[jamington2004]

Actually just found this old Waterman “cigar pouch” triple pen case lying around!!

https://www.peytonstreetpens.com/waterman-leather-pen-case-3-pen-case-brown-near-mint-in-box.html

The lid section fits like a very tight glove - no idea how I am going to pull it out now Was thinking I could drill a hole to access charger port and input pad!

The best thing is the volume knob is flush - so I have to try a bit to turn it up (just some downforce with my thumb) - but this is much better for me than an accidental massive increase when putting it in my pocket!

 

[118900]

Can’t find a thread for KSE1200 discussions - does anyone know of a decent protective case for the 1200 amp?

And a suitable larger case for amp and headphones?

Thanks

as a larger case try looking at a rigid protective case for external 2.5" hard disks. I bought a U Green one and all my kit fits comfortably inside, including a DragonFly Cobalt and CCK. If I had a more pliable analogue connection cable (using the Nordost hemndal iKable which is very rigid) that would fit too.

 

[siruspan]

L700 vs KSE1500? Have the option of choosing either or

So the Stax L700mk2 finally came in couple of days ago and I can now comment as to how they compare to KSE1200. To be honest I'm in a pickle because they more different than I thought.
L700 have obviously bigger and more open soundstage, better resolution, they feel very even and more natural. They have less bass then KSE with subbas presence a little bit lacking same as for example HD600 and Focal Elear but overall I find the bass very good. It's neutral and accurate. Midrange tilts a little bit into organic and warm sounding and It's just a little bit less forward than neutral. Treble quality is amazing and amount is perfect. Absolutely no hint of harshness of any kind in any point of the spectrum. Even recordings which I know have sibilization and are generally sharp feel smooth and clean on L700's.

KSE is not that far behind in general but compared head do head it feels like it's exaggerating some parts so they feel more special. They just offer different perspectives. On the L700 is like sitting in the best row on the concert hall and on KSE your ears are located in the spot where the microphone is located which sounds extremely awesome but at the same time it's not that realistic if you think of it. Because of that KSE are very engaging and dramatic even in how they produce sound. L700 are calmer, more composed, more even, more natural. They are better but less exciting yet they feel more accurate.

KSE as I said have more bass, especially in the the subbas region, they overall feel fuller, with more forward midrange which is less organic than in L700, and you can hear some sibilization and sharpness is some of the recordings. Treble also feels boosted on the KSE which brings some of the small details to the front. At the same time KSE feels more engaging (even too much sometimes) and dynamic. It allows you to better feel the sound even the smalles of details and on L700 you hear the music better as a whole.

To be honest both of them are great. I would say L700 are better sounding but KSE feel more special. Worth noting that I'm using Stax SRM-007tII to power the L700 which is not a cheapest option.

 

[leadbythemelody]

So the Stax L700mk2 finally came in couple of days ago and I can now comment as to how they compare to KSE1200. To be honest I'm in a pickle because they more different than I thought.
L700 have obviously bigger and more open soundstage, better resolution, they feel very even and more natural. They have less bass then KSE with subbas presence a little bit lacking same as for example HD600 and Focal Elear but overall I find the bass very good. It's neutral and accurate. Midrange tilts a little bit into organic and warm sounding and It's just a little bit less forward than neutral. Treble quality is amazing and amount is perfect. Absolutely no hint of harshness of any kind in any point of the spectrum. Even recordings which I know have sibilization and are generally sharp feel smooth and clean on L700's.

KSE is not that far behind in general but compared head do head it feels like it's exaggerating some parts so they feel more special. They just offer different perspectives. On the L700 is like sitting in the best row on the concert hall and on KSE your ears are located in the spot where the microphone is located which sounds extremely awesome but at the same time it's not that realistic if you think of it. Because of that KSE are very engaging and dramatic even in how they produce sound. L700 are calmer, more composed, more even, more natural. They are better but less exciting yet they feel more accurate.

KSE as I said have more bass, especially in the the subbas region, they overall feel fuller, with more forward midrange which is less organic than in L700, and you can hear some sibilization and sharpness is some of the recordings. Treble also feels boosted on the KSE which brings some of the small details to the front. At the same time KSE feels more engaging (even too much sometimes) and dynamic. It allows you to better feel the sound even the smalles of details and on L700 you hear the music better as a whole.

To be honest both of them are great. I would say L700 are better sounding but KSE feel more special. Worth noting that I'm using Stax SRM-007tII to power the L700 which is not a cheapest option.

Awesome! Thanks so much for the post and impressions! Super valuable to me

 

[jay19]

Hi everyone, long time lurker here on Head-fi, but was hoping to get your input/advice.

I just picked up a pair of KSE1200 this week, upgrading from the SE846, and previously had the SE535 before that (and SE530, SE210, e2C before that). Instantly, I was amazed by the level of detail and clarity with these!

My issue is, as soon as I took them out of the box and popped them in my ear, the first thing I noticed was that if I push against the right shell, it makes almost a "pop" or "clicking" sound. The second thing I noticed is that the left side was ever so slightly louder (channel imbalance?).

I skimmed through this thread, and saw this issue may have been discussed (around page 90), but didn't seem to see any resolution. I was wondering if anyone has any insight whether my pair is defective, or is it all in my head? After having used them for 2 days, today I tried dialing the sound on the Amp all the way down (just before it clicks to power off), and I can hear faint sound coming from the left earpiece, but nothing coming out the right.

Is this channel imbalance at a ultra-low level normal for the KSE1200 amp? Again, appreciate any insight you guys can offer!

I'm streaming Tidal Hifi --> iPhone 11 --> Chord Mojo --> KSE1200, following Jude's instructions somewhere in this thread for setting -10db pad to use with the Mojo.

Thanks!

 

[Tachikoma]

Not normal. Channel imbalance issues are difficult to solve in any electrostat, return them if you can.

 

[jamington2004]

Have you tried a different pair of headphones leaving the rest the same? Could be the mojo / aux cable?
And are sure the popping isnt he silicone tip flexing? This happens with mine

 

[jay19]

Thanks guys. It's purchased from Amazon, so I think I should be able to request an exchange, but just wanted to confirm it was in fact a defect first.

In regards to the set-up, it's the same as what I had with my SE846, so I don't think the issue is there. And I'm using Comply foam tips

 

[James-uk]

The KSE have really opened my eyes to graphs, I wouldn’t of purchased these if I had looked purely at measurements, the frequency response looks ‘wrong’ on the graphs I’ve seen and the distortion measurements are nothing special, for a flagship iem, on paper, these things are not great.
Thankfully my curiosity of an e-stat iem for the better of me, so I decided to listen to the subjective reviews and took a punt.
They never fail to amaze me, they sound fantastic, they manage to extract maximum detail, without being overly bright or cold sounding, they just sound natural.
They’ve actually got me questioning how everyone is measuring iems, it’s like shure have found a new reference FR and the current target response is wrong.
So here’s the thing, do you think shure had full control over the final FR or is it a manifestation of the limitations of the trying to miniaturise and e-stat. Did they stumble onto the sound or is it EXACTLY how they wanted?
What do you guys think?

 

[siruspan]

It's partially because measurements don't tell the full story. As an example I can say that I like forward female vocals and looking at graph I should hate KSE. However because KSE offer so much clarity, resolution and are so engaging as a whole the vocals can be more blended in with the other instruments and they still feel more vivid, lifelike and detailed than in other iems even if the graph says otherwise.

 

[James-uk]

Another observation with the KSE, which confirms they are in a league of their own, is their ability to get better over time.
Every speaker/ headphone/ iem I’ve ever owned has its flaws which become more apparent the more and longer I listen. It’s like my brain finally works them out and then never lets me go back to that blissful honeymoon period.
The KSE on the other hand are the gift that keeps on giving. My brain hasn’t managed to lift the mask off them yet and reveal their secret. It’s actually the opposite, the more I listen, the deeper my curiosity goes!!

 

[nanaholic]

The KSE have really opened my eyes to graphs, I wouldn’t of purchased these if I had looked purely at measurements, the frequency response looks ‘wrong’ on the graphs I’ve seen and the distortion measurements are nothing special, for a flagship iem, on paper, these things are not great.
Thankfully my curiosity of an e-stat iem for the better of me, so I decided to listen to the subjective reviews and took a punt.
They never fail to amaze me, they sound fantastic, they manage to extract maximum detail, without being overly bright or cold sounding, they just sound natural.
They’ve actually got me questioning how everyone is measuring iems, it’s like shure have found a new reference FR and the current target response is wrong.
So here’s the thing, do you think shure had full control over the final FR or is it a manifestation of the limitations of the trying to miniaturise and e-stat. Did they stumble onto the sound or is it EXACTLY how they wanted?
What do you guys think?

My guess is that all big companies (Shure, Sennheiser, Sony etc) will have access to the best measuring equipment and environment that no enthusiasts can possibly match. It's also my believe that the engineers of a lot of these audio companies also tune by ear as a supplement to graphs. Having talked with many of the engineers at Sony before, they gave me the impression that they take a slight preference for tuning by ear over measurements (not that they don't measure as well), leaning a bit to the artist/master craftsmen side rather than the science side of things - and just trusting their experience/ears in tuning audio that they get it right in ways that the measurements don't completely tell them.

I wouldn't be surprised if some of the people at Shure will do something similar as well.

 

[robm321]

I'm trying to figure out the best way to connect my Fiio M9 to my Shure KSE1200. What is the difference between using Line Out with volume control vs the standard headphone out to the KSE (obviously with volume control)?

 

[tjl5709]

I'm trying to figure out the best way to connect my Fiio M9 to my Shure KSE1200. What is the difference between using Line Out with volume control vs the standard headphone out to the KSE (obviously with volume control)?

I would suspect with a typical line out (no volume control) versus standard out (with volume control) you are bypassing the built-in amp. With the standard out, you are essentially double amping the signal. I believe you would be magnifying any distortion associated with the built-in amp. For the cleanest sound, I run line-out. That IMHO

 

[robm321]

Thanks