ES Labs ES1a

[Scgorg 42]

An interesting thing to try for those of you who may have 007 mk1 pads lying around, try putting them on the ES-1a. I've tried 007 mk2 pads and the effect of those pads is quite different. The mk1 pads significantly linearizes the midrange, taking the excess energy around 1-1.5khz down a bit and pulling the presence region (2-5khz) up a bit. It also makes the ES-1a slightly less hot in the treble past 8Khz, which I find is a welcome change. For me personally the 007 pads also seal better on the head, and since the leakage tolerance of electrostatic headphones is quite low this is a welcome change.

I wouldn't say the tonality is ideal with these pads either, but it's about as close as I've come to it.

[OakForestAudio 9]

 

So far I dig it, dark pads or the ones with the cloth liner are really needed. Noticeable etch without them... with them tho a touch smoother without a massive lose in tactility.

Overall pleasant, good tonality and detail with a nice stage. I'll have more in a few days once I get a chance to really listen. Comparisons to 009, 95X with Vesper and hopefully L700 Mkii if it arrives in time 

[OakForestAudio 9]

L700MK2 did arrive in time... thoughts above, TLDR I feel it's excellent for those of you wanting a more tonally rich presentation. I'd also run it on Solid State over Tube and with the Dark Pads exclusively 

[DesignTaylor 0]

Very interested in these. I've read a ton of reviews by can't decided between these and a used pair or SR-007. In all my audio quests I'm always on that hunt for a smooth, warm, and natural sound that is also full of detail. Ya know, the full packaged.