[JimL11]

Per KG, There is a possibility to modify D10 to run 12mA , and that would be an excellent portable for 009

I'm thinking that KG was referring to the D50, as the D10 has very little heatsink, and that much standing current would probably make it too hot to hold, not to mention draining the battery in short order. Note that the SRM252, which is in a somewhat bigger box than the D10 AFAIK, only runs about 2.5 mA/channel. Also, according to KG the D10 uses a high voltage Apex op amp, and IC op amps are typically run in class AB rather than class A. For example, the Apex PA88 op amp is rated to 450 volts (according to KG the D10 uses +/-175V PS) and can output up to 100 mA but runs at a quiescent current of 2 mA. OTOH the D50 reportedly uses a discrete class A solid state amp similar to the 353 and 717, so the standing current could be bumped up somewhat depending on how much heatsink is available.

 

[Whitigir]

I'm thinking that KG was referring to the D50, as the D10 has very little heatsink, and that much standing current would probably make it too hot to hold, not to mention draining the battery in short order. Note that the SRM252, which is in a somewhat bigger box than the D10 AFAIK, only runs about 2.5 mA/channel. Also, according to KG the D10 uses a high voltage Apex op amp, and IC op amps are typically run in class AB rather than class A. For example, the Apex PA88 op amp is rated to 450 volts (according to KG the D10 uses +/-175V PS) and can output up to 100 mA but runs at a quiescent current of 2 mA. OTOH the D50 reportedly uses a discrete class A solid state amp similar to the 353 and 717, so the standing current could be bumped up somewhat depending on how much heatsink is available.

Any plan for you to start modifying the D10 soon ?

Here is his original post
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/kgs...nd-with-the-009s.766237/page-43#post-14581044

 

[purk]

009 and 353x is good enough. Heck some saying the 009 and the protable D10 is great together.

Maybe start small and work your way up the ladder first. You might end up liking the less expensive gear than the over the top gear.

The D10 is very good for transportable device but it is quite a drop off from a properly design full-sized KG amps such as the KGSSHV and above or even KGSS.

 

[protoss]

The D10 is very good for transportable device but it is quite a drop off from a properly design full-sized KG amps such as the KGSSHV and above or even KGSS.

Well of course lol. Thats not a fair comparison thou.

Commonsense comparison is D10 vs D50 vs 353X vs 727II vs Octane . This is more a fair and decent comparison. And if someone is looking for something easy, cheap and decent. Ill say start here for sure.

KGS vs BHSE vs Carbon Vs T2 is the next level comparison. You just cant compare a D10 to a KGSSHV LMAO

overall, starting off with 353x for the 009 is okay and decent.

 

[Whitigir]

T2 is in a league of it own , and not Carbon or BHSE

 

[protoss]

T2 is in a league of it own , and not Carbon or BHSE

Yes yes. All hail the mighty T2 !

 

[JimL11]

Any plan for you to start modifying the D10 soon ?

Here is his original post
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/kgs...nd-with-the-009s.766237/page-43#post-14581044

No mod plans. The T1 (and SRM-006, SRM-007) were easy to mod because they all use resistor output loads. Substituting constant current loads is a relatively simple mod that more than doubles the effective output power because the output resistors waste a lot of signal current, whereas constant current loads use practically no signal current. The recent solid-state amps (SRM717, 323, etc.) all use constant current loads already, and I'm guessing the D10 and D50 also have them. I am assuming that KG's D10 mods use a lower value resistor which sets the amount of current in the output stage, but I don't have a schematic and I'm not planning on buying either amp, so that's just a guess.

 

[outmatch]

Got them for a month now and these cans are just on another level compared to my prior experience with dynamic headphones. Now it seems I've caught the most fatal disease called Upgraditis.

And now I need your prescription...

Which one (first)?
1. Eximus DP-1 into Chord DAVE
2. SRM-727A into (BHSE or KGSShv)

 

[Whitigir]

Never gone Stax (a proper system), because you would not be able to go back

 

[urs]

"The Illusion Approachs Reality" - STAX-009 vs. "S"


Presumably, as one of the few in this illustrious circle, who mainly - but not exclusively - listens to an almost complete tube & analogue chain, my hearing impressions and the resulting opinions are probably one-sided, subjective and therefore not transferable:

But for me it is clear - the 009S is the winner!

(TT with KOETSU platinum cartridge, with Step-Up Trafo, MM-Tube phone stage, and AudioValve Solaris tube head phone amp.)

Compared to the (old) 009, the „S“ conveys this notorious "cliché of an additional layer of music".
Whether the bass is stronger, the attack sharper, etc, I can not judge with my music. The 009 has this hint, what occasionally is called "artificial transparency" ?, "sharpness" ? or "pointed heights" or whatever has been complained about; and that part is missing at the "S", supplemented by what I would call "Euphonic Shine".

In short, the "S" is clearly the more pleasant, musically correct headphone for me.

My listening music was: (among many others)

(the "Digital Exception") ... a sampler CD "The Art Of Cecilia Bartoli", including a rarely heard version of "Libiamo ne'lieti calici" (Brindisi) by Cecilia Bartoli, with Luciano Pavarotti, Orchestra Sinfonica e Coro di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Chailly

Vinyl: (my all-time standards)

• Bach's Italian Concerto, version with harpsichord with Martha Schuster, a recording that reproduces the harpsichord in splendid tones .. By the way: This is the optimal playground for a STAX !!!
  
• Age of Belcanto ", with Joan Sutherland & Richard Bonynge
  
• Moonlight Serenade, with Ray Brown, Bass & Laurindo Almeida, guitar.

New in my analogue collection:

• Dolce Duello: Cecilia Bartoli & Sol Gabetta, cello
  
• Sol Gabetta - Il Progetto Vivaldi: The winter of the 4 seasons, played on the cello, is simply "magical"
• The Hot Sardines

BTW: For many years, Cecilia Bartoli has been my "reference voice" for any music replay equipment & component reviews. (It is the only "famous" opera singer that I occasionally saw & heard live in Zurich both in opera and concert. Unfortuanley, her music is rare on vinyl)

A note on comfort & handling: The slightly tighter head frame fits my head just fine.
My only objection: STAX could have developed a more elegant solution for the headband. Maybe: even the rotating ear pads and connectors from the "007" would have been just to my taste.

For me: "Case Closed"

Greetings

Urs


PS:
My comments have to be regarded as " grumbling or praise" on a very high level !
Listeners with other source equipment & (digital ? ) devices might well come to a different conclusion ....

However: a cross check on my office system, where I occasionally listen to rather mediocre digital downloads confirmed my above impression: The “S” beats the old 009 as well.
BUT on some occasions, the little brother – 007 !! - would be the even better choice for such “LOW-Fi material” ….

 

[tumpux]

Thank you Urs, I like when someone recommend a piece that I never heard before.
Would you mind to hare which of LP is it?

Bach's Italian Concerto, version with harpsichord with Martha Schuster, a recording that reproduces the harpsichord in splendid tones .. By the way: This is the optimal playground for a STAX !!!

 

[urs]

Tumpux,

with pleasure..
https://www.discogs.com/de/Martha-Schuster-Concerto-Nach-Italienischem-Gusto/master/1108387

Enjoy !!
&
Regards

Urs

 

[rlXX]

"The Illusion Approachs Reality" - STAX-009 vs. "S"


Presumably, as one of the few in this illustrious circle, who mainly - but not exclusively - listens to an almost complete tube & analogue chain, my hearing impressions and the resulting opinions are probably one-sided, subjective and therefore not transferable:

But for me it is clear - the 009S is the winner!

(TT with KOETSU platinum cartridge, with Step-Up Trafo, MM-Tube phone stage, and AudioValve Solaris tube head phone amp.)

Compared to the (old) 009, the „S“ conveys this notorious "cliché of an additional layer of music".
Whether the bass is stronger, the attack sharper, etc, I can not judge with my music. The 009 has this hint, what occasionally is called "artificial transparency" ?, "sharpness" ? or "pointed heights" or whatever has been complained about; and that part is missing at the "S", supplemented by what I would call "Euphonic Shine".

In short, the "S" is clearly the more pleasant, musically correct headphone for me.

My listening music was: (among many others)

(the "Digital Exception") ... a sampler CD "The Art Of Cecilia Bartoli", including a rarely heard version of "Libiamo ne'lieti calici" (Brindisi) by Cecilia Bartoli, with Luciano Pavarotti, Orchestra Sinfonica e Coro di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Chailly

Vinyl: (my all-time standards)

• Bach's Italian Concerto, version with harpsichord with Martha Schuster, a recording that reproduces the harpsichord in splendid tones .. By the way: This is the optimal playground for a STAX !!!
  
• Age of Belcanto ", with Joan Sutherland & Richard Bonynge
  
• Moonlight Serenade, with Ray Brown, Bass & Laurindo Almeida, guitar.

New in my analogue collection:

• Dolce Duello: Cecilia Bartoli & Sol Gabetta, cello
  
• Sol Gabetta - Il Progetto Vivaldi: The winter of the 4 seasons, played on the cello, is simply "magical"
• The Hot Sardines

BTW: For many years, Cecilia Bartoli has been my "reference voice" for any music replay equipment & component reviews. (It is the only "famous" opera singer that I occasionally saw & heard live in Zurich both in opera and concert. Unfortuanley, her music is rare on vinyl)

A note on comfort & handling: The slightly tighter head frame fits my head just fine.
My only objection: STAX could have developed a more elegant solution for the headband. Maybe: even the rotating ear pads and connectors from the "007" would have been just to my taste.

For me: "Case Closed"

Greetings

Urs


PS:
My comments have to be regarded as " grumbling or praise" on a very high level !
Listeners with other source equipment & (digital ? ) devices might well come to a different conclusion ....

However: a cross check on my office system, where I occasionally listen to rather mediocre digital downloads confirmed my above impression: The “S” beats the old 009 as well.
BUT on some occasions, the little brother – 007 !! - would be the even better choice for such “LOW-Fi material” ….

Thank you for your detailed comparison. I am currently using the 007 and I am wondering whether you prefer the 007 over the 009 for certain genres or just low-fi material in general? Cheers

 

[urs]

rlXX,

As long as the music is "correctly" recorded, e.g. no (digital) distortion, or digital artefacts, I most always prefer the 009 - and now the "S".
While the 007 may have some merits for bass-weak recordings or overly “sharp” treble, the overall musical performance is not quite on the level of the 009 series.

However, on my “Office & PC system” I also do some editing work on digitized Shellac Records, and here, the stronger bass of the 007 helps to - wrongly !! - correct the non-RIAA equalization of the old shellacs. BTW: This are not ”lousy digital downloads”, but quite HiRes FLACS
AND: I have to move & remove the headphones frequently, which is easier with the “sturdy” 007, without swivel, etc,… but this certainly is just my very personal laziness & taste..
(Call this: “Misuse of a Top-End Headphone for incorrect sound correction purposes” …)

Please do not underestimate the 007: it’s an excellent headphone and before the 009, it gave me many years of outstanding musical pleasure !

Regards

Urs

 

[drunkmoron]

Can someone who brought a new 009 in the past year tell me their serial number (should be under the headband). I'm looking into buying a used 009 and wanted to see what the newest serial number were to estimate the age and usage of used one. Thank you