Back in the 70's I bought a pr. of Electostatic Headphones. They sounded Amazing, in the 70's, even with the early 70's low-tech amps.
The Only problem with Electrostat Headphones, is the extremely short headphone cord.
Does Anybody know of a Electrostatic Headphone Extension cord, or is that something I have to have Custom Made?
Is there even an Standardized Electrostatic Headphone standard?
MLStrand56
The Only problem with Electrostat Headphones, is the extremely short headphone cord.
Does Anybody know of a Electrostatic Headphone Extension cord, or is that something I have to have Custom Made?
Is there even an Standardized Electrostatic Headphone standard?
MLStrand56
both Stax and Koss sell specialty construction cable with the correct connectors for their electrostatic headphones
electrostatic headphones are very high impedance, nearly pure capacitance loads of ~100 pF
but any pair of wires has a capacitance between them, depending wire size, insulation thickness, type cables often have 10-30 pF/ft of their own capacitance
electrostatic headphone cable manufacturer's use very specialized cable - small wire, foamed dielectric, relative large spacing - all to minimize the cabling C
even with this special construction the attached cable C can be 30% or more of the headphone C
so if at all avoidable – don't use added cable with electrostatic headphones, it adds substaintially more load to the amplifier
if you must extend, buy the real thing - few can build extension cables with the correct materials
electrostatic headphone amps – particularly some of the published “high end” Class A designs have more energy storage than defibrillators – worst case shock hazard from these could be fatal – another reason not to home brew a set of cables if you have any questions about your knowledge, mechanical skill re high V safety construction requirements – so just buy the manufacturer's extension cable
electrostatic headphones are very high impedance, nearly pure capacitance loads of ~100 pF
but any pair of wires has a capacitance between them, depending wire size, insulation thickness, type cables often have 10-30 pF/ft of their own capacitance
electrostatic headphone cable manufacturer's use very specialized cable - small wire, foamed dielectric, relative large spacing - all to minimize the cabling C
even with this special construction the attached cable C can be 30% or more of the headphone C
so if at all avoidable – don't use added cable with electrostatic headphones, it adds substaintially more load to the amplifier
if you must extend, buy the real thing - few can build extension cables with the correct materials
electrostatic headphone amps – particularly some of the published “high end” Class A designs have more energy storage than defibrillators – worst case shock hazard from these could be fatal – another reason not to home brew a set of cables if you have any questions about your knowledge, mechanical skill re high V safety construction requirements – so just buy the manufacturer's extension cable
I needed to replace the cable on a pair of Koss ESP-9 electrostats. The cable has to be very supple so what to use? I got some Canare L4E5C microphone cable. The only 'gotcha' is you need to Ohm out the white pair and blue pair. For microphone use we just tie the blues together and same for the whites. In headphone use all 4 leads are used independently. MilliVolts kiloVolts what's the difference? Oh yeah, 10^6.
BTW the original cable didn't appear to be anything special though it was a 40 year old design.
G²
BTW the original cable didn't appear to be anything special though it was a 40 year old design.
G²
talk to Koss? - they have a very impressive repair policy - don't know what they would say about "vintage" pieces though
buying their current ESP-950 extension cable is still probably the best option for getting the wire (even if you don't use the middle lead? are they electret?)
buying their current ESP-950 extension cable is still probably the best option for getting the wire (even if you don't use the middle lead? are they electret?)
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I dont recommend trying to substitute other wires for a stat headphone cable. I make specialty headphone cables as part of my job and do a pretty fine job of it too, but ES cables require not just correct voltage/current handling, but also correct (low) impedance and capacitance. As such the only way I would do one would be either using a replacement cable, or specifying the correct parameters to get a roll of cable made up.
using the Canare would be a very bad idea.
using the Canare would be a very bad idea.
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You misunderstand. I'm not defending the cable I built but the original from the factory wasn't particularly different. That's all.
G²
by all means share the mating part # if Koss can give them to you
the less you do to the cable the safer - but you may end up cutting off the connector at the headphone end
then you could leave a few inches of cable to make a Stax to Koss adapter - head-fi, head-case forums have info on modifiying some Amphenol part # to fit Stax - which is as near a "standard" as exists for ES headphones
the less you do to the cable the safer - but you may end up cutting off the connector at the headphone end
then you could leave a few inches of cable to make a Stax to Koss adapter - head-fi, head-case forums have info on modifiying some Amphenol part # to fit Stax - which is as near a "standard" as exists for ES headphones
jcx, depends how much you value your time, I would think ordering specific parts and shipping to modify the jack when you can buy a superbly CNC machined one from Justin for $29 plus $4 shipping worldwide is pretty borderline for saving money wouldnt you?
pretty sure he made enough =)
better pic of single jack
edit: my apologies I wasnt thinking. the ESP950 if you get that extension cable wont work with the STAX jack. you would need to retermiate the cable too.. hmm. I do think the STAX cables and connectors are superior
pretty sure he made enough =)
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
better pic of single jack
edit: my apologies I wasnt thinking. the ESP950 if you get that extension cable wont work with the STAX jack. you would need to retermiate the cable too.. hmm. I do think the STAX cables and connectors are superior
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
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Hi Guys
The teflon connectors above look awesome. There are also 6-pin ones available.
However...
Is it possible to buy them directly from Justin (headampcom) without going through eBay. I hate ebay and also paypal.
paypal is not a regulated financial institute so they can do whatever they want with a person's money.
Have fun
Kevin O'Connor
The teflon connectors above look awesome. There are also 6-pin ones available.
However...
Is it possible to buy them directly from Justin (headampcom) without going through eBay. I hate ebay and also paypal.
paypal is not a regulated financial institute so they can do whatever they want with a person's money.
Have fun
Kevin O'Connor
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