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Some impression of X9000 I would like to share Mine is the first batch in Japan. Serial number is #6. I have it delivered to Australia immediately after launch and receive it today. As my system is incomplete at the moment. There are quite a few good cables coming (Odin 2, Stealth Dream etc). This is only a brief introduction of my first impression of X9000. My setting is: Source: Jeff Rowland Aeris Power conditioner: ISOTEK TITAN + NOVA GII Amp: BHSE (Mullard XF3, Philips Metal Base EL34 Disk Getter), SRM-T8000 (Stock Tube) Reference Headphones: Sennheiser HE90, SR-009S The build quality of SR-009S is worse than SR-009 which made me a bit worried about the X9000. But when I open the box, the SR-X9000 just look gorgeous, its build quality is to the state-of-the-art standard. The grey and brown color combination looks very good. Here are some details of the X9000. Please make sure you read manual when attach the cable to X9000. There are design to stop you attach in a wrong way, but you could still attach the wrong side. I attached the left cable to right unit at the first try and subsequently correct it after I read the manual. There might be some potential harm to the headphone if you attach the headphone cable to the opposite side. RELAXED The main impression of X9000 is RELAXED. Yes, no matter what kind of music you play, it give you a very relaxed sound signature. It is not forwarding sound at all. Even you play most intense Orchestra works like Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 by Teodor Currentzis. You will feel the brass and string instruments hoarse like you are getting fxxked by the Orchestra in climax part when you listen to HE90, but you will never feel that with X9000 even you switch to very high volume. Yes, you can switch to a incredible high volume without getting irritable. However, it is strongly recommended you to control the volume as you wouldn't feel any uncomfortable until you feel pain in your ears. It might cause permanent harm to your ear. It depends on your taste if this kind of relaxed feeling is good or not. For me, I have HE90 for Orchestra works so it is not a issue at all. But if you buy X9000 mainly for Orchestra, you might need to adjust your source and accessories to fit its style. To me, when playing Orchestra works, the HE90 is like BPO, or even BSO, the X9000 is like NHK. I am not saying NHK is not good, I just prefer BPO. SENCE OF TABLEAU The second impression of X9000 is sense of tableau. You sometimes feels that 009/009S is pouring music into your ears like water when there are lot of details, but you will never feel that with X9000. Everything is always well arranged in a good manner, in a relaxed way. It is really a pleasure to enjoy music with it. Unlike 009S, the X9000 focus on the whole picture rather than details. Each part of music combines together and you even feel the sound is tangible. To me, it lack of the ethereal and diffused sound signature of HE90. It feels more 'real'. After you listen to X9000, you will find it express music in a more superior and comprehensive way than other STAX headphones. (except SR-Omega, I've never listened to it before) SOUNDSTAGE The X9000 offer incredible soundstage compared with SR-009S and any other STAX earspeakers I have. To me it is even better than HE90 to some extent. It feels like the the sound is emission and diffused in a very neutral way. You will easily forget you are wearing a headphone. (And yes it is very comfortable to wear it) To compare, when you listen to piano live performance recordings, X9000 is like you seating at the audience seat, HE90 is like you seating on the stage and 009S is like you head is in the grand piano. I am not saying SR-009S is bad. Actually, there are some person prefer to listen to Piano in closest distance to feel the metallic touch of the sound. It's upon your taste. SOME OTHER FEATURES Compared with SR-009S and HE90, X9000 is a more neutral sound headphone, it is neither bright nor warmth, but it is still with very significant 'STAX' style. X9000 is not a bass monster like SR-007. But their base has sort of similarity. Compared with SR-009s, the bass of X9000 is not the rock-firm style. It is a more bouncy, soft yet surrounding style bass. It is more like HE90's bass performance. I personally like it very much. But if you really like lot of bass then the headphone probably is not for you. I have tried X9000 with all sorts of music, including Orchestra, piano solo, violin solo, chamber music, Japanese POP, Animation music, Chinese Pop, Acapella, electronic music. It fits almost all sorts of music in my opinion. I prefer to use HE90 to replay Orchestra and Violin works as it is more energetic, but it is after all personal taste. To me, X9000 is too relaxed for some music, it just lack of the spark that ignite my heard. But when I want to listen to music and take a rest, I will definitely prefer X9000. AMPS OPTION I compare my headphones on BHSE and I've also tried SRM-T8000. SRM-T8000 can drive X9000 pretty well just as SR-009S. But overall it is even more softer than BHSE. To me I think BHSE is a better option.

everything done as much as possible till the transformers get here.

Fall has finally arrived. So chili (no pic) and cast iron skillet cornbread.

Well that was a result. We pay for a landline phone from Virgin Media. We have been paying £27 a month for a long time. I decided to look at alternatives, and Direct Save Telecom came up with £19.50. So I phoned Virgin Media, quoted the alternative prices to them - and with zero negotiation the slashed the charges by £10 to £17 a month. And because of where we are in the billing cycle, they will refund £9.60 and only charge us £7.40 for this month. No idea why I haven't done this years ago!

Thanks all. Hope you all are well. Having a great homemade chinese dinner tonight and a few choice drinks.

Bought it all. Working now to line up local buyers for much of the non-Maple/Walnut. Have lined up enough to double the cost I paid and I still have about 90% of the sticks still left to sell. Most ridiculous pieces were two 16’x14” Oak Quartersawn 8/4 and the 14’x12” Walnut 12/4 behemoth. .

June 6, 1944, James M. Doohan of Vancouver, led D Company of Royal Winnipeg Rifles ashore at Juno beach. He would be shot 6 times, survive and go on to become Scotty on Star Trek.

i'm planning on a special modification with a label maker.

Happy Birthday! NTTAWWT.

Thanks guys! So far, it has indeed been a great one.

I have been a huge k.d. lang fan since discovering 'Angel With a Lariat' back in '87. I'm revisiting 'Hymns of the 49th Parallel'. This is such a fantastic album!

It must be getting cold up there, so make yourself a nice hot toddy and have a great Birthday!

Craig; I just saw your post. I’m so sorry. But that’s a pretty amazing cat life. Boy, I sure hope to go from functional, if ancient, to gone that quickly, when my time comes. Your feline family was/is/will be very lucky to have you as their valet. Always.

Order in for the 16". So far on paper my expectations were exceeded. We will see how it is in person hopefully next week.

I'm a fan of mine

Someone needs to tell Tim Apple that brostep hasn't been trendy since he got his current job.

I need a 32" iMac with an M1 Max in it.

Look at the raw hatred on the face of the girl following

Happy birthday.

Braves walk off against the Dodgers...again!

Too much hipster appeal to fail... for now.

Happy Birthday, Iain!

Thanks everyone! I had a quiet day, capped off with supper at my parents' place. Might jump in the hot tub in a bit. I wrote this tune yesterday and the footage of me dancing in tights while it plays is my birthday gift to all of you.

Happy birthday, IAIAIAN, or however it's spelled! (I really need a new set of glases.) (party favour noise)

Happy Birthday!

Mavis Staples I'll Take You There. A star studded cast with Mavis, on PBS.

Graham and Nate, outstanding. If I didn't just have a big bowl of ramen, I might have made some cornbread. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday, lain!

Staying in Touch Sinne Eeg, Thomas Fonnesbæk 2021 Example:

Have a great one Iain! Cheers!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday!!!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday!

Silver real tough.

I don’t spend a lot of time not moving. I only get on the sofa, really, when my partner is in town. She’s asleep at the moment. Dunhill is taking every second of couch time he can. Other cat is on the other side, but not quite close enough to me to not be “not in contact.”* *time not quite right between the pics because I had to let Silver settle in.

I'd buy these

Feels appropriate to leave this here: Pokemon x Grado collab! That is a line I never thought I'd ever write. Life is indeed stranger than fiction sometimes. https://blog.gradolabs.com/pokemon-center-grado-headphones/

progress continues

Another batch of Chicken Tikka Masala

Thought this deserved to go in this forum....funny FB post I saw yesterday.

That is good news! Our ancient 18 year old has got to the stage that she is losing teeth - a bit like ancient humans. That sort of thing seems to completely un-faze animals. They have a bewildering ability to just get on with life.

There is a good point of view to have in life, never buy anything from Hifiman!

Now we know what the loud CRACK BOOM! was a few weeks ago on a very windy night. This is up the gully on our property. Miraculously, it did not crush the drainage pipe.

We had to say goodbye to our old girl - 18 1/2. Until yesterday she was great, eating like a horse. And two days ago I took her to have her nails clipped. But in the last day she went downhill real quick. In the end she could hardly stand, and had even lost the will to get out of the litter tray. At the vets there was no option, and we had to make that difficult kind choice. Carole came along for moral support, because we reckoned that the end was not far off in any case. We're having her cremated, and we'll bury the ashes in the garden RIP Cleo, you were a splendid cat.