[donato]

I just joined the drop on Massdrop. This will be my first electrostat HPs (have owned electrostat Martin Logan speakers though). I tend to be partial to the Audeze house sound, but for the money, this seemed like a low risk way to try firsthand to see what I think about estats. I have briefly heard some older Stax at a meet, but nothing quite like owning them and trying them out at home to really get to know them.

 

[barondla]

I just joined the drop on Massdrop. This will be my first electrostat HPs (have owned electrostat Martin Logan speakers though). I tend to be partial to the Audeze house sound, but for the money, this seemed like a low risk way to try firsthand to see what I think about estats. I have briefly heard some older Stax at a meet, but nothing quite like owning them and trying them out at home to really get to know them.

@donato welcome to the club. A friend has the original Martin Logan CLS speakers. I've listened to them many times. If you like the ML think you will like the Koss. The Koss aren't quite as transparent sounding, but what is? The Koss are a little warmer sounding and enjoyable to listen to.

 

[donato]

@donato welcome to the club. A friend has the original Martin Logan CLS speakers. I've listened to them many times. If you like the ML think you will like the Koss. The Koss aren't quite as transparent sounding, but what is? The Koss are a little warmer sounding and enjoyable to listen to.

Thanks @barondla. I'm looking forward to it and would actually appreciate a warmer sound. I'm a bit averse to brightness and sibilance and have built my setup to my tastes and anything that doesn't go along with that ends up for sale.

I did enjoy my time with the MLs (these were older Prodigy and Odyssey in a HT setup). I ended up selling them for a few reasons, one of which was that they were so resolving and analytical that it actually made foley effects in movies sound like foley effects that it was actually distracting/unreal. That and they had a very tiny sweet spot, so not great for using with more than 1 person. I ended up going to Magnepans which are planar magnetics...maybe not such a big surprise that I've been a big PM fan for headphones, but I guess I'd say I'm a planar (whether estat or PM) fan overall. Maybe the Koss will be my gateway drug into estat HPs, but geez that seems to get expensive fast (hence the Koss).

 

[barondla]

Thanks @barondla. I'm looking forward to it and would actually appreciate a warmer sound. I'm a bit averse to brightness and sibilance and have built my setup to my tastes and anything that doesn't go along with that ends up for sale.

I did enjoy my time with the MLs (these were older Prodigy and Odyssey in a HT setup). I ended up selling them for a few reasons, one of which was that they were so resolving and analytical that it actually made foley effects in movies sound like foley effects that it was actually distracting/unreal. That and they had a very tiny sweet spot, so not great for using with more than 1 person. I ended up going to Magnepans which are planar magnetics...maybe not such a big surprise that I've been a big PM fan for headphones, but I guess I'd say I'm a planar (whether estat or PM) fan overall. Maybe the Koss will be my gateway drug into estat HPs, but geez that seems to get expensive fast (hence the Koss).

My original post to this quote is missing for some reason. Sorry about that. The Koss aren't sibilant at all. Very smooth highs. Think they sound best when the amp is left on all the time.

Owned Maggies many years ago (before ribbon tweets). Always enjoyable. Believe you will enjoy the Koss. Attended small Head-Fi meet a few years ago. Heard Focal Utopias, top HiFiMan planars, and AKG 8**. They were all on different $6K + systems. My fave was the HifiMan planars. Then I heard the Koss on a Stax amp driven by a Schiit Yggdrasil dac. Whoa. Now I have the Koss. May add the Stax amp and Yggy dac at a later date.

 

[adeadcrab]

A pair of Koss ESP 95/X are shipped my way

 

[donato]

A pair of Koss ESP 95/X are shipped my way

I just received my notice too. Woohoo!

 

[donato]

My original post to this quote is missing for some reason. Sorry about that. The Koss aren't sibilant at all. Very smooth highs. Think they sound best when the amp is left on all the time.

Owned Maggies many years ago (before ribbon tweets). Always enjoyable. Believe you will enjoy the Koss. Attended small Head-Fi meet a few years ago. Heard Focal Utopias, top HiFiMan planars, and AKG 8**. They were all on different $6K + systems. My fave was the HifiMan planars. Then I heard the Koss on a Stax amp driven by a Schiit Yggdrasil dac. Whoa. Now I have the Koss. May add the Stax amp and Yggy dac at a later date.

Well, I've got the Yggy covered already...I keep reading how the Koss energizer isn't the greatest so I can see getting a higher end one down the road...

 

[barondla]

I just received my notice too. Woohoo!

Excellent @donato . It's interesting the two headphones I liked at the meet were flat panels - planar magnetic and electrostatic. But, is that the reason they were my faves? Both systems also used ladder dacs! The Yggy on the Koss and the rare ASUS component dac ($2000 according to the owner) on the HiFiMan. Not sure I'd ever heard a ladder dac before then.

I'm thinking hard on the Yggy. But, it is a lot of money. I can pull it off financially, if it is "the dac" for me. I have a few worries.

1. The Yggy at the show travelled over 4 hours and was ran on a power inverter the whole trip. It was never turned off. Living in the midwest USA, I have to unplug the system a lot during lightning storms. Not sure the Yggy would ever reach top performance in the summer months. How much does it lose after being plugged back in for an hour or so?

2. No DSD. Would be hooking it to the Oppo BD105. Love the Oppo because it plays everything. I have about 100 SACD discs. The Oppo can now be used to rip these. The process is a little involved and the computer skills may be at my level or beyond. If I can rip and convert to PCM, I could live with it.

Can't judge the amp since there isn't a Yggy here. The Koss sound decent using a Pono Player, hi res files, and the Koss amp. Not as warm and 3D as at the meet. Imagine both my pieces are to blame, perhaps the Koss amp more since it doesn't seem to be designed for major sonic performance. But my set up is by no means bad sounding. It is still enjoyable sounding.

Highend is never easy.


Good to hear @adeadcrab . Have you heard stats before? What are you listening to now?

 

[adeadcrab]

I've never heard e-stats - current listening setup is an HD650 into an OTL amp - not as detailed in the top end as I would like, but great everywhere else. Looking into pairing the OTL with a Focal Elex later this year.. I heard the ESP 95/X are very natural sounding which is something I would like more of

 

[barondla]

I've never heard e-stats - current listening setup is an HD650 into an OTL amp - not as detailed in the top end as I would like, but great everywhere else. Looking into pairing the OTL with a Focal Elex later this year.. I heard the ESP 95/X are very natural sounding which is something I would like more of

Elex


I wouldn't get in a hurry on the Elex. Haven't heard them, but guessing they are similar to the Utopias. Once you hear stats... there may be no going back. The Utopias are detailed, but like every dynamic driver I've heard (not counting planars) they always sound lacking in decay of notes and they seem more colored. Dynamic cones seem to store more energy and let it out in different frequency ranges. Notice how everyone is always discussing sibilance with cone drivers. Hardly ever see it mentioned with stats. Even if a recording has some, the stats seem to reproduce it so purely and quickly that few people are bothered by it. Good electrostatic highs are just so much purer than dynamics, it is amazing. No accident one of the top dynamic headphone manufacturers (Sennheiser and the HD800s) uses electrostatic technology for the TOTL headphone. Just don't expect the bass slam of a dynamic driver. The Koss play fairly low, but can't match the slam.

 

[adeadcrab]

Duly noted, but I want to experience the sound stage of the Elex + OTL amp holographic soundstage And I can cope with less low end, I've been an owner of the DT-880 multiple times.

 

[donato]

I've never heard e-stats - current listening setup is an HD650 into an OTL amp - not as detailed in the top end as I would like, but great everywhere else. Looking into pairing the OTL with a Focal Elex later this year.. I heard the ESP 95/X are very natural sounding which is something I would like more of

I just started using my HD6xx again after I just bought Sonarworks last week since it was one of the HPs I own that are supported (I really hope they support the Koss soon too). Roon->Sonarworks->Yggy->Bottlehead Crack (Tungsol 6sn7gt BGRP + bendix 6080WB)->Cardas cable->HD6xx. I think the sound is fantastic. I had Focal Elear when it first came out but didn't really suit me. Very dynamic, but there was some anomaly in the FR (maybe sonarworks would have helped) so I sold them.

 

[donato]

Elex


I wouldn't get in a hurry on the Elex. Haven't heard them, but guessing they are similar to the Utopias. Once you hear stats... there may be no going back. The Utopias are detailed, but like every dynamic driver I've heard (not counting planars) they always sound lacking in decay of notes and they seem more colored. Dynamic cones seem to store more energy and let it out in different frequency ranges. Notice how everyone is always discussing sibilance with cone drivers. Hardly ever see it mentioned with stats. Even if a recording has some, the stats seem to reproduce it so purely and quickly that few people are bothered by it. Good electrostatic highs are just so much purer than dynamics, it is amazing. No accident one of the top dynamic headphone manufacturers (Sennheiser and the HD800s) uses electrostatic technology for the TOTL headphone. Just don't expect the bass slam of a dynamic driver. The Koss play fairly low, but can't match the slam.

I had a chance to finally listen to some Utopias at a local meet this past weekend. They definitely do some things great, but they did have some brightness/sibilance that I know I would find fatiguing in the long run, so not for me. I have been very happy with my LCD-4 and Ether 2 though.

 

[adeadcrab]

This is what swayed me towards the Elex, specifically this point in the video:

Regardless, I should be receiving the 95/X next week if all goes right

 

[adeadcrab]

Considering dust as a hazard, how should one store the ESP 95/X? I was thinking of heading to kmart and just picking up a fabric zip-up bag.