[b0bb]

  I don't imagine the sound of the STAX in ears would be similar to any of the  over ears. is it?

No, soundstage is strictly between the ears.
 
Bass is excellent, fast attack and goes deeper than most of the STAX range except the 009.

 

[Jones Bob]

I occasionally use my SR-003 Mk2 with my KGST. They sound really good with that amp. Be wary as they are a painful fit in the ears after 20-30 minutes. Maybe some custom silicone earbuds would help.

 

[b0bb]

Be wary as they are a painful fit in the ears after 20-30 minutes.

The MKI pads are much better, try these if you have the ones that came with phones which were nothing more than a rubberband
 
https://www.staxusa.com/parts/ear-pads/stax-silicone-earbud.html

 

[Jones Bob]

Thanks for the tip!

The SR-003 Mk2 are great in the summer when it's too sweaty to wear the overear STAX.

 

[jibzilla]

  Nice. But IMO the rest are catching up. And the Stax 'sound' is not for everyone of course. The 009 is polarising, the 007 more forgiving.
 

 
The 009 is very polarizing and as much of a pain to pair up source wise as the hd800 and 007mk1 amp wise. The 007 is more forgiving but kind of a hot mess when I think of all the issues. Like the hd800 it is amp picky and I was not impressed with an SZ3 model with both the GES and 727ii. I was much more impressed with a 71xxx model and mjolnir kgsshv but then Stax guru 3X0 said it was a lackluster amp, any version. I too feel that the kgsshv, while good, has some completion from synergetic $2k hd800 voiced amps let alone the $3k the kgsshv sells for. There is the Carbon but it is said by the builders themselves that it was started to help the 009's treble issues. That leaves the BHSE. Cool as it gets but a ton of money and an extra large footprint. Mjolnir only does one xlr input which is a pain cause I need 3 inputs and 2 rca. Head in Clouds stopped building. Did I say kind of a hot mess? Compared to the amp picky, paint flakey, hard to remove ear pad of the hd800 it is a hot mess. Hd800 has its faults but ultimately for me less faults than the 007 and 009 and I tried a few different versions, amps and sources.
 
To each his own though and I don't blame people for falling in love with the speed and transparency and 007mk1 bass. Even the best driven (owned Ravenswood and Teton) hd800 can not compete in those areas. Better soundstage though and imaging and detail are on par.
 
For me it is ironic that Spritzer likes to call allot of other headphones a hot mess. For me his one xlr only input makes both the 007 and 009 a hot mess because while the room my setup is in is decent size the space is really small and getting behind my salamander stand is not fun. I'm also not a fan of running this level of gear using adapters.

 

[bmichels]

   
The 009 is very polarizing and as much of a pain to pair up source wise as the hd800 and 007mk1 amp wise. The 007 is more forgiving but kind of a hot mess when I think of all the issues. Like the hd800 it is amp picky and I was not impressed with an SZ3 model with both the GES and 727ii. I was much more impressed with a 71xxx model and mjolnir kgsshv but then Stax guru 3X0 said it was a lackluster amp, any version. I too feel that the kgsshv, while good, has some completion from synergetic $2k hd800 voiced amps let alone the $3k the kgsshv sells for. There is the Carbon but it is said by the builders themselves that it was started to help the 009's treble issues. That leaves the BHSE. Cool as it gets but a ton of money and an extra large footprint. Mjolnir only does one xlr input which is a pain cause I need 3 inputs and 2 rca. Head in Clouds stopped building. Did I say kind of a hot mess? Compared to the amp picky, paint flakey, hard to remove ear pad of the hd800 it is a hot mess. Hd800 has its faults but ultimately for me less faults than the 007 and 009 and I tried a few different versions, amps and sources.
 
To each his own though and I don't blame people for falling in love with the speed and transparency and 007mk1 bass. Even the best driven (owned Ravenswood and Teton) hd800 can not compete in those areas. Better soundstage though and imaging and detail are on par.
 
For me it is ironic that Spritzer likes to call allot of other headphones a hot mess. For me his one xlr only input makes both the 007 and 009 a hot mess because while the room my setup is in is decent size the space is really small and getting behind my salamander stand is not fun. I'm also not a fan of running this level of gear using adapters.

 
Get a BHSE with good NOS & a Stax SR009    All my other Headphone are on retirement since I got this combo 

 

 

[vapman]

  The MKI pads are much better, try these if you have the ones that came with phones which were nothing more than a rubberband
 
https://www.staxusa.com/parts/ear-pads/stax-silicone-earbud.html

 
 

Thanks for the tip!

The SR-003 Mk2 are great in the summer when it's too sweaty to wear the overear STAX.

 
 

I occasionally use my SR-003 Mk2 with my KGST. They sound really good with that amp. Be wary as they are a painful fit in the ears after 20-30 minutes. Maybe some custom silicone earbuds would help.

 
 

 
No, soundstage is strictly between the ears.
 
Bass is excellent, fast attack and goes deeper than most of the STAX range except the 009.

Thanks to all, I will order a set soon.

 

[lojay]

Get a BHSE with good NOS & a Stax SR009    All my other Headphone are on retirement since I got this combo 

Until you get the T2 and HE90!

 

[Ali-Pacha]

Please, don't feed the pissing contest 

Ali

 

[astrostar59]

 

  Nice. But IMO the rest are catching up. And the Stax 'sound' is not for everyone of course. The 009 is polarising, the 007 more forgiving.
 

 
The 009 is very polarizing and as much of a pain to pair up source wise as the hd800 and 007mk1 amp wise. The 007 is more forgiving but kind of a hot mess when I think of all the issues. Like the hd800 it is amp picky and I was not impressed with an SZ3 model with both the GES and 727ii. I was much more impressed with a 71xxx model and mjolnir kgsshv but then Stax guru 3X0 said it was a lackluster amp, any version. I too feel that the kgsshv, while good, has some completion from synergetic $2k hd800 voiced amps let alone the $3k the kgsshv sells for. There is the Carbon but it is said by the builders themselves that it was started to help the 009's treble issues. That leaves the BHSE. Cool as it gets but a ton of money and an extra large footprint. Mjolnir only does one xlr input which is a pain cause I need 3 inputs and 2 rca. Head in Clouds stopped building. Did I say kind of a hot mess? Compared to the amp picky, paint flakey, hard to remove ear pad of the hd800 it is a hot mess. Hd800 has its faults but ultimately for me less faults than the 007 and 009 and I tried a few different versions, amps and sources.
 
To each his own though and I don't blame people for falling in love with the speed and transparency and 007mk1 bass. Even the best driven (owned Ravenswood and Teton) hd800 can not compete in those areas. Better soundstage though and imaging and detail are on par.
 
For me it is ironic that Spritzer likes to call allot of other headphones a hot mess. For me his one xlr only input makes both the 007 and 009 a hot mess because while the room my setup is in is decent size the space is really small and getting behind my salamander stand is not fun. I'm also not a fan of running this level of gear using adapters.

Oh my, lots of negatives. Pity, I had different experiences TBH. My Stax 717 was ok with the 007s Mk2s for a while, no issues, but found it could sound better with a better amp. That amp was a headinclouds KGSShv (Sanyo off-board). That combo was really good, smooth, dynamic and no fatigue. Then the 009s with the same amp was a step up. Yes, some treble issues, but that was fixed with some DAC tweaking. My current Carbon amp is better again and luckily pairs really well with my source. So IMO it is worth the 'hassle' or I like to call it the 'journey'.
 
Lets face it, there is no complete system high end Stat system I am aware of that is less than 10K and you can buy it at a shop or dealer. Well maybe at a dealer who sells both Stax and Cavalli? Another subject, not going there. My point is keep at it, it is worth it IMO. My life is better every time I put the HPs on, crappy corny quote I know, but I am being serious!

 

[nepherte]

   
Get a BHSE with good NOS & a Stax SR009    All my other Headphone are on retirement since I got this combo 

 

 
 

Until you get the T2 and HE90!

 
 

  Please, don't feed the pissing contest 

Ali

 
Obviously his Blue Hawaii is just a Chinese rip-off. It is black instead of blue. Dead giveaway.

 

[bmichels]

   
 
 
 
 
Obviously his Blue Hawaii is just a Chinese rip-off. It is black instead of blue. Dead giveaway.

 
no no, it is a real Blue Blue Hawaii ....  Promis...  

 

 

[HemiSam]

   
The 009 is very polarizing and as much of a pain to pair up source wise as the hd800 and 007mk1 amp wise. The 007 is more forgiving but kind of a hot mess when I think of all the issues. Like the hd800 it is amp picky and I was not impressed with an SZ3 model with both the GES and 727ii. I was much more impressed with a 71xxx model and mjolnir kgsshv but then Stax guru 3X0 said it was a lackluster amp, any version. I too feel that the kgsshv, while good, has some completion from synergetic $2k hd800 voiced amps let alone the $3k the kgsshv sells for. There is the Carbon but it is said by the builders themselves that it was started to help the 009's treble issues. That leaves the BHSE. Cool as it gets but a ton of money and an extra large footprint. Mjolnir only does one xlr input which is a pain cause I need 3 inputs and 2 rca. Head in Clouds stopped building. Did I say kind of a hot mess? Compared to the amp picky, paint flakey, hard to remove ear pad of the hd800 it is a hot mess. Hd800 has its faults but ultimately for me less faults than the 007 and 009 and I tried a few different versions, amps and sources.
 
To each his own though and I don't blame people for falling in love with the speed and transparency and 007mk1 bass. Even the best driven (owned Ravenswood and Teton) hd800 can not compete in those areas. Better soundstage though and imaging and detail are on par.
 
For me it is ironic that Spritzer likes to call allot of other headphones a hot mess. For me his one xlr only input makes both the 007 and 009 a hot mess because while the room my setup is in is decent size the space is really small and getting behind my salamander stand is not fun. I'm also not a fan of running this level of gear using adapters.

 
Out of curiosity, what does it matter what another member offered about an amp or headphones in such a critical review and conclusions as you're tossing out here?  I'm good with your sharing your views based on your experiences...that's appreciated.  I certainly get that many Stax are not for the masses, but you seem to be making some leaps quite definitively and I got lost in your post as to what is factually based on experience and what is extrapolation.
 
I could not get there with the HD800.  Way too sharp for my ears on some nice supporting equipment, but that's why there are so many options available to the community.  Different strokes for different folks.  I certainly don't go into the HD800 threads telling them their kit sucks to my ears given my limited exposure to the headphones in meets and such.  I would not be adding any value...
 
HS

 

[paradoxper]

Because talking about gear you've never heard and regurgitating the diarrhea of other members is what it's all about. 

 

[kh6idf]

  STAX friends,
 
Is anyone here familiar with SR-003MK2? I've been wanting some of the in ear STAX for a while. I've been eyeing them on eBay...
 
Hopefully I can find an amp which they'll run off of without too much trouble. There are plenty of bundles with the 252S on eBay, but I'm not such a fan of that amp.

For the past 3 days I've been listening to SR-003MK2 that I bought from Mudihan.  I'm using the SRM-252II and it sounds good to me.  Close to my SR202, except that the sound is all in the ear(s).  A little more bass with the SR-003 and highs may be SLIGHTLY rolled off but certainly not excessive.  Most of the Stax 'magic' is still there.
 
Getting a proper seal is essential.  If they don't stay in the ear without using the headband, the eartip is too small.  I am using the large size of the 3 provided and get a good seal with those.  Without a good seal they will have no bass and sound excessively bright.