This combination of detail and stereo imaging is, for many people, the Holy Grail of Audio Listening. It’s just you and the music with seemingly nothing in the way. Some will prefer a more earthy and visceral sound, however, and the T8000 is merely ‘good’ at this aspect of performance. That being said, the T8000 is not gutless and there is no obvious weakness on the T8000’s part; it’s that there are more immediately dynamic and ‘meatier’ sounding devices available from the aftermarket. None of them, it must be said, will save the listener any money in the process and none of them have the same degree of detail retrieval. But if your musical tastes run all the way from Led to Zep, the T8000 might not twang your strings. On the other hand, if it's the replay of string sections you are after, then the T8000 makes a good case of being the most detailed information retreiver on the market.
The SRM-T8000 is the best energiser Stax has ever made, and if resolution and imaging are your audio ‘triggers’, then this is also the best energiser you can get for a Stax. Especially if you have one of the better Stax earspeaker systems, like the SR-009. Those who want something a little gutsier will still admire what the T8000 can do, but careful shopping around might net them something more in their line of sight. But even those listeners might want to stick with it; I found the T8000’s ability to ‘listen into’ a recording more and more beguiling the more time I spent with it plugged between DAC and headphones. Give it a go!
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Frequency response: 1Hz–115kHz
THD: <0.01% @1kHz per channel
Gain: 60dB
Rated input level: 100mV/100V
Maximum output voltage : 470V r.m.s./1kHz
Input impedance: Unbalanced 50kΩ/ Balanced: 50kΩ×2
Analogue Input : RCA ×2, XLR ×1
Headphone output : Stax PRO bias output ×2
Volume control bypass: Allows the use of an external preamp
Vacuum tube: 6922 × 2
Power consumption: 95W (58W when idle)
External dimensions: 320(W)×103(H)×395(D)mm/12.6" × 4" × 15.6"
Weight: 7.3kg/16.1 lbs
Price: £4,395/$5,800
MANUFACTURER INFORMATION
STAX Limited
3798-1 Shimonanbata,
Fujimi-shi, Saitama-Ken, Japan 354-0004
Distributed in the UK by
Symmetry
Tel: +44(0)1727 865489