[hewlett168]

After a long period of waiting, I finally recieved the Stax SR009S from Stax in Hong Kong and the KGSSHV Carbon from Sweden.





Very pleased with the presentation of the 009S and the Carbon combo. The bass is definitely more impactful on the Carbon than on my previous auditions of the 009S, and the treble is not peaky at all, albeit beautifully extended and sparkly. In some ways, the 009S off the Carbon reminds me of the Susvaras, but with important differences.

The SR009S certainly has more detail than the Susvara's and you will notice it even on casual listening. It's not a night and day difference, of course, but noticeable.

It is a hair faster, which is no surprise, but coupled with the speed, bass detail, and the bass energy I am getting from the Carbon - I might well prefer the bass presentation of the 009S + Carbon to Susvara + XYZ speaker amp.

W.r.t staging, off the Carbon, the SR009S has a deep stage, but not in the sense that everything sounds distant. There are tracks I played on this where the lead vocals sounded very intimate whilst the background vocals sounded quite a bit deeper. The contrast was rather impressive and memorable.

Overall, I am quite impressed with this combo. For the sake of reference, I own the Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC (my favorite); the RAAL SR1a, and the Hifiman Susvaras (I also own the Stellias and have the LCD5 coming in). The 009S is an impressive laidback listen the way the Susvaras are a laidback listen.

I am yet to A/B the Susvara and the 009S extensively, but there is a possibility, one of the three following headphones may have to go, once they have all been A/B-ed sufficiently: SR009S, Susvara, LCD-5.

The KGSSHV Carbon was built by Dukei. It sounds lovely and I know Dukei took great pains to pack the amp well before sending it off to me, and there was no ostensible damage to any part of the amp before shipping.

However, when it arrived, thanks to poor handling by the folks at the warehouse I occasionally use: (1) the feet of the amp were not level (2) There was a dent to the one side of the heat sinks, and (3) There were nuts and washers that had fallen off inside.

But I want to affirm that this was no fault of Dukei's. He's a terrific builder and the proof is in the sonic pudding. Just sharing my experience today with recieving it and listening to the setup.

All said and done, none of the damage to the amp appears to be major. I had someone come in, take a look at the internals, and attach the low voltage boards back, and everything is working fine. Dukei has been great in keeping in touch.



To end these impressions on a positive note, having heard the SR009S off lesser delta sigma DACs, my Holo Audio May DAC is probably doing its bit to render the presentation more organic and natural-sounding.

For those of you looking for a DAC to pair with your 009/S, the Holo May is likely a top choice.

You'd vouch for using the 009s solely with R2R and not delta sigma, such as Topping D90SE?

 

[Sajid Amit]

Yep, multiple reasons. Desktop space is a thing in my setup since I'm using my headphones when I'm working alongside with other space consuming equipment, so big amps get in the way, but I could've found a solution for that.
Half of my library is badly recorded, so the SR009S had to go. I went with the SR007 for a while and sold the Susvara, since I preferred the SR007 and both had that big box attached to it. Super happy SQ wise on SR007 but sometimes (rarely) I like loud listening which only worked with the Carbon and that was borderline enjoyable, but at least no distortion. Thing is, with the Susvara, I never really missed it. It sounds great, but it has no quality for me, that makes me want to buy it again other than maybe having it in the collection. I miss 1266 for example when I feel the need to strap a subwoofer to my head.
So I ended up with hd800s again (my 6th or something like that if you count hd800). It's comfy and just sounds really well after EQ, technicalities for me are on the upper quantile of all headphone I've owned and every source I use has DSP capabilities to fix the FR. When not using IEMs I also enjoy having a bit of sound stage, so the hd800s fits really well.
I have a Verite Closed on the way to give it a try for the occasional need for closed backs. I found all closed backs to kinda sound bad to me, but maybe the VC will change my mind and replace the old trusty 770 pro.

I actually have an HD800S incoming, lol, despite currently driving the Sus, TC, SR1a, SR009S, Stellia (and the LCD5 incoming as well), so I am with ya on SS uniqueness of the HD800/S, portability, and overall awesomeness.

 

[Sajid Amit]

You'd vouch for using the 009s solely with R2R and not delta sigma, such as Topping D90SE?

Yes, the May is a game-changer. The 009S is a lot richer timbrally, organic sounding, and more forgiving off poorly recorded tracks.

I know a couple of other Stax owners who like the 009/S with other R2R dacs like those by Denafrips.

 

[hewlett168]

Yes, the May is a game-changer. The 009S is a lot richer timbrally, organic sounding, and more forgiving off poorly recorded tracks.

I know a couple of other Stax owners who like the 009/S with other R2R dacs like those by Denafrips.

Question off course is if you want that forgiving nature. If you want the most transparant sound possible (using only well-recorded tracks), slap a Topping D90SE on it and you are done. Not that I neccesarilly think that is best, but if you are going in that direction, might as well finish it.

 

[Sajid Amit]

Question off course is if you want that forgiving nature. If you want the most transparant sound possible (using only well-recorded tracks), slap a Topping D90SE on it and you are done. Not that I neccesarilly think that is best, but if you are going in that direction, might as well finish it.

I don’t think you lose out on transparency with the May DAC, quite the contrary. It is more resolving than the D90SE, just that you get a better timbre and honestly, better technical performance across the board, so to me, it is a more transparent experience. Of course, the May DAC is many times more expensive than the D90SE.

What you say applies to R2R DACs at the same price point as the D90SE, like the Aries 2. Between the Aries 2 and D90SE or the Cayin iDA6 MK2, you get better timbre off the Aries 2, but the D90SE and the iDAC6 are more resolving.

But when I think of transparency, I generally think of a feeling of being close to the actual performance, in which case resolution, timbre, staging, imaging, all contribute. For example, I personally find the HD800S rather transparent.

That said, I was long-term owner of the D90 OG, loved it for what it could do at its price point. I was also quite impressed with the SE.

But I found the 009s just a tad fatiguing off all DS DACs I have tried, regardless of price points, with the exception of the Matrix X-Sabre Pro.

YMMV.

 

[hewlett168]

I don’t think you lose out on transparency with the May DAC, quite the contrary. It is more resolving than the D90SE, just that you get a better timbre and honestly, better technical performance across the board, so to me, it is a more transparent experience. Of course, the May DAC is many times more expensive than the D90SE.

What you say applies to R2R DACs at the same price point as the D90SE, like the Aries 2. Between the Aries 2 and D90SE or the Cayin iDA6 MK2, you get better timbre off the Aries 2, but the D90SE and the iDAC6 are more resolving.



But when I think of transparency, I generally think of a feeling of being close to the actual performance, in which case resolution, timbre, staging, imaging, all contribute. For example, I personally find the HD800S rather transparent.

That said, I was long-term owner of the D90 OG, loved it for what it could do at its price point. I was also quite impressed with the SE.

But I found the 009s just a tad fatiguing off all DS DACs I have tried, regardless of price points, with the exception of the Matrix X-Sabre Pro.

YMMV.

Off course my comparison would be of two equally-priced DAC's. I for myself have not yet decided whether I want R2R or DS at the same price point. With an 009S, which I hope to own in the future, the question would be much harder than with an 007, I believe.

 

[number1sixerfan]

I actually have an HD800S incoming, lol, despite currently driving the Sus, TC, SR1a, SR009S, Stellia (and the LCD5 incoming as well), so I am with ya on SS uniqueness of the HD800/S, portability, and overall awesomeness.

Did you ever do a write up on the 009S? How do you like them compared to the other TOTL headphones you've owned??

 

[Sajid Amit]

Did you ever do a write up on the 009S? How do you like them compared to the other TOTL headphones you've owned??

No, not yet. Still early days with it, but hope to do a YT impressions vid next weekend followed by a full write-up.

 

[Kiats]

Yes, the May is a game-changer. The 009S is a lot richer timbrally, organic sounding, and more forgiving off poorly recorded tracks.

I know a couple of other Stax owners who like the 009/S with other R2R dacs like those by Denafrips.

Agree with you! The Stax ear speakers do much better with R2R DACs.

 

[Sajid Amit]

Did you ever do a write up on the 009S? How do you like them compared to the other TOTL headphones you've owned??

As far as early impressions go, I think it’s up there with the TC, bested by the TC in some departments, but besting it in a few others. It sounds immediately more impressive to me than the Sus, and a lot better in the bass department than the SR1a (assuming that’s the Carbon at work), but these are very early impressions.

 

[number1sixerfan]

As far as early impressions go, I think it’s up there with the TC, bested by the TC in some departments, but besting it in a few others. It sounds immediately more impressive to me than the Sus, and a lot better in the bass department than the SR1a (assuming that’s the Carbon at work), but these are very early impressions.

Take your time, but at a high level, I have the exact same thoughts in relation to where it sits compared to the others. Looking forward to in-depth impressions.

 

[Phil95]

Did you ever do a write up on the 009S? How do you like them compared to the other TOTL headphones you've owned??

To all HeadFiers (including Justin W.): any feedback about the new SR-X9000 flagship, especially compared with the 009S? Thanks in advance.

Did you ever do a write up on the 009S? How do you like them compared to the other TOTL headphones you've owned??

To all HeadFiers (including Justin W.): any feedback about the new SR-X9000 flagship, especially compared with the SR-009S? Thanks in advance.

 

[arnaud]

Il y a un fil dedie - there’s a dedicated thread:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/stax-sr-x9000.959852/

 

[number1sixerfan]

To all HeadFiers (including Justin W.): any feedback about the new SR-X9000 flagship, especially compared with the 009S? Thanks in advance.

To all HeadFiers (including Justin W.): any feedback about the new SR-X9000 flagship, especially compared with the SR-009S? Thanks in advance.

Haven't heard them just yet, but if you check the x9000 thread there are a few comparisons.

 

[VandyMan]

Has anyone tried the SR-009S ear pads on the SR-009? Can the newer ear pads be ordered anywhere? staxaudio.com does not have them listed.