Hey guys so I have had the opportunity to spend some good quality time with some of the most well known electrostatic headphones on people's minds and would like to provide you with a hopefully short review of my thoughts on them.
Gear:
- Denafrips Terminator
- KGSSHV Carbon
- Signal Cable XLR interconnects
Headphones:
- Hifiman Shangri-La Jr.
- MrSpeakers Voce
- Stax SR-007MKII
- Stax SR-009
- Stax SR-009S
I will provide the descriptions in the order in which I rank them.
5. Hifiman Shangri-La Jr.
This headphone has the worst build quality of the all which is hard to believe when taking its $4K price into consideration. Then again haven't we all kind of come to expect this from Hifiman. The cable is what can only be described as the worst possible cable to ever come with a headphone at this price and even below. However these things being said the more important aspects to consider are how it sounds. Midrange on this headphone has to be one of the best I have heard on any headphone I have thus far put on my head. I mean it is just extraordinary in just how beautiful and magical it sounds. Bass is competent and for the most part well presented just with little in the way of impact. Treble felt slightly veiled and possibly a little grainy to me. Overall the detail is still there and it really is a great sounding pair of cans, but you will have to decide if midrange glory is enough to justify the price of admission. If you can get it for a steal used then it's absolutely worth it to at least hear for yourself. But for me the fact that Hifiman had the balls to put this on the market for $4K is just a little crazy to me.
4. Stax SR-007MKII
Were it not for the terrible pricing of the Jr. above I would have put this at number 5. I know people absolutely worship this headphone, but I am led to believe that it is either the MKI or a modded version. I say this because this unit was so grainy sounding compared to the others that I could hardly listen to it. Had I not heard any of the others it could have been said that this was a decent headphone, however in this company I would not ever recommend it. I wish that I had an MKI to have tested as I can only imagine it would sound significantly better then the MKII. I have heard the SR-L700 in the past and felt that was far superior to these. I will say this, the bass on these is by far the most impactful of all the electrostatics I have heard and even some planars. So if your into bass and not much else the MKII may be for you. I am aware these well could have simply been a poor representation of the 007's from the factory, but none the less this is the one I ended up with so take that for what its worth.
3. Stax SR-009
I know, I know. How the hell is this number 3? These last 3 were unbelievably difficult for me to put in order and could in all honesty go in any order between the 3 depending upon your preferences. This one is just unreal in its overall accuracy. I have never heard a headphone that could render virtually every sound in a way that just seemed as though it were perfectly represented. The speed of these is just incredible. Few headphones have the stamina to keep up with metal music. These didn't even flinch. Everyone knows the reputation of these and requires little else in the way of description. Could I have afforded it I would maintain ownership of the top three, but as it is I let these go. But if you want the most accuracy without coloration I would venture to say there is no headphone made that would rival these.
2. MrSpeakers Voce
Some may wonder how I came to this conclusion. I have read so many reviews and post's on these that would have led me to believe they weren't that great. I have a hard time understanding why after hearing them. A lot of people said they simply "don't sound like electrostatics." What the hell does that even mean? They are electrostatics so by definition they sound like electrostatics. As audiophiles shouldn't we be embracing diversity in sound signatures? I must also ask if these individuals truly listened to and gave these a shot? They may not have the top end of the 009 or the bottom of the 007. They do however have an incredible and very accurate bottom end with great precision and speed. The top end doesn't sacrifice detail though it may not be as noticeable as on the 009. I think maybe the thing people miss most with these is the midrange. The midrange on these is by far the most detailed midrange I have heard to date. To be honest I never really thought of looking for more detail in the mids until I heard these. The 009's are overall more detailed, but the mids on the Voce are more detailed than the 009's and I honestly could hear midrange details that I couldn't replicate on the 009's. That is one of the main reasons I gave these the number 2 spot. The other reason and perhaps the most important reason is that these are
@mrspeakers first electrostatic headphones. Let that sink in for a moment. These are truly great cans with a price tag at $3K (just another plus). Stax owns the top spot here and for most, but Stax has been playing in this league for a long as hell time. If Dan Clark did this on his first shot all I can say is I can't wait for shot number 2 and beyond.
1. Stax SR-009S
These are rightfully designated as SR-009 with the S being representative of subtle change. That subtle change is a slight coloration or musicality infused into the sound signature. In every other way these may as well be the 009, but that subtle coloration was enough to make them my perfect headphone. While I enjoy accuracy, I find I enjoy it far more if tonaly more musical and euphonic. So to date this is certainly the best headphone on the market for me. I truly love the Voce and if you can afford both I believe it the perfect compliment to the 009/S as it will show you things in the music in a different manner.
Anyway I do hope that some of you may find some use for this review. I would love to hear where your impressions varied to mine.
If you read this far. Thanks for reading.