Can someone do a Sennheiser HD800 vs AKG K1000 review?

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You have to adjust the angle so that the K1000 superiority is most obvious. Stock HD800 cannot compete with the AKG's IMO.

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That's the difficult part IMO. One might prefer to have a large soundstage and hence angle out the K1000 a lot. In doing so, details, bass, impact, and ambiance are lost. The reviewer might then see the K1000 to have a better soundstage than the HD800 but lag behind in other areas.

No, no no, that all is not truth. Things are more complicated. Maybe at evening or tomorrow I write something.

I don't rate the K1000 high because of soundstage location as I prefer that from the GS1000 but because of overall neutrality and ability of recreating live instruments and voices without any veil.

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What do you mean by soundstage location? What is it that the GS1000 do in terms of soundstage that makes you prefer it? I'm curious.

AKG K1000 vs Sennheiser HD 800


Well, at first the system.

Source: Metronome Technologie T3A/C3A
Headphone amplifier/preamplifier: Antique Sound Lab Twin-Head Mark III, strongly modified, with 45 Emission Labs „mesh”, CCa Simens & Halske or E188CCMullard, 350B Valve Art, GZ-34 Mullard and ECC83 Mullard M8137.
Power amplifier for K1000: Croft Polestar1 with ECC83 Mullard “Long Anode”.
IC: Tara Labs Air1 and XLO Limited.


At second the compositions.

“La campanella” from Busoni “Grand Piano” Nimbus Records
“Gloria all Egitto” from Verdi Choruses – Fim (DECCA), XRCD24
“Song of White” from Vangelis “Antarctica” – Polydor
“Soul of Great” and “De main ganche” from Usher sampler, 24bit super analog
“Amazing Grace” from Stax sampler “The Space Sound”, Dummy head recording
“Time” and “Eclipse” from Pink Floyd “The Dark Side”, Hybrid SACD
“So Far Away” from Dire Straits “Brothers In Arms”, Hybrid SACD
“Apache” from “The Shadows” EMI
And many others.


The main differences are stage, highs and general form of presentation.

K1000 soundstage is more coherent. Not so scattered on sides and with more music in the centre. Also more deep and more natural, what is obvious consequence of its open construction. HD 800 scene is mainly left-right direction built, but also very big, also well ordered and also superbly readable.

Highs are probably the most different. The K1000’s are like Himalayas – extremely high and beautiful. With no one step backward, with full spectrum. This means, you must have some very good source and amplifier. Without this sound is too sharp. In comparison HD 800 highs are more mild and forgiving. Not as sonorous and high-performance, but very nice and prominent.
This difference determine dissimilarity of general presentation. K1000 sound is more crisp, transparent and realistic. But HD 800 has special kind of weapon – this headphones do all very spatial. This is another way to do the sound extremely realistic and I must say, this way is also very impressive. But human voices are slightly recessed (minimally) and general image in spite of this spatiality is more common and not so clean.
K1000 music form is more poetic and beautiful; HD 800 more like write in prose – like report, not poetry. HD 800 is more like bread, K1000 more like champagne.
This is difficult to put it in words; but maybe I say, that K1000 sound is more flexible and more nimble, ergo more beautiful. Is like woman with slimmer waist. But someone could prefer HD 800 spatial way of playing and I can easy understand him.

What else. K1000 are faster and with better dynamic range. Quantum of details is very similar and extremely huge. Background similarly dark, colors similarly deep. Maybe K1000 are slightly more colored.
And on the end the bass. Bass is very important isn’t it?
Both are very resolving and with good punch. Both are three dimensional, what is very important, because real bass is very spatial. (My son has percussion, so I know what I’m talking.)
Summing up, HD 800 sound is more easy to listening and this headphone is easier to drive. K1000 sound is extremely realistic and due to this sometimes fatiguing. Driving this headphone is a real challenge.

Forgive me my English.

Thanks Piotr, great write up.

Thanks Piotr for the tons of useful information!very insightful.
so the bottom line,from what i understand, is the K1000 is better than the HD800.

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I'd wholeheartedly disagree with that. The K1000 does few things "better". I do think it resolves more detail and has a wider soundstage. But I also feel that the HD800 is more natural, coherent and has better bass extension. At the end of the day, the HD800 sounds better to me, as does the HE60.

But really, it is simply preference as both are on just about the same technical playing field. You just need to hear them both. They are too different to rely on opinions for(this holds true for any K1000 comparison imo).

I honestly think that you want to hear that the K1000 is better so that you don't have to be bothered with the HD800. lol

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Both are very impressive. Not so powerful like E9 or PS-1000, but as I wrote, very fast, very resolving and three dimensional. K1000 sound is always more clear, with sharper edges, but it is not simple synonymous - it is better. Just different style. In other words we can say, that HD 800 sound is like slightly dim. But it is mainly consequence of its spatiality form, not of general weakness.
With prominent systems alike K1000 and HD 800 are great. Now, when I have HD 800 on my own, I must say that my criticism towards this headphones was too big. They can deliver everything what audiophile need to be happy, maybe except extreme bass power. But system is very important. Like always…

thanks for the information.
that is not corret that i don't want to have to be bothered with the HD800.
the truth is i had the K1000 and loved them mainly because everything sounded scary real,which i didn't expreince with any other piece of audio,and what could you ask more from a speaker/headphones beside to make music sound real,especialy regarding timber/tone.
and this is the type of sound i'm after-real.
so the thing is,i cannot audition the HD800 ,so i need to be 100% sure they are in the same leauge as the K1000 before i buy them blindly,plus all the contradicting reviews regarding the HD800 worry me,because they are not a Consensus as the K1000.
in fact i'd rather get the HD800 because they look more comfortable plus they have the huge advantage of being in production.
so i really do want to be bothered with the HD800
plus i am such an indecisive person, i'm driving myself crazy with this and as a result i am driving you people crazy as well,sorry

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As for soundstage, airiness, coherence, realness the HD 800 is not in the same (and quite lonesome) league as the K 1000. Though the HD 800 is a great modern headphone (apart from its yesterday's impedance characteristics), it is bog-standard in these areas. IMHO.

Thanks Piotr! many of your views coincided with mine, reason why I sold the hd800's. This part was my favorite :

"K1000 music form is more poetic and beautiful; HD 800 more like write in prose – like report, not poetry. HD 800 is more like bread, K1000 more like champagne."

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I see. If you grab the HD800, you can sell them if you don't like them knowing that you do like the K1000. Also, I wouldn't worry about the K1000 being out of production. Out of all of the out of production cans, I'd feel the safest having it. It is a very durable can, and AKG has spare parts left.

I was just pointing out that you are going to hear nothing but conflicting views on this matter because they are so different. This thread is proof of that. lol There are so many post for either the K1000 and the HD800, but no real concrete, in-depth comparison of the two. Basically, you have people who either love the K1000 or the HD800 saying that each is better.

Good Luck in your search!

Thank you very much for the kind words
it feels a little like sophies choice right now hehe.
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