[biged]

My Koss A130's just came in and they sound beyond crap! Will 48 hours of burn-in help this?
I compared them to my modded MS-1's with and without an amp (PA2V2 w/Silk doc) listening to Eric Clapton's ''Tears in Heaven'' (at 320 AAC). OMG, they sucked!!!
The highs were OK but the mids and bass were distorted, muffled, etc.

Any recommendations from Koss A130 owners out there? I've been a huge Koss fan, but these cans really need to get better after they are burned in. Right now, they don't even hold a candle to my old nine dollar piece-of-crap buds I use to have.

Take care and I could use some feedback/help, Ed.

 

[nikongod]

burnin helps.

so do modifications.

 

[biged]

I hope burn-in helps a lot!!! I thought these were comparable to the 250's.
Oh well, I'll try some patience.

Ed

 

[kramer5150]

Yikes...

Koss fans should beware that the A250 (and I imagine its A130 sibling) are NOT the typical koss house sound that we all associate with the porta and KSC75.

It is a very anti-koss kind of sound. Bright, moderately analytical, HIGHLY detail resolving. I can't imagine an A250 sounding very good with a PA2V2, At least my PA2V2 is my most conjested and least detail resolving amp.

sweet sub-bass extension and ZERO bass bloat. Tight, well defined bass. None of the bass-bloat that that we all love about the KSC75. Yet, I wouldn't call it bass-shy. It has more bass than the K501 for example, a can that I do consider bass-shy.

Needs warm amplificaiton (preferably tubes) and / or at least a warm source. I put the A250 on the same playing field as the RS1 and K701... in that they NEED proper amplification and sources to really capitalize on their potential.

Burn-in will help.... but not much IMHO.

My 2 cents

 

[biged]

Thanks for the reply Kramer. If burn-in doesn't improve the sound, then I'll probably send them back, that's how bad they sound. Bass is very distorted.
I'll see what happens after around 48 hours of burn-in.

Ed

 

[russdog]

Quote:

Originally Posted by biged If burn-in doesn't improve the sound, then I'll probably send them back, that's how bad they sound. Bass is very distorted. I'll see what happens after around 48 hours of burn-in.

I let mine run for a week before I even listened to them, so I can't tell you anything about burn-in. When I listened to them, I was very favorably impressed. However, before I listened to them very much, I started hearing bass distortion, and was bummed. But then I accidently noticed that it stopped if I tilted my head a certain way. I could make the distortion come and go. Even though I'd swear that the sound is distortion and not rattling, I think maybe it's really something loose in there, because how else could I make it come and go by tilting my head? I keep meaning to get some of that Blue Tac stuff people talk about, but I keep forgetting. Where does one get that stuff anyway? Or should I just super-glue the innards in place?

 

[biged]

Thanks for the reply. Burn-in, maybe some blu-tac and/or glue will solve this dilemma. Otherwise I'll be e-mailing Koss very soon.

Ed

 

[johnanderson]

I found mines didnt really improve with burn-in, but only after I got my amp. Very good analytically, but not very warm imo.

 

[facelvega]

A friend of mine back in Boston is sitting on a pair of A130 for me and has one himself. A few days ago he A/B'ed the burnt-in and new pair on his old headroom little out of a rega cd player, and confirmed that he could hear the burn-in and that it was an improvement.

biged-- "beyond crap" seems strange. Are you getting the rattle on the deep bass? There's a standard easy rattle-fixing mod that should take care of this. Otherwise these should be performing at least on a level with the MS-1. I also second the possibility that the amp disagrees with them, though.

 

[biged]

Facelvega, thanks for the reply. They have had several hours (12) of burn-in. Yes, they have the bass rattle. What is the DIY fix for this problem.

Take care, Ed.

 

[izquierdaste]

Hey,

I am a koss lover, so i hate to see my favorite brand's honor besmirched. But anyways, to fix the rattle, you need to:

1: take cups off of headband
2: pull the cushions off- easiest to accomplish by pulling from the inside
3: unscrew 4 screws per cup (you may have to move the driver foam/pad slightly).
4. gently pull cups apart
5. use glue or tak to secure drivers

good luck!

 

[kramer5150]

Quote:

Originally Posted by izquierdaste Hey, I am a koss lover, so i hate to see my favorite brand's honor besmirched. But anyways, to fix the rattle, you need to: 1: take cups off of headband 2: pull the cushions off- easiest to accomplish by pulling from the inside 3: unscrew 4 screws per cup (you may have to move the driver foam/pad slightly). 4. gently pull cups apart 5. use glue or tak to secure drivers good luck!

I took my A250 apart and put some small dabs of glue around the perimeter of the driver to secure it better. Mine weren't rattling, but I figured since I had it apart anyways... may as well. The screws are located beneath the corners of foam driver covers, and you have to peel it back a little to access them. if youre carefull you can re-stick the foam back when finished.

 

[biged]

Thanks for the advice guys. Any recommendations on the glue? Does it even matter?

Thanks, Ed.

 

[facelvega]

Quote:

Originally Posted by biged Thanks for the advice guys. Any recommendations on the glue? Does it even matter? Thanks, Ed.

I don't think so. A lot of people seem to be using poster tak or even scraps of paper to tighten the fit without making any irreversible changes. I wouldn't worry about it, just get that sucker to stop rattlling. Of course, Koss has a no-questions-asked lifetime warranty, but why pay one way shipping when it's this easy to fix. Anyway, they'd probably just send you another rattly one.

If you still don't like them after the rattle fix and some burn-in, I suggest waiting a few months before selling. Let Koss' bargain-basement stock run out first-- the value will rise, and somebody who thought it was too late will feel lucky. Win-win.

best, FV