(SR-007 MK2) vs (The Rest)

Apr 14, 2022 at 1:34 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 15

CT007

1000+ Head-Fier
Joined
Apr 16, 2013
Posts
1,474
Likes
1,301
So, how do people feel about the 007 MK2? And what headphones on the non-estat side of the world sound better than it? (better bass, treble extension, imaging, etc)

Do people prefer tube(700T) or SS(700S) energizers..?

I had a fun little experience with SRS-3100, but there was an annoying treble peak/shout, and I need a LOT better performance than that. So I'm looking at getting a 007 + 007tA as my 1-stop, do-it-all estat system. Unless there's a better option around. . .
 
Last edited:
Apr 14, 2022 at 7:19 AM Post #2 of 15
So, how do people feel about the 007 MK2? And what headphones on the non-estat side of the world sound better than it? (better bass, treble extension, imaging, etc)

Do people prefer tube(700T) or SS(700S) energizers..?

I had a fun little experience with SRS-3100, but there was an annoying treble peak/shout, and I need a LOT better performance than that. So I'm looking at getting a 007 + 007tA as my 1-stop, do-it-all estat system. Unless there's a better option around. . .

As always things depend on a lot of factors. Music style, personal preferences, synergy between amp/dac and headphones etc. At this point it's hard to say something is generally better than something else.

I personally find the 007mk2 an awesome headphone - given you have the right amp/dac with it and use it for the kind of music it works well with.
However thanks to its bass it is definitely more broadly usable than many other estats.

Better is relative as so often ... the only non-estat I consider generally better than the 007mk2 is the Susvara but that's just me. Well I guess I'm kind of an estat guy since I prefer music styles that work well with estats in general :)
 
Apr 14, 2022 at 10:22 AM Post #3 of 15
I personally find the 007mk2 an awesome headphone - given you have the right amp/dac
What do you think about Gungnir + 007tA/KGST with 007 MK2? Will that amp about max out the 007?

Oh, I see you have one of my favorite 2 headphones I've ever heard so far, LCD-3! (and the Gungnir!) I don't think I want to spend more than a 007 on the estat side, so I have pretty high hopes for it, heh. Plenty of options on the non-estat side, but IEMs have impressed me a lot more than headphones so far(besides OG HE-6 and LCD-3).
 
Jul 21, 2022 at 3:25 AM Post #4 of 15
So, how do people feel about the 007 MK2? And what headphones on the non-estat side of the world sound better than it? (better bass, treble extension, imaging, etc)

Do people prefer tube(700T) or SS(700S) energizers..?

I had a fun little experience with SRS-3100, but there was an annoying treble peak/shout, and I need a LOT better performance than that. So I'm looking at getting a 007 + 007tA as my 1-stop, do-it-all estat system. Unless there's a better option around. . .
I have the SR 007 MK2 and SRM 007t energizer and I noticed that I have to crank up the volume quite a bit to get the headphones to be as dynamic as my older SR L207. There is only 1dB sensitivity difference on the spec sheet but the SR 007 is definitely harder to drive. Once I crank it up they sound really good so I think the SRM 007t may be a little underpowered for these headphones. I tried the SR 007 with the LTA Z10e, Eksonic, Blue Hawaii at Canjam and I'd say with those amps the SR 007 MK2 were phenomenal. I have the LTA on my wish list for my next upgrade so I can run my Stax as well as dynamic/planar headphones off one amp. The LTA was for me the best discovery at Canjam for me. They were not on my radar at all but glad I stopped by their booth and took a listen. I also have the Audeze MM-500 on my radar as it sounds more dynamic than the Stax which I really liked and it was different enough that I also have it on my wish list for my endgame setup with SR 007 Mk2, MM-500 and LTA Z10e (also planning on some Zu audio or Klipsch speakers for the complete system).
 
Jul 25, 2022 at 8:46 AM Post #5 of 15
So, how do people feel about the 007 MK2? And what headphones on the non-estat side of the world sound better than it? (better bass, treble extension, imaging, etc)

Do people prefer tube(700T) or SS(700S) energizers..?

I had a fun little experience with SRS-3100, but there was an annoying treble peak/shout, and I need a LOT better performance than that. So I'm looking at getting a 007 + 007tA as my 1-stop, do-it-all estat system. Unless there's a better option around. . .
007 "beats" all non estats except for bass impact and maybe soundstage (Senn HD800). The main thing about estats is that they lack the weight because of the thin diaphragms compared to dynamics and planars. What you need to realize however is that beyond like maybe 500$ USD or so, its more a matter of taste rather than objective truth. It depends on what music you listen to and in what environment etc.

Personally I believe the 007 (mk1s, havent heard mk2s) are the most well rounded estats in existance. I also believe all estats sound clearer and more airy than any non estat I've heard. With that being said, you might end up prefering the Senn HD650s over any estats. Because at this point its a matter of taste.

edit: Oh and the 007 is not powerful enough to fully drive the 007s. Minimum would be 727s.
 
Jul 25, 2022 at 11:40 AM Post #6 of 15
estats is that they lack the weight
How does 007 compare to L300 here? I am familiar with L300+252S, and loved the beefy mid-bass it had, esp when EQ up even more. I had no complaints with L300, outside of some treble fatigue and not being TOTL at anything. It was my HD600 upgrade, and was pretty great. (But not so much the 252S lol) HD600 and 650 are def not my cup of tea. HD660 is the one between them that I like, though certainly not for bass.
 
Jul 25, 2022 at 11:34 PM Post #7 of 15
How does 007 compare to L300 here? I am familiar with L300+252S, and loved the beefy mid-bass it had, esp when EQ up even more. I had no complaints with L300, outside of some treble fatigue and not being TOTL at anything. It was my HD600 upgrade, and was pretty great. (But not so much the 252S lol) HD600 and 650 are def not my cup of tea. HD660 is the one between them that I like, though certainly not for bass.
Well, the L300 has the weakest bass of the current Stax lineup, while the 007 has the best by quite a long shot. Still, none of them can compare in quantity with a dynamic. Doubly so vs a closed dynamic.

Most stax are bright, and could potentially incur treble fatigue depending on the person and the music listened to. 007 is the least offensive one, and if treble fatigue annoys you, it is probably the only Stax headphone I could recommend for all round use. Because the other Stax are bright, there is no getting around it.

The 007 sort of sounds like the HD650s, but at a much higher technical level. Meaning better bass, much better clarity, better soundstage etc.
 
Jul 25, 2022 at 11:57 PM Post #8 of 15
I think the 007mk1 is probably the best headphone experience for me assuming using a Carbon for amplification. Without a Carbon it rejoins the mere mortals of headphones (and I've owned a T2 and BHSE). Ultimately, I've moved away from electrostats because I wanted to build around my amplifier (and multiple headphones) rather than the 007mk1 which is the only stat headphone I found I'd wanted to own long term.

But the 007mk1 is THE biggest bargain in TOTL headphone audio today and it's not particularly close. Bloody brilliant.
 
Aug 4, 2022 at 4:28 PM Post #9 of 15
So, how do people feel about the 007 MK2? And what headphones on the non-estat side of the world sound better than it? (better bass, treble extension, imaging, etc)

Do people prefer tube(700T) or SS(700S) energizers..?

I had a fun little experience with SRS-3100, but there was an annoying treble peak/shout, and I need a LOT better performance than that. So I'm looking at getting a 007 + 007tA as my 1-stop, do-it-all estat system. Unless there's a better option around. . .
I own the 007 MK2 and use the 007t energizer as my primary setup and I was perfectly happy with it compared to my WOO WA2 with various dynamic and planar headphones (Grado , Sennheiser, Hifiman). That was until I decided to go to Canjam and demoed the 007 with a LTA Z10e. I had no idea who LTA was but man they make a great product. I enjoy live recordings and often use a Bill Evans track to demo gear because it has a lot of ambient detail that adds to my listening experience and many systems I have heard sound muddy. I felt like the combo was excellent with great bass control, detailed mids, and smooth highs and with a few of my reference vocal tracks was simply engrossing. The separation and imaging were also great so I now have the Z10e on my wish list. I demoed the SR-009s with the LTA but preferred the SR-007 for my musical taste (jazz, blues, rock, pop, classical, older hip hop). I also tried the Audeze MM-500 with the LTA amp and I really like the additional dynamics on more contemporary electronic bass tracks vs the 007 presentation. I think this trio would cover me for any genre of music I have in my collection so here I am saving my pennies and selling off the old gear.
 
Aug 4, 2022 at 5:33 PM Post #10 of 15
I've had several 007s, a mk1, an early mk2, and a late mk2, what people call the mk2.9. I'll talk about the mk2.9 since I assume that's what you're asking.

It's a tricky set of headphones, capable of world-class sound but needing some modding and EQ to get there.

First, you're gonna need a powerful amp. Don't even think of using a 007t or 700t, it's simply not powerful enough. You will get very little in the way of dynamics, and you will come to a point where raising the volume does not make the sound louder but just harsher and more compressed. The 700s will be a lot better, you'll have more usable volume and better dynamics but you'll still be leaving a lot of performance on the table. Ideally, you'll want a KGSSHV or Carbon, or a Blue Hawaii or similar level of amplifier.

Second, the bass port mod is generally recommended as it tightens up the bass and clears up the midrange.

The tuning out of the box is a bit questionable. It's not bad, you have a reasonably tight and punchy bass, a warm midrange but with a nasal tone, and a treble that's slightly wrong in tembre and definitely quite bright.

This is fixable with EQ, and the 007 responds very well to it. You can knock out the nasal coloration and straighten out the highs with only a few adjustments. But you will need an amp that can play above normal listening levels without issues, which once again steers you towards a KGSS or similar amp.

Do all this, and you end up with a headphone that plays in the big leagues, with world-class resolution, solid dynamics, excellent imaging and front to back layering, while at the same time sounding coherent and natural.

Of course all of this begs the question: why should you have to tweak, EQ, and spend thousands on an amp for a $2k+ headphone when there are others that will perform well out of the box?

Well... that's really up to you. If you're the sort that will tweak and EQ anything you get your hands on anyway, then the 007 will get you to a higher level of sound quality than just about anything else out there, so you might as well. But if you're adverse to doing any of this, then there are probably better options.

Incidentally, the earlier mk1 didn't require you to do any of this and was better tuned out of the box. Sadly, they're getting rare and hard to find. You want to score an early 70xxx serial number version, those are the best, but VERY rare and also a bit fragile - the cable did not have appropriate strain relief at the connection to the driver, and it often goes faulty and intermittent. So be sure to ask if there are any intermittency issues, or channel balance issues, before picking up a used pair.
 
Aug 4, 2022 at 11:30 PM Post #11 of 15
you'll want a Carbon
Exactly what my target is, currently. I would also want to add an L700, assuming both should work nicely on a Carbon.
why should you have to tweak, EQ, and spend thousands on an amp for a $2k+ headphone when there are others that will perform well out of the box?
I've tried a lot of phones at this point(not so many DACs and amps), and I almost can't think of any phone currently on the market, at any price, that might be good/non-problematic enough to warrant such high price. I haven't heard a ZMF yet, or anything more obscure, like MySphere. LCD-4 spoke to me the most so far, but Audeze size and weight is a drag. So I've been very eager to escape this dull world of problematic, thin, neutral planars with quirky house tunings, and obscure dynamics with small soundstages and eternal waiting lists. I would need a better DAC and amp for planars & dynamics to sound better, anyway. So hopefully high-end estats + Carbon is such a jump up in SQ that I can just step right over the majority of problems heard with common phones. I'd like to try Kennerton and ZMF, at this point., maybe HE1000v2.
 
Last edited:
Aug 4, 2022 at 11:36 PM Post #12 of 15
Audeze MM-500, LTA Z10e, 007. I think this trio would cover me for any genre of music
That's an interesting, convenient proposition! :) I wonder how that amp/Z10 compares to GS-X Mini, my current target amp.
 
Aug 5, 2022 at 12:45 AM Post #13 of 15
That's an interesting, convenient proposition! :) I wonder how that amp/Z10 compares to GS-X Mini, my current target amp.
I did try the GS-X Mk2 which is the mini's big brother and I preferred the LTA with the MM-500 by a wide margin. For my taste, the LTA made a definite impression with clarity, imaging and soundstage. The GS-X was no slouch but it did not stand out against other amps I auditioned with the MM-500. My ranking for the MM-500 is LTA Z10E, Chord Hugo, GS-X Mk2. If I didn't want the estat amp function, I would go with the LTA MZ3 which sounded the same as Z10 to me.
 
Aug 5, 2022 at 2:05 PM Post #14 of 15
L700 with the Carbon might be a little bright. But it responds very well to EQ too. I actually prefer an EQd L700 over the 007 in some ways, it's less technical but I like the midrange tonality better.

Stats are a significant jump up in technicalities, but they are not a jump up in tuning, in fact I would say it's the opposite. Granted, I'm comparing them to the very best tuned dynamics i.e. HD600/650 but I can't think of an estat that has this level of neutral tuning save for the older Sennheisers, HE60 and HE90, but those are pure unobtainium at this point. So yeah, you will get a lot more detail, staging, speed, etc than you know what to do with, but you'll still need to EQ and fix tuning errors. It's just how it goes.

The Audeze Carbon might be an exception as that measures quite close to an HD650 in FR but I never heard it. But it's on the list of things to get my hands on some day. An early 007 mk1 will also fit the bill, but again they're getting rare.

Regardless, trying out estats and learning their many mysteries is fun. I think you'll enjoy it either way if you can afford it. It will certainly recalibrate your ear in terms of what is possible with detail and staging.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top