[Maxvla]

Indeed, the MKVI can run the K1000. I just realized that looking at my manual after coming home from a meet that had a K1000 in attendance. I'm kicking myself for not knowing so I could try them on my rig.

There are 2 bias settings 5x gain for HD580/600/650, K701, etc, and 10x for K1000. It's $699+ ship.

 

[Don Quichotte]

I don't think you could remain under $500, but anyway, bass extension and accuracy in a not-too-high-priced K1000 rig spells Firstwatt F1 to me. I haven't heard one, but all those who did mentioned improved bass extension and great detail. Of course, diy is the route.
In a couple of months or so I'm going to start building my own F2 - said to be less analytic and mellower. Unlike the F1, it's single ended and somewhat simpler and cheaper to build. I'm also considering that B1 passive buffer design of Mr. Pass because I don't have a preamp. I can hardly wait..

 

[Canman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nexus77 /img/forum/go_quote.gif 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!

You may never find the bass to your liking. Personally I really like it because it conveys the texture and detail without overpowering the midrange. These cans were made for studio mixing so your plans are what this headphone was meant for.

I have tried the K1000 on a number of amplifiers. Don't pay attention to the power output rating because it doesn't really matter for this headphone. You are only using a few watts at most to power the headphones. The K1000 is picky with its amplification. Most speaker amps make it sound thin. Find a high current amp that is biased into Class A. I have used a Pass Labs Aleph 3 and Firstwatt F1 with great success. I remember another Head-Fi member having success with this amp which is pretty well regarded for the price:
AudiogoN ForSale: Monarchy sm-70 pro

As advice for anyone else I would always spend money on electronics before upgrading cables.

 

[TimmyMac]

If you're handy with a soldering iron, you might be able to squeeze out a 2-channel B22 for $500...

 

[nexus77]

Thank you guys for these responses!  I just came back here after thinking the thread had quit.  I apologize for not responding with a thank you earlier!  Still living with my B&K amp, but will hopefully give these suggestions a shot.

 

[ford2]

 
Quote:

Thank you guys for these responses!  I just came back here after thinking the thread had quit.  I apologize for not responding with a thank you earlier!  Still living with my B&K amp, but will hopefully give these suggestions a shot.

There were some great amps (SS) made during the time when manufacturers were switching over to SS,this period is around 1970-1980,the great strength in these amps in relation to the K1000 is there very strong base/mid section.
 
These amps have a great headphone out as well (only two resisters in line),if you can find a good one they are the hidden gems of the amp world.
 
 
 

 

[nexus77]

Are there any specific models I should look for on ebay?  Also, I have the silver tipped wire cables on my K1000's to go straight to the speaker outs if that affects anything.

 

[Acix]

The Apogee mini DAC have a very quality balanced output, maybe this will fit to drive the K-1000 I'll need to try this combo.

 

[ford2]

Quote:

Are there any specific models I should look for on ebay?  Also, I have the silver tipped wire cables on my K1000's to go straight to the speaker outs if that affects anything.

I have a preference for the early Sansui amps,the AU-2900 (15 wpc) and the AU-3900 (25 wpc} I use the 3900 with the K1000 and with other phones and it is excellent.However be aware that these amps are 30+ years old and if you get a bad one can be expensive to rebuild.They are built to last forever and the only parts that normally fail are the caps.
Having said that mine is all original and is still going strong,I actually fitted a 4 pin xlr alongside the TRS jack so that I can plug them in.
 
The only thing to remember is that most of these older amps take a very low signal input voltage normally around 130 mv so if you use a DAC with 2v rms output you need to use some attenuators ( I actually forgot that and could not work out why I was getting some distortion,but there are some great vintage audio forums out there that help with problems) plug in RCA type 12db-20db depending on how much volume control you want.
 
I have used them from a LD MK Vll which even on low gain handles them with ease,a great little balanced amp that was designed to drive K1000.
 
Here is a 3900.

 

[Maxvla]

As per my previous post this year's meet I did get a chance to hear the K1000 on my Little Dot MKVI and also had the owner of the K1000 who uses them on a monster B22/O22 rig listen to them on my amp. My impressions of the cans on his amp (solid state of course) was that they spoke precisely and had ample power to handle any dynamic shifts, but were slightly dry. I tried them on my amp and even on low bias they powered them easily. The amp handled the power demands effortlessly as I expected and the sound was excellent. They were more organic to my ears on the tube amp.
 
Here were the comments about the MKVI by the owner of the B22/O22 and K1000 when listening with HD800 which he is very familiar with also:
Quote:

The big surprise for me was Maxvla's Little Dot balanced amp! His amp w/HD800 was quite impressive. Soundly beating the β22/HD800 combo, which for my taste is too dry. Others were impressed with this amp too.

 

[nexus77]

Would it be bad to power the K1000's from the speaker leads of the Sansui AU-3900 instead of from the headphone out?  Would that defeat the purpose of using the Sansui?  

 

[OJNeg]

Quote:

Would it be bad to power the K1000's from the speaker leads of the Sansui AU-3900 instead of from the headphone out?  Would that defeat the purpose of using the Sansui?  

Probably the only difference between the speaker taps and the headphone output are a pair of resistor drops that limit the current that you would otherwise get from the speaker taps. I'm not sure how the power handling on the K1000 is, but you should read up before you try it.

 

[nexus77]

Thanks for the response, OJNeg. I can happily say, I went ahead and ran from the speaker outs, and this Sansui makes me feel like I have a new pair of headphones! These AKG's have always been nice, but a tad harsh on the top an shy on bass for my taste. This Sansui has made them absolutely amazing! I boosted the bass a tad and usually have the hi filter engaged (not always.) Thanks so much to everyone for the recommendations, especially ford2! I am so happy, finally!