[HemiSam]

  Reasonable once you have them, but are they worth triple the price (650 vs 2000)?

 
That is a very difficult question to answer because, IMO, it is a very personal one.  Personal circumstances, values/priorities...I could go on.  
 
And your point is a valid one.  Not only did I need to buy the headphones, an amp was required as well.  It's not a small investment, but boy...it's pretty darn good when it comes together.
 
 
HS

 

[crazychile]

I look at the Koss ESPs as a gateway drug. I really enjoy mine but they make me want to get into the upper STAX line like the SR-007. But in the mean time I can get a STAX amp, and upgrade some other parts of the system before I spend 2k on another set of headphones.

 

[ardgedee]

  Moon Audio Stax style connector...
 

 
Yes...that's a hole in the case.  Came that way.  Piece of crap.  As noted earlier, they are kindly accepting the return.

 
Moon Audio sells the Amphenol 86-71-6s connector. It's not defective, that's exactly what it's supposed to look like, because this product was designed to be a microphone connector.
 
The large metal cylinder is not a case. It's shielding. The two screw holes allow the shielding to be positioned past the base (to connect to shielded sockets) or align with the base (to connect to unshielded sockets). The actual connector caps are sold separately and are the same plastic as the plug body (This is from the Cooper catalog, Cooper bought the plug manufacturing equipment from Amphenol, so I don't know whether they're Amphenol was also making these):

It's got that 1930s home appliance look, doesn't it..
 
Now, with that said, for our purposes this connector good-enough at best. Fit and finish is purely of a heavy-industrial sort -- it's ugly and bullet-proof. The pins seem to be nickel over copper and they're difficult to solder properly. And when you're done you only have, according to Kevin Gilmore earlier in this thread, a near-match rather than perfect fit on a Stax amp socket.
 
I'm using the Amphenol connector for the time being and it does the job, sound goes through the wires. But I also want to replace it with a proper Stax plug (or exact copy) sometime soon. I won't discourage anybody from using it, but I'd be happy if there were better, more appropriate options on the market.

 

[HemiSam]

Uh....yes it was defective and Moon was willing to take it back.  Here are a couple of shots showing how poorly it was cast.  Granted, it's not a ton of money but for $15 + shipping or whatever it was, a bit of QA/QC wouldn't hurt.  
 

 
 

 
Certainly not a big deal as I didn't use it.  It's better than nothing if one is needy for a connector, but it is fair at best even when made up properly like the Fong Audio unit.
 
http://www.amazon.com/Koss-ESP-950-5-pin-Adapter-Cable/dp/B00LCKWG40
 
 
 
This is a proper one and once you handle both (and the plug on my Star SR-007A's) you realize how different they are, including fitment in the amp (per KG as you noted).
 

 
 

 
 
HS

 

[ardgedee]

Whoa. I didn't notice the gouge/flaw in the shield barrel. Okay yeah, that was bad.

 

[ericj]

   
Moon Audio sells the Amphenol 86-71-6s connector. It's not defective, that's exactly what it's supposed to look like, because this product was designed to be a microphone connector.
 
The large metal cylinder is not a case. It's shielding. The two screw holes allow the shielding to be positioned past the base (to connect to shielded sockets) or align with the base (to connect to unshielded sockets). The actual connector caps are sold separately and are the same plastic as the plug body (This is from the Cooper catalog, Cooper bought the plug manufacturing equipment from Amphenol, so I don't know whether they're Amphenol was also making these):

It's got that 1930s home appliance look, doesn't it..
 
 

 
 
I have both 86-3-13 and 86-3-58 here. They are much, much larger than the 86-71-6s connector. Because they are intended for 3-prong north american style AC power cords. I expect that 76-3-24 is too. 
 
If Amphenol ever made a "cap" for that plug, i haven't seen it. Back in the day i was making my own out of copper fittings. 
 

   
 
Certainly not a big deal as I didn't use it.  It's better than nothing if one is needy for a connector, but it is fair at best even when made up properly like the Fong Audio unit.
 
http://www.amazon.com/Koss-ESP-950-5-pin-Adapter-Cable/dp/B00LCKWG40
 
 
 
This is a proper one and once you handle both (and the plug on my Star SR-007A's) you realize how different they are, including fitment in the amp (per KG as you noted).
 

 

 
That's a neutrik XLR body, no? 
 
iirc you can get replacement octal vacuum tube bases out of china with gold plated milled pins that will fit the WPI plug body. So i hear. 
 
Also WOW if i charged as much as fong (and thought some heatshrink was a reasonable way to make the cable) I'd still be making and selling adapters. 

 

[HemiSam]

Yes on the body.  KG set me up with a proper plug.  I won't even get into the bad ass amp design he and Birgir hammered out.
 
KGST FTW.  Larry Carlton and Robben Ford Unplugged never sounded so good....
 
 

 
HS

 

[ericj]

Someone must be making CNC teflon plugs. I'm tempted to buy one. 
 
Also tempted to get creative with some epoxy resin and make proper koss sockets for my xstata amps. 

 

[kevin gilmore]

I made those nylon inserts.
From an original idea by chinsetawong
 
the pins come from the neutrik xlr male, gold plated.
you need 2 of them to sacrifice to make one stax plug.
 
By the time I got done, they were $30 each.
I also made some pure Teflon with Teflon covers, they
are stupid priced.
 
I can supply the featurecam file should anyone want
to send it to china and make a large batch.
 
You still need 2 hand made tools, one to press the pins
out of the xlr adapter (easy), and the other to install the pins
into the inserts (requires high accuracy vertical mill or NC)
 
http://gilmore.chem.northwestern.edu/staxmale2.jpg
http://gilmore.chem.northwestern.edu/staxmale3.jpg
http://gilmore.chem.northwestern.edu/staxmale4.jpg
http://gilmore.chem.northwestern.edu/staxmale5.jpg

 

[ggibby]

This may have been addressed already, but the warranty transfers with ownership.
I know, because I sent my eBay-bought set in and it only cost me shipping (both ways).

 

[crazychile]

Back on the subject of a Koss-> Stax adapter cable. I'm starting to consider buying an SRE-725 cable from Stax and then putting the Koss plug on it. $125 +20 for parts puts it close in price to the cable Darin Fong sells, but it will at least have the proper Stax plug on it. I'm looking to add a Stax amp or KGST variant to use with the Koss' sometime in the next couple of months.

 

[doctorjazz]

I'm using the Fong cable into a Stax 323a (I think), haven't noted any problems, is there something different about the Stax cable?

 

[Kokomo O]

Some, including Kevin Gilmore, have reported that the third party Stax plug, which I believe is made by Amphenol, isn't an exact match for the Stax outlets on the Stax-made amps or the outlets that Kevin and Birgir have replicated for the Mjolnir Audio amps.

 

[crazychile]

I'm using the Fong cable into a Stax 323a (I think), haven't noted any problems, is there something different about the Stax cable?

 
Quote:

  Some, including Kevin Gilmore, have reported that the third party Stax plug, which I believe is made by Amphenol, isn't an exact match for the Stax outlets on the Stax-made amps or the outlets that Kevin and Birgir have replicated for the Mjolnir Audio amps.

 
Yes. This is the case. The plug on the Fong cable is off enough to where it isn't perfect, but pretty close. There is some speculation that long term this could cause some issues with the female socket on the Stax Amp if it is removed and reinserted often.
 
 

 

[doctorjazz]

OK, haven't had any issues with mine, but I don't ever unplug it, just sits there, turn the amp on to listen. Sounds nice with the Koss, btw. (since I don't have any other electrostatic headphones, no need to unconnect. Use a Ray Samuels HR-2 for the other cans I have)

 
Some, including Kevin Gilmore, have reported that the third party Stax plug, which I believe is made by Amphenol, isn't an exact match for the Stax outlets on the Stax-made amps or the outlets that Kevin and Birgir have replicated for the Mjolnir Audio amps.

Yes. This is the case. The plug on the Fong cable is off enough to where it isn't perfect, but pretty close. There is some speculation that long term this could cause some issues with the female socket on the Stax Amp if it is removed and reinserted often.