Stax SR-X9000

[WernerW]

Maybe worth an extra note of context, I agree that there are better fits than Carbon for the more recent estat hps, and that's something for which there's a pretty clear consensus.

But I wouldn't say Carbon is NOT a "great" fit. Really, all the KG amps are great fits. I continue to be reluctant to sell my Carbon, for this very reason--Carbon is at the very least a lovely change of pace from tube or hybrid amps. At this TOTL level we're kind of making distinctions about which mountain is more fun to stand on, Everest or K2 (not to be confused with T2, which is, uhh, Everest... You know what I mean...).

100% agree!

And what's more: I even say that of all the amplifiers till 2050, Carbon fits the X9k best of all time

Of course, I wanted to be provocative here, so please take it with a grain of salt.
My statement is therefore the following:
With this extreme top level of available sound quality that we achieve by an X9k being combined with a potent amplifier, no matter if solid state, tube or hybrid, or even high-quality Class D (which is not yet available for electrostats?), it is no longer a question of "better" vs "worse" or "well fitting" vs "mismatching".

Honestly, it's just a matter of PERSONAL TASTE, nothing less, nothing more.
Sorry to repeat that from many months ago (or so) , but the things and claims here in this thread seem to spin on an infinitely rotating prayer wheel, but only reflect very personal opinions.

So yes, @Aspirant Audiophile,
imho, you used a perfect metaphor: Those who don't like Everest, please climb T2 (...uh... I meant "K2" ) or T8000 (...uh... I meant "any other eight-thousander" ), ...

And finally, my very personal taste:
I really adore the combo X9k+Carbon as I don't like overly "tuby" sound coloration. I like the Stax accuracy as it is and in case I should want to color the sound a little depending on a special mood (e.g. in the evening with candlelight and a glass of wine), yes, then I can use my parametric EQ or even a professional and studio-grade VST plugin to create nonlinear harmonics that will give me at least the same charisma as a hardware tube amp.

 

[Schelp san]

Hi Werner, herewith you are invited to visit me with the Carbon

 

[WernerW]

Yes, let's keep this in mind Maybe next year
I've also some other electrostatic amps (even one with tubes ... and further Stax headphones which can be perfectly mismatched with these ...

 

[draytonklammer]

And finally, my very personal taste:
I really adore the combo X9k+Carbon as I don't like overly "tuby" sound coloration. I like the Stax accuracy as it is and in case I should want to color the sound a little depending on a special mood (e.g. in the evening with candlelight and a glass of wine), yes, then I can use my parametric EQ or even a professional and studio-grade VST plugin to create nonlinear harmonics that will give me at least the same charisma as a hardware tube amp.

Completely agree with this statement.
I also prefer X9000 with a high end solid-state amplifier, like Carbon and Carbon CC.
Don't find it bright at all. Very enjoyable.

 

[Schelp san]

Just one remark. I think it is not so much about all SS vs Hybrid vs all tube (not considering synergy and personal preferences). That would IMO be a superficial idea, from the technical point of view, to reduce amplifiers to basic concepts. From what I experienced not all amplifiers of one concept are sounding same or even similar, whether talking about speaker, "normal" HP or estat HP amps. Take e.g. Stax SRM323 vs 727, probably not many would say these sound too similar.
And you might be surprised about sound similarities if you would compare Megatron with the SS Soren Ki.

 

[Chefguru]

For me, I really did find the carbon/x9000 to and over time I decided I liked it less and less. The timber was distractingly off and the analytical/thin sound was glaringly magnified.
Unlike with the Novem, or even the BHSE, the mids would feel recessed… blah, yeah totally off.

I think the x9000 can be a really impressive headphone but you’ll find most users eventually sell them (myself included). The sr-omega is the superior headphone, and in terms of enjoyment the 007mk1, also.

I didn’t get to the hear the x9k with my current megatron - but perhaps the meaty sound of the megatron would have helped enough. I’ll try them again at some point maybe.

 

[WernerW]

For me, I really did find the carbon/x9000 to and over time I decided I liked it less and less. The timber was distractingly off and the analytical/thin sound was glaringly magnified.
Unlike with the Novem, or even the BHSE, the mids would feel recessed… blah, yeah totally off.

I think the x9000 can be a really impressive headphone but you’ll find most users eventually sell them (myself included). The sr-omega is the superior headphone, and in terms of enjoyment the 007mk1, also.

I didn’t get to the hear the x9k with my current megatron - but perhaps the meaty sound of the megatron would have helped enough. I’ll try them again at some point maybe.

I cannot follow this verdict at all.
You must have had a defective device.

Carbon/X9k sounds absolutely glorious for me and it is one of the best that I have heard (I have not yet heard the HE-1 and SGL Sr, Aperio, unfortunately).
And I have compared it to a lot of other Stax headphones and E-stat amps and the Bravura, the Sonoma M1 and a lot of planars and dynamic TOTLs.
Bravura is also very impressive, by the way (my personal taste/opinion only, of course), but completely different. Very "meaty" by the way.

And X9k (with a not too weak amp, of course. But, e.g., BHSE and Carbon are by far strong enough to drive an X9k) does never sound thin or analytical. And the timbre is not at all "distractingly off".

When I listen to my beloved Mahler compositions (with excellent recordings), especially if with human voices, I feel like being in heaven when listening to these music pieces with the X9k (and Carbon by the way). And I know each detail of these recordings. For me, no other headphone ever reached this level of musicality with my most beloved music pieces.
Although equipped with tons of details and resolution, this does not sound at all "thin", not at all "analytical". The timbre is perfect. This is pure music, it's like heaven, period.

So, I believe you must have had a defective device.
Or our tastes are diamatrically opposite to each other. Or our musical genres differ too much. EDM?
Which may be and there is nothing wrong with it.

But what do I want to express here: It is your taste. And my taste is different.
There is no "worse" and no "mismatch" ... sorry.

 

[Chefguru]

I cannot follow this verdict at all.
You must have had a defective device.

Carbon/X9k sounds absolutely glorious for me and it is one of the best that I have heard (I have not yet heard the HE-1 and SGL Sr, Aperio, unfortunately).
And I have compared it to a lot of other Stax headphones and E-stat amps and the Bravura, the Sonoma M1 and a lot of planars and dyamic TOTLs.
Bravura is also very impressive, by the way (my personal taste/opinion only, of course), but completely different. Very "meaty" by the way.

And X9k (with a not too weak amp, of course. But, e.g., BHSE and Carbon are by far strong enough to drive an X9k) does never sound thin or analytical. And the timbre is not at all "distractingly off".

When I listen to my beloved Mahler compositions (with excellent recordings), especially if with human voices, I feel like being in heaven when listening to these music pieces with the X9k (and Carbon by the way). And I know each detail of these recordings. For me, no other headphone ever reached this level of musicality with my most beloved music pieces.
Although equipped with tons of details and resolution, this does not sound at all "thin", not at all "analytical". The timbre is perfect. This is pure music, it's like heaven, period.

So, I believe you must have had a defective device.
Or our tastes are diamatrically opposite to each other. Or our musical genres differ too much. EDM?
Which may be and there is nothing wrong with it.

But what do I want to express here: It is your taste. And my taste is different.
There is no "worse" and no "mismatch" ... sorry.

I did not have a defective device. I've heard other people's x9000s too. You'll find most of the reviews and comparisons of mine in the last 100+ pages of this thread. I directly compare it to the sr-omega, 007 mk1, sr-lambda nb, Sony mdr-r10, grado hp-1000... were talking about the legit top tier of headphones ever. I also was one of the few people that got to hear it on the t8000, novem, carbon, kgssHV, BHSE, and DIY T2... among other lesser amps not worth mentioning.

Over time I could only find flaws in the x9000. It did enamor me for a while. You'll see a lot of x9k have come up for sale recently, many of which are 2k under the msrp. I really wanted to love this headphone, but over time it just didn't work. That said, it has plenty of strengths and can understand why some do like it. I was in that camp for the honeymoon period myself. Ultimately I have come to the same conclusion many on head-case and other forums have also come to. In fact one of the first reviews ever of the x9k on youtube was this exact verdict.

 

[simmconn]

The nice thing about X9k is that it has exceptional resolution. It becomes easier to identify the minute changes in the other devices in the chain. When correlated with measurements, it helps to identify if the warmth and fuzziness comes from excessive low-order harmonic distortion or simply a rolled-off top end combined with group delay problems. With good recordings, it gives you goosebumps; however you may no longer be able to stand the poor recordings. Not everyone anticipates that, especially for people who are used to certain styles of sound reproductions. To me the X9K brings about the sound closer to the truth than any other phones I’ve listened to. The truth can be beautiful, sometimes it can also be ugly. No matter what, I appreciate X9K for revealing all that.

 

[Schelp san]

For me it was exactly the opposite way. In the beginning I was totally disappointed, wanted to sell X9000. Over time and with using Megatron this impression changed and I had only single aspects which I criticised. With tuning Megatron by tube rolling towards my taste (same with T2), I say its now really very good, respective hitting my taste. (I would not trade it for the Aperio, which was impressive but IMO had odd tuning).
So with X9000, amplification made the difference for me.
And I really think beside personal taste music choice matters indeed a lot.

 

[galthepal]

I did not have a defective device. I've heard other people's x9000s too. You'll find most of the reviews and comparisons of mine in the last 100+ pages of this thread. I directly compare it to the sr-omega, 007 mk1, sr-lambda nb, Sony mdr-r10, grado hp-1000... were talking about the legit top tier of headphones ever. I also was one of the few people that got to hear it on the t8000, novem, carbon, kgssHV, BHSE, and DIY T2... among other lesser amps not worth mentioning.

Over time I could only find flaws in the x9000. It did enamor me for a while. You'll see a lot of x9k have come up for sale recently, many of which are 2k under the msrp. I really wanted to love this headphone, but over time it just didn't work. That said, it has plenty of strengths and can understand why some do like it. I was in that camp for the honeymoon period myself. Ultimately I have come to the same conclusion many on head-case and other forums have also come to. In fact one of the first reviews ever of the x9k on youtube was this exact verdict.

I mean in all fairness nearly every headphone drops in price. Susvara is selling for 3-3.5k, LCD-5 at 3k, Meze Elite at 2.5-3k, Utopia under 3k, etc. There's no headphone that I've seen that retains it's retail value because there's no limit and it doesn't make sense to buy a used headphone at a retail price.

 

[number1sixerfan]

I don't think the x9000 is being sold at a much higher rate than most other headphones, and the market is pretty volatile across the board. That said, it has a really unique presentation, which to my ears is actually pretty similar to the Omega (with the Omega being just a bit better for sounding a bit more natural), but both really being a bit more unique than even say the 009 and 007. Most people in this thread can't even agree on what they do or don't like. It was literally the first thing I called out in my first few week impressions about it. I said it would all come down to preference simply based on how unique it's presentation is, despite how highly competent it is.

Technically, just from a standpoint of what the headphone can do, of what I've heard, the x9000 is the only headphone that at all comes close to what the SGL Sr. can do, which is the greatest headphone performance wise I've ever heard, at a fraction of the cost. After it, I would say the Sr1a comes close resolution wise, but lacks in other areas compared to both of them. And then the CA-1a, Susvara, and TC are probably next, and a few others--speaking strictly technically here.

That also said lol, everyone has their preferences. And that's mainly a reflection of what the past few pages of posts represents. I don't think an amp like the Carbon would work best for me with most stat headphones based on the consistent feedback and impressions of it--but I can totally see how others would love it. And it took a while for me to finally realize that while I love the BHSE, it also wasn't the best for me for most stats. (For the record, Headamp's Grand Cayman with the x9000 is absolutely outstanding, and with the BHSE it's also very, very good). I just found the added warmth and bass performance of the Aeras (very similar performance to the BHSE and I would assume Carbon but cannot say), and the added liveliness and bass performance of the T2 (which is clearly a step up performance wise of either the Aeras/BHSE but not to some miraculous degree), while maintaining the same resolution, to be a much better fit for me.

I think the issue is people making definitive statements based on their own experience as if they're absolute truths.. as well as ppl getting defensive when someone else says they don't like the gear combo they own/love. As for the former, sure, that's your truth, but a conflicting view from someone else is around the corner. However, at least to me, consensus is also very important for me as I read across these boards to understand what's relatively accurate for my ears or not. Anyways, these things will always continue, it's the nature of the beast. Cheers lol

 

[oneguy]

I’m in the pro X9000 camp. I’ve had it for almost a year and a half and still haven’t tired of it. I still recommend it despite owning a healthy range of other top tier headphones. Does it do everything perfectly? No. I would say sometimes I am not in the mood for what it offers but there are times when only its musical presentation will do.

 

[Ciggavelli]

I'm in the pro X9K camp too, though I haven't had the chance of listening to the Omega, but I am skeptical about it. I am suspicious that there are a lot of rose tinted views of old headphones. But maybe I'm just in the "new is better" camp

 

[oneguy]

I'm in the pro X9K camp too, though I haven't had the chance of listening to the Omega, but I am skeptical about it. I am suspicious that there are a lot of rose tinted views of old headphones. But maybe I'm just in the "new is better" camp

Not to get off thread topic but the Omega is the real deal. Old headphone or not, Stax nailed it with this one and I’ll be buried with mine…and a smile on my face