Alwayswantmore
1000+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2005
- Posts
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- 13
OK, so you love listening to your K1000s. But do still find yourself wondering: “Am I really using the right amp to drive these crazy Austrian ear-speakers?” If yes, this thread is for you...
Introduction
For the past three months I’ve gone through an amazing journey discovering what K1000s have to offer. My experience -- documented in this thread -- begins with an admittedly overkill 2ch system, inclusive of Vandersteen subwoofer and a pricy balanced crossover. In fact, retail for my amp/xover/cable/woofer topped the $6,000 mark when new. But even with all this (IMO) expensive gear, I'm still not satisfied that I'm getting the most K1000s have to offer. So that is why I now undertake this quest to find a "K1000-appropriate" amp...
F1 and Sig 30 in the house!
For the past several days I’ve been going through an orientation process with two interesting contenders: First Watt’s F1 and Red Wine Audio’s Signature 30. Both amps are built by (very) small companies, dedicated to achieving great sound quality. Both are 'affordable' when measured in K1000-dollars. Both have received top accolades from Srajan Ebaen, 6moons’ founder and self-admitted K1000 fan. But the similarities end here. The design principles behind these amps are dramatically different from each other -- and likely from most if not all amps you currently know.
Here's the deal...
I’ll leave the details for amp design (along with in-depth reviews) to others more suited to the task. I do, however, have a big decision to make: “Can either of these amps beat my current setup for delivering a more pleasurable listening experience (for my ears / taste)?” So in this mini-blog I'll share my thoughts, impressions and discoveries in my quest to pick a long-term mate for my K1000s.
Introduction
For the past three months I’ve gone through an amazing journey discovering what K1000s have to offer. My experience -- documented in this thread -- begins with an admittedly overkill 2ch system, inclusive of Vandersteen subwoofer and a pricy balanced crossover. In fact, retail for my amp/xover/cable/woofer topped the $6,000 mark when new. But even with all this (IMO) expensive gear, I'm still not satisfied that I'm getting the most K1000s have to offer. So that is why I now undertake this quest to find a "K1000-appropriate" amp...
F1 and Sig 30 in the house!
For the past several days I’ve been going through an orientation process with two interesting contenders: First Watt’s F1 and Red Wine Audio’s Signature 30. Both amps are built by (very) small companies, dedicated to achieving great sound quality. Both are 'affordable' when measured in K1000-dollars. Both have received top accolades from Srajan Ebaen, 6moons’ founder and self-admitted K1000 fan. But the similarities end here. The design principles behind these amps are dramatically different from each other -- and likely from most if not all amps you currently know.
Here's the deal...
I’ll leave the details for amp design (along with in-depth reviews) to others more suited to the task. I do, however, have a big decision to make: “Can either of these amps beat my current setup for delivering a more pleasurable listening experience (for my ears / taste)?” So in this mini-blog I'll share my thoughts, impressions and discoveries in my quest to pick a long-term mate for my K1000s.