WEBVTT 00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:06.720 Portable audio solutions have gotten generally more compact over time, and 00:00:04.960 --> 00:00:10.320 that's a good thing. Who wants to carry a bunch of crap around with them just to 00:00:08.320 --> 00:00:16.960 listen to music? Well, sure thinks you might. And if you 00:00:14.080 --> 00:00:21.840 got a chance to listen to their KSE 1200 electrostatic earphones, yes, you heard 00:00:19.359 --> 00:00:27.599 me right. Electrostatic earphones for did I mention that they're 00:00:25.199 --> 00:00:34.279 $2,000? You might actually agree with them. 00:00:30.480 --> 00:00:34.279 This is going to be interesting. 00:00:40.160 --> 00:00:45.440 The Sure KSC 1200's are not your 00:00:43.360 --> 00:00:50.079 run-of-the-mill in-ear monitors. For starters, they've got this thick Kevlar 00:00:48.079 --> 00:00:56.559 reinforced cable that's designed to isolate each of the two conductors. And 00:00:53.039 --> 00:01:00.000 then that plugs into a matched amplifier 00:00:56.559 --> 00:01:02.640 that you must use through this obscure 00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:08.000 pushpull limbo headphone connector that you'd be more likely to find on aviation 00:01:05.280 --> 00:01:12.000 or medical equipment than on a smartphone. 00:01:09.760 --> 00:01:15.439 But why? What is it about these earphones that makes all of this 00:01:13.920 --> 00:01:22.400 necessary? The answer is in the drivers inside each 00:01:19.840 --> 00:01:27.040 earbud. The actual mechanism that transduces electrical energy from your 00:01:24.560 --> 00:01:32.079 source into sound energy on your eard drum uses a technology that is rarely 00:01:29.600 --> 00:01:40.079 used in speakers. Seldom used in headphones and almost never used in IM. 00:01:36.320 --> 00:01:42.400 These have electrostatic drivers. Now, 00:01:40.079 --> 00:01:47.280 the vast majority of speakers out there use dynamic drivers where electricity 00:01:45.280 --> 00:01:52.320 flowing through the cable interacts with a permanent magnet to move the diaphragm 00:01:49.759 --> 00:01:59.040 back and forth. The goal is for the diaphragm to only move along one plane, 00:01:55.680 --> 00:02:01.520 back and forth, like a piston. But 00:01:59.040 --> 00:02:06.159 dynamic drivers struggle to do this because the cable is only fixed to the 00:02:03.680 --> 00:02:10.479 diaphragm around its dome, allowing other parts of the flexier to warp in 00:02:08.479 --> 00:02:16.319 other directions. This introduces distortion, which hurts sound quality. 00:02:13.280 --> 00:02:18.720 But this doesn't happen nearly at all 00:02:16.319 --> 00:02:24.879 with electrostatic drivers because the diaphragm is not physically connected to 00:02:21.920 --> 00:02:30.800 the voice coil. Instead, it's actually suspended between two sters like a 00:02:28.000 --> 00:02:36.160 sandwich. The diaphragm itself is made of an ultra low mass plastic film, which 00:02:33.440 --> 00:02:40.160 in some cases is actually even lighter than the air that it's displacing. And 00:02:38.319 --> 00:02:45.440 it's impregnated with an electrically conductive material and then held in 00:02:42.239 --> 00:02:48.959 place by a strong electrostatic field 00:02:45.440 --> 00:02:51.360 created by a high voltage power supply. 00:02:48.959 --> 00:02:58.000 Ah, that right there. Now, we're getting to the bottom of this. That is why the 00:02:53.920 --> 00:02:59.680 KSC 1200's need this amp. So, as the 00:02:58.000 --> 00:03:04.959 current carrying the music flows through, the stators work together to 00:03:02.640 --> 00:03:10.560 push and pull the diaphragm back and forth thousands of times per second. And 00:03:07.840 --> 00:03:15.599 it's really, really fast because the diaphragm weighs so little. So, that's 00:03:12.959 --> 00:03:19.760 awesome for creating clear tones even when there are lots of instruments 00:03:17.200 --> 00:03:25.680 playing at once. It also lets the driver produce frequencies across the spectrum. 00:03:22.640 --> 00:03:27.920 So, the KSC1200's use only one full 00:03:25.680 --> 00:03:33.840 range driver per earphone with a frequency response of 10 hertz to 50,000 00:03:31.760 --> 00:03:38.560 hertz, well beyond the range of human hearing. This is in stark contrast to 00:03:36.159 --> 00:03:43.840 most high-end IM which deploy anywhere from one or two to eight drivers per 00:03:41.599 --> 00:03:49.840 earphone so that each one of them can focus on a more narrow frequency range. 00:03:46.720 --> 00:03:52.080 So, that's some cool tech. But most 00:03:49.840 --> 00:03:57.840 people don't pay two grand just to have cool tech in their pocket. They have to 00:03:54.480 --> 00:04:01.280 actually sound good. And subjectively, 00:03:57.840 --> 00:04:03.840 these don't sound good because they 00:04:01.280 --> 00:04:08.720 sound fantastic. Do you guys see what I did there? Honestly, it's kind of like 00:04:05.599 --> 00:04:12.080 having a tiny band playing a show for 00:04:08.720 --> 00:04:14.640 one inside your head. And and that's not 00:04:12.080 --> 00:04:18.239 just because they're electrostats. The fact that they're in-ear monitors 00:04:16.320 --> 00:04:25.360 basically means that you're you're kind of wearing earplugs with the KSC1200's 00:04:21.359 --> 00:04:27.759 purporting to block out up to 37 dB of 00:04:25.360 --> 00:04:32.000 ambient noise provided that you choose a sleeve that makes a good seal in your 00:04:29.759 --> 00:04:36.720 special snowflake ear canal. So I prefer the really really small ones. There are 00:04:34.720 --> 00:04:40.800 four different sleeve types in the box and these IM should be compatible with 00:04:38.960 --> 00:04:45.680 the same sleeves that fit any other modern Sure SE style earphones. They 00:04:43.919 --> 00:04:49.360 also come with a cable clip, two different lengths of ox cable for 00:04:47.040 --> 00:04:56.560 connecting to your source, and two Livstrong style bands for repping. Sure, 00:04:54.639 --> 00:05:01.440 actually, no, it's not for that. It It's It's for holding everything together. 00:04:58.800 --> 00:05:08.560 But on that subject, what what what even is this setup? Like, couldn't I just 00:05:04.800 --> 00:05:12.320 connect the amp to my phone? 00:05:08.560 --> 00:05:14.800 The answer is yes. Yes, you can. But it 00:05:12.320 --> 00:05:19.680 might feel like a bit of a waste because the song or podcast that you're 00:05:16.880 --> 00:05:24.639 listening to is a digital signal that has to get converted to an analog signal 00:05:22.160 --> 00:05:30.639 by the time it hits the headphones. Now, your phone does have a digital to analog 00:05:27.840 --> 00:05:34.880 converter or a DAC built in, but the audio file argument would be that it's 00:05:32.560 --> 00:05:39.280 probably of such low quality that it kind of defeats the purpose of your 00:05:36.880 --> 00:05:44.320 $2,000 headphones. So, while yes, it is possible on many 00:05:41.840 --> 00:05:49.520 iOS and Android devices to output the pure digital signal, bypassing the 00:05:46.240 --> 00:05:51.520 onboard DACK, again, you'd need to add a 00:05:49.520 --> 00:05:57.759 DAC into the chain because the KSC 1200's do not have a DAC built in. In 00:05:54.479 --> 00:06:01.360 fact, that's what differentiates the KSC 00:05:57.759 --> 00:06:05.440 1200's from the KSC 1500s that launched 00:06:01.360 --> 00:06:08.080 back in 2016 for $1,000 more. Both the 00:06:05.440 --> 00:06:13.759 amp and the headphones themselves are the exact same, but the system included 00:06:11.280 --> 00:06:17.280 an integrated DAC and equalizer, which you could tune with the help of an OLED 00:06:15.280 --> 00:06:22.560 screen. Now, those functions are still available to KSC 1200 owners, but only 00:06:19.440 --> 00:06:25.039 through a companion app. So, depending 00:06:22.560 --> 00:06:30.080 on your setup, you could have a source like a phone plugged into a dedicated 00:06:27.440 --> 00:06:34.880 DAC plugged into the KSC amp with the headphones then plugged into your head. 00:06:32.400 --> 00:06:39.600 or you can use a combination source and DAC like the M9 that our friends over at 00:06:37.280 --> 00:06:43.520 FIO graciously sent us. So with something like this, you can stream from 00:06:41.919 --> 00:06:47.280 supported apps that runs Android, but it's actually still quite locked down. 00:06:45.360 --> 00:06:52.160 Uh or you can load your lossless audio tracks via micro SD, so you've got high 00:06:49.840 --> 00:06:57.600 quality links across the entire chain all the way to your ears. But the 00:06:55.120 --> 00:07:03.120 question is, if you need two or three devices, you know, zip tied together in 00:07:00.560 --> 00:07:08.240 your pocket, is this solution really portable? 00:07:04.639 --> 00:07:10.080 Now, I mean, for old folks like me, this 00:07:08.240 --> 00:07:13.599 really doesn't seem that cumbersome. I mean, I used to carry a Discman around 00:07:11.599 --> 00:07:18.720 at school every day. And by carry, I mean delicately caress so that it 00:07:16.080 --> 00:07:22.240 wouldn't skip. But compared to the generation that grew up just using their 00:07:20.400 --> 00:07:28.639 phone for this stuff, which we all have to carry around anyway, it is quite an 00:07:25.120 --> 00:07:31.680 adjustment. With that said, relative to 00:07:28.639 --> 00:07:34.560 other hi-fi solutions, this is downright 00:07:31.680 --> 00:07:39.120 minuscule, and having them on a plane is an absolute godsend. Unfortunately, 00:07:37.440 --> 00:07:43.680 there's more to portability than just size. You don't normally have to worry 00:07:41.680 --> 00:07:49.120 about battery life with wired headphones, but with these, you do 00:07:46.560 --> 00:07:54.319 because they don't operate without the amp. And while the 2200 mAh battery 00:07:52.000 --> 00:08:00.080 provides more playback on these than the KSC 1500's, 12 hours up from 10, that's 00:07:58.000 --> 00:08:05.199 still a lot lower than many Bluetooth headphones that can push 25 hours or 00:08:02.240 --> 00:08:09.759 more. Plus, you got to manage the source and DAC batteries, which is just more 00:08:08.160 --> 00:08:15.440 hassle, more things to recharge every night. What really irks me is that this 00:08:12.879 --> 00:08:21.199 $2,000 device doesn't even have fast charging over USB type-C. No, it's got 00:08:18.560 --> 00:08:25.120 this stone age microB connector and takes 3 hours to fully charge the 00:08:23.199 --> 00:08:28.960 device. I mean, come on, you guys. So, bottom line, should you buy these 00:08:26.479 --> 00:08:35.279 headphones? Their sound quality to size ratio can't be beat. And I might even 00:08:32.080 --> 00:08:37.120 choose them over audio file like overear 00:08:35.279 --> 00:08:40.959 headphones just for the added sound isolation that in-ears offer. I'm a bit 00:08:38.959 --> 00:08:44.000 of an in- ears guy. Not to mention that they're easier to wear to bed than over 00:08:42.640 --> 00:08:47.839 ears which is something you could realistically do. Like these were very 00:08:45.839 --> 00:08:51.760 comfortable for me over long periods. The wire here is formable so you can get 00:08:49.760 --> 00:08:55.279 a nice snug fit around your ear. There's a light to tell you if your input signal 00:08:53.519 --> 00:09:00.720 is going to clip and they absolutely nailed the sensitivity and feel of the 00:08:57.440 --> 00:09:02.480 tactile volume knob. But 00:09:00.720 --> 00:09:06.399 I'm stopping short of a recommendation here for the same reason that I've never 00:09:04.320 --> 00:09:10.880 recommended that anyone buy a Titan graphics card or an Extreme Edition 00:09:08.000 --> 00:09:16.640 processor. I mean, sure, they're the best, but they're an enthusiast product 00:09:14.240 --> 00:09:21.360 in the truest sense of the word. A product that not only has a low price 00:09:18.800 --> 00:09:25.360 toerformance ratio, but also one that asks the user to make affordances that 00:09:23.360 --> 00:09:31.200 would be complete deal breakers for a lot of people, 00:09:27.760 --> 00:09:32.480 including little old me. 00:09:31.200 --> 00:09:36.480 So, thanks for watching, guys. If you disliked this video, you know where that button is. But if you liked it, hit 00:09:35.200 --> 00:09:40.480 like, get subscribed, or maybe consider checking out where to buy the stuff we featured at the link in the video 00:09:39.120 --> 00:09:44.959 description. To be clear, I'm not saying don't buy it. I'm just not saying to buy 00:09:42.880 --> 00:09:48.640 it. I mean, if you got two grand to blow, like, I can certainly think of 00:09:47.200 --> 00:09:53.519 dumber things to spend that kind of I was at I was at the airport on my way 00:09:50.880 --> 00:09:58.160 back here from a recent trip, and like they have purses for like $4,000. 00:09:56.640 --> 00:10:02.399 They don't even have electrostatic drivers in them. They're just dead cow.