Don't be afraid to try some integrated amps, especially used ones in thrift stores and pawn shops. Most of the high end brands like NAD, Creek, amongst tons of others have pretty damn good headphone outs that will have enough power to drive K701s to a decently high percentage of their possible SQ.

What kbps files are you listening to? What headphones do you use?

Quote: Originally Posted by Zorander Fresh pads will actually boost the mid-bass even more. Agreed. I taped up the outside and it seems like the bass is more solid.

Last night, I settled in my chair and donned my taped up (painter's tape around the very outer cup) and de-grilled AKG K240 Sextetts, whose pads are about shot. I fired up the Creek 6060 integrated amp to get that warming up, and washed my copy of the Maxell Jazz Sampler. Dropping the needle...

I took my iPod with me from San Diego to Santa Barbara and bought an FM transmitter the day I left for the trip because I had no thread like this one to tell me to get a cassette adaptor. I spent so much time dicking around with changing FM channels by the time I got to SB, I just listened to...

If I'm listening from my computer or iPod, 192 is good enough but not 100%. Once I use something better home based, it is clear difference between 192 and 320, and then another clear jump to lossless. I have hard to drive phones, which doesn't help 192's case.

Debussy - Images, Cleveland Orchestra with Pierre Boulez.

Have you tried Stax?

Check out Nickel Creek for alt/acoustic. For full modern acoustic, get some Jason Mraz, preferably live. Great imaging , very good male voice and acoustic guitar sounds. For classical, most Deutsche Gramaphones' works are well recorded. I have "The Planets" on heavy rotation, which I like...

I also have some (3X pairs) interconnects, the best being some silver Tara Labs. I have a Cardas phono on the Elite Rock, and a Grado cart.

I had a set of Sextetts to grow up with. They were always there for me, until I went astray and bought a cheap walkman. I got the one without auto reverse, and my sister got the next one up. Discovered later that mine sounded better. Anyway, my "wow" moment was going from listening to...

I can't make the 26th for a wedding in the MidWest. I can't do the weekend of 4/5/6th either, trackday on motorcycle. I want to try out other stuff though, would like to get out to this meet. I can bring a slightly modded Creek 6060 integrated, Magnavox CDB610, Townshend Elite Rock table...

If you want to model it with some AKGs from '75 or 76, definitely period appropriate, just holler. I need to find one similar for my phones, too easy to have somebody sit on them, or get left in direct sunlight or something. Thanks for the picts and inspiration!

Find a schematic for a Marshall Studio 15. One of the only full tube amps that had a real headphone out. Copy the section from where they cut signal from the speaker out all the way to the HP out, get it the right power and build it in an external box and you'll have what you need.

Ever heard an AKG? Try to find a meet that has a Sextett present, and you might really dig those. AKG K240 Sextett.