STAX SR-009S new flagship electrostatic earspeakers released (with impressions)
Oct 6, 2021 at 4:24 PM Post #1,307 of 1,367
overwhelming difference...... maybe adding some bass.
 
Oct 9, 2021 at 3:44 PM Post #1,308 of 1,367
Adding some Bass ,… natürlich,. of course 🙃

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Oct 11, 2021 at 2:01 PM Post #1,310 of 1,367
I also thought I must have several headphones to have the different

Music styles to be able to play well , ….:smile:

but it is also all done with a personalized SR 009S .

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I heared this album 2 days ago with the Susvara over Niimbus mind blowing! I never heared this album better and I had all headphones TC, LCD4, 009 and and and...
 
Oct 26, 2021 at 7:31 AM Post #1,312 of 1,367
Listening to the HAYA Band on Apple Music. Mac Mini > Denafrips Ares 2 > Mjolnir KGSSHV Carbon > 009S. Very enjoyable indeed! :)

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Oct 28, 2021 at 10:22 AM Post #1,313 of 1,367
After a long period of waiting, I finally recieved the Stax SR009S from Stax in Hong Kong and the KGSSHV Carbon from Sweden.

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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 :frowning2: (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.

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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.
 

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Oct 28, 2021 at 12:56 PM Post #1,316 of 1,367
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.

I had Susvara and 009S for quite a while. For me it came down to listening volume (I don't like Stax on high SPL) and the quality of my records, which is a mixed bag and favored the Susvara. Other than that, I could live happily with either, and they were pretty much interchangeable for me.
 
Oct 28, 2021 at 1:40 PM Post #1,317 of 1,367
@Sajid Amit - Looks great! Interesting review, as I'm also contemplating between e-stats (currently have the 007Mk2) and Susvara.
You should try to connect the 009S to your Accuphase using an SRD-7 (Mjolnir built), you may be surprised.
I'm amazed how it made the 007Mk2 sound.
 
Oct 28, 2021 at 9:59 PM Post #1,318 of 1,367
I had Susvara and 009S for quite a while. For me it came down to listening volume (I don't like Stax on high SPL) and the quality of my records, which is a mixed bag and favored the Susvara. Other than that, I could live happily with either, and they were pretty much interchangeable for me.
Its cool you had both but ended up retaining the 800S? I am a big fan of the 800S. Love it for what it can do, without needing to be tethered to massive amps.
 
Oct 28, 2021 at 10:00 PM Post #1,319 of 1,367
@Sajid Amit - Looks great! Interesting review, as I'm also contemplating between e-stats (currently have the 007Mk2) and Susvara.
You should try to connect the 009S to your Accuphase using an SRD-7 (Mjolnir built), you may be surprised.
I'm amazed how it made the 007Mk2 sound.
Thanks. Should have detailed impressions out on Sus vs 009S at some point, lol.

Yeah, I should check out the SRD7. Have heard good things. 🙂
 
Oct 29, 2021 at 1:55 AM Post #1,320 of 1,367
Its cool you had both but ended up retaining the 800S? I am a big fan of the 800S. Love it for what it can do, without needing to be tethered to massive amps.
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.
 

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