[MrSlacker]

Thought I'd pass on a good deal. Was browsing www.APureSound.com and saw that Alex posted another great deal. He got recabled Koss ESP950 for a pretty good price. Electrostatic is not my cup of tea, but some of you might be interested..
http://www.apuresound.com/

 

[tyre]

.

 

[edstrelow]

I have had the 950's for many years They are a 20 year-old design, that's not such a problem, Stax is still selling the lambda after a longer perod of time, although Stax at least have made some design changes over that time.

The 950 phones and amp are pretty good, especially if you upgrade their 12 volt power supply. I personally use a Elenco 3amp bench supply to run the 950's.

When they were first released they sold for about $2,000.00. After a few years they dropped to $500-600 where they still fluctuate.

They are a bargain compared to American prices for Stax, however, since you can also get Stax at highly discounted prices from various Japanese suppliers, you can probably get a better Stax amp and phones for $700.00. Of course you wont get Koss' extraordinary life-time guarantee.

 

[AudioCats]

can the 950 handle the pro-bias in the Stax pro amps? I thought the Koss high Voltage bias is still a little lower than the Stax....

 

[edstrelow]

By an odd coincidence, I just finished a Koss-Stax adapter for the 950. The Koss phones sound great on the Stax high bias amps and will even run off a low bias amp, but with a bit less punch. I believe the Koss has a slightly higher bias than the Stax high bias.

 

[spritzer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AudioCats /img/forum/go_quote.gif can the 950 handle the pro-bias in the Stax pro amps? I thought the Koss high Voltage bias is still a little lower than the Stax....

The Koss run off a 600v bias so they are compatible with any Stax amp.

 

[krmathis]

He could at least have used a black cable...

 

[spritzer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by krmathis /img/forum/go_quote.gif He could at least have used a black cable...

True, and the black extension cable is much nicer then the old PC-OCC Signature cable he used but it's still far better then the crap Koss used.

 

[facelvega]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tyre /img/forum/go_quote.gif Meh. Bought used for $402, added Stax cable ($100 tops), and reselling for $720. I'd just go for a new pair off of Amazon for $599 personally.

Yes, but he's cut it down to $620 now, and it does indeed come with a recable and a lifetime warranty on the cable work, so it's actually not such a bad deal. Better than buying used and taking the risk of getting a beaten or near-death pair.

 

[spritzer]

Koss has a lifetime warranty so they will always repair your set, no matter what. That will of course become null and void with any mods not that such nonsense will ever stop me...

 

[facelvega]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spritzer /img/forum/go_quote.gif Koss has a lifetime warranty so they will always repair your set, no matter what. That will of course become null and void with any mods not that such nonsense will ever stop me...

Yes, but not for discontinued headphones, in which case they just send you what they consider a comparable replacement. Someone with an A250 needing its earpiece joint reglued might send it in and receive a new Pro 4aat back in its place. (which reportedly happened once, even though the ESP950 joint is exactly the same as that of an A250) It's hardy a risk worth taking with a sure-to-be-discontinued dinosaur like the 950. I'd rather risk it with Alex.

 

[AudioCats]

will Koss discontinue the 950? Any replacement models?

 

[facelvega]

I was merely speculating about the long cycle. When I hear "lifetime warranty" on a electrostat, I want to know I can still get it fixed when my yet-to-be-conceived kids are in college. For all I know, there is a stack of ESP950 boxes in the Koss warehouse big enough to last for a decade-- but I doubt they'll ever actually produce any new ones, or have in years.

 

[kool bubba ice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tyre /img/forum/go_quote.gif Meh. Bought used for $402, added Stax cable ($100 tops), and reselling for $720. I'd just go for a new pair off of Amazon for $599 personally.

I've known Alex for some time.. & he's not into ripping people off. Not puting words in your mouth, but thats the impression I am getting. If he sells something you are getting a good deal. He's more of a headfier then a vendor..

 

[Killercrush]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tyre Meh. Bought used for $402, added Stax cable ($100 tops), and reselling for $720. I'd just go for a new pair off of Amazon for $599 personally.

Yeah but it comes with :

original box, owner's manual, carry case, carry case shoulder sling
E90 electrostatic amp, DC power supply, battery pack for portable use
brand new extra set of pads, headphone extension cable
rca to rca cable, mini to mini cable, mini to rca cable

I don't think you get all that on Amazon.