{ STAX SR-007 / SR-009 / SR-009s } vs { HiFiMan Susvara } vs { HiFiMan Shangri-La Jr/Sr}

[tomislavkufrin]

DIY a kgsshv carbon and call it a day. Then use eq, or don't use eq. 

[Werner42]

31 minutes ago, tomislavkufrin said:

DIY a kgsshv carbon and call it a day. Then use eq, or don't use eq. 

Hi tomislavkufrin,

where can I find the schematic and a DIY assembly kit? Or a bill of material and the right circuit board for DIY? Do you have links where I can purchase a circuit board and maybe a DIY kit? That would be really cool 🙂. And how many bucks do you think such a DIY approach would cost?

Thanks in advance,

Cheers, Werner

[Rthomas]

1 hour ago, Werner42 said:

Hi Ranjan,

thank you very much for your kind posting and your very kind offer that I am allowed to quoting your recommendation when contacting the 'Hifi Lounge' Dealer.

Oh yes, maybe I will do this! Not right now (as being too absorbed by job at the time being, but this might calm down in the future, I hope 😉) but in some months it could really be an excellent approach.

 

Regarding EQ to Harman Target, I really like this approach! As EQ'ing at upscaled 96kHz(or more) and 24 bits can be directly performed on your uncompressed digital music files without any loss of sonic quality, digital EQ is the best way (IMHO) to adapt the frequency response to your favoured characteristic (or to neutral Harman Target).

It has been proven by countless scientific double-blind tests (ABX) that EQ'ing at these uptransformed frequencies and bit resolutions does not have any impact on sound quality for human hearing (so, also no negative impact). This is why all the professional sound engineers do exactly this while mastering and re-mastering the music for compact discs or hi-res datafile publication.

Someone on this forum, who is doing this in a very professional way is "O7_brother".

Please find his EQ posts (also on STAX SR-007, 009, 009s), e.g., at:

www.head-case.org/forums/topic/786-the-headcase-stax-thread/page/542/

But certainly you know about this already.

 

For audiophiles EQ is something like "devil's work" , audiophiles and HiFi enthusiasts often claim that EQ is a "No Go" and ruins the sound quality. IMHO, this is complete nonsense as the ABX tests as well as the projects of professional sound engineers prove the exact opposite.

 

So, if a headphone is too bright or the bass is not strong enough, many people apply another amplifier with another frequency response. I think, using EQ is much better and more efficient, here.

I'm not sure if solid-state amps do really sound different in ABX tests if they are strong enough. Weak amps may distort at certain levels but strong state-of-the-art SS amps should always apply a harmonic distortion that is inaudible for human hearing. So, I believe there is no audible difference.

Especially if you apply EQ to reach the Harman Target, there should not be any audible difference between an SS amp for 500 Euros or 50,000 Euros. My 2 cents, only, of course 😇

 

Which amplifier will you use with your STAX SR-009s ?

I use an SRM-717 (and I also own a SRD-X Pro and a SRM-007t, however the latter is broken, I will try to repair it).

Cheers, 

Werner

 

O7brother was the one who lent me his 009

Yes, EQ has really changed the game for me and to my ears there is no penalty in terms of sound quality. Maybe somebody more qualified may be able to detect some issues and of course not all headphones will handle EQ equally well. 

My amp is a Mjolnir Audio KGSSHV Carbon. I don't have any DIY skills so I just went for Birgir's best amp. It sounds fantastic with the 009. 

 

[ilikebananafudge]

Whoa.

[Werner42]

10 minutes ago, ilikebananafudge said:

Whoa.

What? 

Please specify ...