[DRCope]

Haven't been around for a while, but Shivohum sent me an email which got me to look in, and having done so, it's hard to resist jumping in again. . .

Audio Note/ AKG system

Just a couple thoughts on using the K-1000's to start.

I see much discussion on what cables and amps to use with them. When I first got them, I looked at the mile of crappy stock cable and thought, "You've gotta be kidding!". Chucked the extension and cut off the XLR connector. Draconian, I know, but extra connectors and long poor quality wire is NOT what I want shepherding the music to transducers sitting just off my ears!

Reading posts on alternatives, I'm going to either trim the remaining cable close to the phones, or take a peek at getting right into the phones and adding Audio Note silver litz speaker cable instead. This should make for an interesting comparo.

On the source and amp side, once the dreadful wire is gone, I suspect a lot of the remaining criticism about bright balance, less than stellar bass, etc. is probably more traceable to accompanying gear than the phones themselves.

I don't imagine or claim they're perfect, but I've covered a wild range of gear at this point, and the phones keep moving upward in sound quality, shedding problems as the gear improves, so . . .

As always, YMMV.

 

[lan]

Hey do you still have the extension cable and XLR? If so, I'd like to get them from you if you really dispise them.

Lan

 

[DRCope]

Hmmm . . . no idea. I'll look around.

I don't despise them now that they don't get in the way of my ears, but I won't be using them, either!

 

[Don Quichotte]

DRCope, have you tried the K1000 (with shortened cable) with solid state amplifiers too? If you did, what have you used and how did it sound to you? I'd be curious to know if shortening the cable makes them tonally compatible with solid states. Anyway, please post your experience with replacing the cable, I'm interested.
By the way, are you using them with a sub?
Thanks!

 

[DRCope]

Don,

Nope. I haven't subjected my ears to sand amps in a few years now.

Ummm . . . you're kidding about the sub, right?

 

[gloco]

Quote:

Originally posted by DRCope Ummm . . . you're kidding about the sub, right?

LOL, no he's not. Some K1000 owners use a sub...

 

[PinkFloyd]

Remember to store the K1000's in a different position every time you take them off your head to ensure the voice coil doesn't go out of position. The weight of the diaphragms can cause off centering.

Pinkie

 

[lan]

Quote:

Originally posted by DRCope Hmmm . . . no idea. I'll look around. I don't despise them now that they don't get in the way of my ears, but I won't be using them, either!

Thanks. I want to maybe mod them or something but um not many people would give theirs up. Only the extreme like you

Quote:

Originally posted by PinkFloyd Remember to store the K1000's in a different position every time you take them off your head to ensure the voice coil doesn't go out of position. The weight of the diaphragms can cause off centering. Pinkie

Would upside down be best?

 

[elrod-tom]

Quote:

Originally posted by DRCope I haven't subjected my ears to sand amps in a few years now.

I'm confused...I would have thought sand amps would refer to GLASS (i.e. tubes) amps?

 

[DRCope]

Hunh! Good point. Conventional usage seems to favor using the term for the semi-conductor side of the aisle. Who knows why?

On the turning the drivers thing: Yikes! I've only ever heard that advice on Lowther drivers where owners are advised to rotate them periodically. Weird, but easy to do with 'phones, I suppose.

 

[wallijonn]

DRCope,

there are quite a few good solid state amps out there, just as there are many good valve amps out there. some people prefer a sold state pre-amp with a tube amp, others are into hybrids.

have you seen these, yet?: http://www.divertech.com/aslwaveav8h.htm
http://www.divertech.com/aslwaveav8.htm
http://www.divertech.com/aslwaveav20dt.htm

 

[Don Quichotte]

"Remember to store the K1000's in a different position every time you take them off your head to ensure the voice coil doesn't go out of position. The weight of the diaphragms can cause off centering."
Really, Pinkie?!? Where did you get this piece of information form? Sounds really strange! And what happens when the phones are stored for prolonged periods of time, for example by dealers? I doubt they go to the boxes from time to time and put them upside down just to make sure the phones will be alright.
Oh yes, I got it! The phones are that good they are being sold immediately, still warm from the factory!
I'm not ironic, and I'm not saying I don't belive you, rather the contrary. I'm just very surprised, and I would be happy to know more about this phenomenon. This could prove to be very valuable information indeed!
How long do you think it would be safe to let the phones in the same position (in case you have any idea)?

 

[Don Quichotte]

...And, I forgot to ask...
DRCope, aren't the K1000 missing the bottom octave? I can understand that quality tubed gear make them sound balanced, maybe even with a strong, impactful bass, but don't you miss the really low bass?
Or maybe you simply treat them like a pair of small monitors and see the lack of deep bass as a trade for other qualities, skipping the sub because it would be difficult to integrate (phase problems, crossover, etc.)?!?

 

[Hirsch]

The reported lack of bass in the K-1000 is a ..err...base canard. The K-1000 can go seriously low with good amplification, tube or solid state. If you're not hearing deep bass with K-1000, it can be fixed upstream.

I have tried a subwoofer, just to see what would happen, but it really didn't add anything useful, and having that bass out of time alignment with the bass in the headphone actually made the sound worse.

 

[wallijonn]

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshow...number=299-027 ?