[whirlwind]

 

LMAO!!!
 
Those are incredible looking.

 

[LugBug1]

  LMAO!!!
 
Those are incredible looking.

They are absolutely stunning. 

 

[zerodeefex]

incredibly gaudy looking is what you mean, right?

 

[marcoarment]

  They are absolutely stunning. 

 
If by "stunning" you mean "left me unable to move or speak", then yes.

 

[LugBug1]

Wonder if its real gold! 

  24 carrots! 

 

[marcoarment]

  Wonder if its real gold! 

  24 carrots! 

 
I think being coated in 24 carrots would be an improvement.

 

[kothganesh]

I think being coated in 24 carrots would be an improvement.

Sure improves the eyesight !

 

[LugBug1]

 

[SilverEars]

 

[icebear]

  Wonder if its real gold! 

  24 carrots! 

But not cryo treated, please - I hate mushy sound when they come to room temperature again

.

 

[Moonhead]

I'm keeping the TH900 for now because it's the best closed-ish headphone I've ever heard and I do need to use closed headphones sometimes, although it has relatively little isolation both ways for a "closed" headphone. The HE-6 serves my open role: the best sound quality, which I can enjoy only when I'm able to use open headphones (about half the time).

SR-009s are still in the repair process for the channel imbalance — I only got 4 days worth of use out of them before it started. The repair will supposedly take months and may not even fix the problem. I can't possibly overstate how disappointed I am in that purchase so far, and I can tell you that the quality difference is definitely not worth the high extra cost and inability to deal with the regular retail and warranty chain. (I made it worse by buying through PriceJapan, but it's not that much better than buying through a US retailer — you need to wait months before they even arrive, many still have the channel imbalance, and all repairs still need to go back to Stax Japan for months.)

Even when they return, I probably won't be able to enjoy them very much because I'm so angry at Stax's poor quality control, obtuse and condescending repair process, and continued denial that this is a real problem that appears to be affecting as many as 5–10% of SR-009s sold, according to PriceJapan (who sell a lot of them). That's why I'm likely to just sell them, and the KGSSHV, when they eventually return… if they're actually fixed.

Now that I've been hit by the channel imbalance and discovered how great the HE-6 is with an appropriate amp, I can't recommend buying the SR-009. The HE-6/EF-6 combo ($3000) costs less than half as much as the SR-009 and a good electrostatic amp (~$6500 minimum if you go PriceJapan, $8000+ if not), gets you almost the same overall sound quality and better bass, sounds great with more music, and is always in stock from a US retailer with excellent customer support and warranties (Head Direct).

(Sorry for hijacking the 800 thread. You can get back to that now.)

/quote]

I'm Worried when you mention the resentment for 009, because I just purchase a pair that I've not heard yet, waiting for one KGSSHV.
Have you consider some 007 first or second version, they don't have a reputation of channel imbalance as 009.

 

[purrin]

@purrin

I don't see any Decware amps on your list.
Is it because they are not good enough with HD800, or is it because you haven't heard them?
I'm currently using Mjolnir, but thinking of getting a tube amp for HD800. Currently lookint at CSP3 or Sonett2.
Keeping Mjolnir for my HD650.

 
I liked the Mini Torii? with HD800s when I heard it years ago. It was very a lushing sounding euphonic amp with good technicalities. I was familar with source or recordings used so I cannot say much more.
 
Sonnet2 should probably be there on the list. HD800 works out of the box with it. Same sonic signature as Stratus, but plays it more straight because it lacks the DHTs. The Stratus' DHT sound is like an all body massage.

 

[purrin]

 
My main complaint with the HD 800 is that its overall technical excellence comes at the cost of personality. I thought I wanted neutrality for years... until I got it. It's a great headphone at achieving technical perfection of a style that, as it turns out, I don't really care for: smoothness, with a mostly laid-back sound signature, light bass, and relatively little excitement.
 

 
What you say is true - this why many say tubes (good tube sound, not gooey tube sound). You already have Asgard2 and Mojo. Try Vahalla 2. May just not be your cup of tea.

 

[purrin]

val2 is an interesting amp, but I assume it must use global feedback to get its output impedance down to the published specs. I tend to think of feedback as anathema to OTL SET amps, but maybe I'm just drinking the bottlehead kool-aid. What's your conclusion after a back to back?

 
val2 uses feedback to out its output Z down. you are not drinking bottlehead kool-aid, but word anathema is too strong, and there are many other considerations in design. still i would use high Z headphones for val2 at highest Z output switch - where it excels. the ZERO or absolutely NO feedback thing is nonsense. it depends on the tube. the tubes used in the ECZD requires a ton of feedback for it to be linear. some of the big boy tube amps use a slight amount of feedback. trust me, i've played with this stuff - it a matter of balancing one thing with another. sort of like do i want to add 120lbs of supercharger (with 50 lbs of intercooler in front of the front axle) to the front of car with 200 hp for moar power. I get more power, but crappier weight distribution. it's a matter of what you want to do and getting the best balance for that application. 

 

[SilverEars]

   
val2 uses feedback to out its output Z down. you are not drinking bottlehead kool-aid, but word anathema is too strong, and there are many other considerations in design. still i would use high Z headphones for val2 at highest Z output switch - where it excels. the ZERO or absolutely NO feedback thing is nonsense. it depends on the tube. the tubes used in the ECZD requires a ton of feedback for it to be linear. some of the big boy tube amps use a slight amount of feedback. trust me, i've played with this stuff - it a matter of balancing one thing with another. sort of like do i want to add 120lbs of supercharger (with 50 lbs of intercooler in front of the front axle) to the front of car with 200 hp for moar power. I get more power, but crappier weight distribution. it's a matter of what you want to do and getting the best balance for that application. 

This is a first I've heard of this concept.  Can you expand on this?  Is there literature out there regarding this?