I guess cake is off the menu for the moment then.

To get back on topic again:
The KH-K1000 have been burning in for the last three days, and I think they are pretty well done now. They don't change a lot any more.
Bass i pretty much in control now. Better with the Corda Prehead than with tube amps though. Even with the X-CAN V8 it can on some tracks be slightly boomy, but it does not interfere with the midrange any more.
Sometimes it is a pro (Moby) sometimes it is mwwwahh, could do with slightly leaner bass (like in Medeski, Martin & Wood I am listening to now. Yes, I'm in the M section).
Overall very pleasing, but unforgiving for some defects in the recording: compressed recordings sound REALLY compressed, distorted. On some records I'm not sure if the effect is intentional or unintentional , but I hate it .

At the moment I am trying to get my hands on a pair of D2000 to be able to compare them. I think these phones may have a lot in common and it may give more perspective to my comments for a lot of people.

Back to music listening now (damn, these phones really get you into the music..)

D2000 are coming my way.
Comparison planned in the weekend.

[size=xx-small]Request for...[/size]

Comparisons between the Kenwood & the JVC DX-1000, pls.

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OK. No problem. I have some time coming weekend.

Anybody have any music suggestions?
My own preferences tend to be less generally known....

This request may be even more unknown.

Jpop/Rock
^__^

thanksgiving
wow q9 on my phone made me write thanksgiving instead of thanks.

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I just bought both and I also plan to review them.

^ nice to know my hard earned cash is quickly being put to good use :v

The D2000 came in just an hour ago.
I am having a quick listen now (Brian Bromberg, Downright Upright).
Straight off the bat: they are lightweights compared to the Kenwood.
I am going to listen to them some more, but my first impression is that they are definitely a lot lighter (soundwise) and more distant than the KH-K1000.
More to come.

Which of the two (it and the DT990) have more bass slam, extension (go deeper), quantity (midbass), speed/fast transient response (bass, mid, highs specially for very fast music)?
How much is it forward compared with the AD2000s, in %??.
UPDATE: (you say in a previous page that it is more forward, but now you said that it is neutral...???)

The headstage* in this headphone is very big?, how big is it, compared to the DT990s?
*it is bigger than your DX1000?
*see, i don't refer to soundstage but to "out of the head stage"

UPDATE2: Which is darker?. the Denons of the kenwoods and the same but with the DX1000 vs it?
Thank you very much for your answers

Kenwood KH-K1000 impressions, compared to the Denon D2000.

Intro & conclusion
This is not a review. I don’t claim the authority to be able to do that.
These are just my personal impressions.
In order to place my remarks in some kind of perspective, I compared them with the more widely known Denon D2000.
So you don’t have to read all the rest if you don’t want to I will start at the end:
DO I LIKE THESE PHONES?
YES. I LIKE THEM VERY MUCH.

WHY?
Mainly just because they simply draw me into the music. They grab me, envelop me in music and don’t let me escape. These are probably the most engaging headphones I ever heard.

ARE THEY PERFECT FOR ME?
They definitely have some flaws. But on the other hand: the perfect woman has flaws. If she didn’t she wouldn’t be perfect…

ARE THEY PERFECT FOR YOU?
Could be. If you like bass, a warm presentation and perfect PRAT this could be your ideal set of phones.

WHAT OTHER PHONES CAN I COMPARE THEM TO?
They are in my opinion in the same league as Sennheiser HD650 (single ended), AKG K701, ATH AD2000, Beyer DT880/990, Grodo RS1, AKG K340, PROline750/2500 and D2000.
It is a matter of taste which one you prefer. I personally prefer them to all of the above, with the exception of the HD650.

WHAT ARE THEIR STRONG POINTS:
•PRAT. Pace, rhythm and timing are just perfect.
•Warm engaging sound signature.
•BASS. Bass is big and deep. Equal to bass monsters like the DX1000 or deep cup Darths.
•Very balanced. No forward or recessed mids.
•Good tonality. They have an easy-going, natural timbre.
•Easy to listen to. No fatigue whatsoever, no matter how long I listened to them.
•Very comfortable.

WHAT ARE THEIR WEAK POINTS:
•They are not the pinnacle of refinement. They can sound a bit coarse sometimes.
•Bass can be too big on occasion. You definitely need an amp that can handle that (I prefer my Corda Prehead MKII SE).
•They can sound a bit hollow on some occasions.


MY PERSONAL CONCLUSION:
I love these phones. No matter what they do wrong, they are so engaging that I keep listening to them. They get a lot of head time.


General remarks

Look & feel: OK. Not too luxurious.

Comfort: Very comfortable. The pleather pads can cause sweaty ears on hot days, but otherwise these are in the top comfort league. Far more comfortable than the D2000.

Used equipment:
Source: FLAC/PC/JOB 48 DAC.
Amps: MF X-can v8 and Corda Prehead MkII SE.

Burn-in for >100 hours with pink noise. Burn-in wave files: white noise, pink noise, frequency sweep, channel mix

Low extension: VERY low.

High extension: slightly rolled off.

Detail: Not the most detailed phones around.

Imaging: Very good. Consistent correct placing of everything.


The music
Here I give some specific examples of what I listened to.
I could have given a lot more examples, but they are a good illustration of what I listened to when I came to the above conclusions.

Piano solo:
Slightly hollow. Tonally quite good, but the hollowness makes it sound a bit metallic. Detail is good.
Compared to the D2000: the D2000 are colder, flatter even a bit more metallic. The D2000 are also a bit more refined though. Detail in the midrange is better from the D2000.
End result: I prefer the Kenwood, for more natural timbre, but I find neither doing extremely well.
Music listened to:
Listz: Funerailles, played by Naum Grubert.

Orchestra: Good, but slightly congested, probably due to lacking detail in the midrange. The orchestra gets an homogenous sound and is full bodied though, which I really appreciate.
Balance is good: no section stands out.
Placing of instruments and soundstage is very good.
The Kenwood gives body to the orchestra in much the same way as the HD650 can.
D2000 gives a bit more detail in the orchestra. They are very close here actually.
The Kenwood is just so much SWEETER.
Music listened to:
Beethoven: Fifth piano concerto played by Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli and the Wiener Philharmoniker.
Mahler: Symphony no 1, played by Lorin Maazel and the Wiener Philharmoniker.

Chamber music: Again here they give you a feeling of being present. They present a very convincing, warm but still natural sound. A slight hollowness sometimes acts up here though.
Music listened to:
Albert Roussel: Chamber music.

Voices: Very convincing, even if they miss the last little bit of brilliance and detail.
Music listened to:
Berlioz: Les nuits d’ été : Frederica von Stade.
Diana Krall: The girl in the other room.

Violin: Very nice tonality. I really like the sound of these.
Music listened to:
Vivaldi: La Stravaganza, played by Rachel Podger.

Guitar: very articulate. Beautiful sound. Very natural.
Very clear tone. I can hear a lot of details. The D2000 is clearer and more neutral. More detail at the cost of musicality (compared to the Kenwood).
Music listened to:
Bach: Andrei Segovia.

Bass: Electric bass sounds absolutely awesome. Marcus Miller gives the best performance I ever heard on these phones.
Accoustic bass in a jazz trio or quartet: drums, bass, piano and saxophone or trumpet the other instruments have more than enough impact to survive the bass. The result is absolutely great: warm, intimate and compelling. The music grabs you.
Music listened to:
Marcus Miller
Charles Mingus: Ah Um, Lots more.

Organ: Very impressive. The bass really comes to life here.
Music listened to:
Bach: Orgelwerke played by Ton Koopman.
Jimmy Smith: Back at the Chicken Shack.

Rock: Just great as far as I’m concerned. I couldn’t really ask for more. They just rock.
Music listened to:
Allman Brothers: Shades of two worlds.
The Band: The last Waltz.
David Bowie: Diamond Dogs, Heroes ….
The Who, Pink Floyd DOTM, Lots more.

Jazz: Kind of Blue is a well known reference to a lot of people.
The sound is warm and intimate.
The intro bass on “So What” is a bit hollow, but very impressive none the less.
Trumpet is brilliant, perfect tone and very articulate.
PRAT: perfect.
Compared to the D2000: the D2000 are sounding thin and flat in comparison. Rather lifeless. Trumpet I find strident and the whole sound signature a bit fatiguing.
Music listened to:
Miles Davis: Kind of Blue

Fusion / Jazz Rock: Amazingly good. These phones are excellent for this kind of music.
PRAT is perfect. All sound effects are there and all registers from the highest highs to subterranean lows have presence.
D2000: They do really good too in this genre. A bit more analytical, and far less weight, but that is the main difference.
Music listened to:
Michael Brecker, Brian Bromberg, Bill Frisell, Pat Metheny,
Lots more

Overall difference between the KH-K1000 and the D2000:
KH-K1000 are much warmer, have MUCH more bass, have better PRAT and a more natural presentation. Very engaging.
Less detailed and a bit hollow sometimes.
D2000 are more detailed, more refined, but also less engaging. Strident, almost sibilant highs sometimes. Much lighter in overall presentation.

I like the Kenwood a lot more.
But that's just me.

I also promised to compare the Kenwood to the JVC DX1000.
I basically used the same music as I did in the D2000 comparison.
My conclusions are simple:
Bass is equally strong and good on both phones.
The Kenwood soundsignature is much warmer overall.
Soundstage in the DX1000 is larger.
Imaging and separation of the DX1000 is better.
The DX1000 walk all over the Kenwood in regard to refinement and detail.



I still like the Kenwood a lot.

The more I read, the more I'd like to try these. Thanks for the comments, Kees.

..........

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Hey I agree with you on pretty much everything you said. But I do think that the Kenwoods are "faster" sounding.

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x2 here.