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Oh no! My social security services have been put a stop to! I better soon be touch because the notice was sent with strictness!

Saw is home. And ping ponged some hickory.

No

Sorry to hear that, Bedemst@gmail. I called the number and gave them your info, so they decided to reinstate your SS. Glad I could help.

I cannot get Disturbed - Down with the Sickness (strictness) out of my head.

I am drowned with the strictness. (replace with colloquialism)

Yaya Kim, a.k.a Yaya -- where K-pop meets prog Black Nail Cabaret, Pseudopop -- where electrogoth meets prog -- really immaculate, her voice reminds me of that girl who sang with Tricky...uh...Martina Topley-Bird! Yeah, that's it...

My ex boyfriend's safeword was "harder". It made for a lot of confusion.

If I were you, I would look for an on line contest and register with the telephone number they supplied you.

Thank god you don't live in the United_States_of_America. It sounds rough.

Laser surgery left eye to reduce pressure. This is my third time for my glaucoma but it has been almost 6 years since the last one. Right eye to be done middle of May.

Threw together a little quartersawn tea box today with box joints and dado for the bottom all done with the Shaper.

I’m going to post this in its own thread as so many people are asking me for X9000 impressions, and it makes sense to have them somewhere where they are easy to find. I was also going to take some pictures to add to this review but I’m just wiped. Might add some later if these ever present storms let up for some good light. I’ve now had the SR-X9000 here for over a week so time for a writeup... as my email inbox is full of people asking for just that. 🙂 First impressions were very promising, the build quality is superb, and those drivers are just a marvel to behold. I do like the new replaceable cables even, though it is a bit of a copy of the King Sound setup, and they really should include a 2.5m cable and a 5m one, the 1.5m makes no sense to me. The earpads might be a tad too big in terms of open area for their own good but they are well made and comfy. That new arc design is also excellent, far better than the 009 mess. The inspiration from the SR-Omega is clear but the build quality here is far, far better. Same loose feeling fit too; they mostly just hang off the head with minimal clamping. I really like how they drew inspiration from them, but I also have some issues with how that was executed… more about that later. The system I’ve been using them in is my main rig, Denafrips Terminator DAC feeding a Carbon CC all being fed from my main PC. Now for the sound, these are clearly voiced in the same direction as the 009/009S but not as horribly colored as those two. They sound open and lively with decent bass and the forward slant is there but far better than the predecessors. I remember thinking… “these are what the 009’s should have been 11 years ago” so yeah, not bad at all. For some recordings they really work but yeah… a few tracks in and the cracks began to show. A bit of a backstory, I’ve likened buying Stax to being in an “abusive relationship” for the last 15 years. Back in 2007 they brought us the 007Mk2’s with all of their issues. Sure, they could be fixed easily enough with some blutac but yeah it was a sign of things to come. At CanJam it was confirmed there was a new version of the 007Mk2’s out and they were even worse (the Mk2.5 as we called them), the blutac helped but could not fix the terrible voicing. Then it was announced a new flagship was incoming and the SR-009 landed in 2011. Now we all remember the clusterfuck that was, drivers failing left and right and forward sound with pitiful bass response… yeah, I’m not a fan. One bright spark was in 2014 when I got a new set of 007Mk2’s and they had clearly been changed for the better. The port finally kind of worked and the voicing was more like the Mk1’s. Then we got the limited edition 009BK (2016?) which I found to be a small improvement over the 009 but still that same sound and finally the 009S is 2018. Less said about them the better, quickest I’ve ever sold one of my flagship phones there… That brings us to the present and since the wait for the SR-X9000 was so long, I had time to bolster my collection to compare against them. I got a used set of 009S just to make sure I didn’t like them (that was still the case), a Voce (not arrived yet due to some shipping snafu’s) and finally the one I really wanted, a SR-Omega with early 007 Mk1 drivers. I had a set a decade or so ago and it’s really the only set of headphones I truly regret selling. I also got my final set of Audeze CRBN’s to compare against the new kid on the block. I had a lot of fun doing so and after a few hours I gravitated to a direct A-B test of the SR-Omega/007 against the X9000. Makes sense as they are a similar idea, put a more modern driver into that same basic housing design. That did reveal the two main issues with the X9000’s, the bright edge to everything which is just borderline annoying and more distracting than anything. Second are the imaging issues… First off, the brightness, with the 009’s they were really intolerable, and I’ve never been able to just sit down and enjoy a listening session with 009’s. It’s not that bad here but it’s always present. Some tracks it just blends in and becomes part of the sound while on others it stands out and takes away from the immersion. What makes it worse is that there is no logic to which tracks have that edge to them, bright ones which I would expect to have it… well it just blends in while darker ones have it. Must be a resonance issue as there is so little damping here. Now with the imaging, I think Stax made a mistake having the outside screen angled like that. On the SR-Omega it is perfectly parallel with the drivers but on the X9K, it is maybe 3mm further out towards the front. This or some part of the driver structure might be the culprit for the odd imaging. Let me clarify, they throw a large soundstage but it’s very much a “three blob affair”. Nothing wrong with that really but it’s the front imaging which sounds off for me. It’s all a bit to distant and boxed in while not being as focused as the 007 soundstage. When you pick up on it, it becomes very apparent and distracting. As comparison, let’s take the SR-Omega and SR-007Mk2. The SR-Omega throws a wide soundstage but it’s all a bit loose and diffused. Now the 007’s (all of them really) have a much tighter, more focused soundstage which also does something unique, there are layers to it. With the SR-X9000 it’s more like the SR-Omega (which makes sense) but more localized to the three blobs and the middle one has that odd boxed in effect while being a bit distant. Now other than these two things, these are well made and high performing sets, but these two things annoy me enough for them to not make my top/best ever list. The SR-007’s are more laid back and “darker” but also more neutral and truer to the original sound. The SR-Omega/007 is a more fun and looser version of that sound but those slight deficiencies just make them a welcome change, doesn’t make them any less neutral. They simply act as a bridge bringing those two sounds together, absolute purity of the 007 with the more warm and loose nature of the SR-Omega. I feel I should also talk a bit about the new kid on the block, the Audeze CRBN. Now I’ve had a few of them here, prototype units to the final production version and it really is the antithesis of the SR-X9000 is terms of fit and sound. The CRBN is snug as it hugs your head with thick and supple earpads. The sound is far more damped so it is darker but still very open and expansive. Now they aren’t perfect, they have that slight issue with the midrange presence due to the heavy damping, but it is minor overall. They are really what the HE90 could have been back in the day, more diffused than the 007’s but with proper bass. Nice way to tie back the 007's were always being compared to the HE90 back in the day. Lastly, how are they to drive. Well… as one would expect with a driver this size, they need a lot of power to behave. That brightness will quickly get out of control, especially at higher volume levels when the headphones don’t have enough power behind them. I’ve only tried them on a couple of amps so far so I’ll need more time with that, but I’d say powerful and neutral amps will suit these just fine. Conclusion/TL; DR These are good but not as good as they could have been. They are too forward sounding though not as bad as the SR-009, 009BK or 009S. I crave neutrality over everything else, the headphones should just present the sound with as little an impact on it as is possible. If they fail to represent a part of the spectrum, that’s fine but if they add something… then I have a problem with it. The brightness and imaging issue does disqualify them due to that, but I will keep them around, nonetheless. With some material they work well and plus I’m in a collecting mood… 😉 I'll probably add to review later on as I spend some more time with them. Finally, I’m going to be a bit cynical and think Stax are doing this sound signature on purpose and not for the obvious reasons. This is exactly the type of sound which grabs you on a quick audition or impresses the useless audio reviewers out there who don’t know any better. Back in 2002 the 007’s got no love at all as they are the definition of “unimpressive at first audition”, let along not many amps around at that time which could drive them. Stax are clearly now trying to make money and not audio purist just trying to make the best product possible, nothing wrong with that, so I’m glad this wasn’t a complete hack job like the 009S.

Belvedere Park picnic Including chocolate tahini brownies

Yurt too fancy?

The Lofi Magic of VHS Audio

For Lee Friedlander and/or Coen Brothers fans, a couple shows (SF & NYC) and corresponding book coming out. https://fraenkelgallery.com/exhibitions/lee-friedlander-framed-by-joel-coen

Put some walnuts (Texas Walnut aka juglans microcarpa) into simulated winter … aka in my refrigerator. i think it’s pretty cool that walnut trees give off a poison that prevents other plants from growing nearby and competing with it ☠️

My early impressions of the Perun Rock: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/perun-electrostatic-headphone-impressions.872273/post-17156919 I had to send them back due to a driver issue but I look forward to getting them back on my head.

They are odd, I'll give them that. I'm going acquire a few more (as they are all so different) and then do a review on them.

I've always been curious about the Perun but I never see reviews, only hyperbolic shilling.

For me the 007's are a clear step up in every way, much more controlled, actually layered sound stage (which so few headphones can do) and far more resolving. Once you get past a certain point the SR-Omega gets lost and confused. They are still great but yeah, 007's were a big improvement. I really don't agree about the X9000 bass compared to the 007's, it completely falls flat on its face. Apparent resolution vs. real resolution to me.

I don't really give a shit what you think but my views/impressions are never for sale. The CRBN is flawed but still an excellent set of headphones with production quality rivaling Stax is many ways. In terms of sound, that is always subjective, but it's clear, based on the market, that people are not happy with where Stax are going. Used prices of 009's are now often below that of a used 007 (not even a rare Mk1) and the 009S's are headed that same way. Also notice how little talk there is about the X9000 from the long term Stax owners, those that did buy a set, quietly sold them off as they just aren't good.

I have the Carbon and imho it isn't as simple as that. I suggest reading the second review using an amp much weaker than a Carbon, yet it explains the 007 quite well. If you perceive it differently, then it probably isn't for you, irrespective of its sizeable reserve, when the chain is right. Look at it this way, the X9000 has technical superiority, faster, much cleaner bass, much less coloured, not as soft, etc. However, to my ears, a lot of the times it also sounds thinner, drier, more artificial, less coherent, missing that "inexplicable magic" that a 007 can convey, that pulls the listener in the music without forcefully trying to grab the attention - in some ways, that is old Stax vs new Stax in general. Maybe it's the X9000 setup not being the best either. But it very much illustrates that it's not like with other Staxes you can just throw them in some random chain and expect them to perform at their best, unless it is something that you really like upon first listen. With the 007 I am going through multiple cycles. But when they impress, they seem to be right up there with the best, i.e. quite undervalued for that they are. And if people care to do some research, they can find that the reputation is based on many different people's opinions dating back many-many years, it's not about certain people 'hyping them up' - modern stuff gets way more of that.

Thank you very much. The front panel is really cool, “glossy” but in a very understated and refined way. It sounds absolutely superb, this really is my end game now coupled with the sr-007 mk2s.

I had the D-50 at my home for about two days and agree that the dynamics or lack thereof are mediocre. I returned the D-50 because my wife and I thought the sound from a D-50/L700 was actually worse than a 252/L500. Apparently it's something to do with an outdated DAC in the D-50, along with the amp itself being an old design compensated by a stylish chassis? I'm using a 353x now for my x9000s while I wait for a Carbon, and something is definitely off--very few music choices have any crispness, to the point that I am using aggressive EQ to take out the thick fuzz in anything that isn't classical. But now all vocalists sound like they're on helium. Interesting in any event to get to understand more about audiophilia (real word?) with a mismatched setup that will improve through experience.

Hello everyone! I've just got my first Stax headphones L700 + 353x but I can't seem to get a good fit. I wear glasses and I get splitting pain around the ears in a matter of minutes. Are there any mods I could do on the L700? Or maybe I could consider the 007mkii if its design is more glasses friendly? Does anyone have similar experience with the fit + glasses? I understand the 007mkII will have different tonalities, but will the the 353x be able to drive them ok? I'm not quite in a comfortable position to upgrade both headphones and energiser. Thanks.

I loved the L500MK2s but didn't trust my ears because they were the second set of Stax I'd ever heard. Four weeks, continued mistrust, and ten trades with the hifi shop later, I wound up getting the x9000s. Fucking hell. Considering getting the L500s for a point of comparison.

No real change and I just put them away as I got new toys. I did give them another chance and yeah.. I'm never going to use these, it is unforgivable for me that they can't play all music without sound off, some songs are just not right. They are just placed in my reference collection now and... yeah I'm not happy about this. Hell I'd take the L500Mk2 over them...

This is interesting. Do the build problems you point out affect the lifespan of the amp? Is the amp set up for functioning problems of use, from the start? If I do wind up traveling to Graz to try the Paltauf, at this point much of my interest is just in talking to the owner--I might bring your and KG's comments on an index card. Not to challenge anyone, just to understand.

The reception of Paltauf and myself here in this forum is not of the kind, thats brings you in the mood to share anything. Why feeding so called experts and their half funny followers? The atmosphere here is rather aggressiv, narrowminded and arrogant. If you are really interested in information, I can only give you this link in German: https://musicalhead.de/2021/03/02/test-paltauf-khv-esd/ Sorry my technical knowledge and my English is not good enough to spend more energy to you. Keeper enjoying the devices you are used to and have fun with the bad jokes !

all electrostatic headphones are balanced loads. much better and lower distortion to have a balanced input. otherwise you need a phase splitter which is not guaranteed to maintain a gain of -1 as the mu of the tube changes with time. much better to use a differential input amplifier. and once you do that you already have the balanced input. its certainly cheaper to do an unbalanced input amp. if for no other reason a 2 gang vs 4 gang pot. unless you are eddie current and use a 2 gang pot for balanced input. (similar to bryston)

Thank you Kevin and Spritzer for these detailed responses. Definitely a red thread through the amps that you're pointing out, and which I wouldn't have noticed until well after purchase, if ever. Incidentally, I've been in touch with Eddie Current, Malvalve, and Paltauf builders in the last week. No, we didn't discuss inductors or capacitators, but I wish we had! I'm also in touch with folks who specifically build Kevin Gilmore designs...and basically every builder who uses KG designs and who has been recommended on Head-Case...sounds like that's the only direction to go...

...just for the record, I have no opinion--I'm happy to learn. The exchange here is helpful and instructive. Spritzer, I'm really curious because I'm planning a trip to try out the Paltauf in person--and I've read very, very little about Paltauf, while German sites say essentially what Dynavit says. Can you spell out (for me, an audio idiot) why a speaker amp with the electrostatic signal taken off the plates through capacitors is (for lack of a better term) "bad"? I get that this forum is specifically for people who know what they're talking about. So, I don't want to annoy anybody. I just want to make smart decisions. Commentary, however detailed or blunt (I see both above!), is welcome.

For actual 220VAC line voltage, feel free to move the white wire back to its former position. The rest of Europe is pushing well above 240V so that's what I always set the amps to.

holding out for the LTDSRX9000BKS

Mmmmm pie...... Port modded I'd always pick the 007's as that unleashes their full potential but stock... well that puts the CRBN's on a more equal footing. The 007's are more honest over al but that can also be a detriment for some users and the CRBN would be a better fit with many music styles. They are more forgiving and warmer where the 007's will always be brutally honest. Also the CRBN's does things the 007's just don't do well, ease of fitment for one...

I dunno, I find the 007 Mk 3.14159265359 has a more... well-rounded presentation.

I hope to get a set of the SR-X's soon as I've lined up pretty much everything that competes with it, including some oddballs like a SR-Omega with 007 drivers (probably my favorite headphones for just sitting down and listening) so it will be fun to compare. I even bought a second hand 009S, now that they are really coming down in price, and this thing is such a disappointment. How could Stax fuck this up so badly, I mean the drivers are a bloody work of art but the sound... ohhh the sound. Oddly thin and bright sounding with so little body to it as this was supposed to be the one that fixes the 009's issues. It's a combination which works for the Sennheiser HE60 but here it just falls flat, robbing music of vitality and life so you end up with a likeness which is not real at all. With the HE60's one adjusts to their sound signature quickly but this just makes me furious... Seriously, somebody at Stax should sit down with these and a 007Mk2 on any random track and honestly say which is better. Randomly Elvis Costello - Veronica came up while I'm typing this and it is just bright, lifeless and boring. I replayed with the CRBN's off the same amp and this is far, far better.

I always apply the port mod so my impressions are always with that in place.

There was a transition at some point in probably 2009 (though it could be earlier) that I noticed with the sets at Canjam '10. The midrange had this etch to it which nothing I could do to alleviate. The first sets of the Mk2 did not have that and when I finally bought another set of Mk2's in 2014 (or '13... can't remember) it was gone.

The bad behavior was Stax using the serial numbers, nothing to do with the sound.

I doubt the X9000 will be on that list but we'll see: SR-007Mk1 SR-007Mk2 (latest version) SR-Omega HE-60 SR-Lambda Nova Signature (which the CRBN replaces) Congrats!! I was slow to order them as I really had to talk myself into getting a high end Stax again... ECC99's sound bad in that circuit so I'd stick with the 6CG7's.

It's hard to gauge that but the early 2000's sets are just fine now if they have been taken care of.

Stax serial numbers are meaningless so they offer no guide at all. There was never anything wrong with the 007A/Mk2 treble so it's just as it should be. The Mk2.5 had rather nasty treble but that was a decade ago.

I have a very recent 007A and they are very nice, just straight out of the box. Stax have changed the earpads a bit but otherwise they are the same.

Yes. Birgir is a great guy to deal with. No overselling and his recommendations are always appropriate to your use case. And so patient. I discussed with him on and off for about a year before I picked up the Carbon.

The treble is very reminiscent of the 007's, slightly dark and laid back but can get bright if the source/material calls for it. The 717 is pretty much a KGSS so that will work well.

Wait! Does this mean Audeze finally managed to make a headphone that doesn't make violins sound like violas?! @Beefy: Re: “electrostats seem to have stood completely still, while planars and dynamics have come forward in leaps and bounds” — my observations from attending numerous (large) meets for several years before covid have been that no TOTL planar or dynamic beats my SR-007 (v2.5 I guess?) and Carbon combo. Not the Utopia, not the LCD-4, not the piece of shit Abyss, nothing Hifiman (haven't heard their $6k thing though), not the Meze Empyrean (though that thing is pure catnip for bassheads). They're nice, sure, and most have the advantage of not needing much of a specialized amp. But they're not nicer than the current-production 007 or the 1993 SR-Omega (which I don't have, alas, but have had the fortune to try once). This opinion is unpopular on other forums. 🤷🏻‍♂️ Maybe this means there's a (local?) maximum in headphone quality, and various manufacturers are slowly reaching it. @spritzer: What amps do you think the measurements are coming from?