[iFi audio]

My iFi adapter is putting out 9.391 V (no load) and I've had no issues.

You mean our iPower?

 

[PointyFox]

You mean our iPower?

Yes, iFi iPower.

 

[iFi audio]

Yes, iFi iPower.

That makes sense, thanks and please enjoy the product

 

[PointyFox]

I now have the ESP/950 and the ESP/95X, FOUR types of pads, and three different power supplies.

There is a HUGE difference between the ESP/950 with Darin Fong Audio / Vesper Audio hybrid pads and the ESP/95X with Dekoni elite fenestrated pads.
The ESP/950 has such good sealing that changes in pressure cause the drivers to temporarily stick to the stators, i.e. the "Stax fart" as it's called here.
There is a massive amount of sub-bass on the ESP/950. I'm going to do a pad swap to see if it's the pads.

Edit: It's mostly due to the pads though the ESP/950 has a slightly better seal.

 

[petitpierre]

i'm impatiently waiting for drop to be supplied again cause i've tasted the electrostatic and i love the reproduction speed ,the separation of the instruments....

 

[PointyFox]

PM me if interested in my ESP95X. I essentially have two now.

 

[Brahmsian]

I ended up returning them for a full refund and now looking to invest that money into stax.

In fairness to Koss, I should say that they finally seemed to have fixed all problems. Knock on wood but I’ve had them back for about a month and been enjoying them with no issues. I only paid for the first return; they paid shipping on the rest. Customer service could not have been nicer.

 

[adeadcrab]

Yes, it happened. Put them on and push gently the cup against your ear. That will move the membrane slightly and (for me) solve the issue.

I just tried this and it instantly worked. Whether this phenomenon is a combination of electrostatic discharge or humidity I'm not sure. The worst thing is low level listening for microdetail and there is a background interference.

I've been rotating through my headphones (~ one per week) and this week is the 95X. I must have shelved these for the better part of a year, how time flies.
Prior to this I was running my Grado GS1000i from my OTL amp - the 95X is a breath of fresh air - the bass and midrange are so flat and linear, and the treble is tastefully articulate without being fatiguing like the Grado.

I have decided to not apply EQ anymore to these headphones; whether I have grown older and wiser I think Koss hit the nail on the head with the default frequency response. I am using the stock 95X earpads (though I do have the dekoni fenestrated leather pads for the winter months) and a Teradak 9V/2.5A linear power supply.
The LPS adds just enough low end kick and weight that these headphones sound at their best. Rock has that low end slam to it that many have complained was missing.

The one caveat is that there is little in the way of dynamics. However the linearity of the frequency response coupled with its overall neutral-warm tilt, outstanding detail retrieval, low distortion and amazingly quick transients have me wondering if this is better than the Focal Clear Pro?

I feel the Focal Clear Pro has too many deviations throughout the bass and midrange compared to the 95X. The Audeze LCD-X (2021) is also quite linear albeit with stronger bass.

For sure the 95X is more my style than the Grado GS1000i. Adding the 95X to my rotation is a definite!

 

[Amish]

The Koss is great as a cheap alternative to STAX. With stock pads, they don't do so well but as I have said, a good set of custom pads and they sound so much better. A great entry into electrostatic as long as you get a better amp. The stock amp is just not good enough.

All of that said, Koss just does not compare to STAX. If you have the money to spend, go STAX and don't look back.

 

[adeadcrab]

Bumping the thread as it's fallen off my notification feed completely...
Burning in a replacement unit of the ESP-95X with a refurbished Stax SRM-1 MK2 unit courtesy of Mjolnir Audio.
Still using the stock earpads but will swap them out for the Dekoni pair I have... and then some custom Vespers...

 

[kid vic]

Does anyone have a Koss to Stax adaptor cable their willing to part with?

 

[timb5881]

I tried the ESP950 with the Stax SRM1-mk2, and I felt it as anemic compared to the E/90. You can turbo charge the E/10 with a better power supply. I purchased a 120 watt 3-24 volt regulated power supply, and it can put out 10 amps current. The regulator smooths out the performance, increases dynamics. If I remembering correctly the volt swing is +- 370 with the SRM1-mk2 where as the E/90 does around +- 1200 volts.
Please let me know how your Stax amp works out for you.

 

[adeadcrab]

I tried the ESP950 with the Stax SRM1-mk2, and I felt it as anemic compared to the E/90. You can turbo charge the E/10 with a better power supply. I purchased a 120 watt 3-24 volt regulated power supply, and it can put out 10 amps current. The regulator smooths out the performance, increases dynamics. If I remembering correctly the volt swing is +- 370 with the SRM1-mk2 where as the E/90 does around +- 1200 volts.
Please let me know how your Stax amp works out for you.

I thought the sound was really underwhelming too... then I disabled the 'stereo to mono' DSP that was enabled while volume matching the Koss channels...

To be honest the sound is unbelievable! Especially the low end - the bass is slightly more dense and layered than I remembered with the stock energiser. From what I know the SRM-1 MK2 p/p powers headphones directly from the capacitors, so that may be how the sound changes in that respect.
And the music flows effortlessly in busy passages; I know the claims that technically the stock energiser has more than enough voltage / current but I feel it can't keep up with a beefy amp like the SRM-1 MK2 p/p. I've used the stock energiser in the past with a 9V / 5A Linear Power Supply, which did help with the low end also. I may have to test that setup once the drivers have broken in.

The stage is wider than I remembered also. The upper treble is 'just barely there' but it was like that with the stock energiser also. That's just how the ESP-95* is.
I've upgraded the rest of my setup to be more transparent; really impressed with this sound from the ESP-95*.
I think it maybe out-resolves everything else I have except the HEDDphone; which is just slightly more extended in the treble and bass than the ESP-95X. That's using a beefy Eletech Inferno copper cable which considerably downward tilts the HEDDphone's sound signature.

Still using the stock foamy, crinkly earpads - I have the dekoni earpads and those add to both the sub-bass and treble, and help cut that honky 1 Khz bump. But the bass is already incredibly so far with the stock earpads.

 

[kid vic]

Bumping this thread again for adaptor cables and earpads that anyone might have

 

[timb5881]

Bumping this thread again for adaptor cables and earpads that anyone might have

Check and see if Birgir has any of these. Otherwise look at Darin Fongs website