[VRacer-111]

Wow, you must have very well trained ears. The sound difference between the stock pads and the vespers are incredibly subtle to me. I designed the vesper pads primarily with comfort in mind, as the stock pads were not comfortable to me. I hoped the vesper pads would add a little more low end energy, which is why the pads are so thick.

At any rate, if everyone liked the same thing, we would only need one brand of headphone.

EQ works well enough with the stock pads to bring up the low end appropriately without the very slight 'veil' and 'harsher' sound change introduced by the Vesper pads. Stock pads are comfortable enough to live with, thankfully ESP950 has decent pads unlike STAX L300...

 

[ratboi]

EQ works well enough with the stock pads to bring up the low end appropriately without the very slight 'veil' and 'harsher' sound change introduced by the Vesper pads. Stock pads are comfortable enough to live with, thankfully ESP950 has decent pads unlike STAX L300...

Well, that alcantara on the inside (of those L series pads shown...) might work a bit to reduce the reflected signal that I suspect is the source of the 'veil'. And, I think the memory foam is too dense - why I went with standard. Straight sides and long path isn't the best way to deliver an audio signal. Extend the concept, think paper towel tube.

At any rate, my ears stick out a ways (no, not Dumbo, but...) so I'd rather have the extra room. And, maybe their shape helps reduce the effect of the reflections. Some mfg angle their drivers to good effect, or aftermarket pads/mods yield audible effects. I think Allanmarcus had it right - if we all heard the same way, eventually we'd all use the same headphones. It is an apt acronym - YMMV...

 

[DegenerateSlob]

Was wondering... Has anyone sent their headphones in for a service, with their vesper pads still attached? Is it a good idea to not do that?

 

[ratboi]

Was wondering... Has anyone sent their headphones in for a service, with their vesper pads still attached? Is it a good idea to not do that?

It a good idea to not do that. You don't really want to open up the holes on the E90 to attach beefier RCA interconnects, either.

Sent them in that way? The latter someone has asked Koss about. The pads, I'm extrapolating, I wouldn't tempt them to scratch you off the support list.

 

[Kukuk]

For the time being the noise on my headphone stopped. Not sure if it's an issue of humidity, temperature, or just some oddity. Still debating on whether to keep them or not. As long as they play nice the next week or so I wont send them in for a refund.

Pretty sure Koss customer service got sick of dealing with me, as they stopped emailing me back. Evidently they weren't making any noise whatsoever, so they didn't actually do anything with them aside from change the pads and replace the energizer. They also suggested it might be the cables I have, and apparently I must be crazy if I think tapping the side of the headphone actually affected the noise? Just the classic bull runaround, and I was hoping for better customer service considering how much these headphones cost.

EDIT: Hi Koss customer support.

 

[ratboi]

Hi @laserjet6 ,
Thanks for posting.

Yes! We are always in development with various things.
snipz...

But, we are still here plugging away... I know it's been a long time since we've released an update. Sorry about that, but we are trying the best we can and I still think Out Of Your Head in its current release still holds up when compared to other options available.

BTW, we are having a CanJam SoCal show special now too if you want to buy a copy for 50% off...

Thanks,
-Darin

Stolen from the Out of Your Head discussion thread...

Just thought y'all who are following _this_ thread should know it is a great time to grab a license for Darin's OOYH software. Half price speaker effects, I've found another that maybe doesn't need to be turned down as much to avoid clipping and still sounds cool. Magico 7, I think. Better connections, the Genelec sounds like it should. Have some FUN!! Cheaper than a new DAC, good through the end of 12 April...

 

[Jeff]

Do these ever go on sale new?

 

[Allanmarcus]

Do these ever go on sale new?

They used to, for between $600-$700

Use CamelCamelCamel (CCC) ands set an alert
https://camelcamelcamel.com/Koss-FBA_160416-ESP-950-Electrostatic-Stereophone/product/B000056ULH

Looks like Amazon itself doesn't sell them anymore, at least according to CCC, but set an alert anyways for both Amazon and third party, and hope.

You can commonly pick them up used for ~$500, and with the lifetime warranty, used is a darned good deal.

 

[Jeff]

They used to, for between $600-$700

Use CamelCamelCamel (CCC) ands set an alert
https://camelcamelcamel.com/Koss-FBA_160416-ESP-950-Electrostatic-Stereophone/product/B000056ULH

Looks like Amazon itself doesn't sell them anymore, at least according to CCC, but set an alert anyways for both Amazon and third party, and hope.

You can commonly pick them up used for ~$500, and with the lifetime warranty, used is a darned good deal.

Thanks for the link

 

[GearMe]

Do these ever go on sale new?

Amazon had a Lightning Deal last year when I picked mine up for $594.99...just need to be watching for them.

 

[VRacer-111]

Massdrop has them every once in a long while for $600.

 

[Roll]

On sale this weekend but $700

This Weekend Only!
Friends & Family Event
Save 30% with code: FRIENDS30

https://www.koss.com/promos/friends...-67210679&mc_cid=0aa38be817&mc_eid=56f45bf9ad

 

[ratboi]

On sale this weekend but $700

This Weekend Only!
Friends & Family Event
Save 30% with code: FRIENDS30

https://www.koss.com/promos/friends...-67210679&mc_cid=0aa38be817&mc_eid=56f45bf9ad

I'd suggest taking Koss up on that one, especially since Amazon seems to be out of the loop now. Previous announcements from Koss of similar sales have excluded the ESP-950; I wouldn't count on them being offered again soon like this. I was thrilled to get mine new through Amazon in 2016 as part of an extended Black Friday sale, for 'only' $650. I still get a kick out of putting them in the bag, and taking them to show an unsuspecting friend what they are missing. Six C-cells last quite a few hours...

 

[fpantalone]

I have some for sale. I will put them up on the 'for sale' section. Or contact me directly in the meantime. Thanks.

 

[heavyharmonies]

I'd suggest taking Koss up on that one, especially since Amazon seems to be out of the loop now.

To put a different slant on it, I wouldn't necessarily jump at that price. The ESP950 is the ONE headphone that you shouldn't be afraid to purchase on the secondary market, given the no-questions-asked lifetime warranty from Koss on both the headphones and the energizer.

It would be one thing if you were only looking at saving $100-150 by buying used. In that case, I would say it was worth paying the premium for new. However, the fact of the matter is that if you're patient, you can find the 950s for well below $500. I purchased my set in February of 2017 on eBay for $343 shipped. Between here at Head-Fi, eBay, and Audiogon, you should be able to find a set well below new price.

A complete no-brainer with the warranty coverage.