[zolkis]

Looking back at your 007 vs. 009 question, you also have to compare 007mk2 to 007mk1. The latter are more praised all around and have more technicalities to my ears, but mk2 have less annoying peak in the highs, and the low-mids bump due to the leaky design adds some enjoyment to the 007 slipper's behaviour (comfy but flabby)

Ali

To state a somewhat conflicting view, I have found the mk1 to be more open sounding (more mids), more extended in the deep bass and with more sub-bass impact but with less midbass impact than the mk2/3, smoother mids, and smoother highs as well. I guess what you hear may also depend on recordings and the music genre. I usually judge sonic qualities with instrumental music. With jazz, I often preferred the mk2. With both, the 009 usually comes out more neutral and with better pitch than both 007. Still, the 007 mk1 holds up quite well, especially when considering the price, the much lighter weight, and much better head-fitting possibilities (though it's not really an issue with the 009, I like it as it is, no need for clamping force change or anything, but I'd prefer the 007 light weight and adjustments). Also, I don't find the 009 to be too bright, nor hard in the sound, especially with the BHSE.

For an newbie, I would give 90% chance that someone would like the 009, and much less chance that one would like the 007 so much that won't upgrade to the 009 (and then the whole chain) - but it does happen, either on sonic or economic grounds (diminishing returns). So there is no way out, one needs to listen to both and decide which poison to choose.

 

[Ali-Pacha]

To state a somewhat conflicting view, I have found the mk1 to be more open sounding (more mids), more extended in the deep bass and with more sub-bass impact but with less midbass impact than the mk2/3, smoother mids,

I do agree until this part

and smoother highs as well.

Let's agree to disagree there. The 9 khz peak that annoys me is definitely more present on mk1 vs mk2, you can check measurements from innerfidelity or those we made with Sorrodje on the other site

I guess what you hear may also depend on recordings and the music genre. I usually judge sonic qualities with instrumental music. With jazz, I often preferred the mk2. With both, the 009 usually comes out more neutral and with better pitch than both 007. Still, the 007 mk1 holds up quite well, especially when considering the price, the much lighter weight, and much better head-fitting possibilities (though it's not really an issue with the 009, I like it as it is, no need for clamping force change or anything, but I'd prefer the 007 light weight and adjustments). Also, I don't find the 009 to be too bright, nor hard in the sound, especially with the BHSE.

For an newbie, I would give 90% chance that someone would like the 009, and much less chance that one would like the 007 so much that won't upgrade to the 009 (and then the whole chain) - but it does happen, either on sonic or economic grounds (diminishing returns). So there is no way out, one needs to listen to both and decide which poison to choose.

So you're like me, not so annoyed by the 1-2 khz of 009. And yes, 009 are more impressive on first contact...except for those who are sensible to 007's magic

Ali

 

[zolkis]

Yeah, I should have said here as well that both my 007 Mk1 and Mk2 were without the springs and with slightly thinner pad filling. This was the configuration I found optimal for both. Also, that might explain the difference in treble.
I need to dig out my own measurements of mk1 vs mk2, IIRC the mk1 did have a ridge, not a peak around 9 kHz, and the mk2 had more of a peak and less of a ridge.
BTW I did "calibrate" my measurement rig vs innerfidelity and the duper-frendz rigs with well known headphones like the HD650, SR507 and there was no major deviation there, though treble measurements are not reliable anywhere.
With these remarks, I still stand by my statement (which is not comparable really with yours, since we speak about stock vs modded configurations) - but the mods are reversible and free for everyone to try.

 

[XLR8]

Many thanks to those who replied. Legendary...

I am torn between mk1 007 and 009. We will see if i can find a mk 1 007.

 

[XLR8]

This is an interesting read as well.
www.headphoneer.com/stax-sr007mki-vs-stax-sr009/

 

[astrostar59]

Many thanks to those who replied. Legendary...

I am torn between mk1 007 and 009. We will see if i can find a mk 1 007.

Few points
1. Finding a MK1 will result in a HP well over 10 years old at least.
2. The cable entry on the MK1 is weak, a problem and often fails
3. Chances are the cups will be worn and the dust covers full of crud / dust / grease
4. If a driver goes, Stax will need to fit mk2 drivers anyway
5. MK2 2015 on is faster and more alive / accurate than the pre 2015 MK2, and IMO as good as the Mk1 maybe better
6. MK1s fetch silly money, beyond the value IMO.
7. Forget all the above and get the 009, you will end up with it anyway later, so buy now - JUST DO IT (as Arnie says....)

You can thank me later.

 

[JimL11]

OTOH, there's this:

1) the SR-007 Mk II is significantly cheaper than the SR-009, this allows a bigger budget for an amp - good ones include SRX Plus, KGSS Carbon and Blue Hawaii SE.
2) well known recording engineer Bob Katz considers the SR-007 Mk II (with port mod) superior to the SR-009 in tonal balance, see his recent blog post on InnerFidelity, "I have a love affair with my Stax SR-007 Mk2 phones, which I judge to be superior, smoother, more musical and accurate than the expensive SR-009 model."

https://www.innerfidelity.com/category/katzs-corner

 

[astrostar59]

OTOH, there's this:

1) the SR-007 Mk II is significantly cheaper than the SR-009, this allows a bigger budget for an amp - good ones include SRX Plus, KGSS Carbon and Blue Hawaii SE.
2) well known recording engineer Bob Katz considers the SR-007 Mk II (with port mod) superior to the SR-009 in tonal balance, see his recent blog post on InnerFidelity, "I have a love affair with my Stax SR-007 Mk2 phones, which I judge to be superior, smoother, more musical and accurate than the expensive SR-009 model."

https://www.innerfidelity.com/category/katzs-corner

True, but as has been commented here alread Bob's last HP was an ancient Stax lower range unit and amp. So I don't rate his opinion TBH. Yes he is a recording engineer, doesn't mean he is an audiophile and has top gear to use with it either.

The 009 scales beyond the 007 IMO once a good DAC and amp is in front of it. On the BHSE or Carbon the 009 leave the 007 well behind. Only The EQ as I call it in the 007 is forgiving in some systems, but in my setup I prefer without that effect.

 

[ToroFiestaSol]

It really depends, the guy who asked the question has a lot of Grado headphones in his signature, so more than probably he'll prefer the 009 if he likes Grados.

 

[Ali-Pacha]

OTOH, there's this:

1) the SR-007 Mk II is significantly cheaper than the SR-009, this allows a bigger budget for an amp - good ones include SRX Plus, KGSS Carbon and Blue Hawaii SE.
2) well known recording engineer Bob Katz considers the SR-007 Mk II (with port mod) superior to the SR-009 in tonal balance, see his recent blog post on InnerFidelity, "I have a love affair with my Stax SR-007 Mk2 phones, which I judge to be superior, smoother, more musical and accurate than the expensive SR-009 model."
https://www.innerfidelity.com/category/katzs-corner

I do agree with your first part, but strongly disagree with the second authoritative argument. I've read statement from recording engineer that are more than strange, like Utopia and LCD4 are pretty comparable.

Specifically, reading Bob Katz' statements activates automatically the "oh man, another random 'murican warm-head in love with Audeze and overemphasing his own experience to make it look objective" trigger to me Even if I quite like a good ol' LCD-2

Ali

 

[JimL11]

I do agree with your first part, but strongly disagree with the second authoritative argument. I've read statement from recording engineer that are more than strange, like Utopia and LCD4 are pretty comparable.

Specifically, reading Bob Katz' statements activates automatically the "oh man, another random 'murican warm-head in love with Audeze and overemphasing his own experience to make it look objective" trigger to me Even if I quite like a good ol' LCD-2

Ali

We're all entitled to our own opinion. This is why the best advice is always to listen for yourself. Just to add a little balance, a few months ago we had a little Head-Fi meet in Albuquerque in a library, so a reasonably quiet environment. I brought along a HeadAmp BHSE, SR-007 Mk II with port mod, and SR-009. Out of six persons (not including myself) who listened to both headphones, three preferred the 007, three preferred the 009. I prefer the 007 myself.

 

[Ali-Pacha]

Indeed

Ali

 

[zolkis]

IME when comparing headphones, it is a rewarding strategy to not rely on short impressions, but take your time. Long (days of) A/B sessions with well known music selection may make different outcome than short comparisons. For me it's been always very revealing how I judged the sound right after waking up at dawn (ambient silence, plus ears and brains adapted to silence). I almost never had to change impressions formed in early morning listening after a good sleep - though it happens rarely, since I am a night owl.

 

[JimL11]

IME when comparing headphones, it is a rewarding strategy to not rely on short impressions, but take your time. Long (days of) A/B sessions with well known music selection may make different outcome than short comparisons. For me it's been always very revealing how I judged the sound right after waking up at dawn (ambient silence, plus ears and brains adapted to silence). I almost never had to change impressions formed in early morning listening after a good sleep - though it happens rarely, since I am a night owl.

Definitely something to this. Some systems promote long listening sessions, while others make you more fatigued as you listen for longer periods.

 

[JimL11]

True, but as has been commented here alread Bob's last HP was an ancient Stax lower range unit and amp. So I don't rate his opinion TBH. Yes he is a recording engineer, doesn't mean he is an audiophile and has top gear to use with it either.

This is true, but he has also heard many of the TOTL headphones at Tyll's Big Sound 2015 event, to which he brought his own modded SR-007s (which means that he owned them at least since then). If you've read his blog he has a pretty high end speaker system, which he uses in his day job, he has a trained ear which he uses daily in his business, and finally, he uses his own material which he mastered, so he knows better than most what it should sound like - that is an advantage that very few of us have. You don't have to agree with his opinion, but he has better backup for it than most of us here.