Stax SR-009S Electrostatic Headphone Review

[AudioJester]

Unfortunately the huge glaring issue is this part of your reply!
"I was stunned at the sound quality post EQ"

This is the main issue I have as well as the price. For this kind of money they should not need any EQ!
Obviously Amirm really liked them "after" applying some EQ to them. However that is his subjective opinion and while I do value his opinion it does not always jive with mine.
Lets not forget that he also said this about the headphones.
Out of box the response of the SR-009S is OK (not offensive).
I can't recommend the Stax SR-009S without EQ.

To use a stupid car analogy, it is like buying a Shelby Mustang brand new but being told you will have to customize it in order to get great performance out of it.

Lol. Are there still people on this site who dont use dsp/eq?
Makes the biggest difference of all

 

[Doodski]

Lol. Are there still people on this site who dont use dsp/eq?
Makes the biggest difference of all

EQ Software for Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS/iPadOS and Android.

Any suggestions are welcome. Post suggestions here. I will gather the details and add them. Thanks. :D This will be organized as results come in. @sweetchaos made a guide for PEQ filter data input and operation. For crossover software go here. Windows: AutoEQ four easy steps to make your...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[amirm]

@amirm any speakers that you heard that do what these headphones do?

They are different things. Headphone surrounds your head with music and speakers don't. It is a completely different experience.

 

[sealman]

Lol. Are there still people on this site who dont use dsp/eq?
Makes the biggest difference of all

Lol I expect to get a product that does not NEED eq to fix it's issues for 4500.00.
Makes me wonder what peoples response would be regarding these if made by Emotiva or Monoprice or Grado and not Stax.

 

[Doodski]

Lol I expect to get a product that does not NEED eq to fix it's issues for 4500.00.
Makes me wonder what peoples response would be regarding these if made by Emotiva or Monoprice or Grado and not Stax.

That makes little to near no sense because the human ear differs between people and we all need different EQ/PEQ to compensate for so many variables. So the frequency response of a transducer need only be low distortion and variable between the PEQ adjustment to be effective.

 

[Doodski]

That makes little to near no sense because the human ear differs between people and we all need different EQ/PEQ to compensate for so many variables. So the frequency response of a transducer need only be low distortion and variable between the PEQ adjustment to be effective.

EDIT: This is why we need standards like @amirm recommends.

 

[sealman]

That makes little to near no sense because the human ear differs between people and we all need different EQ/PEQ to compensate for so many variables. So the frequency response of a transducer need only be low distortion and variable between the PEQ adjustment to be effective.

So why even bother measuring them or any other headphone for that matter. By your explanation practically every headphone should be golden since you can just EQ it?

 

[Doodski]

So why even bother measuring them or any other headphone for that matter. By your explanation practically every headphone should be golden since you can just EQ it?

Read it again. You are skipping the clincher.

 

[sealman]

Read it again. You are skipping the clincher.

There is no standard that is going to make this look good.

 

[Alice of Old Vincennes]

I've tried these headphones and are nothing short of fantastic. The only limitation is the bass extension.

The only limitation is a big deal. Electrostatics and planars sound good until they don't.

 

[Doodski]

There is no standard that is going to make this look good.
View attachment 307905

Sure it could. If the manufacturer has standards to follow then everybody else down the chain has expectations that can be filled with more standards applied to the hardware and software etc. Then we can easily dialup PEQ and effects to fit our individual special needs. Do we need a certifying body for this or can we use a present none for profit engineering regulatory body?

 

[Alice of Old Vincennes]

I know, I definitely had my mind on The Stealth when thinking about price comparisons to this Stax, and that's not taking into account cheaper headphones that measure better than the Stax too.

(I'm pleased that Amir had the strength of mind/character to give it a glowing subjective review despite some of it's measured imperfections, as it's useful/interesting to take some of those subjective points into account, and a genuine subjective review is important.)

Did you buy one?

 

[Alice of Old Vincennes]

As with every product in life all of them have some strong and less strong properties.
With Stax the less strong things are:

• price (the biggest complaint)
• build quality (flimsy feeling and/or actual quality)
• comfort (some models are really not very comfy)
• certain aspects in the sound (without EQ)
• adjustability
• longevity

The positives are:

• you have something really different
• certain aspects of the sound which are really excellent
• conversation piece
• pride of ownership

What owners and non owners value above all other things actually determines what one thinks (or only suspects) about the actual headphones or the measurements.
For sure... price and build quality are the biggest downsides. For some certain sound quality aspects they have might be worth that though. Most can not look past this elephant.
Those that can easily afford these headphones without even making the smallest dent in their wallets might appreciate the differences in sound quality with some other higher end headphones. These same people generally are not interested in $ 50 IEM's that also can sound great.

Choose your poison.

Mount on the wall next to decent Revels. Not to close. No interference with dispersion.

 

[Alice of Old Vincennes]

I used to own a pair of Stax Lambda Signature "earspeakers" years ago, and sold them when the kids came along as I wasn't listening to music much.

I still remember first hearing them at a hifi show; I was simply astonished. You simply get lost in the music in a way you cant with bog-standard headphones.

I was thrilled when at a local hifi show a few months ago there was a headphone room with a Stax display so I could experience them again. None of the other headphones, even though they may have been more "accurate", came close to the Stax as a listening experience.

I bitterly regret selling them.

Then buy them again.

 

[solderdude]

Can someone theorise why electrostatics might sound a certain way? I'm skeptical, as are you I suppose. But if you had to guess what would you think is the reason?

The membrane is lighter as it lacks the metal wiring needed for planar magnetics which add weight to the membrane, however thin that may be.
Drive is over the entire membrane and linear (balanced).
Membrane has a higher physical tension (which could also be a negative)
The stators are thin and different in shape than thick bars of magnets.
Sound quality is more energizer dependent than a planar magnetic is so a good energizer is important.

These aspects could well be a reason for them sounding different.

 

[solderdude]

Lol I expect to get a product that does not NEED eq to fix it's issues for 4500.00.
Makes me wonder what peoples response would be regarding these if made by Emotiva or Monoprice or Grado and not Stax.

Koss (ESP950/95X), Hifiman (Jade-Jade-II, DCA (Voce, Corina), all Stax models, Audeze (CRBN) all 'need' EQ if you want them to match a certain target.
All of them have a 1kHz peak as well which may need some lowering anyway. Some are 'worse' than others (regarding the 1kHz emphasis)
The cheapest estat systems start from $ 1k (estat + energizer) up to several k$ with some 'exclusive' prices (Shangri-La, HE1)
Only the Drop ESP95X was cheaper ($500) and is entry level for e-stats.

They all 'need' EQ but a few can be used w/o EQ if you are not looking for Harman target.

You really need to spend some time with the better e-stat systems to understand what they are about. They have some really appealing qualities to them but are very expensive, and are prone to aging and sensitive to moisture/dust etc.

If one wants VFM forget about stats and enjoy some cheap IEM up to several K$ headphones. They won't sound like e-stats though even when you EQ both to your favorite target determined on your favorite test fixture by your favorite measurebator under lab conditions to whatever standard (or non-standard) of your choice.

Yes... it is a luxury item and out of reach for the majority of people but it does have some 'really nice' qualities to them. Fortunately most people will never hear one and/or have no idea what they don't know. You can always say ... It did not sound very special, or.. No idea why someone would ever buy such an overpriced piece of junk.
They probably never auditioned one for some time or are already very happy with one of the hundreds of different headphones out there already.

I admit I don't own one (had an old one and electrets though) and think they feel cheap/flimsy and, while I can afford them, don't want to fork out the money for the aspects they do so well. Perfectly happy with the many headphones I own that don't even need EQ (at least to me).
That said ... they do sound 'different' and better in some aspects just like other headphones sound better in yet other aspects.

 

[brandall10]

Unfortunately the huge glaring issue is this part of your reply!
"I was stunned at the sound quality post EQ"

This is the main issue I have as well as the price. For this kind of money they should not need any EQ!
Obviously Amirm really liked them "after" applying some EQ to them. However that is his subjective opinion and while I do value his opinion it does not always jive with mine.
Lets not forget that he also said this about the headphones.
Out of box the response of the SR-009S is OK (not offensive).
I can't recommend the Stax SR-009S without EQ.

To use a stupid car analogy, it is like buying a Shelby Mustang brand new but being told you will have to customize it in order to get great performance out of it.

No one is saying this isn't an issue, but a headphone is part of a system that can include EQ. And I agree, the price is hard to swallow for what by default is a flawed product. It's great that DCA now has an option at the same price point that mostly addresses this.

But to say that it's just jewelry with no inherent value over more reasonably priced options that have better FR is ridiculous. If the end result is amazing that is what ultimately counts.

 

[MyCuriosity]

The only limitation is a big deal. Electrostatics and planars sound good until they don't.

Not a big deal for me but I guess for some it will be.

 

[Fidji]

Stax - I love their sound.

I also love electrostats, they are just something else, you do not get midrange so detailed and fast from on normal speakers. I love my Neumanns, but I also love my big stats.

 

[Veri]

I only heard the L300 in a hi-fi store and in demo'ing them did not hear anything 'special' electrostatic. But they are entry level...