[conquerator2]

Furthering last post concerning replacing the E11, I know I want to keep an internal DAC if possible and couple it with the desktop amplifier.
Though I couldn't find any feedback on hybrid tubes like the Schiit Vali versus for example a JDS O2. I mention tubes because of the great relationship between them and AKG K headphones.


Is the Vali a fair place to start, or not strong enough from the tube side of things? I know K612s are hard to drive but...Vali seems capable.

Vali should be good.

 

[motorwayne]

  Furthering last post concerning replacing the E11, I know I want to keep an internal DAC if possible and couple it with the desktop amplifier.
Though I couldn't find any feedback on hybrid tubes like the Schiit Vali versus for example a JDS O2. I mention tubes because of the great relationship between them and AKG K headphones.
 
 
Is the Vali a fair place to start, or not strong enough from the tube side of things? I know K612s are hard to drive but...Vali seems capable.

I have a JDS Labs O2 and this drives the K612's easy enough.

 

[Saraya]

  Guys I gave up, I returned the K612 Pro!
 
Although I was enjoying the clean and precise sound, I was fed up of trying to understand if they were faulty or was my amp not working.
 
I bought them for the low price and the relatively low impedance, which made me think that I had no problem to drive them.
If I have to buy a headphone amp, then I will chose exactly the headphones I like.
More specifically I had the impression that for my personal tastes the K612 where too "cold", somehow lacking impact especially on the bass.
 
I want to try something warmer, more involving and as I was still on time to return them, I did!
 
I hope I will not regret the decision...

 
I find the K612 to be a bit heavy on the mids, certainly more warm than cold. It's only with some EQ do they even out. Though you have to consider your source material. If you're blasting the hell out of Stone Temple Pilots, you can't not hear the mids, that's just the style. 
 
One concern I had was that even with some simple EQ, I couldn't turn them all the way up on an E11 without getting distortion - and it wasn't even hurting my ears yet!
 
And this of course made me worried they were faulty.
 
 
 
 
 
On the plus side, Kman has the same sound card as myself, and I'll be getting a better more suitable amp. I suspect that may be the missing link.

 

[conquerator2]

   
I find the K612 to be a bit heavy on the mids, certainly more warm than cold. It's only with some EQ do they even out. Though you have to consider your source material. If you're blasting the hell out of Stone Temple Pilots, you can't not hear the mids, that's just the style. 
 
One concern I had was that even with some simple EQ, I couldn't turn them all the way up on an E11 without getting distortion - and it wasn't even hurting my ears yet!
 
And this of course made me worried they were faulty.
 
 
 
 
 
On the plus side, Kman has the same sound card as myself, and I'll be getting a better more suitable amp. I suspect that may be the missing link.

If you find the K612 mids heavy [I find them just enough], you'd certainly not like the MA900, which is a lot more forward there.
I guess it's just me... I like forward mids.
For me in terms of preference it is - midrange/bass/treble>air/imaging/instrument separation>soundstage width/depth.
All very important things, I like headphones that are musical yet neutral, with forward mids and I don't fancy analytic headphones which lack euphony.... The HE-6 is a prime example of my reference headphone, if it was lighter and had a bit more oomph in the bass, it'd be my perfect match.
 
Now I am anticipating the 400i/560 :]
 
Saying that, the Pro 612 is an amazing headphone - great imaging, soundstage, neutral, good bass.
The issues with it that the treble is a bit sibilant and a bit harsh due to it sometimes and a slight lack of air.
For $200 though... no complaints
I guess orthos just have that effortless sound to it [had only the HE-6] and from what I understand, only second to estats.

 

[elwappo99]

  If you find the K612 mids heavy [I find them just enough], you'd certainly not like the MA900, which is a lot more forward there.
 
 
Saying that, the Pro 612 is an amazing headphone - great imaging, soundstage, neutral, good bass.
The issues with it that the treble is a bit sibilant and a bit harsh due to it sometimes and a slight lack of air.
For $200 though... no complaints
I guess orthos just have that effortless sound to it [had only the HE-6] and from what I understand, only second to estats.

 
The MA900 are definitely a warm warm headphone. I think the K601 was much smoother throughout the midrange though, similar to the Audio-Technica AD2000, while the MA900 had an odd "grainy" sound in the midrange. I heard on the F1 modding the resistors helped that issue.
 
I think the HE-6 really hits a sweet spot between dynamics and stats. There's something odd about the "presence" in stats if that makes sense. There just isn't enough weight to the sound to really feel like you're there. 

 

[conquerator2]

   
The MA900 are definitely a warm warm headphone. I think the K601 was much smoother throughout the midrange though, similar to the Audio-Technica AD2000, while the MA900 had an odd "grainy" sound in the midrange. I heard on the F1 modding the resistors helped that issue.
 
I think the HE-6 really hits a sweet spot between dynamics and stats. There's something odd about the "presence" in stats if that makes sense. There just isn't enough weight to the sound to really feel like you're there. 

Hmm, I remember wishing for more weight in the HE-6 sound too :/
Now I FEAR Estats might be too soft for me then.
 
If anything, I guess putting faith in the Jade II is the right thing to do
 
Regardless, I am giving the Hmans another shot with the 400i/560s, as less power hungry and more comfy a HE-6
It is after all a very great sounding can, just too power hungry ATM
 
I am hopin' for either the 400i or 560 sounding like a refined K612 pro... Less sibilance, same weight and presence, even better soundstage [imaging is amazing though] and perhaps most importantly, more air too :]
 
Hoping for a wish granted in March/April with those... I mean, I think we deserve it

 

[elwappo99]

   
Hmm, I remember wishing for more weight in the HE-6 sound too :/
Now I FEAR Estats might be too soft for me then.
 
 
I am hopin' for either the 400i or 560 sounding like a refined K612 pro... Less sibilance, same weight and presence, even better soundstage [imaging is amazing though] and perhaps most importantly, more air too :]
 
Hoping for a wish granted in March/April with those... I mean, I think we deserve it

 
I've owned every hifiman planar magnetic at some point and Dr. Fang always improves the SQ with each iteration. I'm also very interested to see what the 560 ends up being. 
 
I'd try to give the stats a listen before buying. They do sound quite amazing, but definitely less weight than a properly driven HE-6. Creates a really euphonic sound with electronic type music.

 

[Saraya]

I've always associated poor speaker and poor sound quality with over bearing mid sounds. I hear it in vehicles, in home theater setups and in headphones. Most cans I've tried without any EQ - at least on a budget or limited amplification - came out sounding flat and mid heavy, with bass being the second strongest aspect and treble the least. So maybe they simply needed a better amp or some EQ.
 
Sometimes I think they are a bit forward due to the strong mids - without EQ that is.

 

[conquerator2]

   
I've owned every hifiman planar magnetic at some point and Dr. Fang always improves the SQ with each iteration. I'm also very interested to see what the 560 ends up being. 
 
I'd try to give the stats a listen before buying. They do sound quite amazing, but definitely less weight than a properly driven HE-6. Creates a really euphonic sound with electronic type music.

I've not found that line myself while owning them :/
Neither the NFB 3.32./mini-X [500 bucks] or the Audio GD C10/Reference One [around 3000 USD I think] brought that weight,
The 3.32/X was a more musical and impactful pairing but sacrificed too much refinement, the One/C10 was a very refined pairing, but felt a bit soft at times :/
 
I guess with certain music/genre the HE-6 was perhaps a wee too soft, or maybe I just had too smooth of a pairing...
 
Regardless, I am definitely getting one of the two new HiFiMEN, just dunno which one yet.
 
I want the one that is more airy but impactful as well... I realize the two don't go along well but... the MA900 is both to me [at least in the lows-mids region].
I have a feeling I just might go for the 560 but I am certainly not discrediting the 400i yet.
 
The first impressions will sway me most likely.
It'd also be cool if HFM posted a FR graph of both :] 

 

[tdockweiler]

So has anyone comparedthe K612 with the Q701? Perhaps with the bass modded Q701?
K601 used to be one of my favorite headphones and I always preferred it to the K701 by far.
Once the Q701 came out I kept the K601 for nearly 2 years but it never got much use. Ended up swapping it for another AKG.
 
Based on memory the K601 was much warmer than the K701 (but NOT the Q701) but had a smaller soundstage, less clear sound and a little less detail.
Overall it was smoother sometimes and definitely seemed like a mix between the K702 and the HD-600.
 
K601 was also the perfect gaming headphone. Imaging was better I think due to the flat pads and slightly less treble.
 
The pads on the K612 look like flat Q701 pads. Believe it or not the pads of the K601 use a softer material than the Q70/K702 and IMO give you less bass due to a poorer seal.
 
Is the K612 warmer and bassier than the Q701? I really doubt it. The K601 wasn't. This doesn't mean much for me, but at the moment I don't want less bass and warmth than what the Q701 has.

 
Most likely the K612 (like the K601) is just a variation of the AKG sound and it all depends on preference.
 
Since I love the Q701 I don't think it's worthwhile to get a K612, but I still might like to have it around for gaming.
 
I have some old K601 pads but they're awful IMO. They really mess with the sound of a headphone. Flat Q701 pads with the SAME material as the Q701 pads would be perfect.
 
Someone who's comfortable with mods should try the K701 mod on the K612.
 
I bet the K612 with K712 pads would be too warm. Perhaps even warmer than the K712.
 
Based on my experience the K601 is one of the hardest headphones i've had to drive and sound good. It was pretty harsh out of some of my amps for whatever reason, but once I got a better one it was fine.
 
My tiny Total Airhead can drive (not my main amp) most anything but the old K601 makes it really sweat. It blinks that over-voltage light so fast if you'd turn it up too loud. Not even the Q701 or HD-650 can make it do this. The only headphone that makes it blink that badly is when I tried a 600OHM DT-880 from it for my own amusement.

 

[kman1211]

  So has anyone comparedthe K612 with the Q701? Perhaps with the bass modded Q701?
K601 used to be one of my favorite headphones and I always preferred it to the K701 by far.
Once the Q701 came out I kept the K601 for nearly 2 years but it never got much use. Ended up swapping it for another AKG.
 
Based on memory the K601 was much warmer than the K701 (but NOT the Q701) but had a smaller soundstage, less clear sound and a little less detail.
Overall it was smoother sometimes and definitely seemed like a mix between the K702 and the HD-600.
 
K601 was also the perfect gaming headphone. Imaging was better I think due to the flat pads and slightly less treble.
 
The pads on the K612 look like flat Q701 pads. Believe it or not the pads of the K601 use a softer material than the Q70/K702 and IMO give you less bass due to a poorer seal.
 
Is the K612 warmer and bassier than the Q701? I really doubt it. The K601 wasn't. This doesn't mean much for me, but at the moment I don't want less bass and warmth than what the Q701 has.
 
 
Most likely the K612 (like the K601) is just a variation of the AKG sound and it all depends on preference.
 
Since I love the Q701 I don't think it's worthwhile to get a K612, but I still might like to have it around for gaming.
 
I have some old K601 pads but they're awful IMO. They really mess with the sound of a headphone. Flat Q701 pads with the SAME material as the Q701 pads would be perfect.
 
Someone who's comfortable with mods should try the K701 mod on the K612.
 
I bet the K612 with K712 pads would be too warm. Perhaps even warmer than the K712.
 
Based on my experience the K601 is one of the hardest headphones i've had to drive and sound good. It was pretty harsh out of some of my amps for whatever reason, but once I got a better one it was fine.
 
My tiny Total Airhead can drive (not my main amp) most anything but the old K601 makes it really sweat. It blinks that over-voltage light so fast if you'd turn it up too loud. Not even the Q701 or HD-650 can make it do this. The only headphone that makes it blink that badly is when I tried a 600OHM DT-880 from it for my own amusement.

I've heard both the K612 and Q701, the K612 was warmer and bassier in my experience, the K612 had noticeably more subbass than the Q701. The Q701 was a bit leaner, colder, and more distant to my ears. The K612 is also a pain to power as well just like the K601. The HD 650 and Q701 are honestly not all that hard to power. The K601 and K612 sounded different at least the pairs I heard, the K612 had more warmth and a more solid bass. I found when I tried the Q701 pads on the K612, it messed with it's sound, especially when it came to imaging.

 

[appsmarsterx]

I'm quite impressed with 612pro after pairing it with one of my friends Essense One. I think my issue earlier was, I m not quite used to the flat frequency response of 612pros. so to my ears I find it kinda unenergetic and not musical comparing with ma900. but k612 pro is more refine in every way. I m amazed with the detail, specially in bass, this does fantastically great in bass heavy genres. (of cause after EQing) . the presentation is completely different comparing with ma900, in ma900 I find vocals are more forward, and some instruments also, makes it very intimate despite lack of little refinement. in other hand I find k612pro is quite neutral and uncolored (may be little warm) in midrange. without EQing I think 612pro could be a one of the best for professional monitoring. may be some find this presentation quite musical, but for me I need little more coloration before using this for my music. specially in vocals. but nonetheless, 612pro is amazing can for the current price tag. thanks again kman, for recommending the 612pro.. I might probably keep this after all.. but I still need to audition DT880pro/K550 too

 

[kman1211]

  I'm quite impressed with 612pro after pairing it with one of my friends Essense One. I think my issue earlier was, I m not quite used to the flat frequency response of 612pros. so to my ears I find it kinda unenergetic and not musical comparing with ma900. but k612 pro is more refine in every way. I m amazed with the detail, specially in bass, this does fantastically great in bass heavy genres. (of cause after EQing) . the presentation is completely different comparing with ma900, in ma900 I find vocals are more forward, and some instruments also, makes it very intimate despite lack of little refinement. in other hand I find k612pro is quite neutral and uncolored (may be little warm) in midrange. without EQing I think 612pro could be a one of the best for professional monitoring. may be some find this presentation quite musical, but for me I need little more coloration before using this for my music. specially in vocals. but nonetheless, 612pro is amazing can for the current price tag. thanks again kman, for recommending the 612pro.. I might probably keep this after all.. but I still need to audition DT880pro/K550 too

The K612 is a truly impressive headphone for it's price. Just wait until you try it with more amps with different sound signatures. They can be very musical on the right amp, moreso than the MA900. The DT 880 Pro is nice on the right system, if not on the right system they can be lacking body and the highs are a little too metallic. The K550 needs to have a good seal to sound it's best.

 

[conquerator2]

  I'm quite impressed with 612pro after pairing it with one of my friends Essense One. I think my issue earlier was, I m not quite used to the flat frequency response of 612pros. so to my ears I find it kinda unenergetic and not musical comparing with ma900. but k612 pro is more refine in every way. I m amazed with the detail, specially in bass, this does fantastically great in bass heavy genres. (of cause after EQing) . the presentation is completely different comparing with ma900, in ma900 I find vocals are more forward, and some instruments also, makes it very intimate despite lack of little refinement. in other hand I find k612pro is quite neutral and uncolored (may be little warm) in midrange. without EQing I think 612pro could be a one of the best for professional monitoring. may be some find this presentation quite musical, but for me I need little more coloration before using this for my music. specially in vocals. but nonetheless, 612pro is amazing can for the current price tag. thanks again kman, for recommending the 612pro.. I might probably keep this after all.. but I still need to audition DT880pro/K550 too

MA900 is definitely more musical than the K612.
Saying that, I find the 612s musical enough:]

 

[kman1211]

  MA900 is definitely more musical than the K612.
Saying that, I find the 612s musical enough:]

You may have a different opinion if you have heard both on my system.