STAX SRM-T8000 First Impressions

STAX SRM-T8000 First Impressions

@ogodei has graciously lent this to me for a bit.



First off all, I'd like to say that I've been out of it in terms of electrostatic headphones for a while, so take everything with a grain of salt, especially since I do have not other amps on hand for a direct comparison. Having said that, my amp references are the DIY T2, which I had for a while, and just recently at the SoCal meet, I had a good shot at n3rdling's BHSE, which was fed by his Accuphase R2R CDP (a very different sounding source from that Oppo ESS Sabre based CDP disaster that HeadAmp uses at shows.) In other words, I have high expectations, warranted or not. With the T8000, I used the Yggdrasil fed AES from my Marantz CDP as a source. The only headphone I had on hand was a tweaked SR-007mk2.5.

My initial impressions after deciding the use the balanced input (balanced sounds better, more resolving of microdetails) and letting the 007 charge up for a few hours were that the amp is "OK". Ultimately I think it's matter of taste. The DIY T2 is simply unparalleled with its dynamism, focus, and and infinite sense of space. If the BHSE is behind the DIY T2, then T8000 is doubly even moreso from the BHSE. The T8000 sort of sounds like an 007t, maybe a slightly better 007t? My major criticisms are compression and softness. I know what the 007 is capable of in terms of slam and control. I also know that the mk2.5 variant is a bit easier to drive. One can get some serious slam from them via the BHSE or DIY T2, but the T8000 just barely cuts it. It doesn't fail, but it doesn't rise to occasion. The transients are less crisp, more forgiving. The bass and treble extremes seemed rolled. There is an emphasis on the mids / lower mids. I guess I can say that the overall sound is pleasant.

I'm trying to round up the local STAX heads @blubliss and @n3rdling in the next week or so to get a better idea where this stands.

 

It's heavier than the SRM-323?