STAX SR-009S new flagship electrostatic earspeakers released (with impressions)
Apr 27, 2018 at 7:21 AM Post #91 of 1,367
I see, I haven't taken the time to check the article in Japanese. I will maybe listen the 009S briefly tomorrow depending on the queue (it's typically awful for new release products...).
 
Apr 27, 2018 at 7:28 AM Post #92 of 1,367
I wouldn't be surprised to see it demonstrated alongside the SR-009 so at least people can observe the differences between the two with the same components. (It would be more difficult to just describe it on its own).
Although some people will point out that plugging in two headphones simultaneously does degrade the driving performance a little further.
 
Apr 27, 2018 at 1:35 PM Post #95 of 1,367
From coming to a full conclusion now I decided that Stax SRM-717 is staxs Best Amp ever made! One member bought this up on another site and made me analyze my own 717 at my house and fully came to the conclusion myself that indeed the 717 is Stax best amp ever created!. The real debate should be T2 vs 717. And I have to say the 717 wins. Its almost the perfect Stax amp ever created. No worries about all the faults and troubles of the T2. No Mods like the 727 to sound great and no tubes to make it a nice warm sound. And no need for extra power because it has one of the best power to push any Estats to the top level and even the build is great and compact!

Conclusion is SRM-717 should be crown king as Stax best amp ever created.
Next follows:
SRM-T2, SRM-T1W, SRA-14S, SRM-T1S, SRM-727(Mod)

Alright I got my boxing gloves on ....
:stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:
What is the difference between
SRM-T1W, SRM-T1S
???
 
Apr 27, 2018 at 1:59 PM Post #96 of 1,367
What is the difference between
SRM-T1W, SRM-T1S
???

Same amplifier section but the T1W has a pre-amp selection including more source input. I used to have the T1W and it was a beautiful amp. Not enough power for the SR-007 but great amp for Lambda.
 
Apr 27, 2018 at 2:18 PM Post #97 of 1,367
I wouldn't be surprised to see it demonstrated alongside the SR-009 so at least people can observe the differences between the two with the same components. (It would be more difficult to just describe it on its own).
Although some people will point out that plugging in two headphones simultaneously does degrade the driving performance a little further.

That's not true for electrostats amplifier from what I've heard.
 
Apr 27, 2018 at 7:23 PM Post #98 of 1,367
Japanese domestic prices are public now, it is 497k yen (expected stock: 30th of June)
That's actually a substantial price jump over the 334k yen of the SR-009 that remained constant through its production and is now dropped slightly to 325k yen
And if you are a foreign visitor buying an item available in-store, you don't need to pay the 8% consumption tax, so it comes about about 300k yen brand new.
I reckon this is how PriceJapan somehow managed to achieve those lowest prices (but it is gone now, probably permanently)

So at least for now, importing it just isn't worth it the difference (warranty) this new model, maybe the SR-009 price in the US will be adjusted a bit.
 
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Apr 27, 2018 at 7:38 PM Post #99 of 1,367
Japanese domestic prices are public now, it is 497k yen (expected stock: 30th of June)
That's actually a substantial price jump over the 334k yen of the SR-009 that remained constant through its production and is now dropped slightly to 325k yen
And if you are a foreign visitor buying an item available in-store, you don't need to pay the 8% consumption tax, so it comes about about 300k yen brand new.
I reckon this is how PriceJapan somehow managed to achieve those lowest prices (but it is gone now, probably permanently)

So at least for now, importing it just isn't worth it the difference (warranty) this new model, maybe the SR-009 price in the US will be adjusted a bit.

Great info, thanks!
Yup, US dealers did a really good job adjusting the prices, EU dealers need to catch up, there are some places that still have the original SR-009 at 5000€...
 
Apr 28, 2018 at 2:48 AM Post #100 of 1,367
One additional small detail that hasn't been released is the wooden box.
Stax has changed the wooden box for the SR-009 less than a year ago, where it says "STAX electrostatic earspeaker" instead of "SR-009 electrostatic earspeaker"
Not sure if there were some slight changes done to the headphones as well, but a few times they did make minor revisions during its production.
But if you see this writing, it is a sure indicator, that the headphones are from a recent batch.

Now it is easy to see why. They don't have to produce two types of boxes for the two headphones and raise the prices. Clever, huh? :)
 
Apr 28, 2018 at 4:22 AM Post #101 of 1,367
Heard the 009S today. I’d say it does slot between the 007 and 009 in tone. It gives up a little in treble and improves everywhere else from 009. As far as I can tell in the meet atmosphere, the 009S didn’t give up anything in the detail or separation department. I personally like it better than the 009 because I have always found its treble slightly annoying. (all of these impressions were through a T8000)
 
Apr 28, 2018 at 7:03 AM Post #102 of 1,367
IMG_1475.jpg

I have compared the 009 and 009S running from the same amp (T8000) today.
The room was somewhat quiet, but I had only two source options: my iPhone (connected through Apple's lightning adapter directly to the T8000) or their CD player with their own music. Even though the listening conditions weren't ideal, I could make a rough comparison.

The 009S had a more evident bass, a fuller body and overall sounded more natural IMO. The treble on the 009 (at least out of the T8000) is a little bit annoying for me, and the 009S had this fixed (phew!). I thought it was a bit more resolving too.

I talked with Mr. Sasaki (former Stax Director and Sales Manager) who also hosted me when I visited their factory last year. He has been working there for decades now, and unfortunately has retired last month. He is a very nice and knowledgeable guy.

He said that the 009S started being developed 3-4 years ago. For its voicing, he said they used the 006t and 727A initially, and then the T8000 when it was released.

I asked about discontinuing the old 009 and he said that for now they will keep both, but depending on the sales, the 009 may fade out or get discontinued.
I also asked if the 009S is meant to be just a different flavor from the 009, or a higher level product. He said that "S" stands for "Special" and that the 009S has been developed to improve on the 009 imperfections.

This hobby is weird and some may prefer the older version, but I know which one I'm buying when my T2 arrives.

On another note, I told him about the DIY buildings of the T2 and showed some pictures of the ones made by Kerry. He was very happy and proud to know about it, and even happier and "grateful"- his words - to know that it bests every other stat amp out there.
 
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Apr 28, 2018 at 10:01 AM Post #105 of 1,367
I don’t have much to add to hugo’s post, agree on the findings except perhaps sounstage which felt a bit more closed in on the 009S compared to 009.

I also used my source (sony dap) HP out to drive the T8000 so it wasn’t ideal + noisy environment but I was pleasantly surprised by 009S. These days I am applying dig. EQ to my 009 to take the edge off the mids and boost the subbass a little so I did not think I’d get into the 009S.

But what I listened to today was quite promising, the 009S improves on the 009 across the board and I could not find a drawback. It sounds cleaner, fuller body, more natural mids, looses that tendency of 009 to sound thin / agressive at high volume levels and does not loose any treble extension or resolution.

I think this one is going to be popular with the 007 fans and 009 haters :wink:.

Design wise, besides the official blurb on housing, stators and grill, the pads felt definitely stiffer than the 009 and I bet part of the changes in voicing come from there (perhaps more so than the gold plating of the stators).

The 009S really do sound cleaner than 009 from bass quality to transparency overall, the structural redesign of the grill and such may be more influential than I would have thought.

It was good to see Sasaki-san there (apparently the head designer Suzuki-san is joining tomorrow) but the new generation of employees seem to be on top of the game already so I can only wish a bright year ahead for Stax.

Besides talk on the 009S, Suzuki-san mentionned all D/A related designs are outsourced to edifier (the new portable dac amp fully is), the upcoming dac board add on for the t8000 also won’t come out of Japan (they stick to analog components design). Apart from that, Edifier still leaves Stax full autonomy today it seems.
 
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