KOSS ESP-950 Thread - Page 30

He ended up selling his 009s (even after getting them replaced) because his skin would crawl when he put them on. lol

Quote:

Originally Posted by obobskivich 


But after knowing that your headphones were covered by rabies infested, flea-ridden, generally nasty mice, the question is: would you *want* to?
Then again, Koss does say "No Questions Asked."

So I am getting ready to take the plunge into the ES world and my choices seem somewhat limited. I have no ES amp (and no speaker amp to use with an adapter) so I am starting from scratch. I use T1's as my main headset but I want to experience the ES sound a second setup. I can buy (import) the Koss ESP 950 probably from some online American source.....or I can buy a stax set from a local dealer in Bangkok. My budget would not stretch any farther than the Stax 407 or 507 with either to 323S or 006t amp. Getting into the Omega line is out of my price range. Even buying used Omega gear from here seems upwards of $3k (more like $4-7k) for a set so that is not very practical. 

Here goes the question (after the long winded intro). Should I get the ESP950 and throw away the amp and buy a used Stax amp for it....or should I stick with the Stax approach and go with the new 407 or 507? Has anyone made the comparison? Any thoughts appreciated I am really on the fence here without a safety net.

TBH.  The esp950 is not a bad move but if I were in your shoes I'd go with a Stax system like the 507 and 323s or whatever you can get on the secondary market.  I feel it would be a more viable upgrade path.

Quote:

Originally Posted by obobskivich 


Get the ESP/950 and use the E/90 amplifier - all of the "throw the amp away" posts completely baffle me, especially since 95% of them come from people with absolutely no experience or frame of reference. It's all madness I say!
Really, the E/90 is a good amp, and it will do exactly what it needs to do for the 950s. No reason to spend more money just for the experience.

Thank for the comments. I have decided that the Koss ESP 950 is so cheap that I am going to buy one set and also buy a Stax system. I may keep them both or sell one I guess we will see. Once I modify the ESP950 to work with a Stax amp that may make it impossible to sell in the future? Is there some sort of cable adapter that I can get so that I don't have to chop up the cable on the ESP950?

I want to say Double Helix makes an adapter, but yes they exist. Even if you did some choppin' I think it'd be easier to sell, honestly...Heck I might buy it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chodi 

Thank for the comments. I have decided that the Koss ESP 950 is so cheap that I am going to buy one set and also buy a Stax system. I may keep them both or sell one I guess we will see. Once I modify the ESP950 to work with a Stax amp that may make it impossible to sell in the future? Is there some sort of cable adapter that I can get so that I don't have to chop up the cable on the ESP950?

I am going to search for anyone online that will sell the ESP950 for around $600 plus shipping. Mind you since they all come from the U.S. shipping and possible import duty are no small matter. The full import duty here is 37% of the invoice if they catch it. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by obobskivich 


They sometimes drop on Amazon to that, but I don't think Amazon will ship them internationally. I know Koss.com will ship them overseas now, but that would be around $1400 with the duties.
I think APS makes an adapter for them too, or you can build it yourself. But yeah, mod the extension cable (or buy another one for ~$13 and chop that up), don't chop the headphones themselves. Then you can use them with the E/90 or with a STAX amp.

I just tried to order a set through Headphones.com which was suggested earlier in this thread. I placed the order pending shipping cost. When they get back with the shipping cost if it is not too outrageous I will confirm. If they agree to my request to ship it USPS without insurance I will probably avoid the import tax. I have brought in many things over the years and that method usually works. UPS, DHL or Fedex is a red flag to customs and they get you every time. We will see.

Quote:

Originally Posted by singh 

I ordered mine from amazon, when the price was 626.
They do ship overseas.
The good thing about amazon is that they take responsibility for custom clearance, that makes the process very quick, i got mine on the 6th day, using the most basic shipping option.
Price of esp950 system, 626
shipping charges, 30
Import fee deposit, 161
Thats all i paid shipped to me. ( India)

I can't use Amazon as they take all the customs fees up front. Doing it through USPS without insurance I have avoided all customs fees on many expensive items.

I emailed Headphones.com two days ago to purchase the ESP 950 from them. Their price is the best I can find. They have not even responded to my email? I am going to buy an ESP 950 as soon as I can find someone that will sell it to me at a reasonable price. Just for the record, today I bought a new Stax system to compare with the ESP 950 if I can find anyone to sell me one. If I buy through Amazon they are going to charge me full retail plus 37% up front to cover the full import duty. That is their wonderful new policy. If I buy anywhere that will just send it USPS I will not have to pay any duty. Incidentally, I am listening to my new Stax system now even without burn in it doesn't sound half bad but the darn headband is welding the ear cups to the side of my head. I am afraid to try and bend the headband. Oh well, early days with this new one.