EricP
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 29, 2004
- Posts
- 427
- Likes
- 11
I've always read about this headphone consistantly being three things: Underwhelming at meets, requiring some special amp-voodoo, and the pride and joy of anyone who owns them. Items one and three are a bit contradicting, but after my K-1000 have come in, I can understand why.
First things first, the sound. It's tremendous. The best thing that I can say about this headphone is that it has no readily apparent faults, to my ears. This is a first in the world of headphones for me: The HD650 sound a bit jumbled (really underwhelmed with this headphone), the Sony SA5000 can be incoherant and have too much separation through the frequency range (though I still like it immensely and will be keeping it), the RS-1 can be painfully bright with some music as well as being lacking in headstage, the DT880 didn't have enough bass impact, and on down the line. Every headphone I've ever owned had some little imperfection that has driven my continuing binging and purging of cans. I've bought and sold something like 8 pairs of cans in the last year, all because they just didn't quite do it.
The K-1000, however, does it. It manages a very clear separation between frequency ranges, while maintaining good transient coherance. Soundstage is understandably immense. Really, the only kind of music I've thrown at it that didn't sound terrific is something like hardcore or speed-metal, too many cymbals get in the way of the sound. Acoustic music is jaw-dropping through these, as is chamber music. Rock is powerful, but with a delicacy that only the DT880 could match.
The only thing to complain about really is wearing them. All headphones require a little bit of adjustment to get the sound just so, but these things are just endless fiddling. And you have to listen while sitting upright, leaning back will knock them out of position. Plus they're pretty heavy. Not uncomfortable to wear, but not as easy to wear as my other headphones.
I'm driving them with my PPX3 SLAM, which definitely shows these demanding headphones who is boss. With the volume at about 11:00, even Ray Samuels himself would find it an appropriate volume
If you didn't like these headphones at a larger meet, try and get some quiet time with them. I have found even that I have to turn off all of my computer equipment, fans, humidifier, everything, because they are so transparent to external noise. Definitely not a headphone for team computer-as-source (or team crying-baby-in-the-house).
First things first, the sound. It's tremendous. The best thing that I can say about this headphone is that it has no readily apparent faults, to my ears. This is a first in the world of headphones for me: The HD650 sound a bit jumbled (really underwhelmed with this headphone), the Sony SA5000 can be incoherant and have too much separation through the frequency range (though I still like it immensely and will be keeping it), the RS-1 can be painfully bright with some music as well as being lacking in headstage, the DT880 didn't have enough bass impact, and on down the line. Every headphone I've ever owned had some little imperfection that has driven my continuing binging and purging of cans. I've bought and sold something like 8 pairs of cans in the last year, all because they just didn't quite do it.
The K-1000, however, does it. It manages a very clear separation between frequency ranges, while maintaining good transient coherance. Soundstage is understandably immense. Really, the only kind of music I've thrown at it that didn't sound terrific is something like hardcore or speed-metal, too many cymbals get in the way of the sound. Acoustic music is jaw-dropping through these, as is chamber music. Rock is powerful, but with a delicacy that only the DT880 could match.
The only thing to complain about really is wearing them. All headphones require a little bit of adjustment to get the sound just so, but these things are just endless fiddling. And you have to listen while sitting upright, leaning back will knock them out of position. Plus they're pretty heavy. Not uncomfortable to wear, but not as easy to wear as my other headphones.
I'm driving them with my PPX3 SLAM, which definitely shows these demanding headphones who is boss. With the volume at about 11:00, even Ray Samuels himself would find it an appropriate volume
If you didn't like these headphones at a larger meet, try and get some quiet time with them. I have found even that I have to turn off all of my computer equipment, fans, humidifier, everything, because they are so transparent to external noise. Definitely not a headphone for team computer-as-source (or team crying-baby-in-the-house).
