Stax SR-009S Electrostatic Headphone Review

[Henreid]

And also less parametric EQ options than the miniDSP Flex. Granted you have to buy a headphone amp to connect to the miniDSP Flex, but that's still less money than RME ADI 2. And miniDSP Flex also has optical input (TOSLINK) from the CD Player.

I believe you've found the exact piece of equipment I would need for my CD player, and the cost is reasonable. I already have a good preamplifier to power my active loudspeakers, so I could connect the miniDSP Flex to the preamp for listening with headphones. Or I could also invest in a headphone amp as you suggest. Headphone amps with great specs are not expensive, these days. I appreciate your help!

 

[Henreid]

There are quite a few headphones that perform well without EQ. The thing is... they won't sound like speakers. They will sound like good headphones. Headphones are an alternative for speakers when you cannot play loud or want high quality sound outside of the living/listening room. You would have to accept that both speakers and headphones can be high quality but differ in the way they present things.

Thanks - your points are salient and help clarify things for me. Since I'm single and live in a standalone home that's well insulated for sound I never actually need to put on headphones to avoid disturbing roommates or neighbors with my loudspeakers. I rarely (if ever) feel a strong desire to take music with me when I'm away from home. I haven't used headphones since I was a teenager in the 1970s, but I think that headphone quality must have improved vastly since then, and after reading quite a few reviews I began to wonder if I was missing something by not owning a pair. I realize that before I ask for more guidance from the conscientious folks here at ASR I need to overcome my ambivalence about the way headphones present sound, and reach a firm determination that I'm ready to make the investment. I figure it isn't fair of me to enlist the brainpower of ASR contributors in choosing a particular pair of headphones until I'm fully committed to headphone ownership. (I've also recognized that I may be on a unicorn search for headphones that sound like high-quality loudspeakers, and that becomes a rather idle quest for something that no one could help me find.) It's gratifying to see the suggestions I've received because they show me that hardware does exist to equalize the digital signal from a CD player.

 

[solderdude]

I think that headphone quality must have improved vastly since then

It has, mostly in bass extension and sensitivity. Stax headphones have just improved slightly. The 'cheaper' models are still creaky and feel cheap. The SR007 and higher models feel a bit more serious and are more comfortable.

Personally I would recommend a HD800S and apply some EQ. This (EQ-ing and driving the HD800S) is easy to do using just an RME ADI-2 DAC. Both the DAC and headphone are high quality (almost luxury) items that will last and have great support.
The HD800S feels comfortable, does not get warm, has a very good sound quality and won't disappoint.
Of course you would have to get used to headphone 'presentation' and get a more 'intimate' sound. Takes an adjustment period and learning curve.

I have measured, auditioned, and owned over a 100 headphones and the HD800 is a headphone that still is exceptional and in the 'lower' price of the luxury items and one of the few headphones I own that get the most usage.
The Stax SR007 and SR009 have some other traits that may be more desirable but also lesser aspects. The HD800S is a headphone that comes very close and has higher comfort, is much cheaper and requires less TLC.

Of course there will be recommendations to use cheaper gear but that won't have the same excellent qualities nor longevity and comfort.

 

[Robbo99999]

Of course there will be recommendations to use cheaper gear but that won't have the same excellent qualities nor longevity and comfort.

That's a very subjective statement, probably not holding a great deal of weight, which I want to point out for the readers, but fine. (I'm not gonna go into details of headphone recommendation in this thread as it's off-topic to this Stax headphone review....ok we had some earlier off-topic with general headphone discussion with @Henreid but I'm not gonna amplify it by detailed headphone recommendations).

 

[solderdude]

Yes, my opinion is based on my personal experience, just like all other recommendations by others will be based on their experiences, or they just regurgitate what this or that person said (which also is just an opinion) about a headphone or draw conclusions based on plots alone.

I could also point out to readers that there is 'subjective' (not based on underlying knowledge) and 'subjective' comments actually based on experience and knowledge in a relevant field of knowledge/education.

I actually held the and listened to the SR009 (don't recall if it was the S version) .... if that helps.

 

[Henreid]

Personally I would recommend a HD800S and apply some EQ.

Thanks for the recommendation. I have noticed that the Sennheiser HD800S model is held in very high regard, and is worth the price.
I've reached a headphone purchasing decision that may come as a surprise - especially when I mention that I have listened to loudspeakers almost exclusively for so many years that I could describe myself (with no exaggeration) as a "soundstage addict". Just this evening I came across amirm's review of the TRUTHEAR x Crinacle Zero:RED IEM headphones https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ruthear-x-crinacle-zero-red-iem-review.44865/ The test results are so impressive and these IEMs are so inexpensive that I feel I can't go wrong by ordering them, and thereby declare my headphone search to be complete (at least for the time being). I realize I'll be investing in IEMs that will offer me zero soundstage, but I can already predict with nearly 100% certainty that no matter which headphone I buy - even a model like the HD800S that is renowned for its spaciousness - I'll want MORE. I figure it just makes sense to stop obsessing over that reduced soundstage and simply enjoy the other satisfying aspects of presentation that good IEMs can give me. Even if this proves to be a failed experiment the cost is so low it will scarcely matter, and I can always explore other headphone + DSP options in the future. I'm truly grateful for the expert advice that has been provided to me here on the ASR forum (and I apologize for my off-topic digressions...)

 

[solderdude]

Yes, if you are fine with IEM's (I don't want to shove things in my ear and don't like the pressure inside my ear canal and knowing I push earwax back into the ear canal) then the zero red will be fine. It can plug into anything.
You will have to experiment with the supplied tips. It can make or break the sound. An actual ear canal is quite different from the test tube in a test fixture.
Since you replied in the SR009S thread I assumed you were looking in that build quality/comfort direction.

Let us know (in the Zero-red thread) what your personal opinion is.

 

[Henreid]

Since you replied in the SR009S thread I assumed you were looking in that build quality/comfort direction.

Indeed, I had been considering only over-ear headphones like the Stax SR009S, but my perpetual inability to choose any single over-ear model (as well as my uncertainty about equalizing the sound signal from a CD player) launched me into an off-topic tangent, here. Again, I apologize.

 

[Robbo99999]

Yes, my opinion is based on my personal experience, just like all other recommendations by others will be based on their experiences, or they just regurgitate what this or that person said (which also is just an opinion) about a headphone or draw conclusions based on plots alone.

I could also point out to readers that there is 'subjective' (not based on underlying knowledge) and 'subjective' comments actually based on experience and knowledge in a relevant field of knowledge/education.

I actually held the and listened to the SR009 (don't recall if it was the S version) .... if that helps.

That's ok, I'm just putting your comment into perspective.

 

[Fone]

My favourite headphones. Just so expensive.

These sound better with the more expensive third-party amplifiers IMHO.

The Stax are a bit heavier than I would like but that is not an issue but for long sessions.

 

[jmillar]

@this price it has to excell beyond measure and superlative directly out of the box to justify the cost @ $4545. That price has swagger and it simply must be superb or I find it insulting.

It would have to be compared to LCD-5, Susvara, Utopia, etc

 

[fabien.56]

Hello everyone,
Has anyone tried the convolution files in Roon for the SR-009S???
I'm talking about those that are available here:

AutoEq/results/oratory1990/over-ear/Stax SR-009S at master · jaakkopasanen/AutoEq

Automatic headphone equalization from frequency responses - jaakkopasanen/AutoEq

github.com

- Stax SR-009S minimum phase 44100Hz.wav
- Stax SR-009S minimum phase 48000Hz.wav