Twenty years of collecting
Stax SR-007 Mk1 (1998) [left] and Stax SR-Omega (1993) [right].
I’ve restored both units to 100% mint condition with all-original parts. I’ve owned practically every major hi-fi headphone over the last two decades in this hobby, and with nothing else left to purchase, I’ve landed on these, time and time again, as what I consider the very best ever made.
For those wondering about the sound: the SR-Omega is, for the most part, the superior headphone. It has a bigger soundstage, more detail, and a more organic timbre. On certain songs, it makes voices sound skin-chillingly real, and even as a jaded audiophile, it lets me relive the magic in tracks I’ve heard hundreds of times. It deserves its place among the holy trinity alongside the Sony MDR-R10 and Sennheiser Orpheus, and in my opinion, it is #1.
However, when the SR-007 Mk1 is driven by a very powerful amplifier, and only then, it begins to exhibit a brighter, clearer signature that is not apparent on standard Stax amplifiers. On such systems, the 007 has better imaging, a much better low end, and greater overall heft to the music. While the stage is smaller, the layering feels less like a “wall” and more like a bubble, with objects “visibly” moving around within it, rather than a string of music stretching from left to right.
I suppose I would say the SR-Omega feels like a very hi-fi three-channel speaker setup: left, center, and right, with the center image occupying most of the stage. The 007 feels like dozens of speakers covering every inch of space within a much smaller field.
For those who want a holy-grail headphone system but are not looking for the ultra-rare, seek out the SR-007 Mk1. Avoid serial numbers that start with SZ-1, as those have revised drivers. Pair it with a Mjolnir Carbon. That combination can be found used for under $5k, and while different, it is among the best ever made.
For those who want everything and have unlimited resources, the SR-Omega is worth the effort. For amplification, I highly recommend a Kevin Gilmore Megatron first, followed by the Eksonic Aeras or HeadAmp BHSE.