[nexus77]

I first want to say that, if the answer to this question is available on this forum, I apologize for not finding it. I am trying not to be one of those that asks the same question that has been asked a thousand times. I think that I am simply overwhelmed by the amount of info on the K1000's. I have spent many hours reading, but I need help.
I purchased a pair and had the Stefan Audio Art cable put on them. (not just the tailpiece but the whole cable.) I read in a 6 moons review that this cable made them work well with virtually any amp. Well, I was running a QSC power amp that is 100 watts per channel at 8 ohms into them and found their bass response to be pretty lacking. I then tried a B&K amp rated the same and thought it was better, but still not impressive. I know that the impedence on these cans is really high which is why I can run a regular amp into them, but I am not too happy. I am running out of the main outs of my RME Fireface 400 directly to the amps. My plan has been to use these for mixing, so I need accuracy and precision more than just pleasing tonality. Is there an amplifier that I can buy (maybe used) for less than $500 (preferably under $400) that will get me real full low end and upper spectrum accuracy on these or am I just out of luck? Thanks much for your thoughts and patience!

 

[mbd2884]

I would ask KrMathis as he listens to his K1000 it seems more than anyone else on this forums. Although his new setup entails the b22, which he got as an incredible gift from the headphone community, not just Head-Fi. You should ask him, he's got a lot of experience with the K1000 and different amps/sources.

 

[krmathis]

Welcome to Head-Fi!

I have been a K1000 lover since I bought one 6-7 months ago. My experience is that its relative bass shy. To be more specific, if has plenty bass punch, but lack extension.
I currently own two amplifiers. The RWA Signature 30.2, and the β22 mentioned by 'mbd2884'. Besides these two I have also heard the K1000 on a Doxa 70 Signature MKII. All great amplifiers for the K1000, but none able to bring out bass extension. They are also priced way above your $500 budget.

I am actually tempted trying them with an active subwoofer.

Could be fun!

 

[nexus77]

Thanks for the input! That is interesting. I would say that your description pretty well matches my experience. I have read occasional posts where guys have talked about incredible full bass extension with crazy high dollar amps, but it strikes me that it really is more about finding the right amp to match the impedance more than just being super esoteric. Maybe I am wrong. I actually have been doing exactly what you suggested- running them with a Velodyne active sub. It is a beautiful sounding combo, but kind of kills the noise advantage of headphones. (not bothering the upstairs neighbors) It is also very difficult to gauge accuracy this way.

 

[krmathis]

Worth noting that I compare against the Stax SR-007(BL), which have a bass extension very few headphones can cope with. So not an easy match!

Tube amplifiers are said to pair up very well with the K1000, perhaps especially those 300B equipped ones. But I have sadly never heard one. That said, tuning the system may be more crucial than spending high $$$$.

 

[snejk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nexus77 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have read occasional posts where guys have talked about incredible full bass extension

Patrick82?

 

[eruditass]

Quote:

Originally Posted by snejk /img/forum/go_quote.gif Patrick82?

 

[krmathis]

...and to make it harder, its said to be both bass-light and not so bass-light (probably not bass heavy) K1000's out there.

The K1000 were produced in a couple of rounds over a time period of ±15 years, and hence all don't sound the exact same. I have only heard one (mine) K1000 though, so don't know which one I have and how the big differences there are.

 

[El_Doug]

in my VERY limited experience with the K1000's, I have found that bass improves drastically with a transformer-coupled amplifier. though I have not experienced one myself, this may explain why 300b amps sound so good with these headphones.

even when forgoing an OTL amp, bass still doesn't get nearly as deep as other hp's, though ymmv

 

[b0dhi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nexus77 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the input! That is interesting. I would say that your description pretty well matches my experience. I have read occasional posts where guys have talked about incredible full bass extension with crazy high dollar amps, but it strikes me that it really is more about finding the right amp to match the impedance more than just being super esoteric. Maybe I am wrong. .

If you're after bass extension in the K1k, you're at a dead end unfortunately. It's just a limitation of the design of the headphone. If that weren't the case, a lot of head-fiers' journeys would be over already, myself included

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

The most practical solution would be to hook up a subwoofer.

 

[nexus77]

Well I did a little research to find out what 300b meant. Those are expensive tubes! Wow. Thank you all for your input. I have read about putting a 4 or 5 ohm resistor along with the k1000's when running off a normal amp. Is this a good idea? Would it not just make the impedance even higher?

 

[Maxvla]

You can also ask pmillett (designer/builder of the 300b) about suggestions as he also has K1000. Just send him a pm.

 

[Nocturnal310]

Quote:

Originally Posted by snejk /img/forum/go_quote.gif Patrick82?

he listens to hardcore trance on K1000..believe it or not.

 

[apatN]

What about a Little Dot MKVI or balanced M^3 with Sigma11? They are a bit above your budget but are both balanced and should sound great.