The Koss ESP950 thread (ESP owners, please contribute! :)

[edstrelow]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donunus /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just how bad is the esp950s energizer/amp? Is it like comparing a cmoy to a b22 when comparing it to some basic stax energizers? Ive had the ESP 950s before and was thinking of buying them again. I used it with a sony discman before which probably explains why I thought it was lacking but anyway, yes how much improvement is to be had by using a stax energizer

I find just about any Stax amp sounds better. But you can pull the sound of the E9 up with a better power supply than the supplied transformer. I used an Elenco bench supply (also good for charging car batteries!). Some contend that the supplied battery pack does great things. This would be somewhat expensive unless you can get rechargeables.

 

[donunus]

but then again rechargeable s might sound less good because they are less in voltage

 

[spritzer]

All the batteries in the world will not make up for the truly dreadful circuit design which was never going to sound good, just swing a lot more volts then is needed.

 

[AudioCats]

Has anybody done a comparison between a recabled 950 and a O2MK2, both driven by the same amp?

Birgir? Larry? anybody?

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AudioCats /img/forum/go_quote.gif Has anybody done a comparison between a recabled 950 and a O2MK2, both driven by the same amp? Birgir? Larry? anybody?

Not directly yet, but I will. Birgir liked the O2 more, which is why he sold me his ESP950

 

[grawk]

given that more amps are designed to show the o2 off rather than the esp950, it's not surprising the o2 does better on those amps

The O2s are more laid back, the 950s are more forward.

If you expect the 950s to best the O2s, you're looking for too much. They're a great value, but they're not the best at any price.

 

[spritzer]

Like Larry said, the ESP950 is good but the SR-007 Mk1 is quite a bit better at everything. As for the Mk2/A I can't stand them stock but that is mostly due to how good they could sound...

Quote:

Originally Posted by grawk /img/forum/go_quote.gif given that more amps are designed to show the o2 off rather than the esp950, it's not surprising the o2 does better on those amps The O2s are more laid back, the 950s are more forward. If you expect the 950s to best the O2s, you're looking for too much. They're a great value, but they're not the best at any price.

There isn't any truth to this since the amps aren't "tuned" for the SR-007 in any way. They simply have what it takes to make the O2's shine but that also extends to other headphones which are tough to drive, the Sigma lineup, 4070, He60 and SR-Omega.

 

[AudioCats]

hummm, if the sigma and the Lambda are using similar drivers, why would the sigma be that much harder to drive?

I didn't expect the 950 to out-sound any of the O2's, just that I have the 950 and know how it sounds, and wonder what I might gain by spending $1000 more to move up to the O2 (hopefully a MK1).

 

[spritzer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AudioCats /img/forum/go_quote.gif hummm, if the sigma and the Lambda are using similar drivers, why would the sigma be that much harder to drive?

Acoustical loading of the drivers explains it. There is more air to move on the Sigma since the driver is further away.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AudioCats /img/forum/go_quote.gif I didn't expect the 950 to out-sound any of the O2's, just that I have the 950 and know how it sounds, and wonder what I might gain by spending $1000 more to move up to the O2 (hopefully a MK1).

The ESP950 is a bargain so while the SR-007 is better you also have to spend a lot more on other parts of the system to do them justice. Stick with the ESP950 and get a better amp.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spritzer /img/forum/go_quote.gif The ESP950 is a bargain so while the SR-007 is better you also have to spend a lot more on other parts of the system to do them justice. Stick with the ESP950 and get a better amp.

What have you done with the real Spritzer!

 

[krmathis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif What have you done with the real Spritzer!

Guess he went bankrupt last month, like "most" of Iceland...
..and hence got other ideas.

 

[spritzer]

The ESP950 certainly deserves better then a T1 amp and the money is simply better spent on an amp. Get that sorted and you are good to go for the SR-007.

 

[AudioCats]

I do agree the T1W is not enough to drive the 950. I normally listen at 11 o'clock, and distortion comes out at around 2:30....

Maybe I should sell my T1's and concentrate on building a super transformer box.

 

[donunus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spritzer /img/forum/go_quote.gif The ESP950 is a bargain so while the SR-007 is better you also have to spend a lot more on other parts of the system to do them justice. Stick with the ESP950 and get a better amp.

So with the stock esp/950 system... Is it still gonna sound better than a 2050 II system? or does it only shine when the amp is upgraded

 

[AudioCats]

edstrelow did a comparison between the stock ESP950 system and a Lambda pro (driven by a SRM-300 if I remembered right). You might want to search in the headphone section.