The Stax Thread III

[ToroFiestaSol]

  Wow! save your money for flagship Stax amp for SR-009!!!

  we will see next year!!!

 
Meh, Carbon without volume control and R-Core transformer is enough for me
However, SR-010 mmm...doesn't matter if I have to sell the car, I work near home 

 

[yates7592]

Very exciting news.

 

[zolkis]

If it's going to be a 80 year anniversary statement product, with a price tag to match, I'd probably stay with the modded 007, and eventually try to get an SR-Omega... though I am still so enamored with my modded Gamma Pro that at the moment it really fills the gap for having a second view to music .

 

[ToroFiestaSol]

Stax is not Hifiman or Sennheiser, they have very reasonable profit margins.
Just take a look at 009 build quality and tell me how much it would cost if produced by Hifiman (who priced Shangri-La at 50k because Orpheus costs 50k).
 
It will be under 10k, probably not reaching even 8k.
Hell, SR-007 costs 2000usd...SR-009 costs 4000usd, REALLY, they'll not jump to the crazy prices trend, makes no sense.
Keep in mind that 40k usd of the 50k cost of Shangri-La is the matching amp (remember the Stereoexchange ad of Shangri-La at 9999usd?), probably the same thing with Orpheus.
They'll sell the amp separately, as they did with T2 and Omega back in the days and also do with all their products.

 

[astrostar59]

  Great. Good luck and let the forum here know what you think. Merry holidays.
 
Just some more thoughts on the Stax SR007. Most headphones at any price have people who love them and many others who simply hate them.
But after almost 20 years of reading audio forums, it's my impression that it's very rare to find very negative comments on the SR007.
So a headphone with a vanishing amount of haters over 17+ years since its arrival says something significant I reckon.

True enough. But few would call the 007 transparent or fast. I think it's longevity and strengths are it is very forgiving. It fits with more systems and brighter DACs. Personally I never thought it beat my 009 on my system though. The treble energy withy the 009s can cause a brighter balance with some DACs and amps. I have yet to hear an amp make or DAC make the 007s sound better. Maybe one day.....
 
I have the 007A 2015 in by back up system with an AMR DP-777 and that system works well enough.

 

[JimL11]

 
True enough. But few would call the 007 transparent or fast.

I beg to differ.  Here is a quote from renowned mastering engineer Bob Katz:  "I've spent $4000 on the Stax 007 Mk2 and a custom-built KGSS amp, which can drive them as loudly and cleanly as you like. These are the most transparent reproducers I own, revealing details that are masked even on my fabulous loudspeaker system. "

 

[paradoxper]

I think the 007 is transparent and fast. I also find the 009 more transparent and fast. 
 
Therefore, I, for one, would rely on my own ears to reveal truths. 
 
Because you hear it differently only personifies subjectivism.
 
Or perhaps you have old ears and don't hear moar better than I. Or perhaps you prefer a colored sound. OR maybe Bob Katz has more defined
trained ears. OR OR OR.

 

[rgs9200m]

I feel the SR007 is the most transparent and fastest sound second only to the SR009. I do not sense that the HD800 or any other headphone excels more in these areas.
[Edited to say that I do *not* sense that the HD800 excels here. Just a typo. I left out the all-important 'not'.]
But these features of the 009 come at a cost to my ears, so the 007 is absolutely my favorite.
Nevertheless, I do feel that Bob Katz was over the line saying that 009-fans must be deaf. That's inappropriate. And with the right material, the 009 can be glorious too.

 

[ToroFiestaSol]

I find 007 (current MK2 version, with port mod) more transparent and fast than 009.
009 exagerates small level details and has an artificial treble. My amp is neutral, with grain free treble and mids (KGSSHV Mini) and my DAC is not bright (PS Nuwave DSD via Singxer SU-1, i2s). My 007 sounds neutral and natural with my chain, but 009 not. Also, 007 spots better the source changes. Swapping PS Audio Nuwave for a worse DAC (Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 or Audient ID22) made it sound bright and thin, not natural and real like with the Nuwave DSD. 009 sounded thin and bright with the two DACs.
 
If that's not the definition of transparency and speed...
 
Don't want to dismiss anyone's opinion, but if one of the most reputed mastering engineers on the world says: "009 wasn't even a contender, you have to be deaf to prefer it over port modded 007", using his own mastered tracks and educated, critical ear, with tons of experience with reference grade audio transducers...you can't differ with him, sorry, he is not your regular clueless reviewer paid by a magazine.
 
Brighter doesn't mean more transparent.

 

[Redwingnine]

One of the major reasons I went over to Stax was the transparency, speed, and overall tonal balance.  Have not heard a dynamic set of phones yet that can match what Stax does.   

 

[JimL11]

  I think the 007 is transparent and fast. I also find the 009 more transparent and fast. 
 
Therefore, I, for one, would rely on my own ears to reveal truths. 
 
Because you hear it differently only personifies subjectivism.
 
Or perhaps you have old ears and don't hear moar better than I. Or perhaps you prefer a colored sound. OR maybe Bob Katz has more defined
trained ears. OR OR OR.

I definitely have old ears. 

  Not saying that any one person is "the authority," just disagree with the quoted statement in my previous post, and cited someone who has good ears, makes his living relying on his judgments, and made his judgment using material that he mastered himself, something which the rest of us don't have access to.

 

[paradoxper]

  I definitely have old ears. 

  Not saying that any one person is "the authority," just disagree with the quoted statement in my previous post, and cited someone who has good ears, makes his living relying on his judgments, and made his judgment using material that he mastered himself, something which the rest of us don't have access to.

Sure. Just giving a little schiit. In the same vein of a builder such as Birgir touting whatever build is better than a T2.
 
There are no truths, just what your old ears enjoy. 

 

 

[mulveling]

If there is a Stax 010, I'm confident in the likelihood will be absolutely amazing, and redefine state-of-the-art in headphones. I'll want one immediately. While it's true that 007 detractors have diminished over time, it's also true that it's been around forever, and many of us have simply given up on it (after many tries) and moved on, no longer interested in discussing it further. 

 

[JimL11]

For paradoxper, BTW, speaking of builds and T2, how is your T2 coming along?

 

[catscratch]

I expect Stax to either drop the price of the 009 and 007 (and maybe discontinue something) and release a flagship at the original price of the 009, or jump up another $2k or so. But I think the former scenario is more likely. Stax has no bling or fashionable style to draw customers in with, and the amp requirements are a turn-off for many. So their card is value and substance, and that's likely what they'll play. But then again, who knows. There are plenty of markets with enough disposable income being tossed around that a $10k+ headphone will find some buyers, especially one with a Stax badge on it. I just hope it won't be excessively bright.

I also want to see them release more value-minded models that are good, and not just crazy flagships. I'll have an L700 soon, we'll see if they fixed the classic Lambda problems with it. They also need to update that housing, it may have been fine decades ago but these days looking like a rejected prop from a 70s sci-fi B movie isn't really cutting it.

Ditto on the 007, it's all been said before. Plus, with all the different versions that have floated around over the years, and with the problem of driving them properly, it's just hard to even have a conversation about them, since you never really know what kind of sound is coming out of the system at each end of the conversation. Well, you do if you've heard it all, but...

FWIW you can always equalize the 009 and 007 to have a similar FR and see which one resolves more detail (assuming both are well driven).