Stax SR-X9000

[WernerW]

To some.....ok not some.. just me, this is exactly what makes Stax standout vs the other brands that you've mentioned. Each flagship is unique, with specific design concepts. i.e. Omega was built to be a universal audio standard, 007 to have the most power and tonal density without losing the delicacy of the estat flavour etc...

Relentless experimentation, trying to create something special (vs. something with a safe tuning), a vibrant DIY community, and a higly loyal (but divided) fanbase.....that is Stax's identity to me.... convergence towards a house sound may make sense from a commercial perspective.....but given they have edifier's backing, I'd personally much prefer they retain their "artisanal" approach.

Indeed very true!
I love them all ...
Most Stax headphones are real individuals and do not resemble the others of the Stax family.
None is perfect, but all are very special (and at a more or less high quality level) and complement each other.
And this variety makes it so much fun to swap between different Stax flavours, e.g. between 007 and 009 and X9k and Lambdas. To not getting too much accustomed to one signature, only, that might become to be a given for one's ears/brains.

 

[number1sixerfan]

To some.....ok not some.. just me, this is exactly what makes Stax standout vs the other brands that you've mentioned. Each flagship is unique, with specific design concepts. i.e. Omega was built to be a universal audio standard, 007 to have the most power and tonal density without losing the delicacy of the estat flavour etc...

Relentless experimentation, trying to create something special (vs. something with a safe tuning), a vibrant DIY community, and a higly loyal (but divided) fanbase.....that is Stax's identity to me.... convergence towards a house sound may make sense from a commercial perspective.....but given they have edifier's backing, I'd personally much prefer they retain their "artisanal" approach.

Yup, and I totally, totally get this too. And it gives you a variety to enjoy, which I do. I had th 007, 009 and x9000 all at once a one point, and still have the 009 and 007 with no intent to sell. That's absolutely the other side of the coin here and I'd get if people prefer they continue that approach. You just will never see us all united and on the same page rallying behind one single product like other brands lol, and might miss out on some mass appeal, but totally a very valid and good point.

 

[padam]

Another fair and balanced X9000 review:


Feel free to compare my observations regarding
13:04 detail
13:52 tonality
17:33 bass
20:58 speed
24:04 summary
(spoiler alert: they are all exactly the same, except me being slightly triggered by preliminary expectations)

It is unfortunate that he never tested a 007, I'd like to hear him dissect that, too. It is more complicated regarding a technical analysis vs what this sound actually does with music.

 

[WernerW]

Another brand new review (this has been released today) by Director's Garage (Stax x9000/Mjolnir Carbon CC/dCS LINA DAC).

 

[Spawn300Z]

That really depends on the amp he was using. This the 1st review I ever seen comparing the Susvara and SR-X9000. To say the That the SR-X9000 produces better bass than the Susvara.

 

[yaps66]

That really depends on the amp he was using. This the 1st review I ever seen comparing the Susvara and SR-X9000. To say the That the SR-X9000 produces better bass than the Susvara.

I believe he was using the Lina DAC feeding the Mjolnir Carbon CC.

 

[theveterans]

That really depends on the amp he was using. This the 1st review I ever seen comparing the Susvara and SR-X9000. To say the That the SR-X9000 produces better bass than the Susvara.

Susvara's bass doesn't really excel to stratospheric level until you've dialed in the perfect component for it. At comparatively priced components, X9000 bass is better IMHO

 

[Spawn300Z]

Susvara's bass doesn't really excel to stratospheric level until you've dialed in the perfect component for it. At comparatively priced components, X9000 bass is better IMHO

I guess I’m glad I have the Riviera AIC-10 and the Bel Canto S300.

 

[number1sixerfan]

Well amplified, they both have generally comparable bass imo. Susvara a bit better with visceral impact from what I could tell and would probably give the overall edge to. But closer in range to each other.

Edit*, I don't think I'd ever see a situation though where I'd say the x9000's bass is *better* than the Susvara for the same above reason.

 

[WernerW]

That really depends on the amp he was using. This the 1st review I ever seen comparing the Susvara and SR-X9000. To say the That the SR-X9000 produces better bass than the Susvara.

We now got an answer on the amplifier setups being compared for Michael's YT review of 'Director's Garage':

X9000 chain: dCS LINA DAC => Mjolnir KGSSHV Carbon CC => Stax SR-X9000
Susvara chain: dCS LINA DAC => Bakoon 13r => Hifiman Susvara

To quote from the comments section of Michael’s (from ‘Director’s Garage’) video:
Question on YT was:
“As you know, the Susvara is hard to drive and thus quite amp picky to unfold its full sonic proficiency. Therefore, which amp did you use to drive the Susvara for your listening comparisons?”

To quote Michael’s answer:
“Well that's the subject of about 12 Director's Garage episodes! My pursuit of an amp to drive the Susvara has led me down through different amp combinations. I don't care to count the thousands I've spent on finding the right Susvara amp. Currently the amp driving it is the Bakoon 13r, which is a 25W headphone amp that is just as happy driving speakers! But I've auditioned and tried many amps with the Susvara over the years at this point.”

So, Michael has hunted for a long time to find the best amp to driving the Susvara as well as possible.
It seems to be a very fair comparison, both the ‘Carbon CC’ for Stax as well as the ‘Bakoon 3r’ for Susvara are recommended by many headphone fans as excellent pairings. Of course IMHO, always very much a matter of personal taste when it comes to specific sonic signatures at a summit SQ level, however, with regard to output power a matter of fact that a certain minimum level has to be provided (especially for Susvara quite important). And I think this is the case with the Carbon respectively the Bakoon. So, an interesting and valid review, I think.

 

[WernerW]

Btw, here I just found two former reviews of Michael on Susvara with Bakoon:



and

 

[Aspirant Audiophile]

We now got an answer on the amplifier setups being compared for Michael's YT review of 'Director's Garage':

X9000 chain: dCS LINA DAC => Mjolnir KGSSHV Carbon CC => Stax SR-X9000
Susvara chain: dCS LINA DAC => Bakoon 13r => Hifiman Susvara

To quote from the comments section of Michael’s (from ‘Director’s Garage’) video:
Question on YT was:
“As you know, the Susvara is hard to drive and thus quite amp picky to unfold its full sonic proficiency. Therefore, which amp did you use to drive the Susvara for your listening comparisons?”

To quote Michael’s answer:
“Well that's the subject of about 12 Director's Garage episodes! My pursuit of an amp to drive the Susvara has led me down through different amp combinations. I don't care to count the thousands I've spent on finding the right Susvara amp. Currently the amp driving it is the Bakoon 13r, which is a 25W headphone amp that is just as happy driving speakers! But I've auditioned and tried many amps with the Susvara over the years at this point.”

So, Michael has hunted for a long time to find the best amp to driving the Susvara as well as possible.
It seems to be a very fair comparison, both the ‘Carbon CC’ for Stax as well as the ‘Bakoon 3r’ for Susvara are recommended by many headphone fans as excellent pairings. Of course IMHO, always very much a matter of personal taste when it comes to specific sonic signatures at a summit SQ level, however, with regard to output power a matter of fact that a certain minimum level has to be provided (especially for Susvara quite important). And I think this is the case with the Carbon respectively the Bakoon. So, an interesting and valid review, I think.

@WernerW and I (and this guy in the video!) seem to be part of a (shrinking?) minority who prefers 007mki with Carbon over Megatron. For me, Megatron takes off the 'sliced' edge of x9000s, making them seem transcendent (even if it might be a fake-sounding transcendence, at least according to Birgir in his fair-if-severe reviews of x9000s), But there's no 'edge' to 007mki, therefore no need for tubes to smooth anything out. I'm splitting hairs again, because I do like Megatron with 007mki, but I only listen to that setup when I'm too lazy to change amps.

 

[gammi]

As opposed to writing an extensive list of my preferences, listing the characteristics I'm most interested in comparing will almost certainly be more efficient Specifically:

1. Between the X9Ks and SR1a, which sound more complete and balanced? Which sound more real and natural? Ribbons destroy planars in this category and I'm wondering how e-stats compare.
2. How well do transformer boxes work with the X9K?

I think the transformer boxes work excellently and people really should spend some time trying out different combos with them. The STAX crowd is restricting themselves to 5 or so main estat amps when there's an entire world of excellent "standard" amps out there. That's sad! Listening to To Zanarkand on my 007 Mk1 via my Holo Bliss with a (lightly modified) SRD-7 adapter as I type this and it's beautiful. Flying Lotus Tiny Tortures was on shuffle earlier tonight and even that track with its constantly pumping deep bass background came through the adapter box just fine, very impactful. They really sing on my 48wpc 300B+805 tube amp! Want to hook them up to my 100wpc receiver? Yeah, that works perfectly too with a simple banana to XLR cable. So many options.

I implore STAX fans to try more amps! I'm having a lot of fun over here getting to try any amp I want with my STAX
And it's only going to get better, a box of three gigantic (like 5lbs each) Lundahl transformers just recently arrived at my house and I'll be building my own adapter box...

Never really considered or frankly cared about Stax until hearing the X9000 at CanJam. Jesus, I know sound is subjective but this is the greatest headphone I've heard. Just grabbed the Meze Elite and now thinking of making some moves/trades to get the x9000.

Same happened to me at the last CanJam NYC. Nothing really caught my ear since I'm already pretty spoiled but sitting down at the BHSE + X9000 at the headamp table I immediately knew it was something different I didn't have. And at the top, different is more important than "better" imo. All these $3k, $4k, $5k TOTL headphones are excellent but the X9000 did something different that made me perk up. Two months later I found myself still thinking about them and pulled the trigger on a pair.

Having said how much I like them, for those that hunger for an X9000 but it's out of budget, just get a CA-1a or 007 MK1 honestly. Value per $ on those shames the X9000. Yes I like the X9000 most but honestly those other two get you most of the way there.

EDIT:
Just switched over to the X9000 + SRD-7 adapter + R800i (the 300B+805 tube amp with 48wpc) and man, I think anyone who finds the X9000 dull hasn't heard it properly because what I'm hearing now is so dynamic and impactful. 48W of high slew rate (very important) current wakes these the F up!

 

[galthepal]

I think the transformer boxes work excellently and people really should spend some time trying out different combos with them. The STAX crowd is restricting themselves to 5 or so main estat amps when there's an entire world of excellent "standard" amps out there. That's sad! Listening to To Zanarkand on my 007 Mk1 via my Holo Bliss with a (lightly modified) SRD-7 adapter as I type this and it's beautiful. Flying Lotus Tiny Tortures was on shuffle earlier tonight and even that track with its constantly pumping deep bass background came through the adapter box just fine, very impactful. They really sing on my 48wpc 300B+805 tube amp! Want to hook them up to my 100wpc receiver? Yeah, that works perfectly too with a simple banana to XLR cable. So many options.

I implore STAX fans to try more amps! I'm having a lot of fun over here getting to try any amp I want with my STAX
And it's only going to get better, a box of three gigantic (like 5lbs each) Lundahl transformers just recently arrived at my house and I'll be building my own adapter box...


Same happened to me at the last CanJam NYC. Nothing really caught my ear since I'm already pretty spoiled but sitting down at the BHSE + X9000 at the headamp table I immediately knew it was something different I didn't have. And at the top, different is more important than "better" imo. All these $3k, $4k, $5k TOTL headphones are excellent but the X9000 did something different that made me perk up. Two months later I found myself still thinking about them and pulled the trigger on a pair.

Having said how much I like them, for those that hunger for an X9000 but it's out of budget, just get a CA-1a or 007 MK1 honestly. Value per $ on those shames the X9000. Yes I like the X9000 most but honestly those other two get you most of the way there.

Just started looking for a L700 MK2. Any amp recommendations to pair it with?

 

[gammi]

Just started looking for a L700 MK2. Any amp recommendations to pair it with?

Well you'll need an SRD-7 (one with a pro output) first but really the Lambdas are so easy to drive I think you could get away with a lot of amps with it. I haven't tried it with my Jotunheim 2 yet so currently the lowest power amp I've tried with my Lambda Pro is the $3k Holo Bliss which is likely overkill.

TLDR anything with a few watts and a low noise floor is probably fine for the Lambdas.
Hell, don't even need a low noise floor because the transformer box eliminates that...