spritzer Posted July 27, 2017 Report Posted July 27, 2017 So all the old stuff about these is buried in the Stax thread but since I just bought a lightly used set of KS-M3 and M10 it was perhaps time to give them their own thread. So I owned both the H1 and H2...and both were terrible. Truly awful but there are still people out there claiming the H3's are really good so...I was curious. I got the combo at a nice enough price so why not. Kevin thinks I'm nuts for buying a third one of these but hey... I guess he's right. The amp will await inspection but I connected the phones to the Carbon CC for a listen. Ok...a small spoiler here...they aren't good. Like at all and more of a shame on other electrostatics... So difference compared to the H1 and H2 was pretty major though both were cheaply made. That continues here but the dual arc setup does work better than the single arc of the H2. The earcups are also much nicer from the outside but we'll see how they are inside when I open them up. The earpads are the same protein crap as the other ones and really one of the major reasons these sound so bad. Also as a bonus, both drivers have dust or some debris inside of them so squeal quite a bit. As for the sound...holy bass Batman!! It sounds a bit like a cheap boombox, it's all midbass with no depth and strangles everything else. The highs are also piercing and very fatiguing while the midrange is drowned out by the midbass. So a hollow bright sound signature which puts electrostatics to shame. I pulled out a L300 to compare and even though I don't really like the L series, they are just miles ahead. They may sound a bit bland and uninvolving but at least they are mostly neutral. This King Sound is just bad...electrostatic or not. I'll update later when I have time to open them up. 1
swt61 Posted July 27, 2017 Report Posted July 27, 2017 So what do you do with all these rotten tomatoes that you buy? I'm imagining your own version of the land of misfit toys.
spritzer Posted July 27, 2017 Author Report Posted July 27, 2017 Some are fixed and sold but yeah...there are a lot of headphones here. Me working on my own DIY sets isn't helping matters as there are many, many prototypes... 1
kevin gilmore Posted July 27, 2017 Report Posted July 27, 2017 Lucky that birgir does not have a basement, otherwise the collection would be much bigger and heavier. I happen to know someone with this problem. however he does cheat, no way he can put his car in the garage. last I knew there were several hundred pounds of transformers where the car should be. 6
johnwmclean Posted July 27, 2017 Report Posted July 27, 2017 I'd rather stab myself in the neck than listen to any King Sound gear. 2
eggil Posted July 27, 2017 Report Posted July 27, 2017 I did listen to them once, and survived.... with nightmares Birgir is right, they do sound terrible.
swt61 Posted July 27, 2017 Report Posted July 27, 2017 1 hour ago, johnwmclean said: I'd rather stab myself in the neck than listen to any King Sound gear. Now that's a helpful review. I can now walk away without any curiosity to try their products. And you managed that in 14 words. I'd like to see John Atkinson do that! 3
wink Posted July 28, 2017 Report Posted July 28, 2017 (edited) 6 hours ago, spritzer said: So all the old stuff about these is buried in the Stax thread but since I just bought a lightly used set of KS-M3 and M10 it was perhaps time to give them their own thread. So I owned both the H1 and H2...and both were terrible. Truly awful but there are still people out there claiming the H3's are really good so...I was curious. (snip) it's all midbass with no depth and strangles everything else. The highs are also piercing and very fatiguing while the midrange is drowned out by the midbass. (snip) Perhads, you need to switch this off........ ...and for the highs, you need to shoo away the screech owl...... Edited July 28, 2017 by wink
spritzer Posted July 28, 2017 Author Report Posted July 28, 2017 11 hours ago, kevin gilmore said: Lucky that birgir does not have a basement, otherwise the collection would be much bigger and heavier. I happen to know someone with this problem. however he does cheat, no way he can put his car in the garage. last I knew there were several hundred pounds of transformers where the car should be. Ahhh but the garage is all cleared up now. The pallet of transformers has been all squared away and now it's filled with painting stuff as I'm working on the exterior of the house. 11 hours ago, johnwmclean said: I'd rather stab myself in the neck than listen to any King Sound gear. That's why I'm offering this service... 9 hours ago, swt61 said: Now that's a helpful review. I can now walk away without any curiosity to try their products. And you managed that in 14 words. I'd like to see John Atkinson do that! Given the rave reviews out there of this garbage, do these reviewers actually listen or just random generate some verbal diarrhea? 3
spritzer Posted July 28, 2017 Author Report Posted July 28, 2017 So I had a bit of spare time and swapped on my custom made leather/suede earpads and now they are at least usable. Not good by any stretch but the bass isn't in ludicrous mode any more... I had a quick peek under the baffle and it looks identical to the H2 but I'll dig deeper when I have time. They are still horribly bright though but that might just be due to the diaphragms used.
Ali-Pacha Posted July 29, 2017 Report Posted July 29, 2017 A while ago, i had the opportunity to listen to KS-H4. I brought my SRM-1/mk2Pro and Gamma Pro + Lambda NB. Both did humiliate the Kingsound. No other word for this comparison Ali
JimL Posted July 29, 2017 Report Posted July 29, 2017 (edited) 1 hour ago, Ali-Pacha said: A while ago, i had the opportunity to listen to KS-H4. I brought my SRM-1/mk2Pro and Gamma Pro + Lambda NB. Both did humiliate the Kingsound. No other word for this comparison Ali I assume the Stax were better built too - somehow, the Kingsound looks like it's made from recycled tin cans. Edited July 29, 2017 by JimL
spritzer Posted July 30, 2017 Author Report Posted July 30, 2017 King Sound are certainly sparing all expense where ever possible. There is a lot of HifiMan here, make cheap shit and sell it for a lot of money. Then have some halfwits claim it is all brilliant... I did open up the M-10 amp and yup, same shit as the last one I had. They did improve the stupid foot setup and add a sticker that it will get hot...didn't add any heat sinking as well...PCB traces can easily sink a few watts...
chinsettawong Posted July 30, 2017 Report Posted July 30, 2017 (edited) I really feel that those perorated holes on the back covers of the headphones are too small. Edited July 30, 2017 by chinsettawong Correct spelling.
wink Posted July 30, 2017 Report Posted July 30, 2017 Yeah, they need to be bigger so we can poke pencils in to kill the cat being strangled in there............ Well it sounds like that's what's happening.......... 2
spritzer Posted July 30, 2017 Author Report Posted July 30, 2017 8 hours ago, chinsettawong said: I really feel that those perorated holes on the back covers of the headphones are too small. You are rightm they aren't nearly open enough which in turn creates the odd sound quality. Excessive bass and nasty treble 1
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