[padam]

No, it says upon order it won't be delivered this year.

 

[Chefguru]

I have a feeling my present job is way more stable and financially healthy than any audio related work

However, I did go to e-earphone and listened to the x9000 (and compare with 009) when driven by T-8000 amp with AD2-RMA source itself fed by macbook usb.

It was nice as, after maybe 2 years lapse, I could have a conversation with sales director of Stax Japan. He gave me some interesting pieces of information:
1) The x9000 pre-orders are overwhelming, they're now booked until the end of the year and pretty much any new order will slip into 2022 delivery
2) The x9000 is pretty much handmade like the 009/S so there's only so many they can ship in a batch
3) Some parts are getting hard to source, no a problem for the x9000 phones but they may have troubles shipping amps in 2022 (for instance there's apparently global shortage of nylon connectors used to connect boards together through wire ribbons)
4) The earpads supplier for the 009/S and x9000 was indeed changed after Japanese company historically making pads for Stax went out of business (retirement). He was saying that from 1000 pads received for the x9000, they returned 800 back to the manufacturer as it did not meet their (high) quality standard... I always thought the earpad is key part of estat (and any headphone in general), this seems to confirm it (the x9000 pads today looked gorgeous btw)

As for the sound, please take the following for what it's worth, e.g. not much. I did have my own CD and I did compare to 009 but am not so familiar with the T-8000 amp + the 009 pads of recent generation aren't same as my original pair so I bet the 009 actually sound different:
- To be honest, in the first track I played (Avishai Cohen Trio - Eleven Wifes), I could not even tell the difference between 009 and x9000 right of the bat
- Well, the x9000 sounded warmer (more bass, less treble) but it was about it, I could not sense a difference in resolution, headstage, detail retrieval etc

However, after going over different tunes (Charlie Byrd - Jitterbug waltz, Miles Davis - Will'0 The Wisp, some more obscure French and Brazilian music), I started to hear recurring patterns which sum up to the following:

1) Just like other models, the fit is pretty critical to get the bass tight on x9000 (I have a smallish head, I was using the headpad at minimum size setting and had to pay attention to the headphone sitting). Wrong fit and the bass goes loose (litterally boomy).

2) The x9000 is clearly voiced differently from 009. It's much warmer sounding (more bass, less mid/highs)

3) As a result of this, the x9000 needs about 1 click more than 009 to sound as loud (I was at 12PM on the T8000, it certainly felt we're driving this amp to its very limits...). Forget about using the x9000 on anything less than T-8000, I'd go ahead and just get a carbon for this headphone, I expect this is the best fit from amps out there now given the headphones voicing.

4) In terms of imaging, you clearly jump back a few rows when switching from 009 to x9000. 009 feels rather front row, x9000 actually feels more "right" (to me) in that regard

5) Possibly, the x9000 keeps it better together on the forte (but, to be honest, I really felt the T-8000 was underpowered for these phones, the bass actually sounded tighter on 009 and it reminded me of 009/SRM-727 issues when pushing the volume...)

6) At very least, the 009 sounds a bit shouty in comparison but at the same time more exciting out of T-8000 (as if the T-8000 is actually a pretty good pairing to the 009 but we're back to the drawing board for the x9000...)

7) I could understand what Stax technical director meant by the x9000 sound more like "earspeaker" than all other models: you feel the transuder blasting an in away from your ears with 009, not so with the x9000

8) While the 009 puts emphasis on sss sounds (borderline shouty/sibilant), the x9000 has no such emphasis. As a result of this, the voices actually sounded more natural out of the x9000 but more exciting if a bit artificial out of 009

9) Overall the 009 feels snappier to the point it's almost overdoing the attacks, the x9000 sounds more melow (to the point I feel it needs a strong amp to keep it alive / dynamic sounding)

10) The more time I spent with the x9000, the more I got to like its presentation, seems to me this is a textbook example of a headphone that won't wow you at first but win your heart in the long run...

Still way too rich for my blood though, I won't be selling my beloved speaker rig to move back to headphones this time around .

For those with a budget and in search of instant gratification, I'd place my order very soon or else give up on this until sometime next spring.

cheers,
arnaud

Thank you Arnaud
1) does the headband have more adjustment settings than the sr009? The sr009 is a little sloppy and always feels too lose/big for my head.

2) is the overall structure as flexible as the sr009? One criticism of the sr009 is how flimsy the entire arch is - and how over time it gets even looser

3) would you say the tuning sounds closer to the sr007?

 

[arnaud]

Thank you everyone, glad this helps with 1 additional data point. Am looking forward to contributions from many others.

Thank you Arnaud
1) does the headband have more adjustment settings than the sr009? The sr009 is a little sloppy and always feels too lose/big for my head.

I did not pay enough attention to the number of adjustment clicks on the x9000 but it seems quite similar design to 009/S so I expect it's about the same. Actually, for a brand new 009, I'd go 2 clicks from the minimum setting for right fit and that was the same with x9000 I recall (sorry, I ~ forgot this as adjusted both the 009 and x9000, I may be confused).

On the other hand, the earpad is significantly larger so the fit feels a bit more loose on the head (at least for me with smallish head size).

2) is the overall structure as flexible as the sr009? One criticism of the sr009 is how flimsy the entire arch is - and how over time it gets even looser

Again, I did not pay enough attention but, if anything, the steel arch felt more flexible than 009/S so x9000 might actually be a bit more woobly... Main issue for me with 009 over time wasn't the plastic arch itself but the leather headband getting loose after a couple of years. For instance, with the 009 in the store yesterday, I had to use the smallest size setting to fit on my head (headband was a bit worn out...).

3) would you say the tuning sounds closer to the sr007?

I'd really need to A/B with the 007 to make relevant claims but if we talk about bass/mid/high balance, I would say so. However, the treble on the x9000 seems more refined than 007mk1/2 (I always found these two treble lit with the mk2 more so to the point of sounding a bit V shaped). It's more like a 009 with less emphasis on upper mids making it no longer sound shouty when pushed.

 

[omega1990]

I know sound demos should not be taken seriously, but I can't help but enjoy this video anyway. I look forward to eventually buying one myself. This x9000 is being powered by a srm-T1W amp.

 

[zolkis]

- Well, the x9000 sounded warmer (more bass, less treble) but it was about it, I could not sense a difference in resolution, headstage, detail retrieval etc
1) Just like other models, the fit is pretty critical to get the bass tight on x9000 (I have a smallish head, I was using the headpad at minimum size setting and had to pay attention to the headphone sitting). Wrong fit and the bass goes loose (litterally boomy).

2) The x9000 is clearly voiced differently from 009. It's much warmer sounding (more bass, less mid/highs)

3) As a result of this, the x9000 needs about 1 click more than 009 to sound as loud (I was at 12PM on the T8000, it certainly felt we're driving this amp to its very limits...). Forget about using the x9000 on anything less than T-8000, I'd go ahead and just get a carbon for this headphone, I expect this is the best fit from amps out there now given the headphones voicing.

4) In terms of imaging, you clearly jump back a few rows when switching from 009 to x9000. 009 feels rather front row, x9000 actually feels more "right" (to me) in that regard

5) Possibly, the x9000 keeps it better together on the forte (but, to be honest, I really felt the T-8000 was underpowered for these phones, the bass actually sounded tighter on 009 and it reminded me of 009/SRM-727 issues when pushing the volume...)

6) At very least, the 009 sounds a bit shouty in comparison but at the same time more exciting out of T-8000 (as if the T-8000 is actually a pretty good pairing to the 009 but we're back to the drawing board for the x9000...)

7) I could understand what Stax technical director meant by the x9000 sound more like "earspeaker" than all other models: you feel the transuder blasting an in away from your ears with 009, not so with the x9000

8) While the 009 puts emphasis on sss sounds (borderline shouty/sibilant), the x9000 has no such emphasis. As a result of this, the voices actually sounded more natural out of the x9000 but more exciting if a bit artificial out of 009

9) Overall the 009 feels snappier to the point it's almost overdoing the attacks, the x9000 sounds more melow (to the point I feel it needs a strong amp to keep it alive / dynamic sounding)

10) The more time I spent with the x9000, the more I got to like its presentation, seems to me this is a textbook example of a headphone that won't wow you at first but win your heart in the long run...

Thank you Arnaud, very useful impressions, they make sense. I imagined a similar change in sound, I am happy it goes indeed towards the more musical/less hard-technical way. Looks like the X9K is a winner, and so are the lucky ones who have already preordered .

https://av.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/review/review/1355511.html

Wow. How lucky we are to get a second thorough and informative review within one day . Japan rules .

Well, delays are delays, this is how life is now.
I have no problem waiting until production stabilizes and it gets compared with the CRBN and others. However, based on the information so far, my bet is on Stax.
At least we know how their products stand the test of time (decades).

I was thinking this global shortage is also a blessing, as we should cut back the 1st world spinning a bit anyway, get more time to listen... and eventually to play or make music.
Until things stabilize, enjoy more music on existing equipment, rather than the same music selection on more and more new stuff .

 

[padam]

https://umauma2010.hatenablog.com/entry/2021/09/23/183104

 

[zomkung]

sr009, sr-a, srx9000, shangrila.jr, susvara

 

[Ciggavelli]

I just made an order for the SR-X9K. It should be November sometime.

 

[simomat]

Thank you everyone, glad this helps with 1 additional data point. Am looking forward to contributions from many others.



I did not pay enough attention to the number of adjustment clicks on the x9000 but it seems quite similar design to 009/S so I expect it's about the same. Actually, for a brand new 009, I'd go 2 clicks from the minimum setting for right fit and that was the same with x9000 I recall (sorry, I ~ forgot this as adjusted both the 009 and x9000, I may be confused).

On the other hand, the earpad is significantly larger so the fit feels a bit more loose on the head (at least for me with smallish head size).



Again, I did not pay enough attention but, if anything, the steel arch felt more flexible than 009/S so x9000 might actually be a bit more woobly... Main issue for me with 009 over time wasn't the plastic arch itself but the leather headband getting loose after a couple of years. For instance, with the 009 in the store yesterday, I had to use the smallest size setting to fit on my head (headband was a bit worn out...).



I'd really need to A/B with the 007 to make relevant claims but if we talk about bass/mid/high balance, I would say so. However, the treble on the x9000 seems more refined than 007mk1/2 (I always found these two treble lit with the mk2 more so to the point of sounding a bit V shaped). It's more like a 009 with less emphasis on upper mids making it no longer sound shouty when pushed.

Arnaud, so you haven’t found the soundstage of the X9k to be particularly larger or bigger than 009? Can you give us a little more information on soundstage and presentation? Instruments are placed in space in the same way as 009? I’m bothering you on this aspect because I thought that could be one of the major differences between the new headphones and the 009 but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Thank you for your time.

 

[arnaud]

Arnaud, so you haven’t found the soundstage of the X9k to be particularly larger or bigger than 009? Can you give us a little more information on soundstage and presentation? Instruments are placed in space in the same way as 009? I’m bothering you on this aspect because I thought that could be one of the major differences between the new headphones and the 009 but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Thank you for your time.

With the gear used upstream, and to the extent of what I paid attention to over short audition period (about 30 min perhaps), I can’t say I detected a difference in stage width / height. For depth, I’ve mentioned it already (the x9000 voicing is such you move several rows back and get more a feel of instruments being in front of you rather than you in the middle of the stage).

Typically, staging ability for estats is highly dependent on the amp used (one of differences when moving to BHSE etc) so I would reserve my judgment until pairing it with a Carbon (and a dac that excels at this, I want to read a Holo May L2 > Carbon > x9000 review ).

As for your expectation on main differences between 009 and x9000 being staging, what makes you think so? Personally, I am not sure the size of the radiating area helps so much with out of head experience on headphones… Without a realiser or other binaural rendering, it remains very much homework on the listener part to externalize the image and move away from inherent left/center/right blob of sound coming from any headphone. There are bunch of aspects affecting perceived depth such as reflections in the earcup and/or earpad chamber, but the 009 and x9000 are quite similar designs there (sealed earpad cavity, open earcup cavity…). If anything, I imagine the earpad size and height affects more headstage than sheer size of radiating area.

cheers,
arnaud

 

[simomat]

Thank you Arnaud, you’ve cleared all my doubts about soundstage. More depth seems very good indeed and should be enough of an upgrade over the 009. I thought that a larger diaphragm would result in a bigger sound but that proved to be wrong. I am owner of a carbon and 009s and your comments makes me really want to buy a pair of X9k that pretty much addresses all the shortcomings of the 009.

 

[GY3288]

I have a feeling my present job is way more stable and financially healthy than any audio related work

However, I did go to e-earphone and listened to the x9000 (and compare with 009) when driven by T-8000 amp with AD2-RMA source itself fed by macbook usb.

It was nice as, after maybe 2 years lapse, I could have a conversation with sales director of Stax Japan. He gave me some interesting pieces of information:
1) The x9000 pre-orders are overwhelming, they're now booked until the end of the year and pretty much any new order will slip into 2022 delivery
2) The x9000 is pretty much handmade like the 009/S so there's only so many they can ship in a batch
3) Some parts are getting hard to source, no a problem for the x9000 phones but they may have troubles shipping amps in 2022 (for instance there's apparently global shortage of nylon connectors used to connect boards together through wire ribbons)
4) The earpads supplier for the 009/S and x9000 was indeed changed after Japanese company historically making pads for Stax went out of business (retirement). He was saying that from 1000 pads received for the x9000, they returned 800 back to the manufacturer as it did not meet their (high) quality standard... I always thought the earpad is key part of estat (and any headphone in general), this seems to confirm it (the x9000 pads today looked gorgeous btw)

As for the sound, please take the following for what it's worth, e.g. not much. I did have my own CD and I did compare to 009 but am not so familiar with the T-8000 amp + the 009 pads of recent generation aren't same as my original pair so I bet the 009 actually sound different:
- To be honest, in the first track I played (Avishai Cohen Trio - Eleven Wifes), I could not even tell the difference between 009 and x9000 right of the bat
- Well, the x9000 sounded warmer (more bass, less treble) but it was about it, I could not sense a difference in resolution, headstage, detail retrieval etc

However, after going over different tunes (Charlie Byrd - Jitterbug waltz, Miles Davis - Will'0 The Wisp, some more obscure French and Brazilian music), I started to hear recurring patterns which sum up to the following:

1) Just like other models, the fit is pretty critical to get the bass tight on x9000 (I have a smallish head, I was using the headpad at minimum size setting and had to pay attention to the headphone sitting). Wrong fit and the bass goes loose (litterally boomy).

2) The x9000 is clearly voiced differently from 009. It's much warmer sounding (more bass, less mid/highs)

3) As a result of this, the x9000 needs about 1 click more than 009 to sound as loud (I was at 12PM on the T8000, it certainly felt we're driving this amp to its very limits...). Forget about using the x9000 on anything less than T-8000, I'd go ahead and just get a carbon for this headphone, I expect this is the best fit from amps out there now given the headphones voicing.

4) In terms of imaging, you clearly jump back a few rows when switching from 009 to x9000. 009 feels rather front row, x9000 actually feels more "right" (to me) in that regard

5) Possibly, the x9000 keeps it better together on the forte (but, to be honest, I really felt the T-8000 was underpowered for these phones, the bass actually sounded tighter on 009 and it reminded me of 009/SRM-727 issues when pushing the volume...)

6) At very least, the 009 sounds a bit shouty in comparison but at the same time more exciting out of T-8000 (as if the T-8000 is actually a pretty good pairing to the 009 but we're back to the drawing board for the x9000...)

7) I could understand what Stax technical director meant by the x9000 sound more like "earspeaker" than all other models: you feel the transuder blasting an in away from your ears with 009, not so with the x9000

8) While the 009 puts emphasis on sss sounds (borderline shouty/sibilant), the x9000 has no such emphasis. As a result of this, the voices actually sounded more natural out of the x9000 but more exciting if a bit artificial out of 009

9) Overall the 009 feels snappier to the point it's almost overdoing the attacks, the x9000 sounds more melow (to the point I feel it needs a strong amp to keep it alive / dynamic sounding)

10) The more time I spent with the x9000, the more I got to like its presentation, seems to me this is a textbook example of a headphone that won't wow you at first but win your heart in the long run...

Still way too rich for my blood though, I won't be selling my beloved speaker rig to move back to headphones this time around .

For those with a budget and in search of instant gratification, I'd place my order very soon or else give up on this until sometime next spring.

cheers,
arnaud

Thank you for the review Arnaud

 

[takoyaki]

I got my SR-X9000 3 days ago.
Compared to SR-009, I like it very much.
・ Slightly light
・ The sound field is wide and I feel like I am in the center of the sound.
・ Detailed sound
I've heard SR-Omega only once before, but I think it's a bit similar.

 

[GY3288]

What’s other modern headphones have you heard that sounds close to the SR-x9000?

 

[takoyaki]

What’s other modern headphones have you heard that sounds close to the SR-x9000?

I honestly have never heard of similar headphones.
The following headphones are a little similar.
・ SR-009 / 009S
・ HD800
・ SR-Omega