Has anyone removed the foam covering the headphone driver? Results?
KOSS ESP-950 Thread
- Thread starter milosz
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No, and I would not do that. Dust can affect performance. That is what I have read anyway.
PolloLoco
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Are you referring to the foam under the pads? Its stuck over the inboard stator with adhesive. I did it, but I would hesitate to recommend it since I may have invalidated my warranty.
I had previous submitted my Koss for warranty repair since I suddenly had a major imbalance issue. They came back with no note about what was wrong but the problem was fixed and a squeal I'd heard occasionally before - completely went away. Excellent service and a large part of the reason I bought these in the first place.
I did pull the foam behind the pads, and replaced it with speaker cloth for dust protection. It accentuated the treble and made it more extended. The headphones were a little more clear in the mids and treble, less ethereal - which may not be a good thing. I had bought the official Koss ESP950 pads from Koss for $5 shipped, and they came with a replacement piece of foam that I may put back in place.
There's a second piece of foam outboard of the driver that I haven't touched. That would require total disassembly, which is more risky. I've heard outboard foam increases bass, which these headphones need, so it may not be a good idea to remove it. That said, my Koss ESP6 project really came alive when I removed 2 outboard pieces of felt.
Puroplatino
Previously known as NotTheMomma
If I could get the 95 and the 950 both brand new for the same money which should I buy? Thanks in advance
Well, the 950 comes with the leather bag and battery (I think)...
Soundwise I've read somewhere that the 95x velour pads are more confortable and sound better.
Decisions, decisions...
Isssma
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Anybody used the Koss ESP-950 with a potable USB powerbank with a USB to DC cable?
PolloLoco
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No, I would not recommend it at all. I have regularly used a portable power bank with a 9V output as one of its settings. It works great.
Isssma
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Can I ask what portable power bank you are using? Thanks!
PolloLoco
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I was using the bigger version of this. I had bought it to power a laptop, but was happy to see a 9V setting.
https://www.amazon.com/POWERADD-Pil...ywords=pilot+power+bank&qid=1607708889&sr=8-5
tvr2500m
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I came here to ask something just like this. Has anyone used the ESP/95X (the Drop one, in my case) with an alternate power supply? I was considering replacing the wallwart with a high-quality supply, but I'd be curious too about whether a battery supply might make a performance difference (for better or worse).
I've seen people often claim that the headset can perform better with a better energizer than the stock one, and I've seen people use other energizers to power the headset. The claim is that this system is limited by the energizer. And simply on power supplies, I've had the experience of "better" power supplies working better, and not. I recognize the importance of power supply design. I have a little Musical Fidelity V90 BHA headphone amp. Using the supplied wallwart, it sounds okay, but using a higher performance supply it sounds superb. Trying this same high quality supply with the Geshelli Archel 2 Pro, there was no difference from the stock supplied wallwart.
Is there an alternative energizer that is considered a good value choice with the ESP/95X headset?
I've seen people often claim that the headset can perform better with a better energizer than the stock one, and I've seen people use other energizers to power the headset. The claim is that this system is limited by the energizer. And simply on power supplies, I've had the experience of "better" power supplies working better, and not. I recognize the importance of power supply design. I have a little Musical Fidelity V90 BHA headphone amp. Using the supplied wallwart, it sounds okay, but using a higher performance supply it sounds superb. Trying this same high quality supply with the Geshelli Archel 2 Pro, there was no difference from the stock supplied wallwart.
Is there an alternative energizer that is considered a good value choice with the ESP/95X headset?
Isssma
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Thank you very much!
I had the lowly Stax 323A, around $400 used, and it was a big improvement for me. Also have the $1500 iESL and it's not really any better and gets distorted much more easily. Edit: the iESL is now amazing with them since I started driving it with the Chord TT2 instead of the iCAN.
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PolloLoco
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I also owned the 323A, and I guess I'm now happy I didn't get the iESL which I thought of buying.
After the 323A, I settled on a Sax SRM 717, and have been thrilled with it. You can occasionally find it for $750 used. It's a big improvement in bass and soundstage.
Above it might be some of the Mjolnir audio and the KG amps.
Brahmsian
500+ Head-Fier
Back in October, after buying a brand new unit from Drop, I complained about some noises issuing from the left driver. The problem went away, but I said I would give an update if it came back. Well, it has come back with a vengeance. The noises include squealing, whistling, crinkling, and a soft buzzing. I am currently in the process of returning the unit to Koss for repair under warranty. The right side driver has caused me no issues whatsoever.
These are good headphones for the price, but apparently suffer from poor quality control. I have not been able to find a consistent answer as to why these headphones are prone to squealing, etc.
As for the non-perforated lambskin Vesper earpads, while they made the sound more punchy, they also boxed it in too much, making the headphones closed rather than open sounding. I've gone back to the stock pads.
Hopefully, Koss fixes the issue. All's well that ends well.
These are good headphones for the price, but apparently suffer from poor quality control. I have not been able to find a consistent answer as to why these headphones are prone to squealing, etc.
As for the non-perforated lambskin Vesper earpads, while they made the sound more punchy, they also boxed it in too much, making the headphones closed rather than open sounding. I've gone back to the stock pads.
Hopefully, Koss fixes the issue. All's well that ends well.
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