[DonS1000]

I believe this is known issue with ESP 950. They have lifetime warranty though.

 

[buke9]

Yes they do. They need bias supply (600V, which is a scooch higher than the STAX Pro bias (580V) but from what I've read/been told they will play along with 580V just fine), as well as high voltage drive for the stators (the E/90 is able to do something like 2300Vp-p). That's nothing a "conventional" headphone amp can deliver or even connect to.

I have my 950's runner off of a SRM-1 MKII in pro bias and I can confirm that it is much better than the E-90. Much better.

 

[smy1]

I have my 950's runner off of a SRM-1 MKII in pro bias and I can confirm that it is much better than the E-90. Much better.

Can I connect my cayin i5 to the srm?

 

[JimL11]

Can I connect my cayin i5 to the srm?

Sure, as long as you have the appropriate cable.  The SRM takes an RCA plug.

 

[buke9]

Can I connect my cayin i5 to the srm?

I've been moving stuff around so I don't have the Yggy hooked up right now and was running it with my QP1R sounds pretty good also.

 

[ardgedee]

That's what I thought as well...unless you could find an energizer like the SRD-5 on the used market or we're willing to shell out $500 for a Woo WEE. Gotta love that name!

It works very well through the WEE (with the appropriate adaptor of course). I haven't bothered returning to the E/90, although I might unpack it this summer for when the listening room/office gets hot and the big muscular amp driving the WEE gets the office even hotter.

 

[heavyharmonies]

Got my eBay-fresh 950s this morning and have been listening for about 5 hours now. I have it hooked up to an Oppo HA-2, as my Marantz HD-DAC1 is still inbound.
 
Random thoughts in comparison to Hifiman HE-400i (only other phones I've been actively using as of late):
 
I love the immediacy and clarity of the 950s compared to the 400i. It's as if a curtain/veil has been raised.
 
The bass isn't as prevalent as it is on the HE-400i, but that isn't a bad thing. It seems more controlled/refined.
 
The 400i's soundstage is considerably larger than that of the 950. If there's one aspect of the 400i I could "blend" with the 950 thus far, that would be it.
 
It could be the newness of the 950s (to me), but I find them a bit more fatiguing than the 400i. Might just be an adjustment issue.
 
950s are very light, very little clamping force.
 
Microphonics... UGH! Every time I turn/move my head I can hear a crackle/rustle. I think it's physical, as opposed to anything wrong with the phones themselves. I may get some new pads from Koss to see if that fixes it (and possibly to mod... at $5 per pair, kinda hard to go wrong).
 
Split volume knob can be a bit annoying. I've put some scotch tape across the two knobs to tie them together so that I don't unintentionally fark up the balance when I go to change the volume. I think that when I get the Marantz I'll use the variable line out and use the volume control on the Marantz and just leave the knobs on the E90 in a fixed position.
 
Overall, for just under $350, I'm quite pleased... will take some adjusting, but I like what I hear.

 

[Allanmarcus]

  Got my eBay-fresh 950s this morning and have been listening for about 5 hours now. I have it hooked up to an Oppo HA-2, as my Marantz HD-DAC1 is still inbound.
 
Random thoughts in comparison to Hifiman HE-400i (only other phones I've been actively using as of late):
 
I love the immediacy and clarity of the 950s compared to the 400i. It's as if a curtain/veil has been raised.
 
The bass isn't as prevalent as it is on the HE-400i, but that isn't a bad thing. It seems more controlled/refined.
 
The 400i's soundstage is considerably larger than that of the 950. If there's one aspect of the 400i I could "blend" with the 950 thus far, that would be it.
 
It could be the newness of the 950s (to me), but I find them a bit more fatiguing than the 400i. Might just be an adjustment issue.
 
950s are very light, very little clamping force.
 
Microphonics... UGH! Every time I turn/move my head I can hear a crackle/rustle. I think it's physical, as opposed to anything wrong with the phones themselves. I may get some new pads from Koss to see if that fixes it (and possibly to mod... at $5 per pair, kinda hard to go wrong).
 
Split volume knob can be a bit annoying. I've put some scotch tape across the two knobs to tie them together so that I don't unintentionally fark up the balance when I go to change the volume. I think that when I get the Marantz I'll use the variable line out and use the volume control on the Marantz and just leave the knobs on the E90 in a fixed position.
 
Overall, for just under $350, I'm quite pleased... will take some adjusting, but I like what I hear.

If the crackle is coming from the headband, send it back to Koss for repair. That happened to me and it was unacceptably annoying.

 

[timb5881]

I think you will enjoy them immensely! I have had mine since about 1993 or so. The only issue I have ever had is the energizer caps went out this year. Koss fixed and sent it back, sounds like new. I agree, if you are a mega bass head and want lots of thump, these ain't the phones for you. I am an avid rock listener, and I find the bass more than satisfying.

 

[obobskivich]

Got my eBay-fresh 950s this morning and have been listening for about 5 hours now. I have it hooked up to an Oppo HA-2, as my Marantz HD-DAC1 is still inbound.

Random thoughts in comparison to Hifiman HE-400i (only other phones I've been actively using as of late):

I love the immediacy and clarity of the 950s compared to the 400i. It's as if a curtain/veil has been raised.

The bass isn't as prevalent as it is on the HE-400i, but that isn't a bad thing. It seems more controlled/refined.

The 400i's soundstage is considerably larger than that of the 950. If there's one aspect of the 400i I could "blend" with the 950 thus far, that would be it.

It could be the newness of the 950s (to me), but I find them a bit more fatiguing than the 400i. Might just be an adjustment issue.

950s are very light, very little clamping force.

Microphonics... UGH! Every time I turn/move my head I can hear a crackle/rustle. I think it's physical, as opposed to anything wrong with the phones themselves. I may get some new pads from Koss to see if that fixes it (and possibly to mod... at $5 per pair, kinda hard to go wrong).

Split volume knob can be a bit annoying. I've put some scotch tape across the two knobs to tie them together so that I don't unintentionally fark up the balance when I go to change the volume. I think that when I get the Marantz I'll use the variable line out and use the volume control on the Marantz and just leave the knobs on the E90 in a fixed position.

Overall, for just under $350, I'm quite pleased... will take some adjusting, but I like what I hear.

The pads are a bit "noisy" due to their texture IME. FWIW the set that came with my 950s from the factory developed a run pretty early on, and replacement pads solved that and have held up great over the years. For $5 it was very worth it.

 

[darinf]

  I hope to get my first shipment on or around 2/27, but since they're all hand made, they can't crank them out in any kind of quantity.
You can preorder them now from us.
So far the first few pairs are already sold though. But I don't know how many I am getting in each shipment. 

 
 

  Sure. You can pre-order here.

First shipment of pads arrived today. Only two pairs available after the pre-orders.

 

[ratboi]

My ESP 950 have almost stopped me on my ultimate headphone search.
I use an Idecco as my DAC and the Lyr amp and this setup is one of the best headphone setups I have ever heard. Yes I have listened to a Stax 007 and Stax 009 for about 20 minutes each.
The ESP950 with the energizer unit alone is great but not even close to my current setup.
I am extremely thrilled with my current setup.

OK, just to be clear - what IS your current setup? I'm thinking Audeze LCD2 V1, Lyr amp, Solo, from your tags.

 

[darinf]

   
 
First shipment of pads arrived today. Only two pairs available after the pre-orders.

The first shipment sold out right away. More coming next week. They're trickling in...
-Darin

 

[ho1ysword]

Oh, neat. That's kinda weird for me to see those Vesper pads having a dedicated listing on a (yours, Darin?) retail site.
 
Coincidentally, I just ordered a bespoke pair directly from Vesper for the ESP950:

1. Black leather
2. Angled pads, 4cm deep at the front and 2cm deep at the back
3. Fast foam

 
Quality is great, although a PITA to install. No more crinkling sound from the stock pads. Seal (and bass) are quite improved. I'm noticing both more extension and more punch. No major impact on soundstage/mids, but I think they dulled the highs just a tad. Shipping from Belarus to Texas took a couple of weeks (to be expected). Despite the thickness, the pads are still quite light, and are definitely comfortable.
 
I love me some bass, and since I'm the weirdo that buys stats and then EQs up the low end, I'm quite pleased. Trying to recall back to the HE-6 (my standard for headphone bass) I think these ESP-950s now go lower than anything else I've heard, although they're still missing that fun punch (distortion?) that many dynamics and some planars have. But it's soooo low and so very clean.
 
Recommended.

 

[doctorjazz]

Got a pair, have to put them on one of these days...