Click to view our Accessibility Statement or contact us with accessibility-related questions
ESS 252 Closed-Back Headphones
01 / 04
ESS 252 Closed-Back Headphones
bookmark_border
Where's the price?
To negotiate the best possible price for our customers, we agree to hide prices prior to logging in.
344 requests
·
74 Sold
Product Description
ESS has been in hi-fi audio since the 1970s, and now the company brings its expertise in speakers to the world of headphones. The 252 headphone is particularly eye-catching, with medium-density walnut ear cups and a shiny metal frame Read More
search
close
Sort by: Top Conversations
keyboard_arrow_downMbot
191
Sep 4, 2018
Since these cost only $99, how does Sennheiser have the nerve to charge $2000 for it's HD800??? Oh I forgot, it's a free-market😩
The spiel says these headphones give warm sound, problem is I don't want warm sound, warm sound is sickening. I want the song to sound exactly as it was intended, warm, cold, neutral, bassy whatever, I don't need the headphone to second-guess the mastering engineer, capiche? Therefore we need headphones with a neutral sound-sig.
The spiel says these headphones give warm sound, problem is I don't want warm sound, warm sound is sickening. I want the song to sound exactly as it was intended, warm, cold, neutral, bassy whatever, I don't need the headphone to second-guess the mastering engineer, capiche? Therefore we need headphones with a neutral sound-sig.
glennac
1363
Oct 1, 2018
Don't fall for it Phoenix. He appears to simply be trolling for a fight. He doesn't explain how one would even know what the "right" sound was. It's impossible without having been there when the track was laid down to hear the original sound. So how would anyone ever be able to identify what the original sound was if they had never heard the original sound in the studio in the first place?
kraken2109
3
Sep 30, 2018
How can nobody know if these are over-ear or on-ear? None of the reviews seem to mention this either!
tutetibiimperes
266
Jan 1, 2019
The biggest weakness of both of ESS’s headphones are the pads. I just received my ESS 422h from Massdrop on Christmas Eve and they’re awful with the stock pads. I followed Zeos’ advice and swapped them with Shure 1540 pads and it completely transformed them, they’re awesome with those pads.
Juzifer
2
Sep 8, 2018
Nah, i like wearing them as a hat - nothing better than shiny mahogany circling your head :p
On a more serious note: -over ear (meaning your ears go inside the cup fully) -on ear (the headphones rest on top of your ear, Koss porta pro etc.) -in ear (earbuds that go into your ear like a plug)
There was no info regarding that on the page itself so i was wondering if anybody knows
~cheers for the laughs tho
On a more serious note: -over ear (meaning your ears go inside the cup fully) -on ear (the headphones rest on top of your ear, Koss porta pro etc.) -in ear (earbuds that go into your ear like a plug)
There was no info regarding that on the page itself so i was wondering if anybody knows
~cheers for the laughs tho
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.
Trigon
7
Sep 30, 2018
Love 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!
RayF
22220
Sep 3, 2018
Strange...looked at a half-dozen sites (including ESS) but could not find a photograph that actually shows what sort of cables these damn things ship with!
RayF
22220
Sep 3, 2018
In deed I was. Wouldn't be expecting anything extravagant but I became suspicious when I noticed decent photos of 'em weren't shown anywhere. Everyone else shows their cables even if they're total shite!
Daeronicus
266
Nov 17, 2018
OK, i must say i'm semi-dissapointed with this headphones. My pair arrived today and i have been testing it for a couple of hours now. I have pros and cons.
PROS:
- A very pleasant sound experience.
- Vocals and mid-range are balanced. To my ears at least.
- Bass is not too loud or deep but detailed. The overall sound experience was fantastic.
- A bit heavy. I was able to feel the presure on the top of my head. Is not too heavy but after a couple of tracks it was unconfortable to use.
- Too rigid. I got a headache for the presure on my ears, is just too much for me.
- Sometimes i could hear only trough the left side, because the imput zone on the headphone was not quite secure, i had to play with the connector to hear the sound on both sides. A little touch on the headphone connector and the sound was gone on the right ear.
Daeronicus
266
Nov 17, 2018
bigcjmOn the tight side? They are on the alien facehugger side, they will grab your head to never let it go. It feels like the diadems want to touch each other through your brain.
(Edited)
tsnoich
5
Sep 30, 2018
A well spent $99. Haven't finished breaking them in yet, but I'm very happy with the comfort and sound quality. I wanted a pair of (relatively) inexpensive headphones that would fold down and provide good sound while travelling. These work for me. I'm using them with a Hiby R6 using the 3.5mm jack and the Hiby has plenty of power to drive these.
zeebee
95
Sep 4, 2018
Here's a review from positive feedback including its other big brother, ESS 422
https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/ess-252-ess-422h-headphones/
https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/ess-252-ess-422h-headphones/
DiMora
263
Sep 30, 2018
All dynamic drivers with surrounds /spiders need to break-in. They are mechanical, after all. Shoes are actually a good analogy. Shoe leather is stiff when new. On drivers, the suspensions are always stiff when new which decreases bass response. Once the spiders loosen up, bass increases and the drivers “settle” into consistent performance.
Showing 78 of 110
Recent Activity
Related Products
Drop Refurbished
Like-new products you can trustDrop Rewards
Get $5 for every 500 points you earn! Learn more
Drop Keyboard Club
Become a member and expand your keycap collectionCollaborate With Us
For Brands & DesignersFollow Drop