I would really say it depends on what you value but imo the overall winner in my mind is the koss for most genre
Looks like I value the same kind of stuff you do. Comfort, soundstage, organic/natural sounding vs clinical. I wasnāt so worried about detail so much (because estatsā¦), but where the headphones place their emphasis FR wise.
So to make sure Iām interpreting you correctly, the L3100 has a bit more emphasis in the highs and the 95X has a bit better representation in the lows and mids. Is that correct?
Pretty much I would say. The 95x is actually somewhat similar responding to the 650/600 fr wise imo
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The Koss E95X is pretty impressive. I am on day two. I do find them noticeably bass deficient. I plugged my Schiit Loki in the the chain about an hour ago. I jacked up all four bands to start and will fine tune according to the music. I am loving all the detail! When I first put them on yesterday they sounded small and crappy. Two hours later I was impressed. I used them for five hours and had no comfort or heat issues.
My only complaint was the bass and I have addressed that today. Great sound and super comfort. I know it will be at least a few weeks before I can form a firm opinion on them, but I am pretty jacked at this point.
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Well itās good you didnāt pick up some stax, because they have a fair amount less bass then the esp95x imo lol
Then they would be completely unworkable for me.
I have to say that I am really digging this sound.
Only problem is that the left ear speaker does some ācrunchingā when I move me head around. Itās like having a microphonic cable.
Itās because the driver diaphragm is so thin, that when you create and break an air seal it crinkles the driver. No harm but that does happen with drivers like these
The stupid is in control today. I am sitting here listening to my E95X thinking it definitely sounds better than yesterday but, I should be getting more bass than this. After MORE THAN AN HOUR, I play with knobs and then start checking the cabling. I notice now that changing the settings on the Loki is having no effect at all and all the cabling is correct. Grrrrrr.
Wait for itā¦
I had the pass through switch on.
I had convinced myself in the first hour that it sounded better than yesterday, when it was exactly the same! In the second hour I started thinking this aināt rightā¦
The mind is a powerful tool. For good or bad.
Yes, I am an idiot!
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How does something like the Shangrila, Sonoma or the SR009s compare in terms of Bass?
I think the 95x might be warmer then the 009 (not the 007 tho), but I prefer the bass on the shang and sonoma for sure. Itās just on a different level
So I sold my LCD2C. They just were not getting any useā¦ and feel I want to just pick up the LCDX in the futureā¦
But about the 95xā¦ been considering this one for a while now and itās $400 and seems like it would be ādifferentā enough from the 3 main headphones I still currently own.
Senn HD 660s, like them for their mid-range and vocals and general Sennheiser tuning.
NDH20s, I like for the low-end bass impact and they sound great with instrumentals and they fill my closed-back void.
Focal Elex, still my overall favs, great dynamics and really just pretty much perfect for me overall.
And Iāve got the Chi-fi IEMs Blon 03, Tin T2, and Tin P1. (T4 on the way).
What do you guys thinkā¦ the 95x worth it? electrostats unique enough?
Others Iām considering would be the phantoms, dt1990s, or sendy aivas (and various clones).
If I held off until January or so after I figure out how much Iāll have to pay in taxes, I might be able to comfortably afford some ZMF Auteur or Aeolus.
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I think they are unique but not like mind-blowing or anything, but at the price they are at I would say itās an interesting set
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Hey Mon,
donāt want to bug you too much with questions, but given your experience, hope you donāt mind answering.
Do you know some good really good headphones that would pair really well with the Dark Voice under $1000? Preferably in the $400-$600 range or lower?
The hd6xx (660s also but not as much), the ndh20 which you have is good, the r70x is good too on a tube, audioquest nighthawks can either sound like shite or be very very interesting lol
I would really just recommend picking up a 6xx and calling it a day imo lol. Itās really the go to tube headphone (in this price range)
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Tyll from headfi always praised the HD600 as tube lovers and I canāt disagree. I only run them off of tube amps and Iām a big fan
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yes the HD6xx on my Darkvoice is my favorite listen out my entire collection. canāt really go wrong if youāre looking for a good set for tubes. Iāve heard that the HD600 is also really great on tubes, and apparently a lot of people prefer them over the 6xx for tube driven.
Other headphones that work really well are Neumann NDH20 and some of the 250-600 ohm beyerdynamic cans. also pretty much anything sennheiser that is above 150ohm will work fairly well on DV.
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If itās not going to be a financial hardship, everybody should have an electrostatic set in their collection. However, you also have to include a Schiit Loki or some type of EQ in the purchase.
They are Very different. If you are hooked on variety, as I am, it is a cool option. I love being able to go from Grado/Vali 2 to Grado/Burson Fun-Classic to Beyer T5p.2ās/LCX to Koss system to other variations.
If your motto is āvariety is the spice of lifeā, and the purchase is not a hardship, itās a nice addition to the collection. Of course I am still in the āshiny new toy syndromeā phase, soā¦
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I like the 600s slightly more than the 6xx, but I already owned the 6xx when I bought them. If I hadnāt, I agree that the 6xx is pretty incredible on tubes, and it probably is tuned a little better than the 600s off of other amps
At $400 the 95x is one of the best value purchases Iāve ever made in this hobby. $400 wouldnāt even cover an amp or headphone from Stax at the low end of their offerings, and from most accounts the 95x sounds better than the L300 and L500.
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Def agree with this. Itās really good
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