The Stax Thread III

[rawrster]

I did listen to the 009's at the meet.
The clarity & detail ,are like nothing ,I,ve ever heard,also,they are extremely comfortable,even more so than my HD800's.
Right now,I,m still on the fence about them,I think,they might be a little too fatiguing ..??
I was looking at PriceJapan,and almost pulled the trigger,then my wife came in,and I ran......

Keep in mind that there is a long waiting period for the sr009 if you buy from there.

It's good that you did get a chance to hear them. I was originally going to buy the 009 until I heard them. I prefer the 007 over them by a good amount which was very surprising for me.

 

[mikek200]

Keep in mind that there is a long waiting period for the sr009 if you buy from there.

It's good that you did get a chance to hear them. I was originally going to buy the 009 until I heard them. I prefer the 007 over them by a good amount which was very surprising for me.

Yes,I know...a 4+ month wait.,plus any repairs if any,,I will have to ship them back to Japan-not an issue for me.
I am also looking at a pair,from the buy/sell forum,but it comes with an amp,which I do not need...now.?
 
What exactly did you, not like, with the 009's--let me guess-brightness??
Did you find them fatiguing?

 

[rawrster]

I wouldn't say I didn't like the 009. It's a very good headphone without a doubt but tonally I preferred the 007. My preferences have probably changed since I first got into this hobby from a neutral signature to something with a bit of warmth. I am very happy with my 007 so I don't really see the need for anything else. 

 

[DefQon]

What 009 comfort over the HD800's? Blasphemy! =p

With the 009's you can fall into two groups be awed by its crazy technicalities and like it or be amazed at the sound at first then eventually get over the honeymoon phase and move onto something else thats sounds more tonally right.

 

[davidsh]

I don't find hd800 that comfortable from my short sessions. The hd700 is way more comfortable to me.

 

[AManAnd88Keys]

  I don't find hd800 that comfortable from my short sessions. The hd700 is way more comfortable to me.

Wait, you like the HD700? Blasphemy! Don't you know you are just allowed to like the HD800?!

 

[DefQon]

  I don't find hd800 that comfortable from my short sessions. The hd700 is way more comfortable to me.

That is blasphemy!

 

[mikek200]

What 009 comfort over the HD800's? Blasphemy! =p

With the 009's you can fall into two groups be awed by its crazy technicalities and like it or be amazed at the sound at first then eventually get over the honeymoon phase and move onto something else thats sounds more tonally right.

Well,I have to admit,I did think long and hard,before I sold my HD800 setup',you might be right,it is blasphemy.
What I should have said,l,more comfortable,than my current,007mkII,which I,m always fighting with to get the best,most secure fit.
Like I said before,I,m still on the fence concerning the 009,s,and I will need to try them out for many hours,with my current amp,before I buy..
"Crazy technicalities"
Want to explain this?

 

[AManAnd88Keys]

  That is blasphemy!

Get him!!

 

[DefQon]

"Crazy technicalities"
Want to explain this?

What people have been raving the 009 capable of delivering in terms of sound. 
 
If you've heard one for long enough you will know what I mean.

 

[padam]

What 009 comfort over the HD800's? Blasphemy! =p

With the 009's you can fall into two groups be awed by its crazy technicalities and like it or be amazed at the sound at first then eventually get over the honeymoon phase and move onto something else thats sounds more tonally right.

Imho it does sound "quite right" tonally. But in today's world with the way many of the recordings are mixed, it doesn't seem to matter that much.
Ideally it should have a more visceral bass like the 007 (mk1) but the latter sacrifices quite a few other things for that (starting with the tonality itself, especially the midrange).
Luckily, stacking up headphones is easier than having several speaker setups.
It is a shame I've never heard the SR009 "Realiser A8-ed" as from what I've gathered, with an appropriate profile it does make it sound much fuller (it does that to my Lambda as well, without taking away the astonishing mids, but I have no doubt that the bass would be superior on a circular Stax)

 

[mikek200]

What people have been raving the 009 capable of delivering in terms of sound. 

If you've heard one for long enough you will know what I mean.

Yes,I know what you mean,but I must admit,maybe,I've spent an hour in total with them.......so could use a bit more time.,definitely.
Also,IMHO,listening to a headphone like the 009 at a meet,is probably one of the worst places to make a decision on a headphone that runs,$4500- usd
So,I will contact the seller,who lives not to far from me,if he will allow me to take them home,for 48-72 hours,and test them out,
Of course,I will leave him a DP,if he feels it is needed.

 

[AnakChan]

  Imho it does sound "quite right" tonally. But in today's world with the way many of the recordings are mixed, it doesn't seem to matter that much.
Ideally it should have a more visceral bass like the 007 (mk1) but the latter sacrifices quite a few other things for that (starting with the tonality itself, especially the midrange).
Luckily, stacking up headphones is easier than having several speaker setups.
It is a shame I've never heard the SR009 "Realiser A8-ed" as from what I've gathered, with an appropriate profile it does make it sound much fuller (it does that to my Lambda as well, without taking away the astonishing mids, but I have no doubt that the bass would be superior on a circular Stax)

 
Personally I'm not certain if I'd agree with DefQon's definition of 009 fans falling into one of the two categories. But the 009 gets more head time than my 007mk1 and I find both to be relaxing enough.
 
I'm particularly curious about your comment the Smyth Realiser with the right profile providing a "fuller" sound. Has anyone had an opportunity to compare a SR-009 with the Realiser against the JPS Labs Abyss?

 

[arnaud]

I also find the 009 more tonally correct (in the sense of sounding tonally neutral) than the 007mk1, but that's driven from the stock 727 amp.

Having said that, there is no question the
Mk1 strikes the best balance between correctness and masking of unpleasant nature of some (many depending on you fav music genre) of today's recordings / true tone of some instruments (ever heard a trumpet or violin in real? It's not necessarily silk and smooth at actual loudness level ).

The 009 does not suffer of sins of commission like many a headphone do (because unfortunately, it's all a matter of compromise like ever other man made imperfect designs...). But the 009 also does not suffer sins of omission to please the ear at the expense of fidelity.

As such, the 007mk1 is much more accomodating of bright / harsh recordings or listening sessions at realistic and/or ear splitting volume levels.

In my not so humble opinion (why should an opinion be humble?), the 009 excels at low to moderate volume levels for moderate to excellent quality recordings and is the most chameleon like headphone I've heard (in the sense it's pretty difficult to hear the same sound characteristics coming back recording after recording).

The 007 is much more tolerant of music genres and listening habits while, apparently, giving very little away to the 009 when properly fed.

 

[3X0]

I didn't like the SR-007 the first time I heard it precisely because it felt a little reigned in and reserved against the full information present in the recordings.

I also like the Omegas for their stupefying resolution and similar chameleon-like qualities. They adapt from the silkiest jazz to the fastest electronic and hardest hip-hop like nothing else I've heard. I guess that's what people mean when the headphone should disappear?

That said, I've still yet to try the SR-009s and I'd love to hear the trio side-by-side someday. It's hard for me to guess where the SR-009 would fall in my preferences. It's very possible I might even appreciate the SR-007 more after hearing all three.