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What's the deal with AKG? And the people who love their style? - Page 2

post #16 of 25
11/13/11 at 12:15am
OK, I haven't heard a Q701, so I'll reserve judgment. Still, the fluorescent green is ridiculous.

As for the K-501, it has some of the finest mids and soundstage you'll find anywhere. There's a reason they increased in price - you can't get that inexpensively anywhere else. It isn't because they're discontinued. The excellent HD-580 hasn't been appreciating. Though the HD-600 keeps a lid on tha to an extent.

The K-240DF and K-340 are also excellent and worth seeking out.

And yes, the K-1000 deserves its reputation. They're special. Give one a listen some time. It's like having an excellent speaker in an excellent room.

The R10 deserves its reputation, too. Shame they're so expensive.

My beef with AKG is that they killed off several excellent headphones and didn't replace them with anything as good. As far as I can tell, AKG abandoned the high-end headphone market. Every major manufacturer has stepped up to the plate with top-end models over the past two years. AKG hasn't put out anything new. Or even matched what they used to produce. That's the frustrating part.

AKG used to be innovative and would introduce unconventional headphones. But now they're dormant. Nothing innovative has come out since Harman bought them out. And that was a long time ago.
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post #17 of 25
11/13/11 at 7:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by tdockweiler View Post


K601 was my upgrade from the HD-600. No, I'm not kidding normal_smile%20.gif What's funny is that I originally owned a VERY early K601 with the Asgard and it sound very, very bad. Very harsh and fatiguing. It was easy to blame the amp, but that wasn't it.

 

I gave them another chance later when I got a better amp and this pair was a much higher numbered pair. This one is very very balanced sounding. It is a lot warmer sounding than the K702 and much more natural.

 

Maybe variations between pairs just like the K501? It's possible! I could listen to my K601 for hours without fatigue. I never thought I'd say it though, but this new Q701 sounds even more closer to neutral. I know most people who hate the K702 will be confused by that.

 

I will say though that if the K601 is natural sounding..the K501 is even more so.

 

I was trying to get rid of my K601 a few weeks ago due to it getting no use, but I just couldn't do it. It's still so good for gaming. One of my favorites for gaming.

 

You could try to sell a K601 for $120 and it'd take weeks to sell. Kind of sad really!

 


I sold mine for about ~140 IIRC because they didn't compare to the HD 650's. A few months later I bought a pair of HD 580's which to me sound much closer to the level of the HD 650's. . . They're also about 10X more fun than the K 601's. :P The only downside is the sound stage but I can live with that. 

 

Anyway, I may already have mentioned this but the K 601's sounded terrible on my hybrid amp but very good out of the M-Stage, and never fatiguing. Just not as good as Sennheisers. I don't really believe an amp can make one headphone sound better than another superior headphone. . . 

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post #18 of 25
11/13/11 at 8:26am

I love my K702, but would definately be curious in hearing a K1000.  I don't see them around much at all on the FS forum at all..They are wacky looking, I feel a little odd wearing a Grado or my K702 out I can imagine a K1000.  For the price however it seems like you could get an LCD-2 or something in that territory


Edited by KimChee - 11/13/11 at 8:29am
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post #19 of 25
11/13/11 at 9:12am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Uncle Erik View Post

And yes, the K-1000 deserves its reputation. They're special. Give one a listen some time. It's like having an excellent speaker in an excellent room.

Is there any particular sound characteristic that make them stand out other than the fact that they can replicate speakers? Because I already have speakers in a good set up if that's all they bring to the table, it might just kill my K1000 curiosity once and for all (good for my wallet). I'd still be curious about the K501/K601s though...
 

 

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post #20 of 25
11/13/11 at 1:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Satellite_6 View Post


I sold mine for about ~140 IIRC because they didn't compare to the HD 650's. A few months later I bought a pair of HD 580's which to me sound much closer to the level of the HD 650's. . . They're also about 10X more fun than the K 601's. :P The only downside is the sound stage but I can live with that. 

 

Anyway, I may already have mentioned this but the K 601's sounded terrible on my hybrid amp but very good out of the M-Stage, and never fatiguing. Just not as good as Sennheisers. I don't really believe an amp can make one headphone sound better than another superior headphone. . . 


This is interesting because this very issue came up at the shop the other day, the following 'desert island' situation

was posed.

 

1) Take the K601 and any source you want in the shop and choose between a Violectric V200, Burson 160 or Sugden

     Masterclass HA-4.

 

or

 

2) LCD-2 rev2 with a Nuforce Icon HD

 

Given those strict rules of choice, I cannot see how you could choose option #2, it sounds like 'Larry the muted toothless tiger' biggrin.gif

 

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post #21 of 25
11/13/11 at 2:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gwarmi View Post


This is interesting because this very issue came up at the shop the other day, the following 'desert island' situation

was posed.

 

1) Take the K601 and any source you want in the shop and choose between a Violectric V200, Burson 160 or Sugden

     Masterclass HA-4.

 

or

 

2) LCD-2 rev2 with a Nuforce Icon HD

 

Given those strict rules of choice, I cannot see how you could choose option #2, it sounds like 'Larry the muted toothless tiger' biggrin.gif

 

Yes, well all you have to do is avoid NuForce. . . 
 

 

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post #22 of 25
11/13/11 at 3:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Satellite_6 View Post

Yes, well all you have to do is avoid NuForce. . . 
 

 



Seriously - just get an m-stage... still maybe not enough for the lcd2, but a hell-of-a-lot better. 

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post #23 of 25
11/13/11 at 3:13pm

speaking of AKG conversation pieces, let's not forget the AKG K340, the most romantic headphone out there: weird technology, abundant head-fi lore, the hobbiyst aura of finding an old phone on ebay and modding the bejeeves out of it (I must have spent 50+ hours on mine, and quite a bit of spare change...). And then of course there is that sound... technically there is nothing to brag about, but no modern phone I know brings out the emotion in  Billie Holiday, or Maria Callas voice the way the K340 does (the HE-500 comes close though, and it is a much better all rounder, as it should be for its price!)

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post #24 of 25
11/13/11 at 4:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by NinjaSquirt View Post



Is there any particular sound characteristic that make them stand out other than the fact that they can replicate speakers? Because I already have speakers in a good set up if that's all they bring to the table, it might just kill my K1000 curiosity once and for all (good for my wallet). I'd still be curious about the K501/K601s though...
 

 


Yes. First, the K-1000 was engineered to be a studio headphone, so it's pretty neutral and accurate. I love that - most gear is tuned for the consumer market. Most of my favorite gear has studio/audiophile overlap, like the K-1000, HD-600, MDR-7509HD, DT48, ESL63, K-240DF, and I'm sure I've forgotten a few. The HD-800 is tuned nicely, too, though it is a consumer product. Anyhow, I love the sound of the K-1000. AKG did a great job with it.

Second, speakers are coupled to the room, its walls, floor and ceiling, and furnishings. Relocating the sofa will make speakers sound different, as does having hardwood or carpet. Change the dimensions of the room and speakers sound different. Speaker placement is huge, too.

The wonderful thing about the K-1000 is that they're like speakers without the room interactions. That is special. Normal headphones can't do that and speakers only will when you get the room really right.

The only thing similar is setting up near-field monitor speakers that have minimal room interaction. They'll probably have better bass extension from actual woofers, too. Though even with those, you'll probably spend more on the monitors than a K-1000 costs. Also, the K-1000 is full-range and has no crossover. Crossovers are tricky and lead to a number of problems.

So, it is a very good speaker in an ideal room with no crossover. There's nothing else like it.

And AKG's management is out to lunch. The K-1000 was introduced about 20 years ago. Computer modelling gives us much improved drivers today and magnets are better, so it is possible to give the K-1000 a significant upgrade. AKG could come out swinging at Sennheiser, Stax, Beyerdynamic, and the rest with something that could be the best on the market. Instead, we get a celebrity endorsement and day-glo green.

But it is still a great concept. If someone could find a great driver and built a nice headset to hold them, another Audez'e-like company might challenge the big players.
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post #25 of 25
11/13/11 at 4:28pm

If you find a K400 and you have a powerful amplifier with a refined headphone out, prepare for a delicate yet musical presentation of your music. It is not perfect, but it can surprise you pleasantly...

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