My money is on the Stax.
Could you at least post a picture of the one pair of phones (CRBN or SR-X 9000) as you are setting them on fire, because the other one is so clearly superior?
Torq only lights fire to fine cigars and women’s hearts
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You’re a really patient man, waiting 5 months! Good to see posts from you, even if it’s only a few lines and a picture. Nice set up, simplified version?
Gotta say, the SR-X9000 looks really comfortable.
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My rig has changed in the last few months.
While I still have the Chord stack physically set up, it’s no longer being used. I replaced it with a Linn Klimax DSM (Organik), which is driving both my office speakers … the Linn Klimax 350 (Organik) speakers … and my headphone setup. The Linn is the first unit I’ve found that offered a convincing improvement over the Chord stuff, vs. just being something “different”.
I still use the WA234MKII MONOs as my primary headphone tube amp, an HSA-1b for solid-state and SR1a duties, and the BHSE and Carbon for electrostatic drive. But those are all now fed off the Linn.
I just have to decide what to do with the Chord stack … i.e. repurpose it or sell it.
7 Likes
Hi Guys,
Today we are talking about an entry level, or should I say closer to entry level headphone from Stax Headphones of Japan. The L500mk2, which I will simply refer to as the L500 for the rest of this review. This is the middle of the road headphone in Stax Lambda line up, retailing currently at $830USD. The Lambda line up has existed in one form or another since the 1980s, always featuring the distinctive square housing. I think this is perhaps the most commonly thought of shape and design when people mention Stax headphones. Like their Omega, top of the line siblings, the Lambda series from Stax are electrostatic headphones, thus requiring some form of dedicated amplification to drive them, not being able to be driven from a conventional headphone or speaker amplifier.
For the majority of this review, I used a KGSSHV Carbon, fed from an iFi iDSD Pro DAC.
The most interesting and surprising part of the L500’s tuning for me was its bass response. Electrostatic headphones have a fairly poor reputation for their overall bass level, usually being quite light handed in this area. I figured the L500 would be similar to the 009 in its level of bass, but it was actually much fuller sounding, by a large margin. It also had a slight amount more mid bass, as well as overall impact in the low end. For me personally this was a welcome change. It does have a bit less overall bass level than the 007mk2, but not massively so. Some listeners may actually much prefer the L500’s bass level and overall presentation, based on their personal preferences.
The midrange of the L500 was somewhat forward sounding, but slightly less so than the 007mk2, which is still the warmest headphone I have heard from Stax. I was entirely ok with the stock midrange response of the L500, apart from one area. Right around 1Khz, there is a bit of a peak which can cause some sounds and vocals to become slightly nasal sounding. Its not a large enough peak to be a deal breaker on enjoying the headphones, but bringing this area down slightly via EQ did really increase my enjoyment of these headphones. Apart from that, the mid range came across as slightly warm and forward, certainly not sucked out or cold and clinical. This is an interesting tuning choice, and I think it makes sense given the price range of the L500 and its overall goal in the marketplace. It’s not striving to be the most technically advanced headphone, but a good all rounder that is enjoyable to listen to for long periods of time. In that sense, the mid range tuning works very well.
The highs of the L500 are less bright and piercing than the SR009, and less dark and muted than the SR007mk2, making me think that they are doing their best to walk the path between the tuning of the two former flagship headphones from Stax. Again, this is a smart tuning decision, as it allows you to get a fairly high amount of clarity and sense of detail, whilst also being enjoyable for longer listening sessions.
In terms of detail and technical performance, the L500 is interesting for a few reasons. The overall details levels are absolutely commendable for their $830 MSRP, although this comes with a caveat I will mention a bit later. As I mentioned earlier, I actually found the slam, or impact of the L500 to be better than it is with the 009, but its overall dynamic performance does fall behind. The L500 is also a slightly slower sounding driver overall, not having that same level of speed and “notes are tied together” feeling some top level electrostatic headphones do. There was also a very small sense of a somewhat“plastick-y” nature vs some other more natural sounding headphones on the market. I didn’t find this to be bothersome at all, it was just something I noticed on a few tracks.
The soundstage of the L500 is actually incredibly enjoyable, being very open and airy sounding, fairly wide and tall, which may be due to the shape of the driver (more of a tall oval, than round.) Imaging again is entirely acceptable in this price range, though not class leading. Not that you would expect a middle of the lineup headphone to be class leading I suppose. The comfort of the L500 is very well done, I found them incredibly comfortable. The build quality is acceptable, but do be warned they are fully made out of plastic, thus leading to an overall feel that is not the most premium.
This leads me to the Caveat I mentioned earlier. The L500 is an $830 dollar headphone, and its overall sound and performance is commendable at that price
BUT
You need an amp, or transformer of some sort to drive them. This is less of a concern when dealing with the flagship level Stax headphones, as it is generally understood you need a good amp of some sort for them, and many listeners will already have one in their collection. These amplifiers come in at varying price points, but cannot be avoided. If you already have one at your disposal, then the L500 is easy to recommend. If you don’t, then it becomes a question of – do you like the sound of electrostatic headphones, and if you do, how much, do you like that sound signature? Its very easy to buy a $1000 dollar conventional headphone, and drive it with a suitable $99 dollar amp, and reach totally satisfying sound quality levels. With the L500, you will be looking at probably equalling the headphones cost at a minimum for the amplification of said headphones. This is a conundrum, and as mentioned before, it comes down to your personal preferences, and where you feel your money will go farthest. As such, I would recommend trying out the L500 locally if possible, or at a trade show, before deciding to go all in on the land of electrostatic headphones.
With all that being said, these headphones sound seriously great for their MSRP, and electrostatics do offer some traits and qualities that other headphone technologies simply can’t. Whether it is worth it to you to try them out, is entirely up to the individual. For me personally, I’m glad I’ve been exploring electrostatic headphones lately after spending just short of a decade largely avoiding them, as its been incredibly fun to do so, and as mentioned before, they just do some things others headphones can’t (and it’s up to the individual if they value those particular things.)
The Stax L500mk2 is a very interesting headphone. I love that it carries on a similar look to the classic Lambda series headphones from the 1980s, whilst also sounding quite modern and presenting a sound signature that is enjoyable for long chilled out listening session. They also seem to bridge the gap between the much more expensive former flagship Stax headphones and other conventional headphones on the market. If you are willing to take amplification needs into account, I would very much recommend these headphones to someone looking to try out electrostatic headphones. I am hoping to borrow the L300 from Stax at some point, as that may prove to be an even more compelling entry level electrostatic headphone at its $455 MSRP. Two thumbs up from me
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Hi Guys,
Today we are talking about Stax Headphones new flagship model, the SR-X9000. For the rest of this review, I’ll just refer to it as the X9000.
The X9000 is the very long anticipated replacement for the SR009 and SR009S, the previous flagships from Stax. With such a long history and such a dedicated cult following, a new flagship from Stax is a big deal, at least in terms of the headphone hobby. I remember people speculating what would be next ,even back in 2014/2015, and now today, in 2022 we have the X9000. The X9000 was released back in September of 2021, but I think Stax has been a bit overwhelmed with orders, and is struggling to fulfill the demand from the community. Wait times as of right now are very long, and there are still people who ordered back in October/November 2021 (currently July 2022) waiting for their headphones to arrive. With that being said, there does seem to have been a few more shipments arriving lately, so if you are reading this and still waiting for your pair, I hope you will have them soon.
The X9000 builds upon the “omega” legacy, which started with the original SR-Omega, back in 1993. Then there was the SR007, the SR007mk2, the SR009, and the SR009S. I have not heard the original Omega from 1993, which does have a cult following of its own, but I have heard all the others. The X9000, to me, is not really an upgrade of any one particular Stax Flagship, nor is it a mix of SR007 and SR009. It is sort of doing its own thing. I have done a lot of comparative listening, and the X9000 is absolutely my favourite Stax headphone I have heard thus far, minus one caveat I will mention a bit later.
The bass of the X9000 has been surprising. Not so much in its overall level, though it does have more bass than the SR009. It has a bit less in terms of quantity than the SR007, with the Sr007 sounding fuller and warmer, with a bit more mid bass. The X9000 has the best quality of bass I have heard from Stax. It’s very fast, with more impact than is usually associated with something like the SR009. Admittedly, it does not have the impact or slam that the Abyss 1266TC has, but not much does to be honest. In terms of level, I could certainly enjoy the X9000 in its stock tuning, but did find a +3db low shelve brought it more in line with my personal preferences. I never found myself wanting more from the low end performance of the X9000, and its sub bass was also quite impressive for an electrostatic design.
With regards to the X9000’s midrange, Stax seems to have err’d on the side of slight warmth, and a forgiving nature in the low mids, much less so than the SR007, but more so than the SR009. Now, this brings me to the caveat I mentioned earlier. In the first couple days of listening with the X9000, there was something that just wasn’t sitting right with my ears, and was annoying me at anything above a medium listening level. It was the peak at 3khz. I just couldn’t get on with it, and ended up lowering it by 3.5db via EQ, and the X9000 went from being frustrating to listen to (because I could tell it was a very accomplished headphone) to being one of the best I have heard, period. Now, to make a quick comparison, the Audeze CRBN has an even bigger peak at 3khz, and I found I was not able to rectify them with EQ to be in line with my preferences. There are a lot of people out there who enjoy the stock tuning of Audeze’s CRBN, so you may hear the X9000 and be totally ok with its peak at 3khz. Perhaps I am just sensitive to this area, and you may not be.
The treble of the X9000 is not dark, nor is it bright. It seems to me to be leaning towards a relaxed presentation, neutral-ish, but leaning towards dark rather than bright. Given peoples issues with the somewhat bright treble of the SR009, this tuning decision makes sense. I wouldn’t say the X9000 itself is actually a very laid back headphone, its still relatively forward sounding, and it doesn’t strike me that it is masking detail by being overly dark. The treble and leading edges or notes are fairly incisive sounding and I never founding myself wincing at cymbals hits or shrill vocals when listening at spirited volumes.
Now, for me personally, what made the X9000 really standout was its technical performance. I have seen some impressions that felt it didn’t really improve over the SR009 in this area, and I have to be honest, I feel completely the opposite. I have listened extensively back to back with the SR009, and the X9000 really has taken a big step forward. Pretty much every single metric has been improved over the previous flagship. The sonic image is much bigger, and the soundstage is wider. The overall detail levels are again improved in comparison to the SR009. Imaging is also improved over the SR009, which is surprising as I always felt that was one of the SR009’s strong points. I have a suspicion the ear pad design of the X9000 may be contributing to the overall larger sonic picture, as well as the larger driver. Stax really does seem to have managed to improve the drivers performance compared to their previous flagship models, so in that sense, the ten year wait between the SR009 and X9000 was worth it.
In terms of build quality, the materials used, and overall feel, the X9000 is on par with the best I have come across. It is a lightweight and extremely comfortable headphone, and also feels more premium than the other Stax headphones. The leather of the ear pads feels very nice and “high quality.” This is one area I felt Stax could improve upon previously, and I have to admit that for the MSRP, the X9000 certainly feel as if they are made to that standard. In comparison, something like the Hifiman Shangri-La lacks in this area, but the X9000 has really delivered on its promises of being a high end flagship in terms of build quality. The X9000 also comes in a nicely done pawlonia wood box, and the overall package feels well put together, and again, of a “premium” nature.
One comparison that makes a lot of sense is to compare the X9000 to the Hifiman Shangri-La Sr. Both are flagship electrostatic models, though as I mentioned previously the build of the X9000 is certainly superior between the two. However, sonically speaking, its a much closer battle. The X9000 has a similar “large” sonic image to the Shangri-La, with the Shangri-La having a taller soundstage,but the width between the two being similar. The overall detail levels are very similar but I would give the edge to the Shangri-La by about 5’ish %. The Shangri-la is a slightly brighter, and also more forward sounding overall, with a sharper leading edge to notes. There is a sense of delicacy and air that the Shangri-La has that the X9000 doesn’t. With that being said, the X9000’s tonal balance works very well for some music, more so than the Shangri-La. If you are concerned with budget, the X9000 is the obvious choice ($6200MSRP vs $18,0000MSRP) because it comes incredibly close to the SR in over technical performance whilst also performing better with some forms of music.
In comparison to the Abyss 1266TC, these are actually two very complimentary headphones. The Abyss has this raw energy, slam, visceral quality that I have still yet to hear a headphone match. It is also a very detailed headphone with a highly capable technical performance, though I do think the X9000 may slightly beat it on the detail front, but the difference is incredibly small. I could honestly see someone deciding upon these two headphones as a pair of complementary flagships to own.
Overall? The Stax SR-X9000 has taken a long time to arrive, but I do believe it’s been worth the wait. It’s the most complete and competent Stax headphone I have personally heard (keeping in mind I have not heard the original omega.) Stax seems to have listened to customers complaints about their previous headphones and done their best to address them. The somewhat lean and bright sounding SR009 has been fixed, and the somewhat overly warm and lacklustre build quality of the SR007 has also been addressed. That’s not to say the SR-X9000 is without fault, as I do find it has too much energy in the 3khz range, which is thankfully easily fixed by a tiny tweak with EQ. Once that has been done, the SR-X9000 has comfortably made it into my top 3 personal favourite headphones. The Abyss 1266TC, The Hifiman Shangri-La SR, and the SR-X9000. I look forward to seeing what Stax comes up with for the next flagship, see you in a decade or so
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I’m just posting my quick impressions of the X9000 from Pacific Audio Fest.
Tonality:
- Generally well balanced with a slight emphasis towards the treble.
- Sounded like a slight hot spot in the lower to mid treble, maybe around 5-6khz, but good upper treble extension to balance that out. Very ‘airy’ sounding as well.
- In some ways not unlike the Shang Jr
- Not as much low end presence as SR-007 2.9, but this is all just relative tonal balance.
- Decent amount of ear gain in the upper mids but not overly shouty, as the treble boost balances that out a bit and wasn’t being overshadowed by lower harmonics.
Technical:
- Very detailed sounding, again reminiscent of the Shang Jr. I’d have to hear them side by side to tell which is better.
- Not much for sense of impact and ‘dynamics’ - I think this isn’t an estat strength.
- Soundstage and sense of space was also excellent.
- Surprisingly not as technical sounding as the L700 off of the equipment they had there. I’m not sure the name of the amp the L700 was being run off of but that was truly nuts. At the same time, X9000 sounded more balanced for it tuning.
Overall, I liked it. I think this is likely to rank highly on my list if I’m able to get it in at some point. Not sure exactly where, but as @ufospls2 indicates above, this felt like one of the more balanced and ‘complete’ estats I’ve heard.
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So tell more about the L700 and the nuts amp.
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Sounded like… intense, in a way that there was definitely some tonality quirks going on. But at the same time, extremely ‘involved’ kind of sound, like just insane detail in the strongest of ways. It was also kind of bassy, or like, warmer than I expected. I don’t know the name of the amp they were using.
Any thoughts on them compared to the SR-009 or 009S? having recently got the 009 I am amazed by the ethereal quality, incredible detail, soundstage, and how different they are than my dymanics (mostly ZMF) which I use far more.
I hope I get to try all 3 at CanJam next month, but I don’t find the 009 leaving me wanting anything. I don’t find them too bright, kind of just right for my 50 something ears. The bass is enough for me, certainly more quantity than I expected base don reviews and comments especially after the S came out.
The bass extension was cut off with the stock L700 I reviewed a while ago because no blu-tac mod but the typical FR quirk if they didn’t do anything to the tuning is a weird, obviously incorrect sounding and prominent peak around 1.5k that seems be a pretty common estat quirk. Even ESP95X has something similar.
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I heard the X-9000 along with the SR-007MK I and SR-009S off the T2 and the Aeras by eksonic. It is really matter of personal preferences, it got great technicalities but for the price of the headphone I would buy the SR-007MK I and get a T2 instead.
Hi Guys,
Today we are talking about Stax Headphones entry level pair of headphones, the SR-L300 (which I will refer to as the L300 for the rest of this review.) This is Stax’s most affordable model, clocking in at $455USD MSRP. Having spent some time with their mid tier lambda model recently, the L500mk2, I was really looking forward to seeing how the L300 would differ, and if it would offer up a good amount of the L500mk2’s sound for half the price. Let’s dig in to see how it fared.
The first thing that strikes you about the L300 is its unusual frame and look. Largely unchanged since the original Lambda’s in the 1980’s, the rectangular frame is visually striking, if not a bit out there. Still, I honestly like how they look, in that they immediately make me think “Stax.” Looks aren’t that important however, and I am much more concerned about how something sounds, than how it looks.
For the vast majority of this review I paired the L300 with the Stax D10 portable DAC/Amp.
The bass of the L300 is probably its weakest area, especially the sub bass, exhibiting most of the common pitfalls of electrostatic drivers. There is a pretty significant drop off in the sub bass, which is noticeable on some electronic music that goes down that low, and if you watch movies on your headphones, it would be noticeable there also. You can boost it to some extent via EQ, but this headphone is never going to be a sub bass monster. The mid bass actually seems slightly lifted to me, which I enjoy. It gives it a certain sense of punch and fullness. This may be a bit controversial, but I think the headphone community is a bit sub bass obsessed, and whilst it is important, its not the most important thing in the frequency response (and this is coming from someone who is a bit of a bass head.) Most music isn’t going to go below 40hz, and even the most demanding of electronica isn’t going to go below 30hz often, if ever. If you watch movies with headphones, then yeah, I could see it being more important to you, for sure. In terms of bass I’m mostly concerned about how things are from 30-35hz upwards. Doing a slight boost with the L300 via eq via a low shelf actually makes them incredibly enjoyable for most music, and I never found myself being desperate for more bass. In terms of the technical performance of the low end, it’s actually quite good. It has slightly less impact than the L500mk2, and sounded a bit more rounded off on the leading edges. The bass was quick, and kept up with fast passages well, which is one of the main strengths of electrostatic drivers, that I have found, the overall speed and definition.
The mid range is actually interesting compared to the L500mk2. I felt the low mids were a bit more pulled back. I’m curious if this is a decision to tune the L300 to the more main stream preference of a somewhat V shaped tuning, vs a more mid forward “audiophile” tuning. The low mids don’t sound sucked out or hollow, but certainly a bit more v shaped and less present than the L500mk2. The L300 do exhibit a very similar peak to the L500mk2 around about 1khz, which is very noticeable. It gives the sound a slightly nasal congested feel. This is very easily fixed with a little bit EQ, and I think it might just be a characteristic of the current Lambda driver series as all the models seem to exhibit this peak to varying degrees. The L300 is absolutely listenable without Eq’ing this peak, but does 100% benefit from it being lowered slightly in terms of its overall tonality.
The highs of the L300 reminded me of the L500mk2. I felt that came across as being tuned in a fairly neutral manner, in that they were’t dark, but also weren’t painfully bright. There is a tiny bit of tizz to cymbals at times but it was never something that really bothered me (and cymbals can certainly be annoying on some headphones.) There seemed to be a bit of a peak in the lower treble which helped accentuate detail, but I never found the treble sounding sharp or bright, always coming across as being fairly smooth.
The technical performance of the L300 is admirable for its price point. This is perhaps expected due to the fact it is a pair of Stax headphones, and is an electrostatic headphone. It does fall behind the L500mk2 in terms of technical performance when it comes to detail, and dynamics etc…And yet, if I had to put a number on it, I’d say it is about 80% of the way there. Considering these cost half the amount, that’s pretty impressive. I’ve even seen mention of using the L300 with the L500/L700 pads helps get it even closer. The over detail levels of the L300 are very good, beating out some of the planar magnetic and dynamic driver based headphones at around about the same MSRPa
The build quality of the L300 is a step down from the L500mk2, but that is to be expected I suppose. It uses a simple slider mechanism for adjustment of the headband, has a non detachable cable, and feels a bit more plastic-y overall. The ear-pads are a bit less plush and use fully synthetic leather vs the mix of real and synthetic on the L500mk2. I have a fairly large head, and found the clamp force of the L300 to get a little bit much at times. It certainly has a higher clamp force than the L500mk2, which I found totally fine to wear for longer periods. The build quality is acceptable, it all feels well put together, but understandably a bit less premium and well put together than its big brother, the L500mk2.
For the vast majority of this review I used the L300 in conjunction with Stax’s portable DAC/Amp, the D10. The D10 is certainly a more affordable entry into electrostatic amplification than most other options (whilst also including a DAC) and also pairs up well with the easy to drive (in terms of electrostatic headphones) L300. I would presume it would work well with the other lambda series headphones also, as they have very similar driver specs. The D10 is a substantial feeling device and is quite solid and heavy. It does have a battery within it, but be warned, although the manual says you will get about 3 hours out of the battery using it as a DAC/Amp combo (vs Amp only) I found that I only got about 2 hours out of the battery at moderate listening volumes. The D10 takes a micro-USB input for use with the DAC section, or a 3.5mm line in, for use with an external DAC. I mostly used it as a DAC/Amp combo during this review. The micro-USB is not something I am a huge fan of, especially if you are going to be plugging, and unplugging the cable often. Micro-USB jacks wear out and get all loose fairly quickly, so if Stax ever revises the D10, I’d love to see them go with a USB-C input. In terms of tonal balance I found the D10 slightly bright, with decent transparency. I tried a pair of hard to drive electrostatic’s on it (SR007mk2) and that was an absolute no go. The D10 just doesn’t have the drive and power to drive them well in the low end. With the L300 however, I suffered no such problems, and ended up really enjoying the pairing. Was it as good as my KGSSHV Carbon desktop amp? No, but you can hardly expect a small portable device to compete with good desktop gear. The D10 does its job well, looks nice, and can handle easier to drive electrostatic headphones with ease. This opens them up to being a possible transportable companion in a hotel room or similar, which for some people will be a huge bonus.
Overall, the Stax Headphones L300 has been a treat to spend time with. At $455 MSRP, I would say it is the first logical stop off for someone curious about electrostatic headphones. It really gives you an idea of what they sound like and are capable of. It can also be driven with more modest amplifiers vs something very difficult to drive like the SR007mk2. Although it feels slightly less premium and uses cheaper materials than the L500mk2 and L700mk2, it provides a lot of the sound quality of its older siblings at a much cheaper price. Heck, if you find a used pair you would be able to try out electrostatic sound for an even more affordable price. The L300 is a great entry level model in my opinion, and if you are willing to tweak its sound signature with a little bit EQ, it gets even better. I could certainly see someone buying a pair of L300 and D10, and being happy and not going any further. They really are an enjoyable listen.
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I’d talked to Birgir about the D10 privately, and he doesn’t care for it or really any of the very portable estat amps he’s heard. Not surprising. I was hoping to entice him into looking into a portable design. Sajeev @nectarsoundnet also has some issues with the D10 and offers a DIY kit for his own amp.
I’d be interested in a comparison of the sound of the 300, 500 and 700 on the D10 vs the KGSSHV Carbon or if you have something intermediate. When I went from an energizer to a proper estat amp I was astonished at the difference in sound, even of my vintage STAX, and it paved the way for me to go with the Nectar Hive.
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I know Kerry is working on one, and I would guess it will be better than the D10. The D10 isn’t amazing, but for what it is, it works well with the Lambda series imo.
as I said in the review, my desktop amp is obviously better, and has more power to drive harder to drive headphones, but I wasn’t overly wanting with the D10+L300.
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I don’t know much about the D10 honestly. I was just suspicious of something so small being able to drive as well as a desktop amp. If I could borrow one and measure one, I would know how it performs. But I’ve seen small stax amps like the 252s hardly output anything even at 14kHz for example. But I don’t know much about the D10 other than that it’s portable, and that’s a plus… I have switched to the dark side now and have released a Planar HP now on my site by the way 
It sounds amazing and rich but still hard to beat the legendary HIveX electrostatic.
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Oh, there was the Stax 009S besides the X9000 besides the L700 in the show that you’ve described, did you try the SR-009S too? How good or bad from the memory
STAX SR-009S Electrostatic Headphones!
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