I have never seen or read such beautiful and accurate wordings in a review for 009 anywhere. I will share this link here together with my own opinions.
http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/stax-sr-009-electrostatic-earspeaker-playback-54/
**Quote**. During my time with the SR-009, I had the privilege of powering the headphones with
three different world-class electrostatic headphones amps: the
Woo Audio WES ($5000 - $6000 plus, depending on configuration), the
Kevin Gilmore-designed Head Amp Blue Hawaii SE ($5000), and a pre-production prototype of the upcoming
Cavalli Audio Liquid Lightning (projected price, $4250). As I listened through the three amps,
I was struck by the fact that the apparent “core sound” of the SR-009 changed in distinctive ways every time an amp switch was made. Each of amps offered a compelling, though distinctive take on “state of the art” sound, and what floored me was the almost shocking extent to which the Stax headphone took on the sonic personality of each of the amps (almost as if it became a whole new headphone every time it was fed by a different amp).
If ever an audio product were a true sonic “chameleon,” the SR-009 is the one.
**My opinion** Yes, this is exactly what I found from my Journey with 009. In my case, the KG Carbon, Grounded Grid, or T2. Every amplifier will effect the SR-009 in a different way, and distinctively so. Especially the KG T2, it will give you the experience of “impossible”! I say this because you
will take BHSE or Carbon or GG to be the best to the performances that the 009 can and have to offer (IMO, Carbon and GG offers different sound signatures but on the same league of performances, and this was when I thought that the 009 is performing at it best, and beyond this point, there can only be alternated signatures instead of improvements), but pair it with a KG T2 and once again, you will hear Distinctively Improvements yet again on the 009.
**Quote**The only caveat here, if there is a caveat, is that the SR-009, for obvious reasons, can only sound as good as the amp that drives it
**My Opinion**Yes. This is exactly what I found too ! People can be skeptical, but you need to be open minded to seek it out, the opportunity to hear the 009 out of different
top of the tier amplifiers and witness it yourself !
**Quote**The eerie thing is experiencing how rich, full, complete, and lavishly detailed the SR-009 can make two instruments sound, even when playing intricate material simultaneously. No other headphone I know of can match the SR-009 is this respect.
**My Opinion** Not only the 009 can do this to 2 different instruments simultaneously but Multiples in tracks that have it. Now, this is only the story and the performances that the 009 can tell out of those 3 amps the article author was able to gather. The KG T2 will Distinctively improves the spaces, the spartial presentations and positioning of each individual instruments in 3D dimensions that you can easily pick apart. This exotic spartial positioning and staging is what differentiate the KG T2 against the Carbon or the GG In the while of keeping all of the Pros of Rich, full, complete, lavishly details from them. Not only that, both of the signatures of the Carbon and GG will be combined together, the speed of the carbon, the Sweet tonality of the GG, and the vastly gigantic sound stage from the T2.
**My Opinion**Those are some of the keys components that I totally agree with the article, and there is 0 points given that I disagree throughout the article itself. You can read on and find out more about the 009 Stax.
**My Opinion**You may be one that is afraid and or being put off by the myth of “Stax has no bass, or 009 is bright/harsh”. I can tell you right here, and now, that neither of those are true, but beware of this FACT to have a good amplifier to properly drive the 009, your pocket may not have the capability to handle it! So, if anything, you should ask yourself, whether that you
can properly afford the 009, or you can not, and not how the 009 can perform. Very fair and square considerations
**My Opinion** So what are the Cons of the KG T2 ? It is hard to find, it may
Still be commissioned ATM, but expensive and take a while to wait ? Aside from that, it is running “HOT !! Very HOT!! After 2-3 hours listening, and 8 expensive tubes are too hard to Swallow”. Then again, consider yourself very blessed and capable to have the KG T2 in your place whether you are financial capable, or Technically DIY capable, or both.
