[n3rdling]

The 'bassy sounding' amps with the 007 in particular are the ones that don't drive the headphone as well.  The bass gets loose, out of control, and a bit boomy which is what I heard from the T1 amps and the 717 to a lesser degree.  This is likely what is being heard with the LL as well, but I don't really remember anymore.

 

[sachu]

^ possibly to you..well and through a cambridge DAC magic yeah i can probably see that..none of that bloat you speak of with my assemblage of Cary CDP both of which have high end R2R balanced DAC sections.
 
Definitely have heard that loose boomy bass on the 007T, SRm1mk2 and SRm006T.

 

[Anaxilus]

You like the RS1.  Get the 009, simple, done.  
 
LL has plenty of control and grip, very dynamic.  Expensive and lacking micro detail though compared to the BH and T2.  T2 and Electra give the 009 plenty of lowend.  I don't think the Electra in current prototype form is ideal w/ the 007, we'll see if that changes.  DIY T2 is the best Stat amp I've ever heard w/ anything.

 

[brat]

Save money, skip the electrostats and get LCD-2 r.2 Better all-rounder, more musical, cheaper amplification. Since I have the audezes almost forgot my O2s. Elestrostats lack dynamics, presense and impact unless they are amped by $$$$ amps. Even then theý are not as involving and musical as the good dynamic and orthodynamic headphones.
Sorry for the offtopic

 

[Matt head 777]

Quote:

Save money, skip the electrostats and get LCD-2 r.2 Better all-rounder, more musical, cheaper amplification. Since I have the audezes almost forgot my O2s. Elestrostats lack dynamics, presense and impact unless they are amped by $$$$ amps. Even then theý are not as involving and musical as the good dynamic and orthodynamic headphones.
Sorry for the offtopic

what sort of setup are you using with LCD-2's?

 

[Matt head 777]

are stats the flawed money job, ortho's the closer to heaven and dynamic for the average Joe's?

 

[brat]

Quote:

what sort of setup are you using with LCD-2's?

Furman Elite 16 PFEi-->Weiss DAC202U-->Van den Hul The Second XLR-->Violectric V200-->DIY silver cable-->LCD-2 r2
 
transport not mentioned because they're multiple and don't affect the sound much

 

[Matt head 777]

Quote:

Furman Elite 16 PFEi-->Weiss DAC202U-->Van den Hul The Second XLR-->Violectric V200-->DIY silver cable-->LCD-2 r2

thanks.

 

[spritzer]

I have a LCD-2 R1 sitting here and it's a nice headphone but a far cry from the Omegas. 
 
Quote:

The 'bassy sounding' amps with the 007 in particular are the ones that don't drive the headphone as well.  The bass gets loose, out of control, and a bit boomy which is what I heard from the T1 amps and the 717 to a lesser degree.  This is likely what is being heard with the LL as well, but I don't really remember anymore.

 
With the LL this isn't really the cause but rather how the output stage is set up.  Let's just say there is a reason nobody has done this before in a commercial amp.  I've seen it in some botched repair jobs mostly due to the lack of available TO-3 parts. 
 
I've been thinking about doing a special amp for the 009 which will maximize what it does well and minimize the bad parts, sort of an Aristaeus for the Stax. 

 

[SteveM324]

Quote:

I have a LCD-2 R1 sitting here and it's a nice headphone but a far cry from the Omegas. 
 
 

Agreed but the LCD-2 R1 isn't nearly as transparent as the current production LCD-3 when both are driven by a very good amp and source.  The R2 is a little better than the R1 IMO.  The LCD-3 is capable of sounding great in a well matched system and IMO competitive with the SR-009.  I have the 3 Audeze headphones mentioned here and the SR-009.  My LCD-3 was repaired just a few weeks ago and is representative of the current production level.  The 009 has the edge in transparency and detail retrieval but the difference is slight.  The LCD-3 has more bass presence than the 009 in my system (again not by a lot but it is noticeable) and that gives it an edge if your taste prefers that sound signature.  I like having both the ortho and the electrostatic systems at my disposal depending on the recording and my mood.  My dynamic and electrostatic systems are both very enjoyable and the differences are there but definitely not a far cry apart.

 

[brat]

Dynamics or electrostats, it depends on what music genres you prefer and your tastes... For modern genres and orchestral I prefer dynamic and orthodynamic headphones, electrostats are fine with jazz, chamber music, all styles that have small number of intruments and you will enjoy the timral richness, detail and instrument imaging. I still don't sale my omegas but who knows....

 

[rgs9200m]

Quote:

 
Pretty much matches the impressions of a few of my non-audiophile friends and me.  To my ears, something sounded off about the SR009, even after spending weeks with it and using them to listen to everything from lossless to YouTube.  The SR009s kind of remind me of when a video game has too much bloom and everything ends up looking sort of strange.
 
It just doesn't sound as musical to me as the MK2 or MK1 (never heard the MK2.5).  One of my friends who is sensitive to loud and trebly sounds found them near-unlistenable.  The only two devices I've heard that have tamed the SR009 enough for me are the LL (granted, LL heard under meet conditions with unfamiliar music) and the Realiser.
 
I haven't spent much time with the MK1, but from what I've heard, it's a very nice headphone and will probably be my next electrostat.  I haven't done an A/B test, but it didn't sound as dark or bassy as the MK2.  The MK2 can easily sound muddy and congested without a quality signal chain, and is probably the most unforgiving headphone I've ever encountered.

The more I read 009-impressions along these lines, the more I'm convinced the 009s are voiced to the Stax amps, like my 007t/ii that works so well with them. I also use a Shunyata Anaconda VX power cord on my CDP for an additional smidgen of warmth.
(My EMM cdp is neutral and honest, not a warm player like, say, Playback Designs or maybe Meridians).
 
When I was waiting for the 009s, I talked to Yei at Stax USA, and I mentioned the reports of tipped-up sound compared to the SR007s I used to have,  when I mentioned that I had my 007t/ii amp he immediately said w/o hesitation I would have no problem,
and he knew what he was talking about. 
 
I heard the 009s with another amp and did hear some shout and trebly sounds as noted. And I *hate* that in phones. The Stax amp cures that for me. I would advise anyone getting the 009s to start with a Stax amp (I liked the tubed one)
and get to know them and then later experiment with others if they felt the need to do so. The Stax amps command good prices used (and are pretty rare on the market) so there would not be a loss if you sold later, and they only cost about $2400 new.
 
Look in the forums, you will not see much criticism of the 009s with Stax amps from owners. Yeah, maybe you can achieve greater results with the bigger amps, but I really believe you will not be annoyed by the Stax amp
and will hear the sweet direct detail and overall goodness of the 009s right away.
 
I had planned to use the 007t/ii amp as a stepping stone to the better amps, and after a few months of glorious sound with the 009s, I feel zero need to upgrade.

 

[Anaxilus]

I think the LCD2r.2 is great now that the bugs have been ironed out but it's not a top tier performer (technically) a la HD800, LCD3 (when it works), 009/007.

 

[brat]

Quote:

The more I read 009-impressions along these lines, the more I'm convinced the 009s are voiced to the Stax amps, like my 007t/ii that works so well with them. I also use a Shunyata Anaconda VX power cord on my CDP for an additional smidgen of warmth.
(My EMM cdp is neutral and honest, not a warm player like, say, Playback Designs or maybe Meridians).
 
When I was waiting for the 009s, I talked to Yei at Stax USA, and I mentioned the reports of tipped-up sound compared to the SR007s I used to have,  when I mentioned that I had my 007t/ii amp he immediately said w/o hesitation I would have no problem,
and he knew what he was talking about. 
 
I heard the 009s with another amp and did hear some shout and trebly sounds as noted. And I *hate* that in phones. The Stax amp cures that for me. I would advise anyone getting the 009s to start with a Stax amp (I liked the tubed one)
and get to know them and then later experiment with others if they felt the need to do so. The Stax amps command good prices used (and are pretty rare on the market) so there would not be a loss if you sold later, and they only cost about $2400 new.
 
Look in the forums, you will not see much criticism of the 009s with Stax amps from owners. Yeah, maybe you can achieve greater results with the bigger amps, but I really believe you will not be annoyed by the Stax amp
and will hear the sweet direct detail and overall goodness of the 009s right away.
 
I had planned to use the 007t/ii amp as a stepping stone to the better amps, and after a few months of glorious sound with the 009s, I feel zero need to upgrade.

Interesting hypothеsis. It has some sick logic - to adjust $$$$ headphones to mediocre amps. But who cares if the result is good sound?

My omegas were terrible with SRM-727II and I sold it to head-fier that owns 009s. I hope he's satisfied.

 

[Elysian]

Quote:

The more I read 009-impressions along these lines, the more I'm convinced the 009s are voiced to the Stax amps, like my 007t/ii that works so well with them. I also use a Shunyata Anaconda VX power cord on my CDP for an additional smidgen of warmth.

 
It's possible.  I'll try to spend some time with the 727II when I get together with a friend again and see if it alleviates the brightness/shoutyness.  I'm a bit skeptical, though.  Spritzer has more experience with Stax amps than almost anyone else here, so if it was voiced better with a Stax amp, I would imagine he and the other Stax regulars would be the first ones to say something about it.  At this point, I'm chalking it up to an assumption that some of us are more sensitive to brightness than others.  I prefer a darker, warmer, analog sound, so it's probable that the SR009 just doesn't fit my current tastes.
 
I've heard the LCD-2.2 through a lot of different signal chains, and given a limited budget, I agree that it's one of the best contenders out there, up there with the HE-5LE and RS1i/GS1000i in mid-fi.  The LCD-3 is a better headphone but it costs too much in comparison to what it improves.
 
If $1k was my dynamic budget, I'd get a used HE-6 for $700-750 and a Trends TA-10.2SE for $225.  I haven't heard anything that can touch that combination for under $1k.  It's clean, detailed, distortion-free, and has plenty of impact and bass slam.