[padam]

I see the hypocrisy of my own comment on where I see the marketing of the headphone going - the issue with the YT’er is that he’s made many “final” statements with theatrical certainty that it’s difficult to gauge what his opinion is.

I’m sure Stax will continue to make more tweaks. I’m less certain they can improve on the design substantially. The srx9k is a revisit of the sr-omega design with innovation of the sr-009S technology.

It does not matter. He seems like a genuinely nice guy who is enthusiastic about Stax, who received this headphone early and wants to share his opinion.
So even if he talked rubbish I would still not berate him.
I think the is providing an interesting insight about what happens when you receive a headphone like this. Plus, his opinion is not that much different to mine actually.
And, coincidentally, we also tested it on the similar amps as well (he has a standard KGSSHV and a JR Audio Carbon and again he shares everything about his setup.)

So far not many have them, so others may say completely different things, this is one of not many opinions, but there is no difference between all of them: either take them or leave them, simple as that.

He didn't say things like "planars are now beating electrostats because they are just as fast and have more slam."
This is more the type of "useful consumer advice" you'll come across here, or personal attacks., things like that.
I do not like that at all, and that's why I prefer not to share my impressions.

 

[tjlindle]

Hi all, looking for some amp advice: Is there any Stax amp with a Normal Bias socket, that also has a Pro socket and would be sufficient to drive the 009?

Or would my only options there be to (a) have two amps, one for NB stuff, one for the 009, or (b) request a custom third-party amp (i.e. KGSSHV, Carbon) with both Pro and NB sockets?

EDIT: And for now I'm not necessarily considering the iESL for this purpose, though that does indeed have both a NB and Pro socket.

 

[bigjako]

Hi all, looking for some amp advice: Is there any Stax amp with a Normal Bias socket, that also has a Pro socket and would be sufficient to drive the 009?

Or would my only options there be to (a) have two amps, one for NB stuff, one for the 009, or (b) request a custom third-party amp (i.e. KGSSHV, Carbon) with both Pro and NB sockets?

EDIT: And for now I'm not necessarily considering the iESL for this purpose, though that does indeed have both a NB and Pro socket.

If you get a custom build, you can have a NB socket and a Pro. That’s my next purchase, I think.

Right now, I have two amps with both a Normal and Pro bias socket - a Bottlehead Stat and a CCS modded 006t. Some may disagree but I think the 006t with the CCS mod would drive the 009 just fine. It drives my ES-1a’s really well, and those are similar to 007s.

Interestingly, I recently picked up an Eddie Current Electra and the ES-1a’s sound flat and compressed on it, but sound great on the 006t. I’ve head they don’t play well with tube amps, and I guess the Electra really is all tube. My Lambdas sound expansive and slam on the Electra, though.

 

[shabta]

Hi all, looking for some amp advice: Is there any Stax amp with a Normal Bias socket, that also has a Pro socket and would be sufficient to drive the 009?

Or would my only options there be to (a) have two amps, one for NB stuff, one for the 009, or (b) request a custom third-party amp (i.e. KGSSHV, Carbon) with both Pro and NB sockets?

EDIT: And for now I'm not necessarily considering the iESL for this purpose, though that does indeed have both a NB and Pro socket.

SRM 1 mk2 pro is a decent option, but I really like @bigjako suggestion. CCS modded 006t

 

[tjlindle]

If you get a custom build, you can have a NB socket and a Pro. That’s my next purchase, I think.

Right now, I have two amps with both a Normal and Pro bias socket - a Bottlehead Stat and a CCS modded 006t. Some may disagree but I think the 006t with the CCS mod would drive the 009 just fine. It drives my ES-1a’s really well, and those are similar to 007s.

Interestingly, I recently picked up an Eddie Current Electra and the ES-1a’s sound flat and compressed on it, but sound great on the 006t. I’ve head they don’t play well with tube amps, and I guess the Electra really is all tube. My Lambdas sound expansive and slam on the Electra, though.

Thanks, that 006t looks like a really solid option, I'm looking into it now along with the 007t. Do you happen to know if there is any notable performance difference between 006t and 007t (assuming both CCS modded)?

I think the endgame is a custom Carbon with both NB socket and Pro, but I want to work up to that and vet everything one at a time before going all in. Also I think I literally don't have space on my desk at the moment for a Carbon, lol.

Also, if you do end up getting a custom, let me know if you're selling the 006t

SRM 1 mk2 pro is a decent option, but I really like @bigjako suggestion. CCS modded 006t

I've got a SRM-1/mk2 here as my NB amp, I was considering picking up the 009 first and seeing how it runs out of the SRM-1 while I source a stronger amp. Just curious what the performance differential would be between SRM-1 and something like the 006t or 007t.

 

[bigjako]

Now that I got the Electra, I am going to sell the 006t and will use my Stat as my NB amp. I was going to take a week or two to run some comparisons between the Electra and the 006t, just for fun before I list it. Like I said, when I connected the ES-1a to the Electra I was really worried - it paired so much better with the 006t. I'm going to roll some tubes on the Electra before I make the final decision, but my plan is to sell that 006t and put that towards a Carbon, since I've read that the ES-1a pairs nicely with sold state.

I had an SRM-T1S before the 006 and the difference was not that great, but when I did the CCS mod, it did feel like a very different amp, a lot more power and clarity.

 

[tjlindle]

Completely unrelated question to the ones above: does anyone have any experience with the SR-X mk3 Pro - either the real one or the DIY version - and what its power requirements are?

Put another way, can the stuff that competently drives Lambdas (SRM-1mk2, T1, 323/353) also drive the SR-X mk 3 Pro, or does it need something more powerful to really shine?

 

[bearFNF]

Hi all, looking for some amp advice: Is there any Stax amp with a Normal Bias socket, that also has a Pro socket and would be sufficient to drive the 009?

Or would my only options there be to (a) have two amps, one for NB stuff, one for the 009, or (b) request a custom third-party amp (i.e. KGSSHV, Carbon) with both Pro and NB sockets?

EDIT: And for now I'm not necessarily considering the iESL for this purpose, though that does indeed have both a NB and Pro socket.

I have a BHSE with both normal and Pro sockets, order it form HeadAmp that way.

 

[padam]

Completely unrelated question to the ones above: does anyone have any experience with the SR-X mk3 Pro - either the real one or the DIY version - and what its power requirements are?

Put another way, can the stuff that competently drives Lambdas (SRM-1mk2, T1, 323/353) also drive the SR-X mk 3 Pro, or does it need something more powerful to really shine?

I use the Gamma Pro which has the same transducers inside (but somewhat different character). Switching to the KGSSHV brings a noticeable improvement to the dynamics, bass depth, control and impact. But that does not mean it won't work reasonably well with Stax amps. The SR-X has a drier, less open sound, so I'd think that the 6S4A CCS modified 007t is probably your best bet (effectively a cut-down version of the KGST). I also found the SR-X Mk3 to be more source sensitive than most other Staxes.

 

[timb5881]

If we could persuade Stax into reintroduce the SRX3 Mk3 Pro, how much do you think it would retail for? I would guess maybe $1500 or so. If it was under $2k I would buy one.

 

[padam]

They are building on the legacy of certain things, but they are designing and manufacturing products that are now quite different. They don't use mechanical damping or double-sided adhesive to mount drivers or pads anymore. In theory, they could make something with a smaller circular transducer, but it would be completely different to the SR-X Mk3 Pro. I would assume they could make the spiritual successor to the SR-4070 to continue the monitor lineage.

 

[BTD1]

I am deciding whether or not I have space for a Mjolnir Carbon. Would anyone be able to give me the dimensions? I don't see the case measurements on the Mjolnir web site.

 

[swissheadphonelover]

I am deciding whether or not I have space for a Mjolnir Carbon. Would anyone be able to give me the dimensions? I don't see the case measurements on the Mjolnir web site.

320mm wide, 350mm deep and 100mm tall, information from Mjolnir.

 

[tjlindle]

I'd love to hear the 4070 but that thing is like a unicorn, more OG Omegas were posted on Classifieds here in the last couple years or so than 4070s lol.

I have a BHSE with both normal and Pro sockets, order it form HeadAmp that way.

It's very likely that'll be the last upgrade, but I want to figure out which Omega I fundamentally like the most before I start really building the endgame setup on the chain side of things. For best synergy etc.

I use the Gamma Pro which has the same transducers inside (but somewhat different character). Switching to the KGSSHV brings a noticeable improvement to the dynamics, bass depth, control and impact. But that does not mean it won't work reasonably well with Stax amps. The SR-X has a drier, less open sound, so I'd think that the 6S4A CCS modified 007t is probably your best bet (effectively a cut-down version of the KGST). I also found the SR-X Mk3 to be more source sensitive than most other Staxes.

Thanks padam, that's good to hear because the modded 007t is looking like a nice way to incrementally move forward at the moment with my setup.

But I need to figure out where to source one for a decent price. A modded one is available right now from Mjolnir but for the price I could essentially just get a KGSSHV instead.

 

[BTD1]

If this is a dumb question I apologize. In anticipation of an estat amp purchase I'm wondering if you can run cables from the rear XLR out of the estat amp to the XLR in of a regular headphone amp in order to control the volume of the headphone amp with a remote. Is this just crazy or would it work? Thanks.