[Aspirant Audiophile]

Schizophrenia? Hallucinations, Delusions, Disorganised thinking.
With a touch of bipolar disorder? unusual shifts in mood, ranging from extreme highs (“manic” episodes) to lows (“depressive” episodes). A person who has bipolar disorder also experiences changes in their thinking, behavior.


Edit: Oh, I forgot OCD tendencies, also. - common, chronic, and long-lasting disorder in which a person has uncontrollable, reoccurring thoughts ("obsessions") and/or behaviors ("compulsions") that he or she feels the urge to repeat over and over.
And narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) - Regularly upset other people, Think they are always right, Crave attention and admiration, Exaggerate their talents and achievements, Talk about themselves A LOT, Have wide, fast mood swings, Have a hard time taking others’ feelings seriously, Want to win, whatever it takes

...or is simply very, very smart with self-marketing and utilising the internet for the sake of manipulation...but we're not naming names, are we?

WINK

 

[Schelp san]

I don' t understand positions about 009. In the past was the queen, today is the worst. For me is a pleasant headphone but like you wrote pairing is important.

Qualities of 009 are not changing, just because there is now a X9000. Sometimes I prefer 009 over X9000, sometimes X9000 over 009 (I´m probably in the minority with this, but who cares). You have 009, you like it, just enjoy it

 

[mulveling]

very interesting read - thanks

Seems like you and @mulveling are both happy with the SR-009 out of the T2 - despite someone has deemed the SR-009 the worst Stax of all time (although he recently found a special pair that he likes).

If that's who I think it is, this is like the 5th or 6th time he's gotten a new 009 and decreed it better sounding than all prior ones lol. I honestly think he forgets they're not that bad, just not his flavor. Then (after a while) hears a 009 again, and suddenly remembers the good parts about them. I've experienced this phenomenon with other components; it's a love / hate relationship. Actually, that's kind of my relation to 007!

The 3 or 4 009's I've heard sound exactly the same and I loved them all. I've kept 2 pairs of 009 continuously for almost 10 years, so no roller coaster of emotions

 

[alota]

It's a little bit sketchy changing the pads on the 009 and 009S, no? I'd like to put fresh ones one mine but the unscrewing and lack of videos online of others doing it have me very hesitant.

i read that require a special tool. i bought for the future

 

[dkdali]

The 009 is also very easy to eq. I don’t have the link but remember one of the electrostatic guro’s ranking a eq’ed 009 as one of the best headphones currently available (i know its just one person’s opinion…)
I prefer my 009 setup (eq in Roon, HQPlayer, r2r, Carbon) to the x9000 setup I tried with the top STAX amp so i agree the setup is as important as the headphones.
I am most likely looking for a MT or T2 before i invest in a X9000….

 

[Aspirant Audiophile]

The 009 is also very easy to eq. I don’t have the link but remember one of the electrostatic guro’s ranking a eq’ed 009 as one of the best headphones currently available (i know its just one person’s opinion…)
I prefer my 009 setup (eq in Roon, HQPlayer, r2r, Carbon) to the x9000 setup I tried with the top STAX amp so i agree the setup is as important as the headphones.
I am most likely looking for a MT or T2 before i invest in a X9000….

If you're based in Copenhagen you should just contact Soren and call it a day. As much as I love them, I'm not sure x9000 can be considered an investment (unless you consider sinkholes to be investments), but Soren is a great investment in any context, and he can guide/build for you the right amp for whatever you need.

 

[number1sixerfan]

I don' t understand positions about 009. In the past was the queen, today is the worst. For me is a pleasant headphone but like you wrote pairing is important.

The 009 is still really, really capable. I think it's slightly more technically capable/resolving than the Susvara/TC (besides bass obviously), right up there with the Sr1a. However, it is a bit leaner and there's brightness in the highs. So I understand it being a non-starter for some people. The x9000 outpaces it a bit, which it should as the new flagship, but still I prefer the presentation of the 009 to the x9000 as well. I think everyone is just split between the 007 and 009 based on the type of sound they typically lean towards.

 

[Ciggavelli]

So, all this talk about the 007 has me very curious. Some say that the 007mk1 and the 007a are equal, but others say differently. It's hard to find a mk1. Would the 007a suffice?

 

[gammi]

I think the X9000 is still in that stage that Susvara was early on where people hadn't really found out how to use it optimally yet. Most people probably hook it up to a BHSE or Carbon and call it a day. We don't even have an agreed upon flat EQ profile available for them yet (that I've seen). X9000 vs 009 EQed to the same target should in theory be better on the X9000 with its larger and lighter driver. Excited to send my X9000 off to Mitch once he finishes making filters for the current batch of headphones I sent him, a true neutral EQ should resolve a lot of complaints.

 

[Aspirant Audiophile]

Would the 007a suffice?

No. From my experience the 007mki is simply a different and better product. I am not a tech expert but I kept searching and I'm glad I did.

 

[catscratch]

I don't know if the current 007a is the same one I got back in 2015, but mine is more V-shaped in its FR, a bit drier in tembre and more honky in the midrange, not quite as liquid and resolving as my mk1 but also a bit punchier and more dynamic. It's a solid headphone in its own right, but the mk1 is notably more natural. Granted, I don't have the best amp for either at the moment so the comparison is largely from memory.

 

[gammi]

Btw, I spent some time listening to the X9000 hooked up to the speaker terminals on my Anthem MRX540 last night. Great combo between the ultra fast driver and the clean solid state power. I think that might just be the single clearest/sharpest listening experience I've ever had. Definitely picked up some clarity over the tubes and I think dynamics too, at the loss of some body. Not sure how much of this was the amp or the DAC since I used the internal ESS DAC in the Anthem instead of my R26. Went from R2R + tubes to delta sigma + solid state so it's no wonder the sound got sharper. Very fast, very dynamic with all that instant solid state power behind it. I find myself listening to Alice and Chain's Unplugged album on repeat these days, live music just sounds so very incredible on these, especially strings, and that Unplugged album is such an excellent recording. X9000 is the closest I've gotten to being there. The way the strings resonate is so special, you can feel the air vibrating around every pluck.

 

[Ciggavelli]

I guess I'll just play the waiting game in the classifieds for the 007 Mk1. It's kinda a legendary headphone the way it is discussed online. I'm real curious.

 

[ScornDefeat]

I guess I'll just play the waiting game in the classifieds for the 007 Mk1. It's kinda a legendary headphone the way it is discussed online. I'm real curious.

I find the 007mk1 to be "the Stax headphone for people who normally don't like Stax headphones" lol.

There's a warmth and natural tonality that the modern Stax headphones tend to lack (i.e. 009 series or the modern L-series). Certainly more bass and toned-down treble, but the 007mk1 isn't a detail beast in comparison.

I'm not sure the 007mk1 really does much superior when comparing to the X9000, the X9000 corrects some of the wrongs of the 009 while maintaining a detailed approach. But it is a very pleasing listen, easy to just get lost in the music with the 007mk1.

 

[Aspirant Audiophile]

I find the 007mk1 to be "the Stax headphone for people who normally don't like Stax headphones" lol.

There's a warmth and natural tonality that the modern Stax headphones tend to lack (i.e. 009 series or the modern L-series). Certainly more bass and toned-down treble, but the 007mk1 isn't a detail beast in comparison.

I'm not sure the 007mk1 really does much superior when comparing to the X9000, the X9000 corrects some of the wrongs of the 009 while maintaining a detailed approach. But it is a very pleasing listen, easy to just get lost in the music with the 007mk1.

007mki, with the right setup (Carbon), is perfect. But it's not perfect with other things.

X9000 is near-perfect with everything, always. (My friendly opinion)

In the context of the above: cables schmables, DACs schmacks. Sorry for getting technical...