Damn you guys need to get multiquote here
shipsupt - I tried out the tube and SS KingSound amps for maybe 1-2 hours. Preferred the SS, more dynamic. Right now running them off my Stax SRM-T1S from the normal bias jack. I'll probably adjust the bias on it next time I order from mouser.
MF - It's interesting but I'm actually having almost the complete opposite impressions! There may be some infancy variation at play here, as I usually agree with your impressions of things. Anyway, here are my full impressions:
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Spent some time at the dealer's place with the KS amps for about an hour. The SS amp sounded better to me. More control, blacker background, etc. The tube amp sounded wimpier. SS amp got really hot near the top...I think they're gonna have to look at more adequate heatsinking. Both amps were RCA input only (SS had a loop out as well). He popped the top off the tube amp to change the tubes, so I got a peak at that at least. 2x 12AX7, 4x EL84, and 1x dunno. I'm pretty sure it was some kind of rectifier tube.
6-something-something-L I believe.
Looks-wise, the headphones scream MADE IN CHINA. The plastic is really cheap toy stuff and I wouldn't try to bend them much. The positive to that is they're super light and quite comfortable on my head. I don't know if somebody with a bigger head can wear these without snapping the headband though. Pad material feels decent (better than ESP950), and they're rather large in diameter so my ears don't really touch anything. Again, comfy. Cups don't have much travel to move up and down, but can swivel from side to side freely so you can fold them flat if needed (think Grado pizza box). Cups don't really seem to be able to tilt much...it looks like they should but I don't want to break them. Cable and connector both pretty nice.
You can't really see the stator design unless you hold it up to a pretty bright light. Looks to be standard perforated metal, hole diameter about 60% size of those on the grill. They're also using pinwheel/spoke bracing as found on the SR-Omega/SR-009. Think 009 brace but with a quarter-size hole in the middle and 12 spokes.
I've spent some time comparing the KingSounds to a LNS, both driven from a T1S. As the hours passed I definitely preferred the LNS. My biggest complaint with the KS is that they sound super laid back. I noticed this the first time I auditioned them, and ended up having to play them a lot louder than I normally listen. At these higher levels, I noticed quite a bit of compression on loud passages...the drivers didn't seem to like being pushed that much. I actually don't mind laid back phones at all, but these took it a little too far for me. There's also a large difference in soundstaging between the two: the LNS has the typical Lambda soundstage, with decent size and really 'tall' imaging; the KS has a very natural soundstage with smaller but more believable sized instruments/sounds. The KS are quite bass shy, with even less sub bass impact than the Stax which is saying something. The KS also emphasize hissing/pops/ticks on the recording. Comparing the mids of the headphones, the Stax is preferred once again. The KS don't stray too far off neutral, but have a sort of echo'ey sound to the mids if that makes any sense. Strings sound much more right on the LNS especially. The KS are also one of the most veiled sounding electrostats I've heard.
I&
#039;m sure most people haven't heard the LNS before (plus it's OOP), so I'll try to compare the KS to my 207's later. Note that the LNS is easily one of my favorite Lambdas. I would say the KS actually sound somewhat like a less neutral ESP950 (more treble, less mids), with a slightly bigger soundstage and a bit less detail.
Also note that I was running the KS from normal bias voltage so there might be a little change in sound once I put the recommended voltage, though going by past experience it won't change much.
