[Trance_Gott]

You know that late April is going to turn into late June too

Maybe I'll get mine a year after purchasing it

Apparently there are parts shortages and covid lockdowns that are to blame. Hopefully it gets resolved soon, but probably not

Be happy you have CRBN. For Metal no Stax works only 007 but after I get CRBN the Stax gets zero playtime. CRBN is better in every aspect.

 

[Trance_Gott]

A bit of a cheap shot given the ongoing supply chain issues and the relative difficulty of manufacturing estats. I'd rather they not compromise on quality to meet high demand, which is hard to forecast, by the way.

I've been listening to a loaner X9000 for the last several days, and I can assure folks it'll be worth the wait!

No. It is better to produce enough and then release it.

I just don't understand that. DCA also failed to deliver at the beginning. The same goes for Audeze with LCD-5 and CRBN. But with Stax, everything takes much longer. In Germany, the people who pre-ordered are already really pissed and I can understand it!

 

[Ciggavelli]

Be happy you have CRBN. For Metal no Stax works only 007 but after I get CRBN the Stax gets zero playtime. CRBN is better in every aspect.

The CRBN is good with metal for sure. I also like the SR1a with metal, so I'm very excited to get the Stax into my hands.

 

[BassicScience]

No. It is better to produce enough and then release it.

I just don't understand that. DCA also failed to deliver at the beginning. The same goes for Audeze with LCD-5 and CRBN. But with Stax, everything takes much longer. In Germany, the people who pre-ordered are already really pissed and I can understand it!

If what you're suggesting made the most business sense, then I imagine companies would act accordingly. We're not talking about commodity items or necessities of life here. If you ordered early and don't want to wait any longer, simply cancel your order. It's not like Stax isn't trying as hard as they can to meet demand.

 

[musicman59]

Well, I just got my order update…..
I placed my order on November 1st and delivery is expected in June…
Not great but at least there is now some information. To me the worst part was not knowing what to expect.

 

[Phil95]

Well, I just got my order update…..
I placed my order on November 1st and delivery is expected in June…
Not great but at least there is now some information. To me the worst part was not knowing what to expect.

Problem: when people who ordered a X9000 finally get the little marvel, it may be outdated and outperformed by something even better...

 

[BassicScience]

Problem: when people who ordered a X9000 finally get the little marvel, it may be outdated and outperformed by something even better...

Yeah, I wouldn't bet on that. There isn't much to fault with this headphone, and it's going to take some serious R&D plus manufacturing chops to produce something which is clearly better. And it would likely cost more than the X9000.

 

[number1sixerfan]

Bravo Stax. You put a headphone on the market that you can not deliver.

Your "CRBN is the best stat ever" agenda is just so clear from thread to thread lol. I hope you get the trophy you're looking for.

Problem: when people who ordered a X9000 finally get the little marvel, it may be outdated and outperformed by something even better...

Yeah, I wouldn't bet on that. There isn't much to fault with this headphone, and it's going to take some serious R&D plus manufacturing chops to produce something which is clearly better. And it would likely cost more than the X9000.

Yea that's just not going to happen. I highly doubt we'll see something that can top the x9k's absolute performance anywhere near its price point. We may see similar performance at some point from more competitors with different tonalities or presentations, but I can say with a high degree of confidence that it's going to be among the absolute few extremely top tier offerings out there for a while--and again especially at this price point.

 

[HBen]

Today I finally had some business meeting close to the only shop that sells the X9000 in the country and was able to give it short listen and compare it with the 009S. The chain was a PS Audio Directstream DAC on a STAX T8000.

Conclusions from other parties here seem quite in line with what I would conclude myself from that short period of time:
- the X9000 definitely has STAX DNA
- build quality is absolutely gorgeous and - like the 009(S), it's extremely comfortable
- the X9000 has a notably bigger stage bigger/wider stage than any other STAX i've heard
- the X9000 sounds more distant / diffuse / smooth compared to the 009S while still having extreme resolution/detail
- bass amount on the X9000 seemed maybe a touch more than the 009S but not 007MK2-level

Overall my short impression was that the X9000 does give a different flavor of TOTL STAX respectively electrostatic sound and while it was preferable on some songs I prefered the 009S on others.
Definitely need to give it another listen go get some more insights. Could have walked home with a X9000 but decided I need to give it another listen before shelling out that amount of cash on another TOTL ... well for today that is

 

[number1sixerfan]

Today I finally had some business meeting close to the only shop that sells the X9000 in the country and was able to give it short listen and compare it with the 009S. The chain was a PS Audio Directstream DAC on a STAX T8000.

Conclusions from other parties here seem quite in line with what I would conclude myself from that short period of time:
- the X9000 definitely has STAX DNA
- build quality is absolutely gorgeous and - like the 009(S), it's extremely comfortable
- the X9000 has a notably bigger stage bigger/wider stage than any other STAX i've heard
- the X9000 sounds more distant / diffuse / smooth compared to the 009S while still having extreme resolution/detail
- bass amount on the X9000 seemed maybe a touch more than the 009S but not 007MK2-level

Overall my short impression was that the X9000 does give a different flavor of TOTL STAX respectively electrostatic sound and while it was preferable on some songs I prefered the 009S on others.
Definitely need to give it another listen go get some more insights. Could have walked home with a X9000 but decided I need to give it another listen before shelling out that amount of cash on another TOTL ... well for today that is

You might want to consider just buying a unit if they have one available, while you can. Given the delays in shipment globally the resale value will hold at exactly what you paid if in fact you end up not loving it.

 

[jlbrach]

The CRBN is good with metal for sure. I also like the SR1a with metal, so I'm very excited to get the Stax into my hands.

this kind of shocks me because I know how much bass means to your listening and as much as I think the sr1a may well be the best HP I ever heard it is definitely bass lite for something like metal...also you thought the sol p didnt measure up in terms of bass for metal and having both I can say the sol p is one of the best bass HP's I have heard...color me surprised

 

[Ciggavelli]

this kind of shocks me because I know how much bass means to your listening and as much as I think the sr1a may well be the best HP I ever heard it is definitely bass lite for something like metal...also you thought the sol p didnt measure up in terms of bass for metal and having both I can say the sol p is one of the best bass HP's I have heard...color me surprised

The P didn’t have the speed or resolution of the SR1a so it didn’t win there. It didn’t have the sub bass I wanted, so it didn’t win there. Basically it was redundant. If it had the sub bass, it would have been my easy to drive bass headphones, but my th900mk2 have better bass. Really it just didn’t do anything better than my other headphones, so I got rid of it

 

[justin w.]

A bit of a cheap shot given the ongoing supply chain issues and the relative difficulty of manufacturing estats. I'd rather they not compromise on quality to meet high demand, which is hard to forecast, by the way.

I've been listening to a loaner X9000 for the last several days, and I can assure folks it'll be worth the wait!

No. It is better to produce enough and then release it.

I just don't understand that. DCA also failed to deliver at the beginning. The same goes for Audeze with LCD-5 and CRBN. But with Stax, everything takes much longer. In Germany, the people who pre-ordered are already really pissed and I can understand it!

some German car manufacturers have 18 month wait right now

 

[Trance_Gott]

some German car manufacturers have 18 month wait right now

But they are so good

 

[Audio Addict]

If anyone is near The SourceAV, you need to go in as they posted they have the X-9000 available in their Headphone area to audition. Maybe reach out to them and schedule some time.