I don't want to retrace old discussions, but I have only heard one headphone that betters some of the best high end systems as far as balance, soundstage and imaging -- the AKG K-1000. There are some very specific technical and design reasons why these headphones are so amazing, and there is an...

In a word -- no. The K-1000 is radically different from any other headphone, and it was conceived as an assault on the state of the art. Overall it is a success, although unfortunately it took the high end audio world about ten years to catch up with it. It is not as difficult to drive as...

K-1000

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The eh-350 is a really good headphone for the money. Very well balanced with the big, impactful Sennheiser bottom end. Also like many Sennheisers, imaging is a bit constrained and in the head. The midrange is good. This headphone is a refinement of the original Sennheiser 497. The eh-350 is...

I am a little surprised at this thread. I've been around high end audio for a long time and I've never heard any other transducer that does musically what a pair Akg K1000s do. I usually find Robm's opinions here reasonable and illuminating, but anybody that tells you that a pair of K1000s isn't...

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Consider selling your spouse or children to save up just a little more , and you might be able to locate and afford a used pair of AKG-K1000. I will get flamed by those that haven't heard them, and I will get flamed by those who will tell you the K-1000 needs to have the "just so" $2000...

Quote: Originally Posted by Elephas I'm not comparing the O2 with the K1000, at least not until I have a suitable power amp. I don't consider myself knowledgeable about the K1000 and actually don't post much about it. I don't even use it much, it stays in its case for months at a time...

Also, I don't comment much on the K1000 because I don't have a suitable amp for it. The K1000+good amp might also be able to fight the O2. Oooops. In my opinion not having the K1000s up to speed in the competition is a major credibility buster.

My ears tell me that a used pair of AKG k-1000s through the right amp and source sound closer to live music than any other transducer I've heard PERIOD . Disclosure, I'm 53 years old, an amateur musician, and I have been around the audio track. Your mileage may differ.

I owned a pair of too-dark-and-constricted-for-me Sennheiser HD-600s for a couple of years and then replaced them with AKG 501s. I can't offer anything on the the AKG 601s because I haven't heard them. The 501s have been a terrific pair of headphones with a much different, more midrange...

The best starting place to educate yourself on the AKG K1000 is here http://homepage.mac.com/henrietta2/FileSharing11.html, where you can read the "white paper" that was put out by AKG about the K1000. You'll see a freqeuncy response graphic if you go through the PDF document. It shows the...

Three things. 1. It is weird for me to think about the Akg K-1000 as a kind of in family "upgrade" to the K-501. I've owned both for years, and I use them all the time. The k-501 is for the quick grab when I need conventional phones. The K-1000 is for doing heavy duty listening sessions. The...

"Yes, thats why I didnt even bother posting. And yes I agree, soundstage is 90% to do with the recording and the mastering." If soundstage is 90% to do with recording and mastering, than recreating the soundstage has 90% to do with the quality of the components there to recover the recording...