The Stax Thread III

Sep 24, 2024 at 2:13 AM Post #26,176 of 27,317
I appreciate your opinion. At this point I have given up on the idea of a regular KGSSHV and am considering Carbon to 009 instead. I am trying to figure out how good a combination this is.
Earlier in this thread you posted that your preferred genres are Hip-hop and EDM.
Is there a reason why you are sticking with the 009? If you are committing to getting a Carbon you may as well just get a 007 or a CRBN which should suit your music better overall. If you are having issues with the sound, you can only amp roll so far before you have to acknowledge it just isn't a good match for your headphones.
 
Sep 24, 2024 at 2:48 AM Post #26,177 of 27,317
Is there a reason why you are sticking with the 009?
Great question.

EDM, namely Trance - is just a favorite genre, but I'm not stuck in it only. I listen to a lot of vocals, classical in modern processing, ambient vocals that ask for a lot of air.

Also, I have CA Cascades, and I also ordered Fostex 900 (I haven't listened to them yet, I'll listen to them at the end of the week).

My assumption is based on the fact that with the current Kingsound M03 amplifier I am completely disappointed in the sound of 009, and I hope that Carbon will solve the situation SIGNIFICANTLY.

So you assume that for my genres even Carbon in addition to 009 will not change the situation CARDINALLY?
 
Sep 24, 2024 at 3:20 AM Post #26,178 of 27,317
My assumption is based on the fact that with the current Kingsound M03 amplifier I am completely disappointed in the sound of 009, and I hope that Carbon will solve the situation SIGNIFICANTLY.

So you assume that for my genres even Carbon in addition to 009 will not change the situation CARDINALLY?
Not really, it depends on what you don't like about the 009. I don't think a Carbon will solve things significantly, it will just make sure that the 009 is performing at its peak. You aren't hearing the best of the 009 now but I'm not sure that the best of the 009 is what you are looking for sonically.

The Carbon will give you the best version of the 009, but it will still be the 009. The 009 will not slam or rumble in the bass like the TH900, but it will have better vocals because the TH900 has a v-shaped sound signature. Imaging will be better on the 009 in some ways but the TH900 will present images in a less ethereal way. The 009 will also sound a lot faster but the TH900 will be much more physical. For trance you might like them in different ways.

However, the M03 is an unusually bad pairing for the 009 so it's not surprising that you are disappointed in it; it's hard to say what will be a bigger impact on perceived improvement given your genres of choice. Best case scenario, you will love the 009 for trance and vocal music and switch to the TH900 for fun bass music. Just avoid making the same mistake twice of using crappy amplification. Even the TH900 benefits from good amps; if you need portable, the Chord Mojo is popular or you can look into whatever DAPs people are suggesting in the TH900 thread.
 
Sep 24, 2024 at 4:45 AM Post #26,179 of 27,317
DAPs people are suggesting in the TH900 thread
As a source, I have Shanling M9, and I think it is a not bad for both TH900 without an additional amplifier, and for 009 + Carbon.

It remains only to understand whether it is necessary to go into the Carbon theme at all, or it will be easier to sell 009, and enjoy my genres with headphones that suit them.
 
Sep 24, 2024 at 6:17 AM Post #26,180 of 27,317
As a source, I have Shanling M9, and I think it is a not bad for both TH900 without an additional amplifier, and for 009 + Carbon.

It remains only to understand whether it is necessary to go into the Carbon theme at all, or it will be easier to sell 009, and enjoy my genres with headphones that suit them.
009 is a revealing hp so it deserve a better source - r2r is recommended. Amp wise I suggest the stax especially the tubes ones.
 
Sep 24, 2024 at 6:57 AM Post #26,183 of 27,317
Every post in this thread brings me closer to irreversible action regarding my 009, without ever knowing their magic 🥲
If you don't intend to spend much it's better for you to just sell the 009 and get components that improve the headphone of sound signature that you already enjoy.
 
Sep 25, 2024 at 11:11 AM Post #26,187 of 27,317
Where? Lol
theyre-everywhere.jpg
 
Sep 25, 2024 at 11:30 AM Post #26,189 of 27,317
Anyone know the best amp or a good one for around 2000 usd/euro.
Check out the Used/Special Amplifiers page at Mjolnir Audio. Those are refurbished Stax amps that have sometimes been upgraded to higher power. For under $2000, the CCS-modded T1 and 006t amps are quite good, and those are between $900 and $1300. If you can stretch your budget a bit beyond $2000, there are the modified SRM-727, 007t, and 717 amps between $1900 and $2400 which are a step above the T1/006t amps.

There's also the used market. I recall that there's a Mjolnir KGSSHV mini being sold for 1700 GBP right now in the classifieds. That is a full KGSSHV build, a step beyond the modified SRM-727/717, and that's just a bit over 2000 Euros right now.
 
Sep 25, 2024 at 11:48 AM Post #26,190 of 27,317
I got around to performing the feedback mod on my 727 last night since the last few resistors I needed finally arrived yesterday. Not sure why they went on this circuitous route to the West Coast, but they got here in the end. I did not expect that the hardest part of the mod was removing the existing resistors! The resistors are surface-mounted components so there's no hole that they go into. This was also my first experience working with SMD components. The whole mod took me like two hours with an hour and a half of that being the resistor removal. The soldering of the new resistors was simple in comparison.

The amp card before modding:
card1.jpg


The first resistor removed:
first_r_removed.jpg


Fully modded card:
card_mod.jpg


Modded card slotted back into the amp:
mod_slotted.jpg


I listened for about two hours after doing the mod and the difference in sound, particularly with percussive notes, was noticeable. Snare drums and kick drums have a tighter impact with more kick vs the looser and bloomier bass of the unmodded 727. It's now very much like the 717 that I heard earlier this month. I'm quite satisfied with the mod. It's a notable improvement in dynamics and impact for the X9000 and it emphasizes the innate snappiness of the Shang Jr well.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top