[gsferrari]

Very nice sound with a few funny quirks. The imaging is absolutely top class and possibly even better than most other "regular" headphones i've had the honour of listening to long-term.

Bass isnt bad but the bottom end surely leaves a lot to be desired. I am going to wait a year and let my wallet recover before indulging in a baby sophia for the K1000. It shows plenty of potential and I think it deserves a proper amp. The T-Amp but it looks ghastly on my rack

I just told my friends that the K1000 was powered by the Monster Power Conditioner which passed as a power amp for the time being

More "respectable" to have big black box on the business end...little plastic toy can stay out of sight

Advantages - there is absolutely NO isolation. I can hear EVERYTHING that goes on around me. What a hoot to take this headphone with me to work

I'll try to get some pics taken at work with different people wearing it

I cant see this thing on my head so I have no idea what it looks like...too afraid to look in the mirror

All I have to do is turn around. My already low self-esteem will be buried 6 feet under if I do

Just kidding.

Awesome headphone. I dont have anything for comparison...just memory...and memory is unreliable at best.

This is a fun headphone and anyone who can afford one at the current prices - go for it and you will have a headphone for life. It is very versatile with the pad adjustments and swivel earspeakers. I love the sound with the speakers turned out completely - just sounds sooooo natural. Listening to Jim Croce's Time in a Bottle and I am in awe of the sense of space this headphone delivers. This is probably the first headphone that REALLY pushes the sound out of the head. Electrostats come close but this is something else.

The downsides - bass rolloff is VERY obvious and disconcerting. A lot of body is missing from the music. I need to bring a subwoofer into the picture pretty soon

That will shake things up a bit

All in all - very satisfied with this headphone. The "special" advantage to me, and the reason why I gave up electrostats for the K1000 is:
[size=small]
I have dropped sensitivity in the right ear. With the k1000 I can pull in the right speaker a little closer to the ear to even things out. I am very happy with the results...[/size]

Ok I peeked in the mirror...someone call the ambulance - im going into cardiac arrest!!

This is too far out there...just crazy!

AKG K1000 Documentation from AKG's website:

Service Manual: http://www.akg.com/mediadatabase/psf...5d23c1050f.pdf

User Manual:
http://www.akg.com/mediadatabase/psf...5d23c1050f.pdf

Ich kann nicht im Deutsche LeBen!! :
http://www.akg.com/mediadatabase/psf...5c4bd6aa5e.pdf

LOL

 

[NotJeffBuckley]

Either the coolest or the goofiest looking headphones ever. The red headband makes it.

If I could afford any headphone "on a lark" without actually having a particular interest in copping the sound, that'd be it - I mean, seriously, it's

 

[Bostonears]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NotJeffBuckley Either the coolest or the goofiest looking headphones ever. The red headband makes it.

To reduce the dork factor on my K1000's, I cut off the red plastic coating on the steel cross bars. Now they look way better. (Note my modified K1000 avatar.) DISCLAIMER: Don't try this at home folks unless you're willing to suffer the consequences if your Xacto knife slips.

 

[Trogdor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gsferrari Bass isnt bad but the bottom end surely leaves a lot to be desired. I am going to wait a year and let my wallet recover before indulging in a baby sophia for

What's a baby sophia?

gsferrari, if you don't mind, I would like to add my impressions of the Super T-Amp with AKG K1000 (my new work setup) as well just to compare notes!

My initial impressions:

First off, I totally agree about the bass. Bass is certainly there but not impactful at all. The visceral thrill of the low-end is just gone. However, the bass is certainly present in all aspects of the music and is very tight. But due to the lack of punch, overall integration suffers a bit.

What is very apparent and absolutely fantastic is the treble extension. The Super-T and AKG K1000 really really do treble very well. I would say almost as good as my Qualia setup though occasionally the hi's can feel a little "tinny" or "metallic"! However, again, all the subtle details of the treble range really shine with the Super-T and AKG K1000.

The midrange is extremely neutral in that the K1000's are just very naturally transparent headphones (earspeakers, whatever). If you are graving a warmth lush sound, these are not your headphones (obviously adding some valves might help here). Rock, heavy metal, and electronica/techno really don't suffer much due to the leaness of the midrange. However, jazz and classical lose some of their magic. For example, the timbre of various instruments seem a little off and on the dry side (more than it should).

Soundstage is very wide and airy due to the fact that the AKG K1000's are really earspeakers and not just palin old headphones. Depending on the positioning of each speaker you can change the phase and get a very different image of the music. Quite cool.

Finally, instrument separation is, well too good in some instances. I believe this facet of my setup lends to the "analytical" sound people describe. For some reason, I find the immense separation of instruments sometimes very distracting and I lose sense of the overall sonic signature. This is especially true for some symphonic pieces.

On a side note, the Super T and AKG K1000 setup is very sensitive to your source. The "garbage in, garbage out" really applies. I tried my notebook DAC, the M-Audio Transit, and the Apogee MiniDAC and only the Apogee really made my setup shine. With both my notebook and Transit both the bass and treble range really suffer while the midrange feels slightly recessed.

I have to say that I really do love these headphones just because of their insane detail and quirky look. The Super-T is fantastic for the price. I really believe you can not beat the overall quickness and transparency of this amp for under 1K. The issue is with the Super-T and AKG K1000 you are going to get a very dry lean sound that certainly isn't everyone's cup of tea.

I agree with gsferrari, for me, I could live with the AKG K1000 for a long time (however, in my book, the Qualia's are still the king).

 

[Edwood]

Mid Bass is powerful, ain't it?

You can actually feel it.

Lowest bass. Yeah. It's just not there.

-Ed

 

[fmplautus]

Having lived with the "red bird cage" for several years, I agree that low bass is on something of a diet (particularly compared to the Sennheisers) but I find mid and upper bass very impactful and sometimes stunningly so. I think this goes partly with the K1000 dynamics, which are another aspect of this headphone that's just insanely great.

It is nice to see that people are keeping talk of this beast alive. Although I don't know what we can do to get AKG to put it back in production. There is no way the likes of the red bird care is ever going to be duplicated in a real world, conventional phone -- I don't care what exotic woods, male jewelry or digital processing they hang off the ear cups. The K1000 is the red miracle. The only other sensual experience equal to putting on something this ridiculous and than thoroughly enjoying it would be...oh never mind.

 

[Ferbose]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gsferrari I am going to wait a year and let my wallet recover before indulging in a baby sophia for the K1000.

I have what is essentially an unbranded Sophia Baby that was sold eBay.
It works pretty well with K1000:
http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=128899
It uses class A push-pull topology.

However, for a lower price, I would recommend Cayin HA-1A (~$450).
http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=138581
It uses EL84 in single-ended mode, and the headphone jack is powerful enough to drive K1000.
I like it for K1000 over my unbranded Sophia Baby. It appears to me single-ended topology produces a sweeter top end.

Using T-amp to drive K1000, I find it too bright for my taste.
But the clarity is really impressive.
I actually compared T-amp to a few low-power integrated amps for driving K1000:
http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=129665

 

[gsferrari]

The snap of drums is almost as close to a live performance as a recording will get you. I am listening to Benny Goodman now and the sound is very good with a rough edge compared to how it sounded with the Omega-II and HE60. The depth though? Holy Nutcracker! there is stuff going on on every level...like peeling off the layers of an onion only to find another inside...or like one of those Russian dolls!

I tried using the K1000s in bed and I didnt really get used to the sloppy fit...quickly went back to my SA1000 and Dynahi setup. I didnt really feel like I was losing anything during the transition,

In other words...the K1000 and T-Amp is a great combo but the sound is only mildly better and vastly "different" when compared with a lower end dynamic headphone with a good dynamic headphone amp.

I need to try out different amps with this baby...first on my list is the Woo Audio 4 which I wanted to review a long time ago.

Ferbose - thanks for the amplifier recommendations

mikeg - thanks for the T-Amp gift...I have finally found a way to put it to good use

 

[Bostonears]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trogdor What's a baby sophia?

See this thread with an extensive review of the K1000's used with a Sophia Baby tube amp. The original photo showing the amp is gone from the hosting site used in that thread, but I have attached it to this post. It also shows my K1000's stripped of their red clothing.

 

[Trogdor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bostonears See this thread with an extensive review of the K1000's used with a Sophia Baby tube amp. The original photo showing the amp is gone from the hosting site used in that thread, but I have attached it to this post. It also shows my K1000's stripped of their red clothing.

Bostonears, thank you so much for the pic and the link. That was a great read. I wish however you tried some classical and perhaps even electronic/techno music in your review. I always find that classical really tests a cans ability to the "sum of its parts" sort of speak while manufactured music like techno typically can have bass below the 60Hz mark (a typical kick drum I believe).

The AKG K1000 are NOT bass shy but so far, they do lack punch.

 

[gsferrari]

Whoever said that they were perfect for acoustic music is SPOT ON!

Vocals also sound very very good...I cant get over the imagine and the effortless dynamics of the K1000.

I have also found a way to make them work in bed so now I can listen late into the night!

Today's exercise - taking them with me to work and going portable

LOL

 

[Ferbose]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gsferrari I have also found a way to make them work in bed so now I can listen late into the night!

And how do you do that?
I want to know...