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KRK KNS-6400 Review - Impressive $99 Giant Killer - Page 9

post #121 of 224
8/26/11 at 11:18am
Thread Starter 

That's strange. My pair is very, very clear. It even competes well with a lot of my other more expensive headphones in this area. I'm really picky about this too. I've noticed that with my pair it can often make a specific song sound like garbage since it's quite revealing (but not overkill). Today I was listening to a CD I purchased 6 months ago that just came out. I heard it a hundred times by now and for the first time I heard some pops and static like sound in the background of a song. Certainly wasn't my mp3 player! It's amazing that we can still have all that in a CD that was recorded just a few months back. Obviously most people won't hear it.

 

I tried these for Fallout 3 the other day. They sounded considerably less clear than on the K501 and HD-598. What the heck? In the end I just felt that it was because my KRK was just more revealing of how bad and compressed some of the sounds in that game are. Many of my headphones are good at making some bad music sound good or decent! I put on my fully modded HD-668B and it sounded just as bad! The HD-668B is a super clear headphone with a ton of detail when modded. Often the sound clarity of the KRK KNS-6400 varies from song to song, but this is just my case. I clearly remember one day switching from another headphone and then to the KRK and thinking "This isn't so clear!". I just figured that the song in the end just was a lower quality track and the other headphones made it sound quite listenable.

 

It could be you have a goofy pair or it needs more burn-in. My pair didn't need any burn-in in, but my first 8400 did. Maybe you can exchange for another if it doesn't clear up?

 

As for the pads, you just pull them off and then when putting on the new pads you click them in place. There is a bunch of tabs around the pads that you need to click.

 

Here's an old review I did of my comparison of the HD-598, Sextett, 7506, DJ100 and the KNS-8400. Might be interesting for some! The 8400 came out on top when it came to sound clarity, which was even a surprise for me.

 

http://www.head-fi.org/t/540079/five-headphones-compared-kns-8400-dj100-hd-598-sextett-and-mdr-7506

 

The 8400 is slightly more clear sounding than the 6400. We're talking like 2-3% better and ONLY with specific songs. It took me FOREVER to tell the difference. It required a song with just acoustic guitars and a large soundstage in the recording. I think one could only tell the difference if they were comparing them side by side.

 

Another strange thing I realized today is my 6400 straight out of my Ipod Touch needed to be at nearly 90% volume!! Now I don't think it requires an amp, but it's pretty interesting. I wonder how these sound out of my iaudio 7. I'll have to try that!

 

I took the 6400 apart yesterday and KRK looks like they really know their stuff. I was going to take some pictures, but didn't. They actually put dampening material over the back of the driver (looked like super thin felt) and then put some sort of shell over it with a fabric covered hole. Now I just need to figure out why there is 4 vent holes on the left of the headphone and only 5 on the right. There must be a reason for this. Anyone know or have a guess?

 

I think a recable is still possible after all, but I'm not about to try it since it needs a ton of work. I think the KRK cable is probably quite good enough already.


 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Greeni View Post

Thank you Tdockweiler for the detailed review.

 

I am not sure why, but I found that my pair has left much to be desired. The clarity is lacking far behind my Sony MDR7506 with DT250 pad mod, it is like we are talking about different phones. The fact that the two pairs of 8400 of Tdockweiler has a slightly different sound makes me wonder if the QC of KRK is adequate.

 

Hopefully this is a run-in issue which will sort itself out overtime.

 

BTW how do one remove the original pads and replace with the 8400 pads ? The pads with my 6400 seem pretty secured with the phones.



 


Edited by tdockweiler - 8/26/11 at 11:20am
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post #122 of 224
8/30/11 at 12:32am


 

Quote:
Originally Posted by tdockweiler View Post

 

Another strange thing I realized today is my 6400 straight out of my Ipod Touch needed to be at nearly 90% volume!! Now I don't think it requires an amp, but it's pretty interesting. I wonder how these sound out of my iaudio 7. I'll have to try that!

 


 

I found the same thing, the sound seem heavily damped, the volume have to be turned quite some more than I used to before the music come alive. I wonder if that could be intentional design, just wide guess but if it is true that these phones are designed for monitor purpose in professional studio which have high gain output, increased damping could save some hearing loss under certain circumstances.
 
I found it somewhat difficult to describe the situation, it is like small transient signals can pass through, but when the orchestra climaxes the pacing and dynamic contrast was compressed. I mean the phone is seemingly capable to pick up the dynamic swing, but something is preventing it from full expression.
 
The Musical Paradise MP301 mkii is the most powerful headphone amps I have on hand, Skylab also thought this amp has some driving force to spare. Still I feel that this amp do not do justice to the phones. I almost put a band over it "Not for low level listening". It should not behave like this considering the phone has 95 db sensitivity.  I can’t help but think the cable is the bottleneck. 
 
Now within these boundaries and reservations which hopefully will sort themselves out, I found the phones improved after run-in. The sound is highly transparent with good details, what is missing are some tonal colors and instrumental body does not have the dimensions with some better phones, but we are picking bones here.
 
The low end lack some weight and texture, cello is clearly delineated but the reverberations are lessened.  Suffice to say these are not for bass heads, but may well be the more accurate presentation. I thought vocals a touch lackluster and miss a little huskiness I like. Piano are notable with these phones, just that the note is not as deep as some other more expensive phones I heard.
 
As people said the sound is a little forward, but not overly done. I no longer had the Grado RS2i around but from memory the RS2i is more forward of the two, no surprise here considering Grado's house sound. The KRK may approach RS2i’s level of details, still the RS2i get the tone right, the wooden chamber preserve that better.
 
 
  

 


Edited by Greeni - 8/30/11 at 12:46am
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post #123 of 224
9/5/11 at 5:18pm

Kudos to tdockweiler for steering me in this direction.  I picked up the 6400s for $79.99 at Guitar Center today.  I would have never tried these based on pictures alone, because the cups looked really shallow, but thanks to you, I pulled the trigger and they're a lot deeper than expected.  No ear contact = fantastic.  They're quite comfortable as is, but I may look into getting the 8400 pads.  Early, no burn-in impressions:  a closed HD 598 (IIRC) with more aggressive highs.  Good impact, detail, and instrument separation, but like with the 598s, my impression is that they're lacking a bit of richness when compared to the K601s.  They're not the last word in awesome, but I think they will suit me well for my future job.  And I definitely can't complain for $80.  Again, thanks to tdockweiler for the push.

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post #124 of 224
9/5/11 at 6:06pm

Yup, gotta love those 6400s. Just a word of advice, you absolutely *MUST* get the 8400 pads for them. Best upgrade I've ever done to any headphone.

I was worried about the cups being shallow too. But they fit completely around my ear, plus the depth of my ear as well. Most comfortable headphone ever!

They are a bit dry actually. They don't have the richness and depth to them that many other headphones have, but that's what they are supposed to do.

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post #125 of 224
9/5/11 at 10:38pm

I don't have a lot of spare cash right now (the 6400s were pushing it), and they're quite adequate in terms of both sound and comfort right now, so I'm in no rush to get the other pads.  I will definitely keep them in mind for further down the road, though.

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post #126 of 224
9/5/11 at 10:39pm

I'm debating between the 6400's & the T50RP (which will be modded, of course)... hmmm....

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post #127 of 224
9/5/11 at 10:58pm

In my brief listening session with the T50RPs, I found them to be very thick.  I guess that's what a forward midrange is, but I don't really like it. The 6400s are "thinner," but by no means very thin. 

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post #128 of 224
9/5/11 at 11:48pm

Marximus.. what IEM would you say best approximates the texturing (thickness, etc.) & speed of the 6400's mids?  I find myself becoming more and more obsessed with a quality midrange cause that's where so much of the music "lives" and originates.. Being a studio monitor, my hesitation lies in the 6400's midrange being too thin and lacking texture (erring on the side of accuracy vs musicality).

 

I'm not sure what kinds of music you listen to but how well do they handle electronica, electric jazz/funk/fusion?

 

What impressed me as I read about the T50RP was that despite how thick the mids are, they seem to boast incredible detail, clarity, and speed... a rare combination in a phone (full sized, IEM, or otherwise).


Edited by FlySweep - 9/5/11 at 11:57pm
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post #129 of 224
9/6/11 at 6:59am

Musicality, for me, is an extreme form of accuracy. Mmm, mmm, getting mine soon. Payday on 10th :)

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post #130 of 224
9/6/11 at 12:10pm

IEM?  I'm not sure.  I don't really use IEMs.  I actually returned the 6400s.  Comfort and sound quality weren't doing it for me; both were fatiguing.  I exchanged them for the 8400s and out of the box, I'm far more pleased with these.  More pleasant, well-rounded sound.  Warmer, but still quite clear, and not harsh in the upper registers.  Mids more in line with the rest of the spectrum.  But anyway, I would say the mids on the 6400s are FAR from thin.  Plenty of thick texture.

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post #131 of 224
9/6/11 at 12:38pm

Were you using the stock pads on the 6400?  A few people have said getting the 8400 pads on the 6400 make a huge difference in sound quality.. 

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post #132 of 224
9/6/11 at 1:16pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Marximus View Post

IEM?  I'm not sure.  I don't really use IEMs.  I actually returned the 6400s.  Comfort and sound quality weren't doing it for me; both were fatiguing.  I exchanged them for the 8400s and out of the box, I'm far more pleased with these.  More pleasant, well-rounded sound.  Warmer, but still quite clear, and not harsh in the upper registers.  Mids more in line with the rest of the spectrum.  But anyway, I would say the mids on the 6400s are FAR from thin.  Plenty of thick texture.


Yeah with both of these headphones it all comes down to preferences. For me I'm not even remotely fatigued at all by the mids on the 6400 or by it's treble. Strangely enough the treble is a bit bothersome on the 8400 for me, but nothing too bad. Maybe there's a specific frequency that I'm really sensitive to. Of course it's nothing like a K702 when it comes to it's treble. For my music I prefer the slightly more forward mids on the 6400. Between the 6400 and 8400, the 8400 might be better on the ears for listening 8+ hours. This is due to the pads and how the mids are a little less forward. Honestly I can't imagine the mids on the 6400 bothering too many people. Maybe some people are more sensitive to forward mids than treble.

 

The 8400 pads on the 6400 do help, but I honestly can't say it's a huge difference. It does improve the bass slightly I think. I would only suggest them for extra comfort. I only did one quick side by side comparison though. It's actually a bit tricky to get the 8400 pads on.

 

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post #133 of 224
9/6/11 at 1:27pm

FlySweep, I didn't try the 8400 pads on the 6400s.  I only had the 6400s for several hours:P.  I think the 8400s are the better choice for me overall, anyway.

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post #134 of 224
9/6/11 at 2:35pm

Marximus... what are you impressions of the bass (quality & quantity) from the 8400?  Obviously not bass canons, but do they have enough impact to keep genres with healthy low-ends engaging and musical?  Would you describe the 8400 as more crisp or smooth in overall sound & tonality?


Edited by FlySweep - 9/6/11 at 4:13pm
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post #135 of 224
9/6/11 at 2:57pm

Definitely improved from the 6400s.  The 6400s reminded me of the bass of my K601s (pre-equalization); that is, it went fairly deep, but there was little impact.  The 8400s improve on both aspects.  Excellent impact and depth.  When I hear monitor, I tend to think of headphones being thin or perhaps a bit lifeless.  These are far from it:  very rich and full.  I would say they're excellent for all genres.  I suppose I'd describe them as crisp, but in a very non-fatiguing way.  They're very clean. I will say that they're *very* well extended at both ends, and you won't miss any part of the musical spectrum.  In the approximately 3 hours I've listened to them, I've been *very* impressed with the whole package.  I don't think you can go wrong, especially for $130.


Edited by Marximus - 9/6/11 at 3:09pm
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