^^^ Fuck off, shorty.

Here you go: http://www.innerfide...lass-headphones

Hey Tyll great article and comparison and matches many of my thoughts from comparative listening myself. However; haven't had the opportunity to listen to the SR-009 yet, but from your evaluation I must!

Pleased to see you have the same problems with the HD-800 treble as I do, thought it was just me as so many people rave about them! I've spent shed loads of money trying to make the HD-800 listenable, different amps, CD players, balanced operation but to no avail. Yes they sound very detailed, but they make so much music sound artificial, strained and mechanical not a great listen for me, in fact I don't listen to my set anymore I think they were trying to replicate the HE90 Orpheus, but IMO did not succeed. Do you know anyone who has tamed the treble peril of these?

Interested in your comments regarding the Audeze LCD2 Rev1, although not as good overall as stats they are IMHO the closest I have heard to the Stax Omega 007 without having to purchase expensive amplification. Have you had the chance to compare the Rev1 to the Rev2? Some say the Rev2 is the second coming, while others notice little or no difference. I don't want to shell out another $1000 for something that has very marginal benefit.

Awesome job on the review Tyll!

I remember getting back from seeing a jazz quartet at the Village Vanguard a few weeks ago and throwing on the 009s to listen to one of the quartets older albums. Seriously... after listening to a 90 minute live set it was hard to tell the difference between the live set and the 009s playing the album. On Jazz they just seemed that good. The detail and tonality the 009s can present make them very hard to distinguish from the real deal.

I didn't want to post about it at the time because it sounded way too corny and because I'm generally skeptical of my own impressions, but after reading your review it's nice to know that I'm not totally crazy. They really are Jazz monsters.

Oooh... as a jazz monster myself you are seriously tempting me to spend $5,000 I don't have at the moment

Do you know anyone who has tamed the treble peril of these?

Try a search for HD800 mods on HF, you should see at least 3 different kinds, all revolving around adding some sound absorptive material (thin lining) inside the earcup (over the frame part, not the acoustic mesh). I even did a computer simulation back then to see how much attenuation of the treble I would get and the test data I got recently (credit to Purrin) showed it was bang on (2-3dB in the highs which is about just what the HD800 needs to sound natural to my ears). Obviously source and amp pairing needs to be thought about as well but this type of modification is much more effective (and possibly intrusive if you go overboard) than any amp rolling.

Having said that, I am in no way returning to an HD800 from my 009 experience, be it modded or not... Get ready to take the plunge

Edited September 25, 201114 yr by arnaud

Nice work Tyll. I do think that some of the reservations about the 007 could be fixed by adjusting the fit since those arc's are just set to "some" setting. You have a ...ehhh... larger head like me so making the arc's wider would be a good move. It's not a make or break type of deal but it does improve the sound quite a bit. Same deal on earpad placement and indeed their condition. The Mk1 earpads are only good for a few years before foam inside becomes too soft to seal properly. We never said this was an easy headphone to measure...

I have my own shootout going on but first impressions show that this one is going to be tricky. The SR-Omega/009 are so different in presentation to the 007's that this will have to be a long comparison. Quick changes will always be in favor of the more open sound similar to why the HE90 is so well liked in short burst. Hell, first time I plugged the 007 Mk1 in I thought it was broken and wondered why it sounded strange. Then I remembered what source I was using...

It was interesting to plug in the SR-007A and listen to the utterly out of control bass. This is a stock unit save for fit adjustment and the port nonsense is showing it's ugly head.

One thing I'm going to give the SR-009 and that it is the most comfortable headphone I've ever used. 6 hours straight aren't an issue and I hardly feel them sitting there.

That was epic, nice work Tyll.

Awesome review. I guess the SR009 really is that good. I enjoyed the video at the end - that is a ridiculously nice collection of equipment you have there right now.

Thanks guys. And big thanks to the Stax mafia, I had a great time.

The €500 headphone stand was a nice accent to all of that high end gear. Gee, I guess we need to get us some of them there critters as well...

The €500 headphone stand was a nice accent to all of that high end gear. Gee, I guess we need to get us some of them there critters as well...

Yea, I liked the stand a lot...

...then I saw the tag.

Time for a little STAX goodness myself.. heading to Al's

Superb article Tyll, though it's helping my decision to hold off on the 009 one bit. I also like how you can sum up these headphones so concisely without resorting to the usual audiophile blather. If only more reviews followed that style instead of going the Gary Farmer route - "he who talks loud, saying nothing" (one of my favorite movies, incidentally).

Comparison Day 2: The Revenge of Mikey!

He won't like it, he hates EVERYTHING!

Edited September 25, 201114 yr by Voltron

ENVY

No shit! That looks like a fantastic way to spend an afternoon!

Love those windows Al. I'd be careful about storing any of the electrostats in direct sunlight though as that can cause loss of sensitivity in the driver iirc. Looks like you guys are having fun

ENVY

No shit! That looks like a fantastic way to spend an afternoon!

It would be so awesome if you guys were here too! It is a weird day in Mayberry with rain in the morning, funk in the midday and now sun and humidity in the afternoon. We are listening to the Nate-built BHse and hangin' our cans on Steve-built stands and have talked about both of you in the process. This darn country of ours is too big for its (or our) own good sometimes! Wish you were here fellas.

Love those windows Al. I'd be careful about storing any of the electrostats in direct sunlight though as that can cause loss of sensitivity in the driver iirc. Looks like you guys are having fun

Thanks man. Just so you don't fret, the shades are almost always down in this corner and the only stats that don't have a box for storage are the "lowly" Lambda Sigs.

Thanks for the awesome review Tyll.

It would be so awesome if you guys were here too!

But then the place would be filled with drunks and you wouldn't get to listen anything except our blather.

Comparison Day 2: The Revenge of Mikey!

I came, I listened, I conquered.

simple notes.. Are they the best headphone I have ever heard?- Yes

Are they the ultimate headphone? - No (only thing lacking is impact, otherwise close to perfect)

Thanks Al

Cheers,

Mikey

Sunday afternoon audition -- listening, sipping, and puffing happened not at the same time;-)

not sure where you are ast - but I will come visit you next..

Nicely done ast! I still have a Lagavulin 18 that you donated to one of our last get-togethers. What do you think of the 009?

ED asked me for a review about a week ago so I wrote a few sentences which they posted on the 009 page. Basically, I agree with Tyll, that this is the best headphone all around but I still love all my other phones, and I like the 007 more than he does. The T2 is really great with them. (I know I'm not ast but i thought i would chime in to the 009 love parade )

Nicely done ast! I still have a Lagavulin 18 that you donated to one of our last get-togethers. What do you think of the 009?

hmm.... let's find some excuse to empty that bottle! The main reason I stayed away from STAX is the annoying colored sound of 007. Here 009 is dead neutral, bass is phenomenal, sweet and solid mid, beautiful highs ( I didn't noticed ANY hint of hot treble like Spritzer reported, maybe he got a lemon ? ), Just what I'm looking for. After a causal comparison, I rank it the No.1 headphone of the world as of today!