Ferbose
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2004
- Posts
- 1,823
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- 24
Almost 6 years ago I considered about buying K1000 but the combined cost of the K1000+SAC amp was just too much for me at the time. In the end I bought K501. Of course at that time there was no head-fi and I did not know K1000 can also be driven by other amps.
Although K501 and my stereo speakers are really decent performers, there is still something missing in my hi-fi system. I love listening to speakers, because they have natural soundstage and plenty of bass. However my busy lifestyle leaves me with little time to listen to entire pieces of music in front of speakers. I am a classical lover but constantly listening to 40 min concerti or symphonies takes a lot of leisure. Often I listen to music while I use computer at my desk or read. In those cases my head is not in the sweetspot of the speakers, and therfore not getting the best sound. I have thought about getting small speaker systems on my desk, but the comb filtering effect of the desk is another issue, and integration with subwoofer can also become tricky.
Headphone listening is also a great option, especially when I live in apartments with thin walls. But for me headphones always sound too close-in. The soundstage is not very natural, and having the sound directly emanating to the ear makes me feel more like a stero microphone at the concert rather than a listener. Also my jaws don't like being clamped for too long. On the other hand, the details and transparency of headphones are very much to my liking.
My wish is to have at home the resolved sound of headphones presented with the opneness of stereo speakers, and in a soudstage that always follows my head while I am at the desk or doing something else. A bit too much to ask for, isn't it? But this would be the best way to maximize the enjoyment of my ever-growing music collection in my lifestyle.
A week ago I received my K1000. It has only 50 hours on it so let me just say so far I am pretty happy with its sound although it still seems to be evolving. But I quickly realized K1000 is what I really need and want. Although it is not really lightweight, its clamping mechanism works well with my head. While I am typing this post, I can enjoy the envoloping sound of John Coltrane's trio. I can focus on the music at any point when I want to listen carefully, but I can also focus on something else and still follow the music closely in the background. K1000 is an one-of-a-kind product that provides a unique solution for my listening needs. I am very glad I finally got it. Although the K1000 sytem is not without its compromises, for me its usability greatly outshines its limitations. I honestly can't think of any other speaker or headphone I would rather listen to when I am alone in my room. Sure, I would like experience those Sonus Faber or Wilson speakers as well as HE90, SR-007 or R10, but for my daily listening I can't picture them replacing K1000.
I have thank all those head-fiers who reported the great synergy between Sonic Impact T-amp and K1000. After hearing how good the T-amp is on my speaker setup, I no longer felt being held back from buying K1000 because of amplification. After I got K1000 I actually think my Jolida hybrid amp collecting dust at the corner seems to drive K1000 even better. But my K1000 is not fully broken in, so it is too early to say which amp is more suitable.
Although K501 and my stereo speakers are really decent performers, there is still something missing in my hi-fi system. I love listening to speakers, because they have natural soundstage and plenty of bass. However my busy lifestyle leaves me with little time to listen to entire pieces of music in front of speakers. I am a classical lover but constantly listening to 40 min concerti or symphonies takes a lot of leisure. Often I listen to music while I use computer at my desk or read. In those cases my head is not in the sweetspot of the speakers, and therfore not getting the best sound. I have thought about getting small speaker systems on my desk, but the comb filtering effect of the desk is another issue, and integration with subwoofer can also become tricky.
Headphone listening is also a great option, especially when I live in apartments with thin walls. But for me headphones always sound too close-in. The soundstage is not very natural, and having the sound directly emanating to the ear makes me feel more like a stero microphone at the concert rather than a listener. Also my jaws don't like being clamped for too long. On the other hand, the details and transparency of headphones are very much to my liking.
My wish is to have at home the resolved sound of headphones presented with the opneness of stereo speakers, and in a soudstage that always follows my head while I am at the desk or doing something else. A bit too much to ask for, isn't it? But this would be the best way to maximize the enjoyment of my ever-growing music collection in my lifestyle.
A week ago I received my K1000. It has only 50 hours on it so let me just say so far I am pretty happy with its sound although it still seems to be evolving. But I quickly realized K1000 is what I really need and want. Although it is not really lightweight, its clamping mechanism works well with my head. While I am typing this post, I can enjoy the envoloping sound of John Coltrane's trio. I can focus on the music at any point when I want to listen carefully, but I can also focus on something else and still follow the music closely in the background. K1000 is an one-of-a-kind product that provides a unique solution for my listening needs. I am very glad I finally got it. Although the K1000 sytem is not without its compromises, for me its usability greatly outshines its limitations. I honestly can't think of any other speaker or headphone I would rather listen to when I am alone in my room. Sure, I would like experience those Sonus Faber or Wilson speakers as well as HE90, SR-007 or R10, but for my daily listening I can't picture them replacing K1000.
I have thank all those head-fiers who reported the great synergy between Sonic Impact T-amp and K1000. After hearing how good the T-amp is on my speaker setup, I no longer felt being held back from buying K1000 because of amplification. After I got K1000 I actually think my Jolida hybrid amp collecting dust at the corner seems to drive K1000 even better. But my K1000 is not fully broken in, so it is too early to say which amp is more suitable.
