[n3rdling]

I think the people who say something to the effect of the SR-009 having no/weak bass basically went into listening with a preconceived idea of "how electrostats sound" and clung to it.  They quite obviously hit pretty damn hard in the bass.

 

[theboch]

  They quite obviously hit pretty damn hard in the bass.

 
Absolutely. I went through a listening session with some "the XX" tracks which feature a wide variety of deep bass in every track and was so surprised by the bass quantity and quality that I initially was really shocked what the SR-009 can deliver in terms of bass...

 

[Sorrodje]

SR009 provides tight and impactful bass. It's not for people who like warm bass. the only Stax I heard before the SR009 was a SR303 and the first thing i thought when I discovered the SR009 (My reference headphone is the HD800) was "its does not have the typical Stat sound" . impact, meat and body are there.
 
I have a SR404 and a Koss. the Koss is warmer and provides a bit more bass but IMO the 404 offer tighter bass and more impact . The KOSS is in the FS board while the SR404 is on my desk.
 
Full and warm bass are not for everyone

 

[eric65]

I love my 009;  it is my best headphone; its first quality is its versatility: it is good to very good in all. The level in the bass is sufficient (better than the HD-800) ; the bass is very tight, detailed, textured, fast ; treble are not brilliant, they are rather soft, but it is clear that he has less impact in the bass than the LCD-3F. This is evident when listening to a piano.

 

[gammarayson]

I am rather fond of my Stax SR 007 mk 2s driven by the SRM 007t  (the so called Kimik version available from the uk). I also own some Sennheiser HD800s run by Oppo's HA-1. The 2 headphones compliment each other nicely, and as I have had both for around 6 years, I feel that I know them very well. Neither combination is perfect, but both have great qualities. I listen mostly to classical music and find that in demanding orchestral passages and some piano recordings, the Stax amp is under strain and in extreme cases distorts. I have been considering upgrading to a KGSShv amp which I have read about here which I believe is very highly regarded. I am curious to hear from other SR007 or 009 users who have upgraded from a Stax amp to a KGSShv about the sonic improvements they have experienced. Have the differences been dramatic or subtle? I have heard my HD800s on 2 amps, a Meier Audio Corda Concerto and my present Oppo HA-1. I couldn't hear much difference, slightly preferred the Oppo, but I'm also using a balanced cable which is a bit louder. However, the received wisdom here seems to be that the SRM 007t doesn't have enough "oomph" to drive the SR007s. 
Birgir kindly replied when I wrote to him:- 
 
As for the difference between the KGSSHV and the 007t II there will be more
of everything and the amp won't mind it at all when you push up the volume.
More control, more neutrality, more treble extension  and deeper bass.  This
email I got from a new KGSSHV owner a few weeks ago sums it up nicely:

Dear Birgir

I got the KGSSHV today - thank You very much! Much better than the modified
727: Much more articulation and authority with complex music, like
orchestras - where the 727 always gave up. Hard bass and soft treble -
that's how it should be!

Thanks again for the wonderful amp!
 
Have others also experienced the same?
PS Not really much chance of auditioning as I am in Denmark. I believe Moorhead has sold his.

 

[dripf]

   
I highly doubt you'd see any FR variation in the audible band between any of these amps.  They should all measure flat in FR.

 
 
How do we then find the difference?

 

[n3rdling]

   
 
How do we then find the difference?

 
Probably by listening while the amp is trying to power dynamic loads, instead of the typical THD @ 1kHz/Xvolts static load in the manual.  If you believe everything that characterizes an amp's performance lies in the standard measurements, that's fine and I have no problem with that, but there are probably other forums where you'll be more welcomed honestly.  I say this because it seems you're baiting a tired argument.

 

[lojay]

  I think the people who say something to the effect of the SR-009 having no/weak bass basically went into listening with a preconceived idea of "how electrostats sound" and clung to it.  They quite obviously hit pretty damn hard in the bass.

 
I agree that the SR009 has amazing bass. I really enjoyed the bass that the SR009 had with the Woo WA5 and Woo WEE combo. I would not even say its taut or lean in the bass - as compared to the HD800 it clearly has more bass quantity and hits harder. I can only imagine it'd get better with better amps.
 
However, compared to the HE-6, it is noticeable that the SR009's bass tends to "hit and run" and has a slight "fluffiness" to it, in the sense that it sounds less tactile and solid. It is hard to describe. While it goes probably just as low as the HE-6, and there is probably even more bass quantity than the HE-6 sometimes, it seems that the HE-6 pushes a thick chunk of air against your ear while the SR009 pushes air in a more "porous" manner leaving a quicker decay and less solid sustain in the bass. 
 
One would be right to say that the bass of an SR009 is different in nature to the planars, but not necessary weaker. The bass is there but presented in a different manner. Some may think that the SR009's bass is quicker and like that, some might prefer the HE-6 for a more impactful and tactile bass response that has sustain.

 

[dripf]

   
Probably by listening while the amp is trying to power dynamic loads, instead of the typical THD @ 1kHz/Xvolts static load in the manual.

 
Just yesterday I believed I had an EQ applied when the master was off. It took me fifteen minutes to realise.

 If you believe everything that characterizes an amp's performance lies in the standard measurements, that's fine and I have no problem with that,

We haven't applied the standard measurements yet. They may well be inadequate.
 
Quote:

I say this because it seems you're baiting a tired argument.

There has been no argument made previously about testing the behaviour of different electrostatic amps. Rather strange that you found my idea to be a good flashpoint to begin baiting the audio camps to war.

 

[n3rdling]

I was making an assumption based on your posting history.  If this isn't the case then I hope my responses were adequate.

 

[pataburd]

All this and I am STILL on the fence between the SR-007 and SR-009!
: )

 

[negura]

There was no contest for me. Buy both and decide later.

 

[NoPants]

  I think the people who say something to the effect of the SR-009 having no/weak bass basically went into listening with a preconceived idea of "how electrostats sound" and clung to it.  They quite obviously hit pretty damn hard in the bass.

 
I wouldn't go that far, there's just a frequency region where you don't perceive as much bass compared to above and below it. It's disconcerting when you're switching between the 007/009, even in my use case which isn't side by side

 

[edstrelow]

   
I have the SR-009 with a KGST amp.
 
I had the HD-800 and the LCD-2.
 
All I can say is that the SR-009 with the KGST does not have a problem with high frequency or missing bass (in my opinion).
 
They just sound right. Every frequency area seems to be just right... nothing overly accentuated!
 
While I loved the HD-800, the SR-009 is just overall the better headphone and for me personally more suitable and versatile.
 
The LCD-2's are also great, but their kind of coloration of the sound ist just too much for my taste.

  I don't dispute your opinion I merely suggest that a super easy mod with 50 cents worth of sorbothane might be worth listening to. So far I have worked on a half dozen Stax phones and they are all sensitive to this stuff.   I suspect so are dynamics, but I have only tried one so far.

 

[Earspeakers]

  There was no contest for me. Buy both and decide later.

I like that one. 
 
Personally I wouldn't bother, just buy the one you can afford and enjoy. People get way too obsessed by the most fabulously minor stuff IMO. But if you like getting obsessed by minor stuff, then go for it.