[Not Deaf]

Does anybody know if there are any demo units going around for either the 007 or 009? I currently have the L700 and am thinking of upgrading to the 007 or 009 and just can’t decide. I currently run the L700 off the D50 and have heard it’s enough to power the 007 and that the 009 is slightly easier to drive than the 007. I don’t really want to upgrade the D50 anytime soon. I sometimes wish the L700 had more warmth and bass to it, but also want to experience more detail and ease with complex music passages. Overall, I want something more musical to the L700 if I were to upgrade.

 

[Tugbars]

Talking from experience, without having a powerful amp, I see no point in upgrading L700 to SR007. To my ears, L700 with an average amp performs better than SR007 with an average amp.007 scales up much better however, with a well designed amp, 007 surely surpasses L700 in every area possible.(maybe L700 still have better soundstage width but that's all). 007 is better at showing problems of amps and dacs due to how it's designed.

People will say, "oh yeah you can drive 007 with D50". Yeah, you can. However, 007 does not sound really good or is worth the price if you are going to pair it with an average quality amp. Bass will be boomy, mids will lack texture, treble will be mush and bland. 007(to me) is just not worth to get if you don't have a high-end electrostatic amp lying around. What's to blame? Low diaphragm tension of SR007? Closed stator design? Something else? I don't know, I've heard a lot of rumors & half proven facts about it. Someone can enlighten us maybe.

You do you. These are just some opinions of a random guy on internet. I used to own L700 and "upgraded" it to SR007 while having only a 353X. It was a disappointment for me in the beginning. I tested 007's with 727, 007T... 007 sounded just bland (to me) unless you pair it with a Carbon. (this can be a DIY carbon too, however Mjolnir Carbon has better sub bass performance, sounds less bright(in a good way) and harsh, can go even louder and has better clarity) After having a Carbon and listening to 007's, I understood what's all the fuss is about. 007's need really clean power to start shining and they need a lot of it. Years ago, if I read someone telling amps make such huge difference, I wouldn't believe it honestly.

 

[chocolates]

for what it's worth, it seems pretty consistent that people hear an upgrade from lower power stax amps to higher power ones (whether that's a ccs mod or kgsshv/carbon/bhse), whereas there are other potential upgrades that people are much more split on (high-end DACs for one)

i think you might be able to eq to get a similar feel, but the transients will still be sloppier on weaker outputs

 

[DougD]

for what it's worth, it seems pretty consistent that people hear an upgrade from lower power stax amps to higher power ones (whether that's a ccs mod or kgsshv/carbon/bhse), whereas there are other potential upgrades that people are much more split on (high-end DACs for one)

i think you might be able to eq to get a similar feel, but the transients will still be sloppier on weaker outputs

A fairly common recurring theme I see re amps for Stax is that some people who don't have the higher tier amps argue/hope that "the top tier amps don't make a difference" with the people who DO have the top tier amps.

Which when you think about it, is kinda weird.

(Just an observation. I haven't had extended listens with any of the best stuff personally, let alone owned any. So far I've managed to be happy sticking with the older budget Lambdas etc.)

 

[elton7033]

My understanding is that the best production Stax amplifiers for the 007 is the 717 and the valve amps of the same era. Many consider that group to be the minimum acceptable level.

A massive improvement can be had with adequate modification to these Stax amps to the level that they can apparently reach kgsshv level which is very good.

from what I have been told (and I cannot say from first hand experience as I haven’t heard it myself) the D10 isn’t really a particularly worthy amp for the L700s and definitely not a good choice to drive the 007s.

The best production stax amp for the 007 is the T2 if you can even find one lol but yeah i agree on the improvement on the level from 727 to carbon.

 

[elton7033]

for what it's worth, it seems pretty consistent that people hear an upgrade from lower power stax amps to higher power ones (whether that's a ccs mod or kgsshv/carbon/bhse), whereas there are other potential upgrades that people are much more split on (high-end DACs for one)

i think you might be able to eq to get a similar feel, but the transients will still be sloppier on weaker outputs

people in this forum is starting to forget about the BHSE and T2 i just keep on seeing post about the carbon, i own both the bhse and the carbon and i still think 009 is better with the carbon where the 007 sound unique on the bhse but the one with rk50 is overprice when a carbon can deliver similar performance or even better in some aspect while cheaper

 

[118900]

The best production stax amp for the 007 is the T2 if you can even find one lol but yeah i agree on the improvement on the level from 727 to carbon.

I agree that the T2 is undoubtedly (SQ wise) the pinnacle of Stax amplification however I didn't include it simply because a) there aren't any around, b) in stock form it has issues and c) if someone is looking for Stax amplification to avoid the costs of Carbon, T2 isn't really a viable alternative .

But 630 v output voltage.....

I still maintain that my own is absolutely mind blowing and although I can always dream, I do actually ask myself if I will ever really need to upgrade.

 

[beholdclarity]

Hello Stax lovers,

I have a question.
Currently I am employing a L300 limited, which in many cases has been described as close enough to the L700.

If I make a switch to either of these headphones; where along the analytical-to-warm or lean-to-lush axis as well as the fast-to-slow would these put me with the L700 being a neutral point for me.

A.) Sr-007mk2 (current production model)
B.) Sr-007 mk1 (I guess the holy grail is the 70xxx serial number)
B.) Sr-009

For amplification I use a diy tube amp which should have sufficient capabilities for either

thanks for your insight

let me rephrase the question:

will the 009 be brighter/harsher/leaner than the l700?


---EDIT---

I have since had the chance to compare these headphones, and for those coming from google searching for answers, here is what I have experienced.

1. The L300 limited has more prominent bass than the SR-009
2. The SR-009 is dead neutral, faster and slightly leaner than the L300 limited. It is not clinical, not piercing but IMHO less relaxing. It is -as advertised- most and foremost revealing. Vocals are extremely realistic.
3. The SR-007 mk2 (mk2.9, purchased after 2015) is less bright than all of those but no where near really warm. It strikes me as neutral-warm. It is more revealing than the L300 limited in the mids and the lows. It has more texture and sacrifices almost no speed. Vocals are pregnant with emotion and the bass is detailed, exciting and textured. All frequencies feel well represented and finely detailed, without being in-your-face about it. For me it is the ultimate winner
4. The L300 limited is only marginally different from the 009 sonically. This really surprised me. I was hard-fetched to make up my mind which I liked better between the two.

Note: I have compared all of these headphones on a High-Amp Alpha Centauri v9.5, which I would describe as very intimate, slightly warm but very powerful

 

[elton7033]

let me rephrase the question:

will the 009 be brighter/harsher/leaner than the l700?

No not at all, but its true that sr009 is slightly brighter

 

[Moak]

One new question:
Can the Stax ED-5 equalizer only be used for Stax and then only for the Stax SR5? Because in terms of circuitry, it would also work for all other headphones if it were looped through via RCA.

 

[6PANDEMONIUM6]

Perhaps I did not do the 007mk.1s justice when I owned them. Could it have been that my amplifier wasn't a good match? I tried them with the T1S, 353X, and BHSE. I wasn't all that impressed with any of them. Maybe what I should have gotten is a KGSSHV Carbon? I am more of a fan of SS than tubes usually. What is everyone's opinion of the Stax T8000? Has anyone here heard one yet?

 

[118900]

Perhaps I did not do the 007mk.1s justice when I owned them. Could it have been that my amplifier wasn't a good match? I tried them with the T1S, 353X, and BHSE. I wasn't all that impressed with any of them. Maybe what I should have gotten is a KGSSHV Carbon? I am more of a fan of SS than tubes usually. What is everyone's opinion of the Stax T8000? Has anyone here heard one yet?

From what I have heard said about the T8000 it is not worth the asking price and not on a par with the KGSSHV family. Tubes are also mounted in such a way as to make tube rolling a pain in the rear.

 

[chocolates]

Perhaps I did not do the 007mk.1s justice when I owned them. Could it have been that my amplifier wasn't a good match? I tried them with the T1S, 353X, and BHSE. I wasn't all that impressed with any of them. Maybe what I should have gotten is a KGSSHV Carbon? I am more of a fan of SS than tubes usually. What is everyone's opinion of the Stax T8000? Has anyone here heard one yet?

that might be it honestly - i know birgir is also very much not a fan of the 353X (though i've never personally listened to it)

on the other hand though, i feel like you can still get the main character of the 007mk1 even on underpowered amps and it's not like the fr will change dramatically aside from subbass/treble extension

 

[elton7033]

that might be it honestly - i know birgir is also very much not a fan of the 353X (though i've never personally listened to it)

on the other hand though, i feel like you can still get the main character of the 007mk1 even on underpowered amps and it's not like the fr will change dramatically aside from subbass/treble extension

yea that's what I am trying to say, although amps like the 717 and 727 might be underpower for the 007Mk1, it will still being out the general character of the headphone. The only think I would like to add is the treble with the 007 and Carbon actually sound much more up front and spiky compare to the 727 making it sounds like more Focal but with electrostatic vibes lol

 

[elton7033]

From what I have heard said about the T8000 it is not worth the asking price and not on a par with the KGSSHV family. Tubes are also mounted in such a way as to make tube rolling a pain in the rear.

There's a whole thread in headcase where Spitzer comments on his own t8000 being overprice...lol
https://www.head-case.org/forums/topic/13002-stax-srm-t8000/
and for what the second hand market is asking for for the t8000 I highly recommend people just go for a normal kgsshv non carbon or even a kgst.

What makes me laugh is since the 60s STAX have been using the same basic circuit design from SRM-1 Mk2 to SRM-3 to 313 to 323, 717/ 727 now t8000 and keep on changing the output stage and calling it another amp... where the base design are the same, its like how the Japanese still uses the F4 since the 60s and keep changing bits and parts to try to make it relevant...