[Carell]

Hello jackskelly,
 
IMO you own a quite good headphone-setup. Before you think about the very expensive STAX-Upgrade I'd abdvise, to inform you about the smyth realizer  (which is also an expensive investment). When you once heard the difference of the sound in the middle of your head (most headphones) and a binauralized sound, you'll never want go back.

Because of my little apartment I have no opportunity to get a speaker-rig and my neighbors would stop loving me

In future I also want to invest in higher end (maybe also in SR-009) but at the time I'm satisfied with my HE-6/EF6 combination in partnership with the smyth realizer.
If you want a first feeling of it, try the examples of darinf in the "Smyth SVS Realiser - PRIR Exchange Thread". Even if the measurement is made with his ears you can get a good impression of the capabilities hearing with headphones.
Give it a try.
 
Carell

 

 

[chesebert]

Quote:

I agree that headphones are a compromise for music listening.  I'd listen to my monitors if I could never mind the rig I had before kids over headphones.  Also agree somewhere along the way we stopped smacking people up side the head when they pair great headphones to mediocre rigs.
 
Who else remembers the HD600 needing a $2000 source and amp to begin to scale?  Now people buy the HD800 and an O stack and make a manly pose.  Sigh.

 
Just found the O Stack thread -- do people actually drive anything decent with that? I reckon SBT + Glite would sound significantly better (could also consider the AQ dragonfly). The O stack thread reminds me of the old days when I had Pimeta and HD600 and thought I was hearing the shiit. Good times.

 

[zerodeefex]

Quote:

Thanks so much,
 
I will either get that or a great loudspeaker system. It's something I'm debating...
 
Jacks

If you are really looking to reproduce the sound of a live concert, you are better off with speakers. Please consider the Philharmonic 3s:
 
philharmonicaudio.com/philharmonic3.html
 
Dennis Murphy is arguably the world's foremost crossover genius and this speaker brand is his retirement pet project. He also performs in the Washington Philharmonic and designed his new speaker line with live concert performance listening as his reference. I've heard them through an Emotiva amp with an Oppo source playing a SACD and I can say I've never had a headphone experience that has come even remotely close. 
 
Headphones ar phenomenal for intimate listening and you are on a headphone focused forum so many of the recommendations will be along those lines, but for your use case, I can almost guarantee you're better off spending your cash on a major speaker upgrade and see if you want to have your headphone rig join later.

 

[Icenine2]

You also could by a Smyth Realiser for the be-there experience.  According to the owners thread here it is incredible.

 

[MorbidToaster]

If you can put the time and effort into speakers I'd do that. 
 
Having owned an 009 rig I can say it was amazing. Absolutely the best headphones out there...but when I started auditioning speakers I had an epiphany...I realized I'd forgotten what real soundstage and physicality were. It was definitely a 'wow' moment for me. 
 
I suppose it depends a bit on your situation. One thing that swayed me was my significant other. She was getting frustrated that she couldn't listen with me and I isolated myself with headphones. That's definitely something to consider as well.

 

[Icenine2]

Totally the opposite with me and significant other+kids.  Everyone doing something in the house so dedicated listening at good sound level isn't going to happen for me.  If you've got a dedicated listening room or big $$ then no worries.  My deal was listening less and less to the big rig(it did sound great) to the point of hardly at all.  One night I'm just looking at it when everyone is in the house sleeping, I can't listen, and I think I've got how much tied up in this and it sits here?  Like having a Ferrari in the garage but you can only drive it once a week if its sunny plus the others at one point are going to want it out of the garage entirely!

 

[jackskelly]

Well I was finally able to test out a Stax SR-009 yesterday at James's place, head-fi handle lithe1. He had it paired with his Cavalli Liquid Lightning. I did a direct comparison with my HD 800, and I do have to admit that overall the SR-009 is superior to the HD 800, not in every aspect, but most. The imaging of the HD 800 is still superior, though not by much. The SR-009 definitely beats the HD 800 in detail, clarity, and transparency. I would say the HD 800 is 90% there overall, and definitely a better value for the price, but that doesn't really matter much when you're trying to get to headphone nirvana. So I do think I'll have to buy one eventually, not now, but hopefully sometime this year. I'm still using the stock cable on my HD 800, so I could switch to a better cable or a balanced cable and upgrade my amp, but if I'm going to do that, I figure I might as well invest in the SR-009 and an amp.
 
Thanks again James for letting me hear your SR-009, and to everyone else on this thread.

 

[Golfnutz]

Quote:

Well I was finally able to test out a Stax SR-009 yesterday at James's place, head-fi handle lithe1. He had it paired with his Cavalli Liquid Lightning. I did a direct comparison with my HD 800, and I do have to admit that overall the SR-009 is superior to the HD 800, not in every aspect, but most. The imaging of the HD 800 is still superior, though not by much. The SR-009 definitely beats the HD 800 in detail, clarity, and transparency. I would say the HD 800 is 90% there overall, and definitely a better value for the price, but that doesn't really matter much when you're trying to get to headphone nirvana. So I do think I'll have to buy one eventually, not now, but hopefully sometime this year. I'm still using the stock cable on my HD 800, so I could switch to a better cable or a balanced cable and upgrade my amp, but if I'm going to do that, I figure I might as well invest in the SR-009 and an amp.
 
Thanks again James for letting me hear your SR-009, and to everyone else on this thread.

If HD800 was 90% of SR-009, nobody would own the SR-009...

 

[MorbidToaster]

Glad to finally hear what you think. The LG gets the HD800 as close to the 009 as I could imagine them being. 
 
10% is right around where I'd say as well. Lotta dosh for 10%, but man it's a glorious 10%.
 
Quote:

Well I was finally able to test out a Stax SR-009 yesterday at James's place, head-fi handle lithe1. He had it paired with his Cavalli Liquid Lightning. I did a direct comparison with my HD 800, and I do have to admit that overall the SR-009 is superior to the HD 800, not in every aspect, but most. The imaging of the HD 800 is still superior, though not by much. The SR-009 definitely beats the HD 800 in detail, clarity, and transparency. I would say the HD 800 is 90% there overall, and definitely a better value for the price, but that doesn't really matter much when you're trying to get to headphone nirvana. So I do think I'll have to buy one eventually, not now, but hopefully sometime this year. I'm still using the stock cable on my HD 800, so I could switch to a better cable or a balanced cable and upgrade my amp, but if I'm going to do that, I figure I might as well invest in the SR-009 and an amp.
 
Thanks again James for letting me hear your SR-009, and to everyone else on this thread.

 

[jackskelly]

Quote:

If HD800 was 90% of SR-009, nobody would own the SR-009...

 
Well, I think that extra 10% may be worth the price. I'm thinking 90% if you look at the broad spectrum of headphones, from apple earbuds at 0 and the SR-009 at 100. It's subjective obviously. And that may change if I have more time with them.
 
It does make me wonder how they could possibly improve on the SR-009, I can't imagine a headphone sounding much better than that. The only other headphone considered to be as good is the Orpheus. I'd really like to hear that eventually.

 

[Radio_head]

Quote:

If HD800 was 90% of SR-009, nobody would own the SR-009...

That's not how luxury items or enthusiast items work.  And the 009 is both.

 

[Olias of Sunhillow]

Quote:

If HD800 was 90% of SR-009, nobody would own the SR-009...

 
Disagree. 10% is huge in high-end audio.
 
I've owned the SR009 for a week and a half now, and based on a limited audition I'd say 10% is about right for my Stax rig (m903 > SRM-727ii > SR009) vs. the Senns (m903 > EC Super 7 > HD800).

 

[Golfnutz]

Quote:

That's not how luxury items or enthusiast items work.  And the 009 is both.

If the HD800 was 90% of the SR-009, I would have sold mine in the first week. How can you put a percentage on it, if you're saying it not linear?

 

[Radio_head]

I myself am not putting a number on it - I am saying if people feel the HD800 is very close to the 009's performance but the 009 is just a bit better, people would still buy the 009 because:
 
1) Enthusiasts are OCD and must have the absolute best, often no matter what the cost, even if its eking out minute differences.
2) The 009 is more luxurious, both in build and price/perception - so even if there were no difference those interested in the "best" would have bought.
 
So if it were true (taken for granted in this case) that an HD800 were "90% of an 009", it would not be true that 'nobody' would have a 009.

 

[jaycalgary]

I have only listened to the HD800 briefly at a meet. The way it presented the music was weird to me in that it was different than the other headphones. I would like to hear them again some day. I thought they fit really nice and were nice and light.
The 009's are very dense and heavy even compared to the 007's. Probably be in big big trouble if I ever dropped the 009's. I know I would rather be wearing the 007's. There is nothing that I have enjoyed listening to more than the 009's so far though.