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Old 08-26-2018, 04:40 PM
mulveling mulveling is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Atlanta, GA
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Originally Posted by DVass13 View Post
It's been quite a while since I've listened to a pair of Stax 009s (not 009S). I"ve heard many very positive reviews of the 009S with the HeadAmp BHSE and I'm curious how they would compare against my current setup. I feel that my Focal Utopias with the HeadAmp GS-X Mk2 is already an amazing setup, but I still can't help but wonder...
Both 009 and 009S match great with a HeadAmp BHSE; it comes down to a matter of preference there. I own both headphones, and just sold my BHSE as I've taken delivery of a commissioned-build T2. The BHSE is still considered the defacto best "commercial" amp for these headphones. It is a phenomenal sounding amp for all top Stax headphones - 009/S, 007, L700. There were high hopes for the T8000, but impressions from the Stax enthusiast crowd (I've personally not heard one) have disappointed so far - i.e. they say not at the level of the similarly priced BHSE in terms of sound quality, power, or even circuitry sophistication. It should still sound good with 009S, I would hope - from reports, the T8000's slightly bright nature might be assumed to match with the 009S's slightly warm nature.

I also just sold my Utopias - I used them with the HeadAmp Gilmore Reference (predecessor to the GS-X) and Headroom Max Balanced (competitor to GS-X). I can easily say the BHSE with 009 or 009S performs at a higher level of sound quality, though the Utopia was certainly excellent in its own right. The only issue I had with 009/BHSE was low net gain, which can cause difficulty for some vinyl-based setups. The low gain structure of BHSE is ideal for 4V+ output balanced DACs. The Utopia setups always had tons of gain to spare - so I still used and enjoyed them with vinyl until I got the T2 for my 009/S, which also has plenty of gain.

I've been a huge Stax fan for 5 years now, since I first heard the 009 on a T2 (still the easy-win ultimate, of everything I've heard). It's unlikely any other headphone brand will ever eclipse Stax for me, though I'm partially hopeful for a new Sennheiser baby Orpheus that is Stax-compatible.

Last edited by mulveling; 08-26-2018 at 04:47 PM.
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