[VR6ofpain]

I have used my K601 out of my girlfriends iPod Nano. It drives them suprisingly well with just as much bass as my Gilmore Lite. Obviously the sound is not nearly as detailed and refined, but it is actually quite smooth sounding (the the iPod gently rolls off the top and maybe a little of the bottom). It more than drove them well with the volume bar at 50%. Given that, obviously they sound better with an amp (sound great with both my Gilmore Lite and portable Rockhopper PIMETA), but you can get away without one if necessary. The only thing that had trouble driving them was an old Sony PCDP I have. Seems you had to have the rolling volume at ~8 (10 is "MAX"), whereas with my K81DJ's or HF-1 I only had it at ~4.

The K601 is much smoother than a Grado. I ended up selling my HF-1 because I came to the conclusion that the K601 was a superior can for both my music preferences and for all music in general. Top that off with the fact that the K601 is extremely comfy and well you got a great can.

Listen to the music and enjoy. The ultimate mod for the K601 is to listen to them in a nearly silent room (late at night, computer off, windows shut, fans off). Dim the lights and close you eyes. You will be blown away at how REAL the music sounds. Oh I forgot to mention the K601's have a huge soundstage. They sound very BIG. You'll love em!

 

[khbaur330162]

Quote:

Originally Posted by theobservatory. if i'm able to find the K701 for something closer to 200 i'd definitely get it. If not AKG K601/501 it is.

Northern Sound & Light:
http://www.northernsound.net/Sales/W...lessframe.html

You'll have to call or email them to get a quote on its price, but when I ordered they were $244.42. Good luck!

 

[theobservatory.]

Woohoo thanks for the link khbaur330162. If they offer me the same price there's no doubt about it I'll jump right on the K701 bandwagon.

I'd still have to wait to get it shipped here to Asia though gosh.

In the meantime, in true head-fi fashion I was thinking of getting a pair of really affordable cans that wouldn't need an amp. Something to tide me over till the AKG arrives. Something I can get at the local store like a KS75 or PX100. I can then use them with my shuffle around the house when I don't want isolation. It'd probably serve as the weapon of choice when i want to introduce someone to head-fi. A cheap pair of cans that'd floor them and leave them wanting more

[I find myself going in circles sometimes

]

I guess the max I'd go for a cheap, super bang for the buck pair of cans is the SR60 at absolute best [the shrill grado highs might be of some concern though]

But i'm thinking a KSC75 would be nice [and I'd love to mod the heck out of it, its fun that way] or possibly the PX100 [I've had it for a while before, but a long time ago before I discovered jazz]. How are these 2 cans for jazz and which would be better and more bang for the buck?

Your advice is much appreciated [sometimes I don't know how I could do without this forum]

 

[ralphp@optonline]

Quote:

Originally Posted by theobservatory. Alternatively would there be a unit that combines both the DAC and headphone amp as one? The reason I'm considering a DAC is because there's no line in available on my iMac, only a line out and an Optical Digital Output (TOSLINK) which also serves as the headphone jack. So if I'm going to run just an amp exclusively, I'll be running it from the headphone out, which I reckon is a little inferior. Not quite sure if this is true though.

There are plenty of DAC/amp combo units available and the best way to get answer to that question is to post that question over in the Amplification section. However, as a brief example check out the various units made by Headroom, such as their Desktop and Home amps, which are available with a built in DAC or there Micro line which has a stand alone DAC unit.

And by the way, was that Chris McGregor (Blue Notes, Brotherhood of Breath) you were referring to in your post about the best IEM's for jazz? And if so, great and if not, then who?

Quote:

What would you guys recommend for Jazz [Miles, Coltrane, Monk, Mingus, Brubeck, Evans, Peterson, Jarrett, McGregor, some Bossa Nova artistes the list goes on]

 

[VR6ofpain]

Quote:

Originally Posted by theobservatory. In the meantime, in true head-fi fashion I was thinking of getting a pair of really affordable cans that wouldn't need an amp. Something to tide me over till the AKG arrives.

Too bad you can't get them a the local store, but the K81DJ is a great compliment to the K601. More fun, more bassy, portable, and great isolation.

 

[blessingx]

theobservatory is your $200 your whole budget or is that just phones?

Jazz is a big genre and difficult to pin down without more references, though you've mentioned Miles. The AKG or Senn routes are good ones to go to, but should be power correctly or you're basically tossing money away. If $200 if your complete budget and you're using onboard sound why not HD595? If $200 is just the phones do you know your budget for the DAC/amp?