Koss ESP-950 Electrostatic Stereophone

$620.00

Description

Audiophiles seeking the best headphones money can buy should definitely consider the Koss ESP-950 electrostatic stereophone. The headset uses state-of-the-art electrostatic transducers rather than the fiber cone drivers typically used in headphones and loudspeakers. These transducers operate on currentless electrostatic charges with push-pull capacitor plates to induce movement in an intervening, low-mass, semiconductive diaphragm. That’s a technical way of saying that these ear pieces are highly sensitive and very responsive to minute fluctuations in audio, rendering your music with delicacy and warmth, and with microdynamics–tiny fluctuations in the musicians’ output level–intact. The stereophone uses a soft, vinyl closed-ear design for sonic isolation and includes a battery pack, a leather carrying case, connecting cables, and a 120-volt AC adapter.

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Not much of a big deal
6/10

It's hard to properly review this headphone system since Koss had an awful little $10 budget portable CD player hooked up to it at CES. However, it definitely sounded far too bright. There's no way it was the CD player causing that, I don't care how crummy it was. I also found the construction of the Koss to be very cheap: lots of plastic and a feel of low cost mass production. The volume and balance knobs are imprecise and inconveniently placed on top of each other. The mini 3.5mm TRS input also should have been supplemented or replaced with individual RCAs, possibly TRS 1/4" balanced inputs, which are cheap if you're tempted to think that's too "exotic". It's not. I really doubt balanced would make that much difference, but since the headphone is sending signal to the transducers with separate lines, it's a bad idea to share a ground on the input. RCA inputs are the bare minimum any amp needs, even a portable one as this energizer is marketed as. I'm sure the diaphragm probably is indeed very fast and revealing, but I can't say I was impressed beyond that. On the plus side, Koss has the best warranty possible. So the construction quality is perhaps moot, but that's doesn't change the tonal imbalance problem. You will need to use this with an EXTREMELY warm DAC or phono cartridge/preamp to get a neutral sound out of it. Maybe the old Burr Brown 20bits or Grado, respectively?
Extremely Pleasing Transcients
10/10

I bought a pair of the ESP 950's in 1994 from a wholesaler for 495.00, I have collected high end audio gear my whole life and have several complete systems; however night time listening can
make your family very hostile...so I use these for stealth listening of my SACD and Hybrid Surrond encoded DVD's and Cd's.
The transcients on electrostatic phones are amazing, they tend to be a little bright with standard supplied connects, so I use my Transparent Audio Music Plus RCA inter-connects to the koss
E 90 unit which come with and runs these babies. Shear heaven!
I have been thinking of having some one build me a tube headphone amp for these headphones...then my family would be hostile again ..cause I would not want to go to work anymore.
This is one real good stereophone. Stereophones. Plural.
10/10

Real good and real expensive. What else can you say?

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