[rgs9200m]

Any more thoughts about the RSA A10 for the 009s especially in terms of (to my ears) is the inherent brightness of these phones?
Can it deal with brighter CDs?
Thank you.

 

[Radio_head]

Do you already have the A10?

 

[spritzer]

Quote:

Lampizator seem to be progressing down this route but its quite costly several thousand Euro of the top of the range http://www.lampizator.eu/newdac/lampizator/welcome.html
 
They seem to be trying to do what Audio Note have already done.  Quite attracted to building one of their DAC kits with either tube or transformer output stages.  They are all the same basic design only the parts get better, and more costly as you go up the range 
http://www.audionotekits.com/
http://www.hificollective.co.uk/kits/audionotekits.html
 
Another interesting DAC which is a totally discrete, ladder DAC using Vishay resistors is the TOTALDAC from France.   http://www.totaldac.com/
Designed and built by Vincent Brient, an electrical engineer, originally as a home project. It's claimed to be comparable to such as the Zanden which costs over 5 times
 

 
I looked into the TotalDAC a year ago but the MSB offers similar tech but with more features and not from a startup company. 
 
Quote:

 
They should be good enough to get a good idea of frequency balance/tone though.  FR by itself probably isn't good enough, but the waterfall plots from purrin, arnaud, etc give us a ton of information.  What other measurements that aren't being used now do you think they should perform?
 
All the Grados I've heard (SR60, SR80, SR325, PS1000) - besides the HP2 - sounded like garbage.  Not comfortable to listen to even at the low levels I typically use, marble sized soundstage, just strange.

 
That's true but it still isn't comprehensive enough.  Electrostatics are also very tricky to measure due to all the stuff going on the diaphragms with thousands of modes on the diaphragms.   Even something so simple as THD measurement for amps and impedance for transducers can become very complicated and very few do the tests thoroughly. 
I get the sudden urge to find a hammer every time I see a Grado and smash it.  The HP-1000 is better but the SR-X Mk3 Pro is way better. 

  My point though was I don't find the HD800 as bright and annoying as the SR-009.  They have a forward tilt, same as the HE60 but use the right amp and they are very good and I've used mine pretty much every day since I got them.  Almost as good as the HE60 which says something. 
Quote:

So a straight wire with gain isn’t ideal for the 009 

 ??

 
Yup and to add to that, an amp that provides good power transfer to the transducers isn't ideal either. 

 

[complin]

Have you seen the new MSB Analogue DAC? http://www.msbtech.com/products/analogDac.php?Page=../index
Hellish expensive! $7000 + as thats likely to translate to £7000 in the UK.
 
I have HE60's too but find them not as bright as the HD800, in fact most enjoyable. 
However; I've just bought a used Headamp Gilmore Lite with additional power supply and Eureka at last the HD800's seem much better!
 
So what do you use your HD800's on as I think we have very similar tastes in sound signature?
 
Quote:

 
I looked into the TotalDAC a year ago but the MSB offers similar tech but with more features and not from a startup company. 
 
 
My point though was I don't find the HD800 as bright and annoying as the SR-009.  They have a forward tilt, same as the HE60 but use the right amp and they are very good and I've used mine pretty much every day since I got them.  Almost as good as the HE60 which says something. 
 

 

[arnaud]

7kUSD is starting to be a lot of money, but actually, it's the bare bone configuration. Just add the matching refined power supply and you're at 10kUSD. It quickly adds up

 

[spritzer]

I'd never buy anything from MSB new.  They really know the art of markup but it is very nice kit.  I just love to have a stepped attenuator at the source with a remote control. 
 
I run my HD800 of a Dynalo so pretty much a GS-1.  Lovely amp and I just leave it running 24/7 for when I can't be bothered to turn on one of the 'stat amps. 

 

[achri-d]

Quote:

 
No they don't.  009 sounds like ass on the 323.  You can sit around for someone to DBT it for you w/ the BHSE or try to find a way to go listen for yourself.  Unless you trust other people more than yourself.  I'd like to see you DBT a 009 on the 323 versus a Beyer DT440 to verify whether the 009 is (so much/$4500) better.  

Have you ever heard SRM-323s & SR-009 and BHSE & SR-009, and made explicit comparisons - preferably ABX controlled? I own the first combination and use it now and then even though I think the SRM-727II & SR-009 is better. However, the SRM-323S & SR-507 is a nice combination.

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

Have you ever heard SRM-323s & SR-009 and BHSE & SR-009, and made explicit comparisons

Yes, along w/ the Orpheus and 007s, Omega, T2.  The 323 ended up being sold.  I don't recall even liking it w/ my ESP950 tbh.  I could kind of see it working w/ the 507.

 

[Vicks7]

I did not know that jack was putting 12bz7 in there.
My opinion, bad idea. Circuit was designed for 12ax7.

Interesting as my GES was also supplied with service master 12bz7 tubes one of which failed after the first 20 minutes of using the amp from new. I have since purchased high quality NOS 12ax7 tubes with no problems.

 

[gtiboy]

I'm also looking to pairing the SR-009 to either Stax amps offerings. i.e. the SRM-007t II or the SRM-727 II. 
 
rgs9200m - I like how you described the SRM-007t II
 
ericohgb - The same goes for you with the SRM-727 II
 
What interesting to know here is, whats the best out of these two amps? I read somewhere on the forum the SRM-007t II is slower being a tube amp? Is this really the case and can it handle genres with fast and energetic music like House, Trance, Rock, Hip Hop etc? 
 
Which is the superior amp in terms of detail retrieval, sound stage, imaging etc?
 
Also where would the SRM-600 Limited Aniversary editon fit in? some dealer sites claiming it to be the best amp made by stax?
 
http://www.highendcable.co.uk/STAX%20SRM%20600%20energiser.htm[size=medium] [/size]

 

[rgs9200m]

Thanks gitboy.
I haven't heard the 727, but at meet once I compared the 717 vs. the original 007t amp on the SRM007 phones, and I liked the tubed sound a lot better in comparison.
The tubes just illuminated the inner detail in a way that just sounded more real. I guess that's called bloom, but I know it when I hear it.
The same thing happened when I first had an RSA Apache solid state amp and quickly moved on to Ray's tubed B52 amp (with HD800s, T1s, LCD2s).
 
The 009s have their own inherent slam and tight bass, so they can deal with tubes, and the sound is not slow with the 007t/ii at all.
As you asked,
detail retrieval is excellent, imaging is also excellent, with well formed natural boundaries, sound stage is good, but not cavernous or wide or out-of-head like I think you get on more expensive amps,
but I don't miss it, for whatever that is worth. These are headphones to me, and I let headphones be headphones, not speaker imitators.
 
I listen to lots of popular/rock music from the 50s to modern (Kesha, Katy Perry, etc) and I love the 007t/ii for these.
The only caveat is I needed some warmish cabling to deal what I hear is a tendency to brightness in the 009s (actually, I think the 007t/ii helps with this too.)

 

[gtiboy]

this is really interesting, there's a SRM-007t II kimik upgrade for this amp. What would a change of tubes do to the sound of you were to upgrade them?

 

[rgs9200m]

Yeah, sometimes I get the sense some phone/amp combos are just a good match, making the whole greater than the sum of the parts.
I think these qualify based on personal experience:
RSA B52 + Senn HD650s.
Apex Pinnacle + Senn HD800s.
Stax 007t/ii + Stax SRM009s.

 

[purk]

Reading this thread really pushing me over the edge.  I now have the SR007 + SRM-717 and really want to upgrade to SR009.  Given the warmer tonal characters on the 717, it gotta be really good match with the SR009.  I auditioned the SR009 out of the DIY T2 and never found it to be that bright.  I thought that it is pretty darn neutral if not just a tad north of neutral.  IMO, the HD800's treble is "hotter" than that of the SR009.
 
@ Spritzer.  Glad you are enjoying the HD800.  You really need to make your Dynalo a balanced amp.  The HD800 sounds even better balanced with treble smooth out too.

 

[n3rdling]

HD800 is easily brighter than the SR009, especially from a low output imp amp.