Mine did not smell musty at all. They do smell of new plastic, and perhaps a bit of whatever the "calf" leather that the carry bag is made of was treated with. They smell like new pleather....
Was listening to Kenny Burrell's Midnight Blue until I passed out on the recliner...really nice so far. I'd call the neutral. Bass has not disappointed. Nothing like my HD 650's, but that's OK as I was looking for another flavor/sound signature to round out the growing collection.
@crazychile, you're probably absolutely right about the warehouse full of NOS, but I would like to stay positive and go with Koss talk that it might just be the energizers and the bags sitting there and waiting... as they "build each new ESP-950 to order" and that's what takes so mucg time...
I'd like to be positive too, but does Koss even build anything in the US any more?
Unfortunately, I suspect Koss may only list these as a current model so that they can get rid of the NOS. Maybe in the future they'll give 'em a little update, loose the unnecessary accessories, and price them in the $500-$600 range.
I'd like to be positive too, but does Koss even build anything in the US any more?
Unfortunately, I suspect Koss may only list these as a current model so that they can get rid of the NOS. Maybe in the future they'll give 'em a little update, loose the unnecessary accessories, and price them in the $500-$600 range.
I have no inside knowledge, but late last year and early this year, Koss was out of stock of the ESP-950's for months. They kept telling me that they were having trouble sourcing a part to build more ESP-950's. So I doubt they have a bunch of NOS if they were sold out earlier this year. (I was trying to order them as a dealer, but they were out of stock on their online store for months.)
I have no inside knowledge, but late last year and early this year, Koss was out of stock of the ESP-950's for months. They kept telling me that they were having trouble sourcing a part to build more ESP-950's. So I doubt they have a bunch of NOS if they were sold out earlier this year. (I was trying to order them as a dealer, but they were out of stock on their online store for months.)
Great questions on the pads. I ass-sumed that there would not be any/many options given the funky shape of the Koss cans. Pads upgrade would be a nice, easy step.
Branching out on music genres with my 950's last night and have to say that while it is still very early, I am enjoying the heck out of my pair. Detailed and the highs and mids are impressive. The lows are there...not like my other cans but ever present and tight...natural I'd say. Very comfy. They are quirky (e.g. the dual volume pots), and they have this funky retro flavor I'm kinda digging. Glad I ventured out in a different direction with these vs another incremental step like my prior purchases.
I'm still working my way through the music library...I can't seem to get past female vocals w/ piano. It's just so good. This is why I always went back to Magneplanar loudspeakers. Even some better B&Ws I've owned can't do this quite right.
I received my ESP-950 a few days ago. I bought them on Cyber Monday and I would have received them earlier had I realized that Koss had left me voice mail asking me to verify my purchase. I noticed the message about 4 days after the fact. No problem, it just delayed arrival by 4 days. In the mean time, I ordered an adapter cable from Darin Fong so that I could drive the 950 with my Ray Samuels A10 electrostatic amp.
I received my 950 and my adapter cable on Thursday. I took a quick listen through the E90 and the A10 that night and then I decided to let them burn in a few more hours before I did any serious listening. So this morning I decided it was time to give them a listen. Out of the E90 they sound very good and well balanced. Their midrange clarity is excellent and the treble is fast and detailed without being fatiguing. This is a bargain at their regular price and a steal at the 40% off sale price.
Next I tried plugging the 950 into my RSA A10 with premium NOS tubes. This headphone scales up big time with the A10. The soundstage expanded in width and even more so in depth. Also images became much more distinct and further out in front of me rather than stuck in my head. Through the A10 the music becomes even more engaging and more like being at the recording venue. Comfort is great and I can listen for hours with absolutely no fatigue. For reference, I also own the SR009, LCD X, HE6, HD800 and a few others. It's way to soon to make any judgements comparing it to my other cans. Though my initial impressions tell me that the 950/A10 combination will be receiving a great deal of my listening time. I couldn't be happier with this purchase.
Does anyone besides Stax make a decent headphone amp for less than $2k? I've been looking at options and it seems like Stax is the only "affordable" option, and then you jump into the $3.5k and up range. I understand that the parts cost is high to do it right, but if Stax can make something decent for <$1k then I would think someone else could. Or are those cheaper Stax amps not much better than the stock E/90?
Also, earlier in this thread some people mentioned an upgraded power supply that was available for the Koss for about $75. It seems now that it's $125 and up. Are there other options that work well? The reality is that a PS upgrade is a lot more likely for me in the near future rather than spending $2k on a new amp.
Does anyone besides Stax make a decent headphone amp for less than $2k? I've been looking at options and it seems like Stax is the only "affordable" option, and then you jump into the $3.5k and up range. I understand that the parts cost is high to do it right, but if Stax can make something decent for <$1k then I would think someone else could. Or are those cheaper Stax amps not much better than the stock E/90?
Also, earlier in this thread some people mentioned an upgraded power supply that was available for the Koss for about $75. It seems now that it's $125 and up. Are there other options that work well? The reality is that a PS upgrade is a lot more likely for me in the near future rather than spending $2k on a new amp.
The upgraded power supply that has been mentioned here before (http://www.head-fi.org/t/581491/koss-esp-950-thread/1260#post_10067372) is not from Koss. It's a generic power supply. The link is for Mouser, but they seem to be out of stock.
I found the same part number on the Digikey website: http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/MW173KB0903F01/271-2614-ND/1902900 for $30.49. I assume this is the right part, but I originally ordered mine through Mouser.
You can also search through this thread on impressions as to whether the third party power supply makes the sound better or not.
You can also search to see if the Stax 252 amp makes any difference. I don't have one of those.
I received my ESP-950 a few days ago. I bought them on Cyber Monday and I would have received them earlier had I realized that Koss had left me voice mail asking me to verify my purchase. I noticed the message about 4 days after the fact. No problem, it just delayed arrival by 4 days. In the mean time, I ordered an adapter cable from Darin Fong so that I could drive the 950 with my Ray Samuels A10 electrostatic amp.
I received my 950 and my adapter cable on Thursday. I took a quick listen through the E90 and the A10 that night and then I decided to let them burn in a few more hours before I did any serious listening. So this morning I decided it was time to give them a listen. Out of the E90 they sound very good and well balanced. Their midrange clarity is excellent and the treble is fast and detailed without being fatiguing. This is a bargain at their regular price and a steal at the 40% off sale price.
Next I tried plugging the 950 into my RSA A10 with premium NOS tubes. This headphone scales up big time with the A10. The soundstage expanded in width and even more so in depth. Also images became much more distinct and further out in front of me rather than stuck in my head. Through the A10 the music becomes even more engaging and more like being at the recording venue. Comfort is great and I can listen for hours with absolutely no fatigue. For reference, I also own the SR009, LCD X, HE6, HD800 and a few others. It's way to soon to make any judgements comparing it to my other cans. Though my initial impressions tell me that the 950/A10 combination will be receiving a great deal of my listening time. I couldn't be happier with this purchase.
Your RS amp is a stunner. Not sure if I'm up for dropping that much on one with only the 950's to power at this point, but I can only imagine what it might do for the Koss cans. Now, I appreciate that audio is very personal and subjective, but is the delta (difference) you experienced between the two amps super discernable or simply nuances? It's hard to pick up on relativity with words/posts and I seriously doubt I'll get the opportunity to listen to the combination you have anytime soon if ever.
The upgraded power supply that has been mentioned here before (http://www.head-fi.org/t/581491/koss-esp-950-thread/1260#post_10067372) is not from Koss. It's a generic power supply. The link is for Mouser, but they seem to be out of stock.
I found the same part number on the Digikey website: http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/MW173KB0903F01/271-2614-ND/1902900 for $30.49. I assume this is the right part, but I originally ordered mine through Mouser.
You can also search through this thread on impressions as to whether the third party power supply makes the sound better or not.
You can also search to see if the Stax 252 amp makes any difference. I don't have one of those.
I tried the battery supply as a simple way to see how a different power supply might affect the sound. I am not a fan of battery supplies in general, but agree that they are likely to be quieter than an ac supply.
I heard some improvements, so I went ahead and put a very good diy 9v linear supply on the amp instead of the stock wall wart and thught it sounded better in every way. I have not had them hooked up for some time now, so I cannot comment on this more specifically.
I "retired" them because I needed to use sealed cans to maintain domestic bliss, and kept grabbing the Koss by the bit that releases the latch on the side, so I had to keep clipping it back on. They are pretty good in the bottom, but I prefer a more 'robust' bottom. Currently using Alpha Primes, and JVC DX1000s, and Pandora HopeVI's....
Hope this helps about the battery thing, and upgreade psus in general.
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