The bass never sounded better... ...and I listening to an electrostatic?!!??!?!

[kartik]

I know not many people read my earlier threads, but this is getting ridiculously good. The bass on the Koss ESP-950 is now officially deeper, louder and faster than the grado SR 325 by a vast margin.
Unlike the more focal sound of the grados, the bass is far more enveloping and BIG with electrostats. Despite my earlier complaints that the bass was a little thin with these headphones, they have improved beyond all belief now, they sound like listening to music in a cavernous hall with brilliant acoustics. The changes since my review of these headphones are as follows.
1. Changed my source output to the variable gain
2. Balanced channels more accurately on the headphone amp/energiser
and (Drum roll.....)

3. [size=small]X-FEED [/size]

I've heard the KGSS/BH feeding an HE-90 last year and even if I could afford it, I don't want it. I really am having the whale of a time with these babies now and my upgraditis is sated for now. I'm so pleased that I don't even care if somebody flames me or worse still ignores me. Ths is only for posterity.

 

[nikongod]

ipod earbuds > all.

seriously, congrads on finding a setup you are happy with. i think im pretty good with my gear for now too. its a nice feeling eeh?

 

[wualta]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kartik I know not many people read my earlier threads, but this is getting ridiculously good. The bass on the Koss ESP-950 is now officially deeper, louder and faster than the grado SR 325 by a vast margin.

Shush! Not so loud! This is like telling little children there's no Santa Claus! [pause for the younger members of the audience to tearfully protest "What!? there ISN'T?"]

Why, next thing we know, you'll be telling us vinyl sounds better than digital. Begone with you. Canter off.

Electrostatics with real bass. Tut tut. Everyone knows this is sheer raving madness. The very idea.


Quote:

Changed my source output to the variable gain

What improvement did this bring?


Quote:

[size=small]X-FEED [/size]

What crossfeed gadget are you using? There's no bass EQ in it, is there?


Quote:

I really am having the whale of a time and my upgraditis is sated for now.

Around here, this may be the acme of endorsements.


Quote:

I'm so pleased that I don't even care if somebody flames me or worse still ignores me. This is only for posterity.

Hee hee. I know the feeling.

 

[John2e]

I notice a bit more bass when using the croosfeed on my headroom micro amp
as well as some added distortion the imaging trick is effective.

 

[kartik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wualta Shush! What crossfeed gadget are you using? There's no bass EQ in it, is there?

It's what Pinkfloyd used to make for people on Headfi many moons ago based on Jan Meier's design. I hated it with the Grado because it seemed to REDUCE the low end, but with the Koss it totally rules. As far as I know, there is no bass EQ in the circuit. I could be wrong though.

 

[kartik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wualta Shush! Not so loud! Why, next thing we know, you'll be telling us vinyl sounds better than digital. Begone with you. Canter off. Electrostatics with real bass. Tut tut. Everyone knows this is sheer raving madness. The very idea. .

No! That I am already well aware off. (See my avatar!) The only reason for this post is because, MY own review without these tweaks seemed to indicate the bass on the Koss was thin. IT IS NOT! IT IS DA BRONX BOMB!

 

[catscratch]

Damnit, stop making me want them! You just wait, I'll get my KGSS and... still have less bass for more money?

I'd love to hear those 950's sometime, though! Too bad you couldn't make the NY meet

For what it's worth, the bass out of the HE90/HEV90 was bar none the best I've ever heard. So it's not that electrostatics are lacking

 

[kartik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by catscratch So it's not that electrostatics are lacking

No. But a lot of previous reviews have said things like the bass was thin but impactful. I don't know about audiophiles and their "thin and impactful" but to me the low end sounds the way my speakers do and I like that. In fewer words it sounds like bass with guts. They don't really sound like headphones, more like sitting in a room with really nice speakers and good acoustics. The best part is that these are so forgiving that anything sounds good with them. I don't know if I am just raving over my FOTM, but this is pleasant stuff. It also puts Kevin Gilmore's comments into perspective. In his review he mentions that out of the E-90 the sound was not great out of the ESP-950. However with the KGSS, things did improve. Nonetheless in his testing of the amp itself, its characteristics weren't really bad. Maybe all the amp is missing is the X-feed. Moreover by balancing the channels and transferring gain control to my source, it kind of minimizes the amps function to a minimum.

 

[wualta]

Keep it down, you guys. Pretty soon you'll have everyone wanting 'stats. Folks will stop believing in their dynamics. Then ya got trouble, right here in River City.

More seriously: Kartik, what, in your view, caused the Great Leap Forward in bass? the crossfeed box? enough runtime to get the diaphragm fully charged? mayonnaise? what?

Quote:

Originally Posted by kartik But a lot of previous reviews have said things like the bass was thin but impactful. I don't know about audiophiles and their "thin and impactful"

This actually makes sense because it's the way people (okay-- audiophiles) describe bass out of big isodynamic dipole speakers like Magneplanars. The first bass wavefront makes it to your ears unmolested, but a fraction of a second later the backwave arrives and randomly cancels some of the decay/reverb. Thus, "thin but impactful", because steady-state bass gets partially cancelled, but a good thwack on a bass drum will get through.

Likewise, with dipole-driver 'phones like 'stats and isodynamics, much of the final sound depends heavily on how the backwave is managed by the designer.

As for the xfeed box, even if it does effectively boost the bass, the fact that the phone sounds good (and we wish you good bass, not underdamped whompy bloaty floaty bass) with some applied bass EQ is encouraging, since a diaphragm that's underdamped doesn't take bass EQ well at all.

 

[fyrfytrhoges]

personally ive never jumped on the electrostat "lack of bass" or "lack of bass impact" bandwagon. ive never had problem one with the bass on my 404s.

 

[GoRedwings19]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fyrfytrhoges personally ive never jumped on the electrostat "lack of bass" or "lack of bass impact" bandwagon. ive never had problem one with the bass on my 404s.

Does the 404 have a better synergistic match with your old kgss or the 006t. I am guessing it would be the 006t.

 

[fyrfytrhoges]

actually no, i think the kgss had a more open feel to it, but then again, its been so long since ive been without it i have become accustomed to the sound of the 006t and i really like its soundstage and overall presentation. it has never gotten the praise it deserves for driving the 404s imo.

 

[GoRedwings19]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fyrfytrhoges actually no, i think the kgss had a more open feel to it, but then again, its been so long since ive been without it i have become accustomed to the sound of the 006t and i really like its soundstage and overall presentation. it has never gotten the praise it deserves for driving the 404s imo.

Have you ever tried different tubes to get a sound even better for your taste's?

My only experience of electrostats so far is the senn he60+hev70. I haven't had the time to try out the others.

I liked the he60 but I found it a little bright for my taste's and added a kind of metallic edge to the notes. But other than that I enjoyed it. And even though I am a basshead. The bass impact thing didn't bother me. I miss my he60 now that was a blistering fast can.

 

[kartik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wualta More seriously: Kartik, what, in your view, caused the Great Leap Forward in bass? the crossfeed box? enough runtime to get the diaphragm fully charged? mayonnaise? what?

Mayonnaise.

IMO it seems to be the crossfeed box but I must attribute some of the effect to the fact that I figured out that the amp had individual controls for both channels.

 

[setmenu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fyrfytrhoges actually no, i think the kgss had a more open feel to it, but then again, its been so long since ive been without it i have become accustomed to the sound of the 006t and i really like its soundstage and overall presentation. it has never gotten the praise it deserves for driving the 404s imo.

Nice to see someone else who likes the 404/006 combo

, I often get the impression that most do not think much of the 006 preferring the 313.
Though maybe thats down to perceived value for money etc.


Setmenu