As a sound engineer, how can you not have a great pair of headphones during coding? Well, here it is—the unboxing of the limited 180-ohm Stax SR-009BK and the high-end SRM-727A amplifier.
Table of Contents
Introduction
During the pandemic, stuck at home with no social life, I spent countless hours on various streaming sites. I accidentally stumbled upon Fujiya-Avic, and quietly, I decided to act on it. Seeing the 009BK, and even better than the 009, I couldn't resist. Ever since finishing the D8000 Pro, I've been eager to upgrade my headphones, so I impulsively bought the 727A full kit and shipped it off.
Open
So yesterday, I joined a Zoom meeting at home and it went on for half an hour—then suddenly, the window popped up.
The package arrived with a surprise, and I rushed to open it.
The black box arrived with a known internal layout.
No need to say much—after opening, the package was fully unpacked.
SR-009BK Outer Case:
The case exterior is wooden, feels quite nice in hand, though the look still has a certain charm.
Opening the case, lifting the foam, and you can see the SR-009BK unit itself.
The one that came out is the 178-ohm version from the limited 180-ohm batch.
The exterior has a very premium feel—industrial design, high-grade materials.
The SRM-727A’s outer case is relatively simple—just a standard box. Opening it reveals the unit directly.
Plug the power supply directly into the amplifier and turn it on.
Mind
Track:
Eagles:
- Desperado
- The Last Resort
One of my favorite songs:
- SAKURA
- YELL
Kobukro
- 蕾
DAC: RME ADI-2 FS
RCA cable: homemade 47 labs stratos from long ago
The sound is quite neutral and transparent, mostly J-pop and English songs, I casually grabbed a few to compare.
The previous headphone was Hifiman's HE560, upgraded to 009 + 727A, which is essentially a full upgrade.
At first, the sound felt flat and neutral, but only after a while did it begin to reveal its character—009's detail and transparency are still no match for HE560, and some might even consider it superior to D8000 Pro in that regard.
In terms of the sound signature, it's truly remarkably close to the real thing.
As for the fit and comfort, it's noticeably heavier than HE560, but overall feels quite comfortable—unlike the Hifiman HE560, it's not overly cumbersome, and it's actually enjoyable to wear for long periods. It just feels worth it, not at all like a white elephant.
When I first tried D8000 Pro, it was truly impressive—the final decision was made because of the 009’s detail and transparency. Plus, with the high-end audio system and a decent amplifier, it's hard not to resist the urge to keep upgrading. For now, I’ll just settle with this setup and see how it goes…
Finally, let’s give the audio gear a proper test.
Recently, the price of high-end audio gear has dropped dramatically, and even Stax has entered the market. For those who are seriously interested in high-end audio, it’s worth a listen. The main challenge right now is just finding a good, reliable pair of headphones.
Summary
Always keep the big picture in mind—keep learning and growing.Scientific ResearchCoding becomes more efficient when you have music to focus. Don't you think engineers should also take a good break to boost their coding efficiency?
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