Hi Jeremy, Yes the KGSS is the exception that proves the rule. If you go back through the history that is essentially Kevin’s only solid state design and the only one that offers anything close of the level of performance of the best tube designs (his or anyone else’s). And of course the ultimate expressions of that came when Birgir discovered the SiC MOSFETs which are the most triode-like solid state devices out there.
I see you are using SR-X9000s Have you listened to Mjölnir’s Novem? That is probably the best amp out there for the latest Stax models. The T2 was really designed for the older hard-to-drive models like the SR-Ω and the SR-007 and is not the optimum match for the later Stax designs IMO.
That said, if you are interested in commissioning a T2 I know a couple of builders I could potentially recommend. To be honest I have no idea if anyone is able to build these any more, some of the silicon and various other random parts are simply no longer available. Somebody must have hoovered up the final stocks though!
Since we’ve already drifted a tad into something that’s not a pic of a system (I’ll add an updated pic in the next week as penance ), I wanted to keep it going with a clarification of your post above, @struts001.
Do you mean that the Novem would be better than a T2 for later Stax models like the X9000? I’d not heard of the Novem before your post, but did a fair bit of comparing the X9000 on Mjölnir’s lovely Carbon and the Eksonic T2 before deciding to go silly and commission the T2. The Carbon was very good, but the T2 was fantastic. Perhaps the Novem would be fantasticererer
I realise that some earlier Stax cans — and others, like the Hifiman Shangri-La — are harder to drive than the X9000, so perhaps benefit MORE from the T2 than the X9000 does. Is that what you meant?
It is more a question of voicing than power (but the two are de facto related in the sense that each Stax model has a certain combination of the two which can’t be changed. The harder to drive models are more neutral, but I am not suggesting there is any causal relationship. It may just be coincidence).
I’ll try to explain what I meant:
In my experience (which is shared by many but as with all things in this hobby not all) the most totally neutral and satisfying Stax Earspeaker ever produced is the SR-007 Mk I. I know others prefer the SR-Ω but I have a pair in very good condition and I still reach for my SR-007s. I have heard 2-3 pairs of SR-Ω through the years but 99% of my experience is with my pair so it might be down to an issue with that pair.
The original T2 was designed to drive the SR-Ω. They are both extremely neutral/balanced and match perfectly.
The KG DIY T2 apparently (and I have never heard an original but according to those that have and have been able to compare) has the same neutrality but betters the original in many other areas. Given the myriad improvements in the execution/packaging of the DIY version this is not totally unexpected.
As an aside I have never heard one of Kerry’s amps so I don’t know how similar it sounds. The circuit is certainly significantly refactored to use SMD components and shrink the form factor but as to how much difference these differences actually make I have no idea.
IMO the same synergy exists (but the result is even better) with the SR-007 Mk I.
After the SR-007 Mik I the “new” Stax company started pursuing a new sound ideal and what I call the “black cable” ear speakers became successively brighter and more forward culminating with the SR-009S. I believe the SR-X9000 is a step in the right direction, but I would personally take a €1500-on-fleabay pair of SR-007 Mk Is over those any day.
However I find the brighter balance of these models is ruthlessly revealed by the T2 and I find that while it seems exciting in a brief audition the result is fatiguing with extended listening.
Since the black cable models represent a large and ever increasing share of the overall market Birgir designed an amp, the Novem, which he ‘voiced’ specifically for them. It is an essentially neutral and transparent amp but it has a very subtle tonality that is designed to balance the character of the black cable Staxes and produce a more synergistic and neutral whole. He says it is the first and only product he has ever ‘voiced’ as opposed to just pursuing maximum neutrality.
Misunderstand me right, I am not saying any of these combinations are “wrong” or “bad”, we are talking about some of the very best ever components in their categories here. But there are some “special” combos. Think the way the Audio Research preamps of the early eighties worked hand-in-glove with Krell power amps, producing a whole that arguably bettered either same-brand combo.
We are talking about the seasoning of the dish, nuances, the perfection of balance of flavour that distinguishes a Michelin 1* restaurant from a 2* from a 3*.
But that is where a lifetime’s Stax journey, my experiences, my OCDs, my biases and my preferences have left me. YMMV.
Fantastic reply — thank you. Lots that I didn’t know, and much that makes other things clearer than they were to me before.
It makes sense, for example, that Kerry’s (original Eksonic chap for those who aren’t well-schooled on the different Stax peeps) favourite headphone with the T2 is the SR-007 Mk I. Yours too
(I lent Kerry my X9000s while he was making my T2 — hey, what was I going to do with them in the meantime?! — and he enjoyed those too, but he’s way too nice a guy to tell me directly that he preferred the older set.)
My comparisons with the Carbon and T2 were with SR-007 Mk I, SR-009, SR-009S and X9000. I bought the X9000 and the T2 off the back of a very enjoyable afternoon with Kerry and @glevethan.
Anyway, I’ll stop misbehaving and start tidying the room so that I can contribute that updated pic.
As some of us have veered a little off topic (yeah, I know I’m partially responsible!), maybe an admin could consider splitting this thread into two topics as both seem valuable
I remember back in the day when Ivor Tiefenbrun that mad scotsman that we all used to worship would tour around dealers and show preaching his source-first gospel. The higher up the signal chain you made improvements the more profound an impact they made. This was the exact opposite of the wisdom of the day which was that the speakers were the most important thing.
I remember him demoing at one show, I think it was the Heathrow one(?) how a Sondek with an Ittok arm and Asak cartridge, combined with a NAIT and Linn Kans (small bookshelf model) would sound better than a Sondek with Basik arm and cartridge driving a NAC32/NAP250 and Isobariks (their top-of-the-line speaker). It was like watching a street magician saw some woman in half. Gasps from the audience. I was spellbound!
In my mind the Vivaldi clock with Bartók or Rossini DAC is simply the modern day equivalent.
And everyone here would probably wet themselves laughing if anyone did the opposite…
), I wanted to keep it going with a clarification of your post above, 
together.