[gammi]

The Novem was released in mid-2020, before the X9000 was ever announced (Sept 2021), so it couldn't have been developed specifically for X9K. It must have been a happy coincidence that the sound of the Novem worked well with the it. But might as well advertise the synergy if it exists.

Original was designed before the X9000, the two box redesign was after X9000. The quote is from the redesign. Redesign has the same voicing.

Anyway, it's a silly thing to point out because we all understand what I'm trying to say is simply that the Novem fits well with the X9000 and its designer even says so himself.

This is incorrect.
The Novem was designed for the 009. The new Novem and the redesign 2 box are identical sounding.

That's what I said. I said only the redesign was after X9000 and that the redesign has the same voicing.

Are you guys right the original wasn't made with X9000 in mind because it came out before the X9000? Yes. Am I right that the redesign was after the X9000 and he kept the same voicing, thinking it still worked well with X9000? Yes. Does any of this matter to my point that the Novem and X9000 work well together? No, not at all.

Apologies for wasting space the past few posts, it's just frustrating having my words nitpicked when the point was very clear.

 

[galthepal]

This is incorrect.
The Novem was designed for the 009. The new Novem and the redesign 2 box are identical sounding.

I was one of the first owners of the Novem/x9k it works well because it hides the thinness the x9k imo portrays. It is a very unique amp. Low power so useless for 007 and crbn. Okay for lambda. At the original pricing it’s impossible to beat for the x9k.

At any pricing ? Well this guy has something to say about that…

That amp is incredible - starting looking through the forum for more information on the megaton and it’s been tough to find anything on it. Beautiful amp, hopefully something I can add in the future.

 

[Chefguru]

Original was designed before the X9000, the two box redesign was after X9000. The quote is from the redesign. Redesign has the same voicing.

Anyway, it's a silly thing to point out because we all understand what I'm trying to say is simply that the Novem fits well with the X9000 and its designer even says so himself.


That's what I said. I said only the redesign was after X9000 and that the redesign has the same voicing.

Are you guys right the original wasn't made with X9000 in mind because it came out before the X9000? Yes. Am I right that the redesign was after the X9000 and he kept the same voicing, thinking it still worked well with X9000? Yes. Does any of this matter to my point that the Novem and X9000 work well together? No, not at all.

Apologies for wasting space the past few posts, it's just frustrating having my words nitpicked when the point was very clear.

No worries buddy - I just want to add some clarity.
The old Novem (1 box) and new Novem (2 box) are not redesigned amps or anything of that nature. In fact one of the new Novem birgir built is even using the previous PCB left over. There have been no tweaks made for the x9k. Birgir just wanted to make a more premium ( aka a CC) of his previous design which is inspired by both the hev90 & the megatron.

The new novems came out post-x9k but the start of their build predates the x9k. Part of the reason there is synergy is because the x9k shares sonic traits with the 009 which was Birgir’s target initially. So I suppose if you wanted to think of it at as a family of product then sure , the modern “9” era was a target.

The irony of this is that birgir does not like the 009/x9000. I also don’t like the 009/x9000. Odd that this is why we like the pairing? Probably not. I have to also suggest… if you like this pairing you may want to try the 007mk1/carbon and that if you love the x9000 maybe actually stay away from the Novem because it’s actually trying to steer it towards sr-omega/007mk1 territory which may not be your goal.

Interesting

 

[phil3607]

Chefguru wise words indeed, which sort of hits the nail on the head as far a pairing headphones to amps is concerned. My problem is that I’m just not prepared to spend significant money on an amp I’ve never heard. The opportunity to hear all these amp options here in the uk is pretty much nil. Relying on forum opinions, utube etc ain’t ever going to be a safe option given we all have different tastes, hearing, priorities, music preferences etc etc. Picking an amp built by someone who doesn’t even like the headphones you’re pairing it to because it makes it sound more like something they do actually like highlights the minefield I feel like we’re in. Surely there must be a better way? With this in mind are there any uk based members with interesting amps they’d like to compare so we could meet up as a group? Or, can the manufacturers at least get a sample over here that can be used for demo purposes, or at least attend a uk show to demo and promote?

 

[icnaiwhimor1975]

Surely there must be a better way?

correct answer

- decide whether tube or solid state
- decide on the price \ model \ etc
- find and buy

and repeat this until all amplifiers have been tested

 

[DougD]

Surely there must be a better way?

With all e-stat amps, you're talking about low-volume production. With the custom-built e-stats, there is no conventional retail network.

So there is more "purchasing risk" but due to demand and limited supply, you can usually re-sell something that your specific ears don't love ... or doesn't synergize nicely with your other toys ... without taking a huge loss. With the custom-builts, image what you'd have to pay if there was also a retail markup to support another layer of costs, and advertizing.

We have to recognize that very few people playing the game at this level are lucky enough to move in a straight line towards their "end game amp." And the Best-There-Is is both subjective and a moving target. Trial & error is inevitable.

(Disclaimer: I'm not a player at this top tier, I'm just a long-time observer. I have a Lambda-level budget. And luckily, Lambda-level listening & hearing skills.)

The only alternative to "buying without hearing" is making friends with everyone within one day's travel distance who has high-level e-stats gear, and then finding ways to have some auditions, without becoming a pest. And going to shows. But helpful as those can be, neither of those approaches will give you really long listens, or with the rest of your gear and your signal path, or access to every specific model of gear of possible interest.

Bottom line: we have to learn to enjoy the many steps of the long journey.

 

[orcawithabat]

252s >>>>

 

[gammi]

Has anyone here thought about/experimented with the angle on the grille on the X9000? Was just thinking about the new RAAL Immanis and one of the things the designer said he did to get a more speaker-like soundstage was that he has each cup venting forward and actually achieves some crossfeed this way. Sure enough, the way the grille is angled on the X9000 is that the front gap is larger, it's almost like a cone, directing the sound forward (wide front, narrow back). I now suspect that STAX did this for the same reason RAAL did. Always seemed strange to me that the grille wasn't parallel to the headphone body.

I know the X9000 can be divisive, some loving the way it stages, others not so much. I have a suspicion that those who don't like it would like it better by plugging the front grille gaps. Not blocking the side of the grille at all, just preventing the sound going forward. I just tested this simply by putting my hands over the fronts and sure enough I hear a difference.

 

[Thomsen132]

I think, the grill has not been constructed to reflect sound in any way....it is exactly the opposite. It's build to be as open and non-reflective as possible.
If Stax wanted to achieve some kind of front localisation, they did this with angled pads.

From the original description of SR-X9000:
The guard mesh which is installed parallel to the sound element generates the direct reflections which affect a bad influence on the sound. This problem is solved for SR-X9000. The guard mesh has pillars of different lengths in front and back. This design changes the height of the gap between the sound element and the guard mesh. So the guard mesh cannot be parallel to the sound element and the reflection angle is completely controlled. The sound wave flows smoothly.

 

[NCUS]

I think, the grill has not been constructed to reflect sound in any way....it is exactly the opposite. It's build to be as open and non-reflective as possible.
If Stax wanted to achieve some kind of front localisation, they did this with angled pads.

From the original description of SR-X9000:
The guard mesh which is installed parallel to the sound element generates the direct reflections which affect a bad influence on the sound. This problem is solved for SR-X9000. The guard mesh has pillars of different lengths in front and back. This design changes the height of the gap between the sound element and the guard mesh. So the guard mesh cannot be parallel to the sound element and the reflection angle is completely controlled. The sound wave flows smoothly.

This may explain why putting my hands near the earcups noticeably alters the sound. If the grill reflected significant sound, I'm guessing putting hands near the earcups wouldn't have such a large effect.

It may be only a matter of time before someone finds the exact way to apply painters blue tape on the grills to optimize the sound.

 

[gammi]

I think, the grill has not been constructed to reflect sound in any way....it is exactly the opposite. It's build to be as open and non-reflective as possible.
If Stax wanted to achieve some kind of front localisation, they did this with angled pads.

From the original description of SR-X9000:
The guard mesh which is installed parallel to the sound element generates the direct reflections which affect a bad influence on the sound. This problem is solved for SR-X9000. The guard mesh has pillars of different lengths in front and back. This design changes the height of the gap between the sound element and the guard mesh. So the guard mesh cannot be parallel to the sound element and the reflection angle is completely controlled. The sound wave flows smoothly.

Why then does the sound change if I only block the front of the headphone with my hands? I'm not blocking the sides, those are still completely open.

Also that's an interesting quote, thanks. I feel like it agrees with me actually. You say it's built to be as non-reflective as possible but then the quote says "reflection angle is completely controlled" So the grille IS reflecting sound, STAX says it right there in the official description.

Can't have a reflection angle if it's not reflecting anything. It's just that the sound (presumably) gets reflected out the front instead of back into the driver, the reflection is angled. That's exactly what I was supposing, the angled grille directs/reflects sound away from the driver (and out the front, I think). I'm pretty curious to hear it with the grilles completely removed actually...

 

[Thomsen132]

Why then does the sound change if I only block the front of the headphone with my hands? I'm not blocking the sides, those are still completely open.

Also that's an interesting quote, thanks. I feel like it agrees with me actually. You say it's built to be as non-reflective as possible but then the quote says "reflection angle is completely controlled" So the grille IS reflecting sound, STAX says it right there in the official description.

Can't have a reflection angle if it's not reflecting anything. It's just that the sound (presumably) gets reflected out the front instead of back into the driver, the reflection is angled. That's exactly what I was supposing, the angled grille directs/reflects sound away from the driver (and out the front, I think). I'm pretty curious to hear it with the grilles completely removed actually...

The grill is not parallel to the driver, so if it reflects sound, it does reflect it from the driver away, so that it does not disturb or distort, what you hear. That's the idea behind it.

 

[MrHaelscheir]

Yeah. When I had read about the angling of the grilles, I supposed the idea was that the grilles were more so there to protect the driver and were angled to control the reflections and minimize any detriment from having that reflection in place insofar as other grille designs were patented or not suitable, and that they like HiFiMan chose not to have any rear volume damping. Since it is a small angle, there are probably still a few reflections and hence resonant modes influencing the tuning, though the angling perhaps helps expel or damp those reflections more quickly; maybe parallel grilles would have incurred larger peaks or dips in the FR.

I think someone here had a miniDSP EARS; that should allow one to measure the tonal changes if any from obstructing certain parts of the grilles and possibly predict tonal changes that may work with other people's ears. Inserting damping material under that mesh might also be an interesting experiment.

 

[gammi]

The grill is not parallel to the driver, so if it reflects sound, it does reflect it from the driver away, so that it does not disturb or distort, what you hear. That's the idea behind it.

Yeah, we both agree the grille reflects sound away from the driver. I'm just taking another step and theorizing this has an effect on soundstage and may even have a mild crossover effect with the sound being redirected out in front of you. Give it a try on your pair sometime, hold your hands on the side of your face, blocking the sound coming out of the front of the X9000, but leaving the sides completely open. When I do this I do notice a mild change.

I think someone here had a miniDSP EARS; that should allow one to measure the tonal changes if any from obstructing certain parts of the grilles and possibly predict tonal changes that may work with other people's ears. Inserting damping material under that mesh might also be an interesting experiment.

I have a pair of EARS and have been meaning to mess around with them and the X9000 for a while now, just been busy. Maybe this week I'll play around a bit? Lots of experiments I have in mind.
1) Grilles removed
2) Grille sides covered with foam/fabric
3) Grille fronts covered with foam/fabric/tape
4) Different positionings since the earcup on the X9000 is so large and variable
5) Various pad adjustments including creating a gap with foam pieces

 

[baatnak]

p

I just bought a used X9000 and am now wondering how old it is. Can anyone tell me what the current serial numbers of newly delivered units are? Mine is 220X.

X9K from april 22xx