QuatreMyr t1_j54r7bt wrote on January 20, 2023 at 11:41 AM

This is the sound of air pressure moving the dust cover and diaphragm. Those leather pads create a better seal than whatever you were using before, and the air pressure inside the cups is shifting the films around. On Stax it's know as "Stax fart".

ourvoid OP t1_j57v280 wrote on January 21, 2023 at 12:33 AM

Thank you for this. Does this mean its normal? I take from the nickname that im not damaging them in any way?

QuatreMyr t1_j5834wy wrote on January 21, 2023 at 1:35 AM

Well it doesn't damage Stax anyway, I wouldn't think it would here either. Still, it's a very annoying thing to have to just deal with. It's fixable through driver design, but that obviously doesn't help here.

ourvoid OP t1_j5898lu wrote on January 21, 2023 at 2:23 AM

It just seems to be happening more and more frequently. Without a vent I imagine it could stress the driver over time and potentially lead to warping. I would have gotten perforated pads if I had known this and the pad creator should be advertising the potential issue. Idk maybe im over thinking it.

MRSallee t1_j5d9fce wrote on January 22, 2023 at 3:45 AM

As a fellow ESP owner with Vesper pads, I would not sweat it.

MRSallee t1_j5d9c68 wrote on January 22, 2023 at 3:44 AM

Yeah it's an estat thing. TBH I don't recall noticing it on my ESP-95X, but I demoed an Audeze CRBN at CanJam and literally thought the headphone might be broken. Wasn't an occasional if-I-move-my-head-just-so sorta thing, it was as ever-present as the swish of a swishy jacket.

BTW, I graphed the ESP with stock and those Vesper pads, the pads do good stuff! https://squig.link/headphones/?share=Super_OE_Target,Koss_ESP-95X,Koss_ESP-95X_(Vesper)