Dreadhead Posted September 18, 2011 Report Posted September 18, 2011 ^ Will that mean they have better synergy?
spritzer Posted September 18, 2011 Report Posted September 18, 2011 Silver BHSE FTMFW!!!! I rearranged my system yesterday and moved in the KGSS and swapped out the APL for the RAKK dac Nate built. This setup doesn't have the resolution of the APL/BHSE but it does make the bright nature of the SR-009 less annoying to me. Well, I've got a pair of 009s here. It was sent from TMoney. Are there some different versions of these. (I'm such a Stax n00B!) The serial number of your 007 is SZ1-1023. Only one version of the SR-009 we are aware of and given that there are less than 300 units out there a second version is highly unlikely. That would be a SR-007 Mk1 unit. Take extra care to get the fit of the earpads right since they rotate and so does the housing. Given that the artificial head might be a bit thinner then what the headphones are setup for, you might have to bend the two metal arcs to get a good fit. For my rather large head I normally open up the arcs, make them wider and also remove the "break" next to the earcups. As for run in, I've owned a lot of new Stax headphones and compared them to well used examples with no difference that I could discern.
screaming oranges Posted September 18, 2011 Report Posted September 18, 2011 A bit off-topic, but is that a commercial headphone stand available somewhere? or is it a custom product... I like it a lot!
El_Doug Posted September 18, 2011 Report Posted September 18, 2011 A bit off-topic, but is that a commercial headphone stand available somewhere? or is it a custom product... I like it a lot! I think it's a giant espresso tamper
Currawong Posted September 19, 2011 Report Posted September 19, 2011 Geez, I almost hate to ask this, but do folks feel that the Stax cans have a break-in period? And here's the pic I took today for the article introducing electrostatic measurement program. Damn. I am enjoying the 009s at about 70 dB now I found out what was freaking out in my rig -- polarity reversal was screwing things up.
Wmcmanus Posted September 19, 2011 Report Posted September 19, 2011 Breathe, baby, breathe! [ /Tea Party cheer] Actually, my original post was that if he only got 5 on this next batch, I could wait, since I won't get to Illinois to pick them up for about another month. Kind of caught me between trips, as I just got back from Florida the other day. No way would I have them sent directly to Cayman and get hit with a 22% import duty. I'll just walk through Customs with them hanging around my neck and they'll think they're my travel phones!
Voltron Posted September 19, 2011 Report Posted September 19, 2011 Actually, my original post was that if he only got 5 on this next batch, I could wait, since I won't get to Illinois to pick them up for about another month. Kind of caught me between trips, as I just got back from Florida the other day. No way would I have them sent directly to Cayman and get hit with a 22% import duty. I'll just walk through Customs with them hanging around my neck and they'll think they're my travel phones! Sorry, Wayne, my goofy post was 100% about your lack of CPAP and breathing issues, not defensive Stax protectionism. . Glad to hear it is doing better too!
justin Posted September 19, 2011 Report Posted September 19, 2011 Actually, my original post was that if he only got 5 on this next batch, I could wait, since I won't get to Illinois to pick them up for about another month. Kind of caught me between trips, as I just got back from Florida the other day. No way would I have them sent directly to Cayman and get hit with a 22% import duty. I'll just walk through Customs with them hanging around my neck and they'll think they're my travel phones! with an unusual ribbon cable maybe buy a pair of Skullcandy and put them in the box
Tachikoma Posted September 19, 2011 Report Posted September 19, 2011 The HP2 is indeed one of the few Grado's I can stand but the price and fragile nature of the drivers scares me. There is a set 5 minutes away from me that I can borrow at anytime so that is good enough for me. It is a real shame that the SR-X Mk3 Pro's are so rare since they largely deliver on the greatness the normal bias model hinted at. Besides the SR-2 then I guess this is the rares of all Stax headphones as they almost never show up on the used market. SR-X Mk1's are also silly rare, I first now have a set after all these years. I like my SR-X pro, but the SR-X normals somehow have a certain quality in the midrange that's just... more alluring? It has been a while since I've heard the normals though, since I've given them away. How much of an improvement can I expect by swapping out the SR-X Pro's kettle cable for something nicer? The top end still sounds a bit muffled sometimes. Having said that I'd rather not modify a collector's item like the SR-X pro if I can help it...
mypasswordis Posted September 19, 2011 Report Posted September 19, 2011 The "muffled" top end (more like a comb filter effect) is a function of the housing design and proximity to the ear. The capacitance change from a kettle to ribbon cable isn't that significant (probably, I haven't measured), and that PCOCC crap doesn't make a difference.
spritzer Posted September 19, 2011 Report Posted September 19, 2011 22% import tax, that's nothing! Our VAT alone is 25.5% and it goes on top of the import tax, special electronics tax and the shipping... As for the cable, the change is minor and not worth messing with such a rare beast.
aross Posted September 19, 2011 Report Posted September 19, 2011 My experience with my new STAX SR 009 - While the several hundred hours of “break-in” was ongoing, I selected from my library a collection of vocal, solo instrumental, chamber, orchestral, symphonic and jazz of various colors to be used during my audition adventure. All of this music was downloaded from several online “high-resolution” sites. Being experienced with headphone listening since the early 1980s, and exclusively so since the mid 1990s with earlier STAX equipment, I can state that my experience with the STAX SR 009 and the WOO AUDIO WES combination was a “mind blowing” revelatory immersive experience. Prior to receipt of these new headphones from STAX, my system included two SR 007 MKII “phones.” Vocal performances, solo and small instrumental groups (classical or jazz), symphonic and orchestral pieces, the oft-used phrase “you are there” is supremely accurate. The articulation, blending, harmonics, dynamics and presence of each performance are startling. An example of what I am trying to portray is this: Consider that during a live performance you leave your seat for a visit to the rest room. Upon your return to the auditorium, as you open the door and enter, the on-going performance leaps out at you and you are enveloped by an infinity of sonic stimulus. Suddenly there is no longer anything between you and the music. The depth and speed of the bass and the presentation its inner details are extraordinary. The wallop of the tympani and gigantic drum in Aaron Copeland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man” may not move your flesh, but it sure will “jiggle” the stuff between your ears. The mid range is smooth and airy and absolutely convincing. In Benjamin Britten’s Simple Symphony (movement #1, “Boisterous Bourree”), the power of the massed strings has earth tremor dimensions. Further, the dynamic keyboard attacks in Minoru Nojima Plays Liszt (Mephisto Waltz #1) have the power of cannon reports. As you progress up into the higher registers the “air” and detail continues and the freedom from congestion of massed strings and chorus of multiple other instruments is breathtaking, and given past experience, unexpected. In sum: Magical! Of course, these references assume that the high-resolution recordings are well recorded and contain the requisite digital information, and that the playback equipment is up to the task.
livewire Posted September 19, 2011 Report Posted September 19, 2011 (edited) Oh Yeah! How about Krypteria's Canon Rock? BTW, read your welcome letter... Edited September 19, 2011 by livewire
HeadphoneAddict Posted September 20, 2011 Report Posted September 20, 2011 I like my SR-X pro, but the SR-X normals somehow have a certain quality in the midrange that's just... more alluring? It has been a while since I've heard the normals though, since I've given them away. How much of an improvement can I expect by swapping out the SR-X Pro's kettle cable for something nicer? The top end still sounds a bit muffled sometimes. Having said that I'd rather not modify a collector's item like the SR-X pro if I can help it... I had a pair of SR-5NB with the kettle cable and one with the ribbon cable at the same time, and I thought they sounded pretty much the same. I only kept the ones with ribbon cable when I sold the other pair because of aesthetics, not sound.
luvdunhill Posted September 20, 2011 Report Posted September 20, 2011 WOO AUDIO WES combination was a “mind blowing” revelatory immersive experience. The WES is indeed "mind blowing".
Leonardo Drummond Posted September 20, 2011 Report Posted September 20, 2011 (edited) 22% import tax, that's nothing! Our VAT alone is 25.5% and it goes on top of the import tax, special electronics tax and the shipping... I know this is a bit off topic, but I feel like ranting a bit about this, if I may: just so you guys know what we Brazilians go through... our import taxes are 60% over the declared price PLUS shipping (for no reason). And, if the item is sent by FedEx, other taxes apply, such as ICMS, and the result is around 100% in taxes. Prices in this country are a shameless joke. Edited September 20, 2011 by Leonardo Drummond
blubliss Posted September 22, 2011 Report Posted September 22, 2011 Received the last 7 pairs, shipped them out an hour later, 2 left to be picked up, one tonight, one tomorrow. Got the first group buy under my belt, went very well, except maybe for the 5 month delay. Thanks everyone for being patient. I got not one complaint or even one question, nothing What a welcome relief to be amongst mature audiophiles.
Voltron Posted September 22, 2011 Report Posted September 22, 2011 Nicely done, Andy. Thanks for taking it on!
mikeymad Posted September 22, 2011 Report Posted September 22, 2011 Good job - wish I would have jumped on the bandwagon...
n3rdling Posted September 23, 2011 Report Posted September 23, 2011 Just plugged my set in, thanks again Andy
Hopstretch Posted September 23, 2011 Report Posted September 23, 2011 I see a grass roots movement forming. "Stop Taxin' Our Staxen!"
Elysian Posted September 23, 2011 Report Posted September 23, 2011 I wish I had discovered Stax more than a few months ago, as I regret not being part of the group buy After the current set of reviews, I've pretty much convinced myself that I need to buy the SR009 once my BHSE has shipped. Does anyone know of anyone within CONUS who has successfully bought a SR009 from PJ? I read through the entire thread and saw cautionary notes about PJ's questionable shipping, but $4440 looks much more palatable than the $5200 at WA and $5250 at Elusive Disc, and the used prices haven't budged from MSRP. Also, buying something this expensive overseas is a first for me. The $4440 at PJ is quoted with EMS. Can I expect more fees tacked onto that? Thanks for any insight on this. I hope some of the future SR009 reviews talk about its performance with electronica/metal/rock. I'm seeing mostly classical and jazz, which I don't listen to too often. Seems like pretty much everyone with the SR009 has either a BHSE or WES!
arnaud Posted September 23, 2011 Report Posted September 23, 2011 Seems like pretty much everyone with the SR009 has either a BHSE or WES! I must be the exception to the rule then. Kind of itching though with the strength of the yen atm...
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