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Showing 1 of 32 conversations about:
ESS 252 Closed-Back Headphones
DiMora
263
Sep 21, 2018
I bought a pair of these 252's and also their 422h model which features a hybrid design with both a dynamic driver as well as a Heil air motion transducer (folded ribbon / accordion style tranducer). I had called Rick Caudillo at ESS (the CEO of ESS and also the head designer) to ask him about the sound character of each of these models, as I was attracted to the price, closed-back style for travel, and the beautiful wood construction. At the Massdrop price of $99, the 252's represent a tremendous value. They sound very good. I wanted to compare them to one another. initially, both were weak on bass, but that was because they weren't broken in. I ran them both continuously for 3 days on a bench to loosen up the dynamic driver suspensions. Ahhh, very nice after break-in. So here's the skinny: I like the 422h's the best. I'll give the 252's to my teenage daughter and they will absolutely punish the ear buds and "Beats" all her friends have. The 252's are well balanced, forgiving for any overly compressed music, and they have amazing bass response. But the 422h's...that Heil AMT is the secret sauce and brings Rick's design to the next level. The mids and highs are more clear, detailed and shimmering. They are unforgiving of poorly mastered / distorted / overly compressed music, but I don't listen to any of that garbage anyway. I'll use the cliche that swapping from the 252's to the 422h was like looking through a hazy window vs. looking through one that is so clean you almost cannot see that the glass is present. The 422's also have more space / air / ambiance...it's a bigger soundstage with the 422h. 422h are $199, so double the price of the 252's, and not on Massdrop. So, back to these...are they worth it? For $99 - yes they are. Tremendous value here...they sound very nice, and if I didn't have the 422h to A/B back-to-back I would be quite pleased to own the 252's as a primary closed-back design p[air of cans. Build quality on both is impeccable...the wood is stunning, pads are comfortable (although both pair out of the box are heavier than some other brands of cans and also the clamping pressure is firm. My head is somewhat narrow so they are a good fit for me, but folks with a giant head may find these too tight. The 422h earcups are bigger than the 252 (I like the bigger cups). In summary, I'd say the 252 are well worth the $99 if that is your budget, but the 422h are definitely worth double the money if you have the cash. Remember the dynamic drivers will nothave their final amount of bass when new right out of the box until you run them for a few days with some good bass tracks to loosen up the surrounds on the drivers. I used Techmaster PEB's "Bass Computer" to break them in.
Jdjung
147
Sep 29, 2018
DiMoraWhy would you call the CEO? I mean no offense but this sounds very shillish.
DiMora
263
Sep 29, 2018
JdjungI’m most definitely not a shill... I did not set out to call the CEO; rather, I called the ESS number on their website to describe my listening preferences and help me choose a model, but Ricky the CEO answered the phone. As stated, I bought both and will be keeping the 422h for myself and I gave the 252 to my daughter; she loves them.
Trigon
7
Sep 30, 2018
DiMoraLove the pics and thanks for your input! Would you say these are comfortable for folks like me with large heads? I really have a hard time with over the ear phones because of clamping pressure. I guess my ears/jaw are sensitive. Right now i'm using AKG's but they are semi open ( I really love them) but need some closed backs for travel/office. Appreciate any insight you might have . Cheers!
DiMora
263
Sep 30, 2018
TrigonThey both have significant clamping pressure. I don’t think they would be good for a larger head. Clamping pressure is not adjustable.
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