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Does AKG K271 MKII raelly need an amp? And other alternatives...

post #1 of 7
9/2/11 at 9:04am
Thread Starter 

I have never owned expensive headphones, the highest I've gone till date is around $40 I spent on Klipsch Image S2 (great purchase!) and the last headphones I was using were Senn HD202, which gave up recently after serving me for around 3-4years.

 

HD202 sounded good but I am looking for a bump in audio quality, with my budget around $100-150. Looking for closed back, preferably around-the-ear headphones.

I have zeroed in on the following:

Bose AE2

AIAIAI TMA1

Marshall Majors

AKG K271 MKII

 

Now, I am really in love with the design aesthetics of the MKII, and wanted to know if I will have to invest in an amp to listen to them. I  know that an amp will produce a lift in quality, but will these phones be unlistenable without them? I will be using them only for my PC and laptop, so I guess impedance should not be an issue. I might be buying up an amp later but I do not have the budget for it right now. I do not want to lose on a great pair of headphones, but if they'll be unusable till I get an amp I'll have to rethink. If they at least sound marginally better than Senn HD202 without an amp I'll get them no questions asked!

 

Also, please suggest some other alternatives in the given price range. I am not looking for a bass-boomer but something with which I can listen to Coldplay and Taylor Swift with similar enjoyment.

 

Please help.

 

Thanks.

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post #2 of 7
11/21/11 at 10:59am

Hey I'm in the same boat as you when it comes to those AKG's. I am very close to buying them I just need to know if it is worth ordering a little portable amp to go with it. Any help would be appreciated!

 

Thanks

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post #3 of 7
11/21/11 at 11:01am

They tend to be a little cold and laid back without an amp. Not bad, just not terribly well textured. It doesn't take much to wake them up a little bit; the K271 is way easier to drive than most AKGs.

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post #4 of 7
11/21/11 at 11:03am

I did feel that they were way too clinical and cold without amping. But even a uDAC made them sound quite good for me when I had them.

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post #5 of 7
11/21/11 at 11:05am

Yeah, the uDAC works pretty well with them. It doesn't take much to get them to sing... great headphones.
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by K_19 View Post

I did feel that they were way too clinical and cold without amping. But even a uDAC made them sound quite good for me when I had them.



 

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post #6 of 7
11/21/11 at 11:05am

Heya,

 

They're borderline in my book, between not needing an amp, and benefiting from an amp; largely due to their sensitivity (as they are not very efficient). If it's not a lot of trouble, get yourself a little amplifier. Nothing big and expensive is needed, but a little something like maybe a Fiio E11, PA2V2, iBasso ZERO, or even just a Fiio E9 (it's way more powerful than you need, but at it's price, might as well get a lot of power for your dollar in case you get harder to drive headphones in the future, right?).

 

A note about the AKG's, they're not boomy or bassy at all, they're pretty thin sounding (which some prefer, especially if you're into mixing and monitoring). For playing music like Cold Play, well, if your preference lines up with it, great, otherwise, I'm afraid you might find it sounding sort of hallow and like something is missing. I'd put you more on something like the AudioTechnica A900 (closed) or AD900 (open), Sennheiser HD598 (open), Beyer DT880 (semi-open), Fischer Audio FA-011 (open) or FA-003 (closed) or FA-002W (semi-open/closed woodback version of 002 which is open).

 

Very best,


Edited by MalVeauX - 11/21/11 at 11:09am
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post #7 of 7
11/21/11 at 11:07am

It depends on your definition of "need." It'll play music without an amp, but it'll be definitely limited. The AKG 271 MKii has a sensitivity of 91 db/mW and 55 ohm resistance. Running the numbers, that comes out to about 2v of power needed to run it at 110 db peak SPL. The average mp3 player will probably give you 0.5-0.6 volts and a computer jack will probably get you 1 volt. Something like the Fiio E11 would be sufficient. 

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