The Stax Thread III

[TheAbyss2022]

With a small EQ bass shelf I think the stax SR-009 is right there with HE-6/Stax007MKI/II/Audeze CRBN but SR 009 has a bigger soundstage than all of them by quite a margin.
Maybe something to consider too you can find the sr 009 around $1700-$1900 second hand, because it has great build quality you'll find most of them in good shape.

The SR-009 has about 90% of the mid bass slam of the CRBN with much better definition and texture. I luckily got mine for £1,400 but I would highly recommend one if you can get it for under £2,000. You won't find another headphone with as much technical performance and wow factor for the price.

 

[LarsHP]

With a small EQ bass shelf I think the stax SR-009 is right there with HE-6/Stax007MKI/II/Audeze CRBN but SR 009 has a bigger soundstage than all of them by quite a margin.
Maybe something to consider too you can find the sr 009 around $1700-$1900 second hand, because it has great build quality you'll find most of them in good shape.

As I wrote, I just bought a new SR-007 Mk2. I don't see myself buying another electrostatic headphone in the near future.

A fellow head-fi'er in this thread said that some amp builders consider SR-007 Mk2 to be the best headphone Stax ever made.

 

[TheAbyss2022]

As I wrote, I just bought a new SR-007 Mk2. I don't see myself buying another electrostatic headphone in the near future.

A fellow head-fi'er in this thread said that some amp builders consider SR-007 Mk2 to be the best headphone Stax ever made.

There is divided opinions on the 007 vs 009 debate.

I have never heard the 007 line-up but people that also own the CRBN (@Svperstar) state that it is an improved 007. I personally prefer the Stax 009/009S to the CRBN as they have a more balanced sound with better technical ability however, I am willing to give the 007 Mk2 a try. There is one on eBay for £930 which is a great price but I need to wait until I get paid next Friday so hopefully it remains available and I will give it a fair assessments against the 009 series.

 

[Daiyama]

If anyone is interested:
SR-007 MKII in classified

 

[Aspirant Audiophile]

A fellow head-fi'er in this thread said that some amp builders consider SR-007 Mk2 to be the best headphone Stax ever made.

Surely that person meant the 007mki, no? I don't know any builder who would say that about the mk2, very fine hp that it is.

 

[Svperstar]

Surely that person meant the 007mki, no? I don't know any builder who would say that about the mk2, very fine hp that it is.

Yes it was the mk1. Might have been a typo when I originally said it. That same person said the last time he listened to the 009s he "pulled it off his head in less then 30 seconds it was so bad" or something else similar.

Another review I read of the 009s said that when putting in a bass boost of 6db the driver started to make crackling noises, so the reviewer marked the 009s as bass deficient and not able to be fixed so only recommended the 009s if you only listen to genres of music with little to no bass. Other people say they dial in bass boosts just fine.

 

[TheAbyss2022]

Yes it was the mk1. Might have been a typo when I originally said it. That same person said the last time he listened to the 009s he "pulled it off his head in less then 30 seconds it was so bad" or something else similar.

Another review I read of the 009s said that when putting in a bass boost of 6db the driver started to make crackling noises, so the reviewer marked the 009s as bass deficient and not able to be fixed so only recommended the 009s if you only listen to genres of music with little to no bass. Other people say they dial in bass boosts just fine.

How can you take someone's opinion serious if they only listen to a headphone for such a short amount of time.

It's true that the 009S does not have great bass impact but it makes up for it with incredible texture and improvements in detail, timbre and holography over the regular 009 and both headphones excel in different genres.

 

[Daiyama]

I am quite sure these are the words from the mighty „spritzer“ himself.

And please be aware he is talking about the 009S not the 009!

 

[LarsHP]

Surely that person meant the 007mki, no? I don't know any builder who would say that about the mk2, very fine hp that it is.

It was a comment to my post stating I just bought the Mk2 version, and kind of confirmed my choice of headphone model, so I expect it was in fact the current (now discontinued) SR-007 Mk2 he referred to.

I just found the post. It is indeed the Mk 2 version which was referred to:
"That depends on your opinion. They just discontinued it not long ago. One amp maker in the estat community thinks the 007mk2 is the best estat Stax makes"

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-stax-thread-iii.677809/page-1752#post-18366051

However, I now see that the member corrects himself, saying it was Mk 1.

 

[LarsHP]

For those interested in a brand new SR-007 Mk2 or SR-007A, they are on sale for about US$ 1350 (after 25% Danish VAT is deducted) in Denmark. I bought my sample there. Shipped with DHL to me in Norway. VAT was deducted after order was completed.

https://headfreaks.dk/products/stax-sr-007a

https://headfreaks.dk/products/stax-sr-007mkii

 

[dagothur]

Does anybody know why Stax discontinued the SR-007? I haven't found anybody talking about it other than it being mentioned here.

 

[Chefguru]

Does anybody know why Stax discontinued the SR-007? I haven't found anybody talking about it other than it being mentioned here.

It’s either that they felt it wasn’t a good complement unit anymore (in price point or sonic signature).... or they have a new version in the works.
Retailers have said the bulk of Stax sales were 007 and x9k , so it was not demand related, but no official reason was announced.

 

[dagothur]

It’s either that they felt it wasn’t a good complement in both price point and sonic signature or they have a new version in the works.
Retailers have said the bulk of Stax sales were 007 and x9k , so it was not demand related, but no official reason was announced.

I really hope they make a new version with the X9K's headband and detachable cables. The sound signature is perfect to me.

 

[BenF]

Her are the graphs:

Larger:

Is this a real frequency response of X9000?
Looks terrible, ~20dB drop from 1kHz to 5kHz
009 measures a lot better.

 

[LarsHP]

Is this a real frequency response of X9000?
Looks terrible, ~20dB drop from 1kHz to 5kHz
009 measures a lot better.

Unfortunately, we can't compare different measurement setups. There is only relative value, comparing different headphones or amps using the same setup.