[kinsale]

My history with headphones is Grado SR60 -> DT770 -> SRX-MKIII -> SR202 -> HD600 -> ESP950

I liked the SRX-MKIII a lot but very uncomfortable and no soundstage. The HD600 were great.

The SR202 were technically very good, very accurate but not foot tapping. Not very involving at all. And now I have the same problem with the ESP 950. They are really good but I am not enjoying the music like I did with the HD600.

I really appreciate how fast these are compared to dynamic but why am I not enjoying them?

Any thoughts??

 

[omigawsh_lollercoaster]

Maybe you're listening to the headphones, not the music?

Maybe turning it up a notch will help?

Maybe they're not broke in yet?

Maybe your amp and your phones hate each other?

Maybe these aren't your favorite phones even though you want them to be?

 

[kinsale]

I've been listening solid for about a week. I have found myself turning it up but to no avail.
The amp is the amp that comes with the ESP950. I know it's not the best amp.

I don't want them to be my favorite phones. They're my most expensive to date. I know that's no guarantee.

 

[omigawsh_lollercoaster]

Maybe Koss just isn't your brand, can you return them and try something else?

 

[manaox2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kinsale /img/forum/go_quote.gif The amp is the amp that comes with the ESP950. I know it's not the best amp.

Bingo.

The E90 makes the ESP950 sounds downtrodden and it is what has held back those headphones from becoming much more popular IMO. Frankly, I don't like being blunt about amps to not offend others opinions sometimes, but in this case, I will admit that I think that its crap and especially with the wallwart. A stax SRM1/mkII or exStata are things I would highly recommend to try before giving up on them.

These headphones also are painfully discriminatory to recordings and will show differences in sources. Perhaps more so then any other electrostatic headphone I've heard.

 

[edstrelow]

You need more dynamics and PRAT (pace rythm and timing). Many things can contribute to this, such as source equipment and cable.

The Koss amp is not great but you can get more power out of it with an external power supply. I used an Elenco bench supply (about $80) to power my amp for many years. Even with what you have, try reversing the polarity of the walwart. They usually have a preferred polarity but the plug is not polarized. Contact enhancers such as Progold or Silclear will give more oomph.

The best solution is to build an adapter for the Koss phones, or get them recabled and run them from a bigger amp, Stax or aftermarket Stax amp.

 

[kinsale]

I don't want to give up on them, I haven't seen an amp in my price range yet. Maybe there isn't one. I tend to trade up gradually on my headphones. I'll try the power supply solution to see if it helps.

 

[Michgelsen]

What is your source? I find my SR-202 to have a very good sense of PRaT actually, so it could be source-related.

 

[kinsale]

My source is a laptop running lossless files. DAC is the Pro-Ject DAC.

Do you think that a better amp will bring back the musicality I'm missing?

 

[Michgelsen]

In my experience, a better amp will yield more technical improvements (more tightness, air, control etc.). It cannot produce something that's not already there. A better source can change a system in other aspects, such as musicality. Thus, if you miss something in your system, it's unlikely that a better amp will bring it to you.
In general, I have found that I like a system with a good source but crappy amp better than a system with a crappy source but a good amp.

In your case, I think your system is just not matched properly, somehow. Is there a possibility that you can go to a dealer and try out a few different sources? You can tell the dealer that you're looking for more musicality. If a different source doesn't give you that, you can be honest with him and leave without buying anything. After all, you haven't found what you're looking for. You'll also know that it's not your source to blame. I personally suspect that it is, but I can be wrong of course.

 

[Michgelsen]

Double post, somehow...

 

[manaox2]

I have listened to the ESP950 with things such as the Y1 and M-Audio transit which I consider around the level or below, and the E90 is still the first thing I would replace in the chain as being the weakest link by far. The E90 also did not become by any means decent with the Buffalo24 DAC either. Its not just that it doesn't power the phones near their potential, its a good example of phones under-controlled.

The SRM1MkII alone is a large jump in quality and they sell typically between $200-300. I know there are head-fiers who are working on DIY amps now with them, so I suspect they will be hitting the market in not too long as long as you are patient. A WTB ad would bring some out I bet. Also, if you decide it isn't what you want after that, you have a decent amp thats easily sold or kept to be used with the SR-Lambda as well. A better source does bring out more musicality, but you can't have junk in the signal chain and really get it either IMO. I've owned two pairs of ESP950, they are very different from the typical Lambdas that I've owned.

 

[kinsale]

well, I can't do much about the source. My listening is done at work where my laptop has to be the source. I don't believe the DAC is that bad as I used it with the HD600 and it was very musical. I was listening again today and it just is offensive.
I tried the E90 with an external power supply. There was a little improvement but not much.
I also tried the front 3.5mm jack on the E90. The sound is more forward but it is just grating after a while.
I think I need to try a better amp.

 

[insyte]

The E90 is the only thing that's holding me back from purchasing an ESP950. Everyone says it sucks. But unfortunately its part of the package and I know I might feel bad for spending money on an amp that I would probably not use.

Though it has been reported that the koss improves when paired with a stax amp, I was wondering, wouldn't be the koss be underbiased since it needs 620V?

 

[spritzer]

The Koss is spec'ed to run at 600V bias but some of us prefer to run them a bit higher at 620V. They run just fine off regular Stax Pro bias outputs.