Headphone Heights

RE: STAX or expensive Planar headphones. What have you heard?

136.2.16.182

SteveM324

A

In Reply to: RE: STAX or expensive Planar headphones. What have you heard? posted by audio perfection on June 28, 2020 at 16:38:34

I owned the Stax SR-009 and a Ray Samuels A-10 electrostatic vacuum tube headphone amp for over 5 years. I also heard the 009 out of the Headamp Blue Hawaii SE. IMO, the HiFiMan Susvara that I currently own driven by my Auris Nirvana vacuum tube headphone amp beats it for SQ. The SR-009 has a slight tendency to be lean and bright. The Susvara is a very fast sounding planar, with great resolution, soundstaging and musicality. I currently own the ZMF Verite Open, Verite Closed, Audeze LCD 4z, and Focal Utopia. I enjoy all of them more than the Stax. I sold the Stax about 2 years ago and I have no regrets.

Follow Ups:

Did you try the SR-009S?... - EdAInWestOC 08:26:09 08/13/20 (2)
According to what I have read the SR-009S addresses the complaints you wrote about on the original SR-009.

NOTE: I plan to buy the SR-009S when I invest in my next e-stat headset. I have lived with Lambda Pros for many years now.

Ed

We don't shush around here!
Life is analog...digital is just samples thereof
- RE: Did you try the SR-009S?... - SteveM324 12:49:46 08/13/20 (1)
  I have not listened to the SR-009S but I don't think it's the answer to my issues with electrostatics. Before you invest in 009S, you should listen to ZMF Verite Closed, HiFiMan Susvara (with a powerful amp), and LCD 4 or 4z. The Utopia could easily be added to that list as well. If you like speed, detail, and transparency of electrostatics, you should check out the HiFiMan Susvara. The Susvara has all of that and deep bass that the electrostatics can't match in my opinion. The only issue with the Susvara is that it takes a lot of power to drive it well. Many amps can drive it to loud volume levels but few can drive it to get the great dynamics, bass, soundstage that it's capable of. There is no best headphone, what you like is based on your personal preferences.
  - Comfort an issue - dbphd 11:55:28 09/07/20 (0)
    After many years without listening to phones I did a setup comprised of ethernet to microRendu, USB to Ayre Codex, stereo to Audeze LCD-X. Source is Roon files. I was impressed with the sound, but the phones seemed heavy. I was thinking about used Stax, perhaps SR-L500 with SRM353X amp, but after reading a number of reviews it seems the Aryas might be a good choice. Several reviews specifically mentioned comfort as an attribute of the Arya phones, along with well balanced sound. I'd probably use balanced cables from the Codex to the phones. Advice re Ayra v Stax would be appreciated.
    
    db
RE: STAX or expensive Planar headphones. What have you heard? - Mr_bill2 12:57:56 07/09/20 (2)
That's 4 different pairs, after you got rid of the Stax. Missing something? 😉
- RE: STAX or expensive Planar headphones. What have you heard? - SteveM324 14:34:54 07/09/20 (1)
  Yeah, I like headphones! I also have 2 speaker based systems.
  - RE: STAX or expensive Planar headphones. What have you heard? - Mr_bill2 07:37:40 07/10/20 (0)
    Very handy for these days as we have stay at home in place guidance. Nice set-ups.

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