[rgs9200m]

Brightness is a strange animal. Somehow, bad brightness is a form of distortion that is painful and fatiguing,
while a headphone that has very evident and extended treble that is done well is refreshing and can be the best aspect of the phones,
making them so compelling and addictive it takes over my whole concentration.
This is what I hear with my Stax 009s.
 
I have heard "bad brightness" with many different dynamic phone/amp combos in the past that I sold because of this problem.
The 009s actually sound like the treble is more extended and present than the "bad brightness" phones, but it is a good thing, not a bad thing.
 
In fact, I always considered myself brightness-averse, but the 009s changed that, and made me see what a valuable thing clean, clear, natural highs could be,
and that's why I really love my 009s and can listen for hours with zero pain and they draw me in to the music unbelievably. (I just use a humble 007t amp).
I used to have SR007 Mk 1s (with the same amp) and did not find them anywhere near as compelling as the 009s in any way.
Just my 2 cents here.
 
[edited for grammar only -rgs]

 

[spritzer]

The HE60's are bright but smooth, the SR-009 have a glare that some of us find very annoying.  SR-007Mk2 (SZ3) has it as well and the 507.  Now if you listen to a lot of classical then this is a smaller issue due to the heavy compression used on most recordings. 
 
Shipping electrostatics is always tricky.  Rapid temperature and humidity changes are problematic as they affect the sensitive relationship between the resistive coating and the large metal stators.  The only exception to this is the HE60.  Just took this earlier today:
 

 
Only two pieces, both fiber reinforced plastic and almost no metal used.  The gold is all conductive paint. 

 

[rgs9200m]

Just subjective of course, but I listen to popular/rock music all from a digital source (an EMM cdp), and I hate glare, and I don't hear glare from my 009s.
I sure heard glare from my Denon 7000, Beyer T1s, and others.

 

[Argybargy]

I don't hear any treble glare with my new 507s through a NOS DAC and SRM 600 Ltd. Supposedly NOS DACs roll off the treble, but I upsample to 96khz through Fidelia and this is supposed to compensate for the lack of treble sparkle.
Right now after 178 hours, the 507s sound balanced and mildly warm. After making a few fit adjustments the bass has tightened up some.
I actually wish it had a brighter, dryer sound, but still a keeper nonethless.

 

[MohawkUS]

Well played, milosz.

In other news, I get my SRD-X in a few days. Do you think it will be able to stack up sonically with my previous SRM-Xh, or will it be a step down? I've read that energizers give up some detail in exchange for more bass, is that true as well? Keep in mind that I only have an SR-303, which isn't that hard to drive relative to other Stax.

Sort of. Comparing the T1 to my SRD-6SB the energizer is more in your face and has more treble and bass energy. The T1 is warmer, more detailed(and nuanced), and more liquid/smooth. Personally I prefer the energizer as I felt the T1 was too lacking in the treble and bass. Of course the energizer sounds completely different depending on what amp is behind it so I'm not sure that's much help. I've heard it sound mushy and slow from a Pioneer SX780 and thin and bright from a Sherwood S7210A. Currently I'm running it through a Sherwood S6000(Same guts as the S8800)

 

[grokit]

Quote:

Brightness is a strange animal. Somehow, bad brightness is a form of distortion that is painful and fatiguing,
while a headphone that has very evident and extended treble that is done well is refreshing and can be the best aspect of the phones,
making them so compelling and addictive it takes over my whole concentration.
This is what I hear with my Stax 009s.
 
I have heard "bad brightness" with many different dynamic phone/amp combos in the past that I sold because of this problem.
The 009s actually sound like the treble is more extended and present than the "bad brightness" phones, but it is a good thing, not a bad thing.
 
In fact, I always considered myself brightness-averse, but the 009s changed that, and made me see what a valuable thing clean, clear, natural highs could be,
and that's why I really love my 009s and can listen for hours with zero pain and they draw me in to the music unbelievably. (I just use a humble 007t amp).
I used to have SR007 Mk 1s (with the same amp) and did not find them anywhere near as compelling as the 009s in any way.
Just my 2 cents here.
 
[edited for grammar only -rgs]

 
 
Thanks for the post, this is the way I hear the 009 as well and have been curious about the MKI in comparison. Have you ever heard the 4070? From what I have read (not much) they have been described as sounding in-between the 007/9.

 

[padam]

Quote:

 
 
Thanks for the post, this is the way I hear the 009 as well and have been curious about the MKI in comparison. Have you ever heard the 4070? From what I have read (not much) they have been described as sounding in-between the 007/9.

That might rather be the SROmega although that is somewhat different to them as well. But the 4070 is something else again.

 

[anetode]

I can see that for many tastes the 009 may come off as being on the brighter side and am inclined to believe that the glare is an issue of frequency response rather than resonance or hd. Luckily, as arnaud mentioned, their effortless clarity allows for terrific low-volume listening which goes a long way to mitigate the onset of listening fatigue. They're extremely fun at loud volumes as well, but there the neutrality might give way to a (minor shrillness). At times they require a companion foil for alternate listening conditions.
Quote:

 
 
Thanks for the post, this is the way I hear the 009 as well and have been curious about the MKI in comparison. Have you ever heard the 4070? From what I have read (not much) they have been described as sounding in-between the 007/9.

I've grown to quite like the 4070 though they lack "refinement", in the conservative sense of that buzzword.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

Brightness is a strange animal. Somehow, bad brightness is a form of distortion that is painful and fatiguing,
while a headphone that has very evident and extended treble that is done well is refreshing and can be the best aspect of the phones,
making them so compelling and addictive it takes over my whole concentration.
This is what I hear with my Stax 009s.
 
I have heard "bad brightness" with many different dynamic phone/amp combos in the past that I sold because of this problem.
The 009s actually sound like the treble is more extended and present than the "bad brightness" phones, but it is a good thing, not a bad thing.
 
In fact, I always considered myself brightness-averse, but the 009s changed that, and made me see what a valuable thing clean, clear, natural highs could be,
and that's why I really love my 009s and can listen for hours with zero pain and they draw me in to the music unbelievably. (I just use a humble 007t amp).
I used to have SR007 Mk 1s (with the same amp) and did not find them anywhere near as compelling as the 009s in any way.
Just my 2 cents here.
 
[edited for grammar only -rgs]

 
Quote:

 
 
Thanks for the post, this is the way I hear the 009 as well and have been curious about the MKI in comparison. Have you ever heard the 4070? From what I have read (not much) they have been described as sounding in-between the 007/9.

 
That's the way I hear it too. The HD800s (or the T1s more so) can become fatiguing on brighter recordings, but I've never had that happen with my SR-009s. I've had them for 7 months now and they still don't stop to leave me awestruck by what I hear.

 

[edstrelow]

Quote:

This time I traveled on a plane with my 009 setup. My 009's hate traveling. They sound far more odd than any other Stax I have after traveling. I use a Pelican case and am hoping that they air seal on the case is not doing bad thing like putting bad pressure on the drivers when the case moves in travel. It has been a couple days and one driver seemed a little down  with treble and bass. It has been over an hour listening and trying setup adjustments to get the sound right. I just heard something happen with the driver that seemed off. It was like a very soft type pop where the sound seems to have restored itself. 
Edit. It is now the next day and I am thinking it may be from wax build up in the ear. They don't sound bright at all and if anything they sound a bit dull to me. Probably should get my ears looked at when I have a chance

  Air travel and even some car travel may change your hearing especially if you have any inflamation of the eustachian tubes or are prone to nasal allergies.  Years ago I decided there was no point in trying to assess  any system within a day or so of getting off a plane unless you were sure your hearing had returned to normal.  
 
    A delicate subject but I use an earwax removal kit from the drugstore about every 4 months and am often surprised how much difference this makes to the sound of headphones.  This also helps avoid trapping water in the ear when swimming.  Excessive ear wax can also give balance problems which was my first exposure to the need to keep ears clear of wax.  

 

[DefQon]

Anybody wanna buy a HE90?
 
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/251266510576?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1431.l2649

 

[Nemeske88]

For a postage cost AU $ 144? NO WAY!
 

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I like how the HE90 is conveniently being sold for the cost of the SR009.

 

[AnakChan]

For a postage cost AU $ 144? NO WAY!

 

If a fair chunk of the shipping is in insurance, it may not be so bad.

 

[CDPlayer]

Seller has 0 feedback. Hmm.