[Mad Dude]

It seems to be working fine now. I'll keep in mind to keep them covered to avoid getting dust into them. Thanks again for the heads-up.
 
There's another issue I have, related to the earpads: Whenever I move my head every so slightly, the earpads respond my producing a "crackling" sound from being compressed or decompressed. Does anyone else have this problem?
I bought my ESP-950 used, and even though it's in near perfect condition one of the earpads is already showing some flaking. I'm wondering if I could fix this by replacing the earpads...
 
Still: Despite the issues with squealing noises and crackling earpads, these are great. I've listened to some Aretha Franklin albums today - I have some curious CDs that seem to be entirely deficient any any "cleanup" that is usually done to records of the time, they sound pretty much like a vinyl LP complete with all the crackling and background hissing you'd expect. It sounded great! The Koss renders vocals in near perfection, and may even be better than my previous reference, the Sennheiser HD600. The ony thing the latter does better is bass impact, but the Koss isn't too bad either.
 
I'm planning to add an EQ to my system (the real thing, not some software) and I'm going to use the ESP-950 as a reference. First thing I'm goin to do is try and equalize the Stax SR404 to sound as close as possible as the Koss. Should be interesting to hear the result... The one thing the Stax does better than the Koss is the soundstage: It's pretty much the only headphone I've heard that actually resembles a speaker system. The problem is that it's frequency response is off, the midrange is too bright and makes vocals sound unnatural. Let's see if that can be improved, or even fixed entirely.

 

[Magick Man]

Get new pads, they might fix most or all of what you're experiencing.

http://www.koss.com/en/products/accessories/ESP950_Ear_Cushion__ESP950_Ear_Cushion

Yeah, they really are just $5 each. :blink:

 

[obobskivich]

Get new pads, they might fix most or all of what you're experiencing.
http://www.koss.com/en/products/accessories/ESP950_Ear_Cushion__ESP950_Ear_Cushion
Yeah, they really are just $5 each. :blink:

Remember that Mad Dude is international though, so shipping might be horrendous, but yes, +1 to this.

Mad Dude,
On the pads, the outer "wrapping" material (it's not leather and it's not vinyl, but the black stuff) is fairly easy to scratch/cut/tear if you aren't careful - mine has a little "knick" in it where I bumped them into another headphone on the stand (it isn't flaking or tearing or etc, so I'm not worrying), just keep that in mind too. They're good pads, but they're very much designed to be replaced periodically.

 

[Mad Dude]

Thanks guys, I will get new earpads then.
Koss does not ship internationally (I love companies which restrict their business to US only...) but I'll ask their customer service if they can make an exception.

 

[AlanHell]

I am really consider buying it for POP and ROCK music over my HD800.
I just heard that it is very good for less quality recording compare to the ultra reveling HD800 that sometimes kills your ears.
 
Any one can show me the difference among HD800, ESP950 and ED8?
 
It is on sale on Amazon of $620, really good price, if it good bass and less sibilance, I　will get it over the HD650 since they are in the same price range.
 
Thanks~~~~

 

[Mad Dude]

I can't compare the ESP950 to the HD800 or Ed.8, but if you're looking for a smooth, non-sibilant, natural sounding headphone that is not too revealing, the Koss is definetly a great choice.

 

[obobskivich]

You ever get a verdict on the replacement pads?

 

[BenchmarkGrado]

Magick,

I am curious about the Wooaudio WEE. What is your impression? I have a pair of STAX SRX mk 3 that sound good with the SRD7 and an vintage Precision Fidelity M8 hybrid amp.

BG

 

[Magick Man]

Magick,
I am curious about the Wooaudio WEE. What is your impression? I have a pair of STAX SRX mk 3 that sound good with the SRD7 and an vintage Precision Fidelity M8 hybrid amp.
BG

It's fine, works the same as the SRD-7, only it's a little more fancy. The WEE is usually sold as Pro bias, however, unless you special order one with Normal.

 

[spritzer]

Personally I'd just stick with the SRD-7. 

 

[BenchmarkGrado]

Thanks, guys. I will take your advice.

BG

 

[ahdat50]

Been trolling through the forums for the longest time trying to decide on the ESP-950 and LCD2.  I was interested in the ESP-950 because i had to sell my martin logans (which I absolutely loved) due to space constraints (MLs in particular require a lot of space to sound their best) and tried to find that same sound in headphone form.  Found a pair of the Koss on sale on amazon for ~600 and a used pair of the LCD2 so i figured hey, i'll just try em both and keep one that i liked the most.  It was down to those 2 and i didn't want to spend any more than 1000 for a total system.  Thought i'd contribute back to the forums since i've gotten so much from all you guys.  
 
So both were broken in for a couple of days playing fairly bassy song on repeat.  The 950 running off the stock amp/energizer, the LCD2 off some cheap 3 watt amp.  Been comparing the two for a couple of weeks now, a/bing them at night when i have an hour or two to spare.  Source is a squeezebox 3 playing a bunch of random flac music, such as music with strong female vocals (adele, norah jones, etc...), hip hop, r & b, etc...  For me its mostly about what's most promient about the system and what's more enjoyable, so i'll be reviewing it in that context.  I tent to like good bass (deep and defined) and vocals (clarity in the voice).  Headphones like the DT880 600ohms are bright for me, Sennheisers (280, 580) boring.  
 
First the 950, which i was rooting for since it was cheaper and came with an amp.  Most prominent thing about these is the voice.  Very clear and very big.  There doesn't seem to be good seperation as your head seems to be filled with sound all over.  Vocals doesn't seem to be coming from a single source, big wall of sound. To me its quite enjoyable, but i would think it might not be so good for certain types of music like instruments and those looking for good imaging and soundstage.  Voices are extremely clear, as natural as i've heard with no graininess.  Probably a signature of electrostats.  Bass was good, definately wouldn't call it lacking.  Goes pretty low and definition is decent.  Treble was airy and clear and never hurt my ears.  Again the winner of this show are the vocals.  
 
On the technical side, always requiring the amp/energizer sucks cuz i was planning to bring this back and forth from work.  Also some major technical problems.  One cup kept producing this low static (audible on quiet passages) and the other periodically makes this squeal.  The manual says not to plug it in a power source along with lamps and stuff, which i assume means noise in the power line can get into the phones.  There's always this crackling sound when moving my head.  I assume its an interaction between the cushion and my hair but pretty annoying.  Common things i kept reading in the forums and i tried all the suggestions to eliminate it, but all this makes me think this is a very sensitive headphone and i'm always going to be fighting it to get proper sound.  Sure there's lifetime warranty but its no fun to be sending your headphone back and forth all the time.  I guess it'd be ok for those doing critical listening and always at a static seating area.  Some don't like the plastic material used to build the 'phone, but i think its a plus. It does look and feel cheaper, but it makes it super light, making it really comfortable.  The headband moves way too easily, you'll have to readjust it everytime you put it on your head.  
 
For the LCD2 ,it does different things well and can be very good for a different set of genres.  As everyone has said, the bass is quite amazing.  Not boomy or bloated, full, goes very low and the definition is amazing.  Oddly this doesn't make some of the clubby/poppy stuff as fun to listen to, but for everything else its awesome.  Drums, bass notes and the like have good texture and it is capable of producing those little things that makes the bass feel real.  At times makes you feel like you're inside a jazz bar and the instruments are playing right in front of you.  The 950s, although not totally lacking, were not able to create this realism in the bass.  Vocals were more distant and a bit grainy, didn't have the clarity of the 950s.  But, it did image the voice better, felt more like someone was singing in front of you from a single point in space.  Overall presentation is darker and more distant, good separation of sound and staging in the horizontal direction.  And as others have said, the background is very dark, a stark contrast to the 950 with all the buzzing and squealing going on.  Although the headphone appears well built and all that, its very bulky and heavy.  For me it gets uncomforable fairly quickly, i'm always looking forward to taking them off.  
 
So what am i going to do?  Probably returning both of em and getting a pair of D2000s.  At those prices, i'm not willing to deal with those drawbacks.  The esp-950 is full of technical issues and the lcd2 is too uncomfortable for me.  At $1000 i'm expecting a damn near perfect pair of phones. The phones would have the bass of the LCD2, voicing of the ESP-950, be ridiculously comfortable and have the quality you'd expect from a high-end product.  I'm realizing i prefer speakers to headphones for critical listening, they present sound quite differently.  Guess i'll just have to find a way to make speakers work in my living space.  The D2000s sound like fun, comfortable, and relatively cheap headphones that will be good for work.  I also have a pair of Shures and Ultimate Ears v10i i use casually and for exercise but those physically hurt my ears canals after a couple hours use.  
 
But back to the phones.  In the end, i wouldn't say one is better than the other. They both do certain things extremely well, and they complement each other very well.  The QC of the Koss are a bit worrisome, they seem like very sensitive equipment that will spring up with problems down the road.  It all depends on what you're looking for in your music.  Hope this have helped some of you out there

 

[Gradofan2]

Quote:

... First the 950, which i was rooting for since it was cheaper and came with an amp.  Most prominent thing about these is the voice.  Very clear and very big.  There doesn't seem to be good seperation as your head seems to be filled with sound all over.  Vocals doesn't seem to be coming from a single source, big wall of sound. To me its quite enjoyable, but i would think it might not be so good for certain types of music like instruments and those looking for good imaging and soundstage.  Voices are extremely clear, as natural as i've heard with no graininess.  Probably a signature of electrostats.  Bass was good, definately wouldn't call it lacking.  Goes pretty low and definition is decent.  Treble was airy and clear and never hurt my ears.  Again the winner of this show are the vocals.  
 
On the technical side, always requiring the amp/energizer sucks cuz i was planning to bring this back and forth from work.  Also some major technical problems.  One cup kept producing this low static (audible on quiet passages) and the other periodically makes this squeal.  The manual says not to plug it in a power source along with lamps and stuff, which i assume means noise in the power line can get into the phones.  There's always this crackling sound when moving my head.  I assume its an interaction between the cushion and my hair but pretty annoying.  Common things i kept reading in the forums and i tried all the suggestions to eliminate it, but all this makes me think this is a very sensitive headphone and i'm always going to be fighting it to get proper sound.  Sure there's lifetime warranty but its no fun to be sending your headphone back and forth all the time.  I guess it'd be ok for those doing critical listening and always at a static seating area.  Some don't like the plastic material used to build the 'phone, but i think its a plus. It does look and feel cheaper, but it makes it super light, making it really comfortable.  The headband moves way too easily, you'll have to readjust it everytime you put it on your head.  
 
For the LCD2 ,it does different things well and can be very good for a different set of genres.  As everyone has said, the bass is quite amazing.  Not boomy or bloated, full, goes very low and the definition is amazing.  Oddly this doesn't make some of the clubby/poppy stuff as fun to listen to, but for everything else its awesome.  Drums, bass notes and the like have good texture and it is capable of producing those little things that makes the bass feel real.  At times makes you feel like you're inside a jazz bar and the instruments are playing right in front of you.  The 950s, although not totally lacking, were not able to create this realism in the bass.  Vocals were more distant and a bit grainy, didn't have the clarity of the 950s.  But, it did image the voice better, felt more like someone was singing in front of you from a single point in space.  Overall presentation is darker and more distant, good separation of sound and staging in the horizontal direction.  And as others have said, the background is very dark, a stark contrast to the 950 with all the buzzing and squealing going on.  Although the headphone appears well built and all that, its very bulky and heavy.  For me it gets uncomforable fairly quickly, i'm always looking forward to taking them off.  
 
So what am i going to do?  Probably returning both of em and getting a pair of D2000s.  At those prices, i'm not willing to deal with those drawbacks.  The esp-950 is full of technical issues and the lcd2 is too uncomfortable for me.  At $1000 i'm expecting a damn near perfect pair of phones. The phones would have the bass of the LCD2, voicing of the ESP-950, be ridiculously comfortable and have the quality you'd expect from a high-end product.  I'm realizing i prefer speakers to headphones for critical listening, they present sound quite differently.  Guess i'll just have to find a way to make speakers work in my living space.  The D2000s sound like fun, comfortable, and relatively cheap headphones that will be good for work.  I also have a pair of Shures and Ultimate Ears v10i i use casually and for exercise but those physically hurt my ears canals after a couple hours use.  
 
But back to the phones.  In the end, i wouldn't say one is better than the other. They both do certain things extremely well, and they complement each other very well.  The QC of the Koss are a bit worrisome, they seem like very sensitive equipment that will spring up with problems down the road.  It all depends on what you're looking for in your music.  Hope this have helped some of you out there

 
Definitely helpful... your observations pretty well have ruled out both the Koss and the Audeze for me.  The more phones I research and audition... the more I realize... the RS-1's, PS500's, PS1000's, MD5000's and AD2000's are as good as it gets!  Which is pretty good - great, actually!  And... if I had to choose just one of these... it would likely be the RS-1's (semi-vintage)... or maybe... the PS1000's... or...  

 

[obobskivich]

Definitely helpful... your observations pretty well have ruled out both the Koss and the Audeze for me.  The more phones I research and audition... the more I realize... the RS-1's, PS500's, PS1000's, MD5000's and AD2000's are as good as it gets!  Which is pretty good - great, actually!  And... if I had to choose just one of these... it would likely be the RS-1's (semi-vintage)... or maybe... the PS1000's... or...  

Unfamiliar with the PS series, don't know what the MD5000 are, but would say that the ESP/950 are fairly priced at a grand (or thereabouts) against the RS-1, GS-1000, etc - the ESP are more accurate, faster, etc, but the Grados are good too (dig up my RS1/ESP950 comparo for longer thoughts). I would suggest trying the ESP/950 if you have the ability to do so; they're really special. They won't appeal to more modern bass-head tastes, but they're certainly fantastic if you consider the Grados or similar to be balanced/level sounding.

To the other poster: the ESP system is portable - it has a battery pack and carrying case to facilitate that. Regarding any QC "issues" - send'em in to Koss, they'll take care of it, no questions asked. Costs $6 to cover return shipping.

 

[Gradofan2]

Quote:

Unfamiliar with the PS series, don't know what the MD5000 are, but would say that the ESP/950 are fairly priced at a grand (or thereabouts) against the RS-1, GS-1000, etc - the ESP are more accurate, faster, etc, but the Grados are good too (dig up my RS1/ESP950 comparo for longer thoughts). I would suggest trying the ESP/950 if you have the ability to do so; they're really special. They won't appeal to more modern bass-head tastes, but they're certainly fantastic if you consider the Grados or similar to be balanced/level sounding.
To the other poster: the ESP system is portable - it has a battery pack and carrying case to facilitate that. Regarding any QC "issues" - send'em in to Koss, they'll take care of it, no questions asked. Costs $6 to cover return shipping.

 
I don't care whether Grados are accurate, or balanced, per se - they just sound so much more like real live music than anything else I've tried.  Like tube amps, they present a sound of realism that few alternatives are able to present, though those alternatives may be more accurate, or balanced.  A little distortion "is a good thing."  And they are also as clear and detailed as anything else I've tried, or moreso than most - though the Stax SR507's are close - just not quite as much drive, PRAT, and bass.
 
But... they do require careful matching of the set up to really hear their true sound capability.  Most never really have heard them for that reason - they just didn't have a well matched set up.  But then that's true of most phones.