I'm using the RCA Clear Top.
They're great tubes but difficult to find.

 

[rgs9200m]

Just the stock tubes; the 007t/ii is in stock form, no mods. Thanks.
I do enjoy tube rolling, but it is not possible w/o biasing on the 007t, and that's too much trouble for me.
I've got a drawer full of tubes from my other tube rolling experiences with other eqpt.

 

[rgs9200m]

Well, if anyone is still reading what I guess has turned into a blog here, I let the Stax 009/007t-2  system burn in for about 12 hours and the bass has fallen into place, with gravity and definition now,
and this system is just fantastic, period.  The low bass is there and there are hints of thunderousness. It's just a plain really nice bass, that sinks in and feels good but is not sloppy or muddy and is part of the musical component that creates it.
 
 Don't believe what you have read about the 007t being inadequate, this is one fine amp, and I think anyone who has 009s owes it to themselves to try it out, especially since it's about the cheapest credible one out there. 
 

 

[ericohgb]

 
Quote:

Well, if anyone is still reading what I guess has turned into a blog here, I let the Stax 009/007t-2  system burn in for about 12 hours and the bass has fallen into place, with gravity and definition now,
and this system is just fantastic, period.  The low bass is there and there are hints of thunderousness. It's just a plain really nice bass, that sinks in and feels good but is not sloppy or muddy and is part of the musical component that creates it.
 
 Don't believe what you have read about the 007t being inadequate, this is one fine amp, and I think anyone who has 009s owes it to themselves to try it out, especially since it's about the cheapest credible one out there. 
 

 
Don't worry about the blog thing.
I agree with you.
It's not the amp I like the most though, but I do enjoy it very much.
Some people tend to think that Stax amps are cheap and sound terrible and only aftermarket amps sound great.
Some aftermarket are excellent indeed, but Stax amps are very honest to say the least.

 

[rgs9200m]

 
Quote:

 
 
Don't worry about the blog thing.
I agree with you.
It's not the amp I like the most though, but I do enjoy it very much.
Some people tend to think that Stax amps are cheap and sound terrible and only aftermarket amps sound great.
Some aftermarket are excellent indeed, but Stax amps are very honest to say the least.

 

Thanks Eric! Honest is a very good word for them, they just seem to fit the Stax phones w/o any issues. And all I know I seem to enjoy this headphone system as much as any speaker-based system I have heard (along with all other headphone systems, including R10s I once owned and a short listen on an Orpheus at a show --about 10 years ago, so that's just from memory, of course).
It really draws me in completely.

 

[spritzer]

 
Quote:

 Don't believe what you have read about the 007t being inadequate, this is one fine amp, and I think anyone who has 009s owes it to themselves to try it out, especially since it's about the cheapest credible one out there. 
 

 
Compared to the BHSE it is very inadequate but that's hardly a fair comparison.  Were the BHSE not sold directly then it would cost at least 3-5 times as much but there are good reasons why it is better. 
 
The Stax amps are better designed and better built than most of the amps out there though.  They are certainly built to a price and there are some questionable design twists here and there but over all they are superior to pretty much anything you can find.  In the 007t the main problem is using a tube designed for max 330V at 700V so as the volume goes up (and thus the voltage) it sounds worse and worse.  Then we have the simple resistor load on the output stage and the simple power supply (just a single capacitor really) to content with.  Now take the same circuit, change the tube type to a single triode which can handle the power and the voltage, change the plate load to a constant current source and switch to a nice regulated PSU and it is a killer amp.  I have one of them sitting on a shelf waiting on a chassis....

 

[rgs9200m]

Interesting info spritzer, thanks. I'd be very curious how the modded 007t sounds with the 009.
I've never heard the BHSE so I cannot comment. I was just surprised how my systems sounds after hearing all the mentions of brightness with the premium amps and hearing a fine, even-handed, balanced sound with no brightness with the Stax.
Even Currawong mentioned the brightness in his video review of the 009.

 

[realmassy]

When I had the opportunity to listen to the 009 with my amp (600ltd) I couldn't hear any hint of brightness: it was simply the closest thing to a live performance I've ever heard.

 

[David1961]

When I went to headfier IanG's place to try out my SR-009's, his two Stax amps used were SRM-007t + SRM-717, out of the two we both preferred the SRM-717. Last year I had the SR-007's + SRM-007t and found the sound from those headphones to be veiled to which I feel the SRM-007t was the cause. When I receive the BHSE I'll let Ian and Massi know and they can pop through to my place, when that time comes I'd want Ian bring his SR-007's and Massi his SR-507's to try them out with the BHSE.

 

[rgs9200m]

David, yep, I'd be very curious to how the BHSE compares to the Stax amps. I may have different tastes than others, because I can deal with some veiling to avoid digital glare in vocals
and some instruments like woodwinds, which annoys me no end.
I  heard this glare with the 009s on the Woo WES system, not to mention most dynamics (T1s, PS1000s, D7000s, bass-light R10s), even Audezes (glare and the related "ringing"). 
(For me, the 009s leave the R10s in the dust. The R10s would lose control in the lower-treble sometimes, and the 009's bass is more resonant and deeper and has more body.)
 
My last listen on the 007t/009 system was to Judy Collins (wildflowers), and the voice was perfect, silky and liquid but full of character and not veiled to me, really addictive,
with that special Stax immediacy and unique texture that I remember well from my old Omega1 system.
When a vocal on redbook digital goes over the top it makes me cringe, and avoiding that is crucial to me.
If I just listened to classical or jazz, it wouldn't be so much of problem for me.
So I'd be curious how the BHSE does in this department.
 
So maybe it comes down the old error of commission vs. omission, and the 007t amp commits no errors, even if omits some excitement.
The HD800/Moon Black Dragon XLR/Pinnacle system has more dynamics and slam and beautiful inner detail and also has no fatigue and is exciting and musical, and has a stronger more controlled transparent bass, and had more depth and width in the soundfield,
but the 007t/009 has that stat delicate texture and that last ounce of liquidity and continuousness and the feeling that there is no headphone driver at all that almost makes me lust for the sound
and is really what I think this whole crazy hobby is about.
 
 

 

[spritzer]

 
Quote:

Interesting info spritzer, thanks. I'd be very curious how the modded 007t sounds with the 009.
I've never heard the BHSE so I cannot comment. I was just surprised how my systems sounds after hearing all the mentions of brightness with the premium amps and hearing a fine, even-handed, balanced sound with no brightness with the Stax.
Even Currawong mentioned the brightness in his video review of the 009.

 
The brightness is there, the amp just masks it.  While the Stax amps are all transparent and DC-coupled they do have a sound of their own which is further enhanced by the output stage design.  The 717 is just a KGSS but does not sound the same due to alterations to the outputstage so while the KGSS is neutral with just a touch of warmth the 717 is neutral but much warmer in tone.  The age of the listener has a lot to do with how we perceive brightness so that is a factor as well.  The brightness in the 009 also has a lot to do with the volume you listen at.  That leads me to think it's a diaphragm resonance which is a shame given the lengths they've gone to too make the best stators ever built. 

 

[David1961]

 
Quote:

David, yep, I'd be very curious to how the BHSE compares to the Stax amps. I may have different tastes than others, because I can deal with some veiling to avoid digital glare in vocals
and some instruments like woodwinds, which annoys me no end.
I  heard this glare with the 009s on the Woo WES system, not to mention most dynamics (T1s, PS1000s, D7000s, bass-light R10s), even Audezes (glare and the related "ringing"). 
(For me, the 009s leave the R10s in the dust. The R10s would lose control in the lower-treble sometimes, and the 009's bass is more resonant and deeper and has more body.)
 
My last listen on the 007t/009 system was to Judy Collins (wildflowers), and the voice was perfect, silky and liquid but full of character and not veiled to me, really addictive,
with that special Stax immediacy and unique texture that I remember well from my old Omega1 system.
When a vocal on redbook digital goes over the top it makes me cringe, and avoiding that is crucial to me.
If I just listened to classical or jazz, it wouldn't be so much of problem for me.
So I'd be curious how the BHSE does in this department.
 
So maybe it comes down the old error of commission vs. omission, and the 007t amp commits no errors, even if omits some excitement.
The HD800/Moon Black Dragon XLR/Pinnacle system has more dynamics and slam and beautiful inner detail and also has no fatigue and is exciting and musical, and has a stronger more controlled transparent bass, and had more depth and width in the soundfield,
but the 007t/009 has that stat delicate texture and that last ounce of liquidity and continuousness and the feeling that there is no headphone driver at all that almost makes me lust for the sound
and is really what I think this whole crazy hobby is about.
 
 

  I'm really looking forward to hearing the BHSE, not just with my SR-009's but Ian's SR-007's and with my source being the K-01 and not sure what to expect. I have to admit though I'm starting to get very excited.

 
                                                         Dave.
 
P.S. When Ian does visit my place I'll ask him to bring one of his Stax amps
 
 

 

[rgs9200m]

 
Quote:

 
 
The brightness is there, the amp just masks it.  While the Stax amps are all transparent and DC-coupled they do have a sound of their own which is further enhanced by the output stage design.  The 717 is just a KGSS but does not sound the same due to alterations to the outputstage so while the KGSS is neutral with just a touch of warmth the 717 is neutral but much warmer in tone.  The age of the listener has a lot to do with how we perceive brightness so that is a factor as well.  The brightness in the 009 also has a lot to do with the volume you listen at.  That leads me to think it's a diaphragm resonance which is a shame given the lengths they've gone to too make the best stators ever built. 

 

I wonder if the the SR009s were meant to used with the Stax amps, something like the (infamous?) Koss ESP950 "Equalizer" amp. Maybe the the 009s and Stax amps compensate for each other, by design.
The Liquid Lightning review seems to say that it's an amp designed to warm things up.
Maybe the WES and BHSE are more linear or neutral, maybe a little too linear (again, I never heard the BHSE, but brightness was noted by some with both amps).
Just speculation here...
 
It's sounds right that the Stax amps have a sound of their own (a coloration I guess is what you mean), as it instantly took me back to the sound of my 1999 Omega1/007t I still remember well.
Maybe it a preference or a familiarity, but I basically like it, and like it better than the, well, technicolor sound I heard from the WES with the 009 in New York this weekend.
The WES had a definite wow factor, but as something of a Stax veteran, it sounded foreign to me. (I also had the Lambda / T1W amp combo in the mid 90s.)
The WES/009 almost sounded Grado-like, the big-town sound. Very nice in its own right, but I kept feeling it was taking the Stax into uncharted territory.
 
And you say "That leads me to think it's a diaphragm resonance which is a shame given the lengths they've gone to too make the best stators ever built."
As I see it, whether it's a design flaw or some other mistake, I wouldn't want them to change a thing, because to me the proof of the pudding is the magical sound I hear, and after so many disappointments with
phones with fatal flaws, I'm happy as anything.
Thanks for the insights sir and the very best to you; I've enjoyed this conversation and feedback.
 

 

[arnaud]

The simulation of sr009 in my sig is overly simplified and does not capture the whole physics but certainly there are many many resonances in the diaphragm by the time we reach midrange / upper midrange (and not one that really stands out then). More than the diaphragm, the enclosure geometry seems to be responsible for the tonality. The distance to the ear is also having a large influence. So, imho, the current sound signature is a deliberate decision from Stax rather than the result of some peculiar diaphragm resonance.

As you said Birgir, it's not like Stax is favoring warm signatures in recent years. This may be just another cycle though, I wouldn't be surprised to see a warmer model in the future if companies like Audeze get significant success worldwide with warmer sounding heapdhones...

 

[ericohgb]

 
Quote:

 
 
The brightness is there, the amp just masks it.  While the Stax amps are all transparent and DC-coupled they do have a sound of their own which is further enhanced by the output stage design.  The 717 is just a KGSS but does not sound the same due to alterations to the outputstage so while the KGSS is neutral with just a touch of warmth the 717 is neutral but much warmer in tone.  The age of the listener has a lot to do with how we perceive brightness so that is a factor as well.  The brightness in the 009 also has a lot to do with the volume you listen at.  That leads me to think it's a diaphragm resonance which is a shame given the lengths they've gone to too make the best stators ever built. 

 

I wonder if the the SR009s were meant to used with the Stax amps, something like the (infamous?) Koss ESP950 "Equalizer" amp. Maybe the the 009s and Stax amps compensate for each other, by design.
The Liquid Lightning review seems to say that it's an amp designed to warm things up.
Maybe the WES and BHSE are more linear or neutral, maybe a little too linear (again, I never heard the BHSE, but brightness was noted by some with both amps).
Just speculation here...
 
It's sounds right that the Stax amps have a sound of their own (a coloration I guess is what you mean), as it instantly took me back to the sound of my 1999 Omega1/007t I still remember well.
Maybe it a preference or a familiarity, but I basically like it, and like it better than the, well, technicolor sound I heard from the WES with the 009 in New York this weekend.
The WES had a definite wow factor, but as something of a Stax veteran, it sounded foreign to me. (I also had the Lambda / T1W amp combo in the mid 90s.)
The WES/009 almost sounded Grado-like, the big-town sound. Very nice in its own right, but I kept feeling it was taking the Stax into uncharted territory.
 
And you say "That leads me to think it's a diaphragm resonance which is a shame given the lengths they've gone to too make the best stators ever built."
As I see it, whether it's a design flaw or some other mistake, I wouldn't want them to change a thing, because to me the proof of the pudding is the magical sound I hear, and after so many disappointments with
phones with fatal flaws, I'm happy as anything.
Thanks for the insights sir and the very best to you; I've enjoyed this conversation and feedback.
 

Nice discussion here. Hope to see you guys June 2nd in Nyc.
Regards,
Erico