AKG K1000 with subwoofer

[squirt]

I'm trying out a AMC B1-19 powered subwoofer to be used in conjunction with my A500/K1000 set up. The main reasoning for this is to improve the low end performance of the K1000 which while very good otherwise is lacking in low freq range. Others have tried similar set ups with good results so i'm giving it a go...As most know the K1000s very open design makes it easy to hear sounds outside the earphones which makes a subwoofer a good option to "fill in" the lower freqs that extend below the range of the K1000

The AMC B1-19 is a bass reflex 100 watt amplified subwoofer that uses a single 8 inch front firing driver with a tuned port opening the body. I decided to connect the woofer to the A500 integrated amp via the pre-amp outs rather than the stereo speaker connects to hopefully keep the signal and pure as possible. The K1000 remains connected to the speaker outs on the A500. Its also possible to bi-wire the woofer and the K1000 to the A500 but haven't tried this yet and i think i'll get cleaner sound with the current set up.

The K1000 with subwoofer combo is working out very well now that the sub is filling in the lower end down to 30 Hz. The upper freq cut off can be adjusted from 40 to 180 Hz. Currently i have it set at 180 Hz to improve not just the lowest freqs but also drum beat thumps and such which is also working out very well. The woofer has a volume control so you have complete control of the amount of bass enhancement you desire. It takes a while to get the volume set well being that the amount of bass in various songs varies widely. At first i had the woofer behind my listening chair because that's the only place it won't get in the way of things but it became clear it had to be moved because it produced too powerful pulses that actually made my heart feel like it was palpating during bass heavy passages. It was placed to the side of the chair next and this seems to be working out well...due to extreme space limitations i really don''t have many placement options but i'll try to squeeze it in elsewhere later...

As far as the amount of noise and thumping produced by the sub it doesn't seems to be a problem for me even for late night listening since you only need a little bass enhancement to do the job and anyway you can just turn down the woofer volume if need be and i notice i can listen to music at lower volumes now and still get satisfying, full sound...Actually the K1000 makes more "noise" than the sub being that the low freqs of the sub are less obvious but of course the sub adds thumping which might be felt in nearby rooms.

So with judicious use the subwoofer adds considerable improvement to the music and gives the K1000 an even more speaker-like sound that no other headphone can match much less beat.

Happy listening

 

[Neruda]

awesome! Still, it sort of makes you wonder why you're not just using speakers...

 

[squirt]

Neruda,
Thats a very good question...i was once a dedicated speaker user. Up untill about 7 years ago I had NHT speakers with a subwoofer which was very decent and much better than my Bose satelite system i had before that...well my dear grandma didn't share my love of music and she became more and more disgusted with all the "noise" that came out of the speakers and would let me know it with increasing frequency...Therefore i made a painful decision to give up my entire system and i was without music for a while till this new company came into being that changed all that...Headroom...i bought a Supreme amp (the first Supremes ran on 4 AA batteries as well as AC) from this new company on a chance they will deliver good music with their strange portable amp connected to my D-555 CDP...it did and i was hooked on headphone listening being that it would keep both me and my grandma happy...i took a chance and decided to get a sub for my K1000 since my grandma is now deaf as a rock but i have to keep the volume low so she won't feel the pulses, not that she would know what the heck the pulses were...anyway thats the situation as it stands now...i also got the sub in case i do get speakers again after my grandma...well you know...i seriously doubt i will ever give up on headphones even if i do get speakers though. Some things are just too good to give up...

 

[hrklg01]

Hi, some comments to all who use a K1000 together with a subwoofer:
 
First of all to be honest, I do this approach also sometime myself.
This is because of a simple reason:
Experiments which we at AKG did in the late 80th showed that human do not receive the bass level same when transmitted by a speaker or by a headphone. This is true also when the level and phase at the ear entrance is really the same. Many experts believe that is is because the human body receive the bass level by nature not only via the ear entrance but also by the rest of the body by a way which is not totally explored yet.
Due to this "psychoacoustic" effect most eadphone manufacturer set up headphone with at least 4dB more bass level comared to the mid range.
Of course it's also true that the K1000 does not offer significant level below 35Hz and also true that the younger versions - bass light sometimes called - even not below 45Hz.
Personally I use for this reason an Infinity Kappa 8A bass woofer driven by a Luxman M03.
Ok, some of you argument that you cound use speakers alone without the K1000. Yes, it's partly true... But when you listen with the K1000 with approx. 110dB on your ear entrance + the sub woofer, the sound in the next rooms is still much silent than using the speakers and the sound on the ear of the K1000 user is much less distorted because of almost no room reflexions.

 

[analogsurviver]

Quote:

Hi, some comments to all who use a K1000 together with a subwoofer:
 
First of all to be honest, I do this approach also sometime myself.
This is because of a simple reason:
Experiments which we at AKG did in the late 80th showed that human do not receive the bass level same when transmitted by a speaker or by a headphone. This is true also when the level and phase at the ear entrance is really the same. Many experts believe that is is because the human body receive the bass level by nature not only via the ear entrance but also by the rest of the body by a way which is not totally explored yet.
Due to this "psychoacoustic" effect most eadphone manufacturer set up headphone with at least 4dB more bass level comared to the mid range.
Of course it's also true that the K1000 does not offer significant level below 35Hz and also true that the younger versions - bass light sometimes called - even not below 45Hz.
Personally I use for this reason an Infinity Kappa 8A bass woofer driven by a Luxman M03.
Ok, some of you argument that you cound use speakers alone without the K1000. Yes, it's partly true... But when you listen with the K1000 with approx. 110dB on your ear entrance + the sub woofer, the sound in the next rooms is still much silent than using the speakers and the sound on the ear of the K1000 user is much less distorted because of almost no room reflexions.

The Ultimate Solution : http://www.eminent-tech.com/rwbrochure.htm  
 
Anybody actually using this combination - or at least heard (of) it ? 

 

[tim3320070]

Over $20,000 for some high end rumble? Disgusting.

 

[hrklg01]

Have'nt listened to that, but I got once an information about it:
The arguments was against it, because of the very high distortiones caused by air turbulancies as well as poor transient and decay response....
But you never know before measuring and testing yourself...

 

[analogsurviver]

Quote:

Over $20,000 for some high end rumble? Disgusting.

I agree that the price is very high indeed - but I do not think it is exhorbitant, given the performance and originality/exclusivity of the idea behind the design.  Nothing I could possibly dream of putting in my sistem - finances do not permit it at all and there is always lots of other priorities that have to be satisfied first. For me, it will remain and continue to be an unnatainable dream - most probably forever. Most people, at least men, have lusted for a Ferrari ( or put your dream car in instead ) - very few actually get to drive, yet alone own, one. This fact does not make dream car disgusting.
 
Considering there are some head-fiers with Orpheus in one corner, 009 with some serious amp in another, Qualia in the third, an odd Omega in the fourth - why not throw in K1000 with some serious "fan" that does not come handy in hot summer only ? Before you say this is even more disgusting - it still is far better addiction with much more pleasent consequences than the one that spawned DEA -  and that one can burn up much more ca$h than all the above equipment combined - and it is detrimental to one's health to the max.
 
All of the above pinnacle level equipment is fruit of some serious and expensive research. Research & Development means ultimately solutions from the top of the line "cost no object" ( actually, no such thing in real life ) designs trickle down to more reasonably priced products more people can afford. Currently, there are few cans here on head-fi that cost below $ 100.- and bring to their owners as much , if not more, joy and fun that "an average Omega does to an average Omega owner" : please check this thread http://www.head-fi.org/t/621063/the-new-jvc-ha-s500-40mm-carbon-nanotubes/2805#post_8838803
 
Eminent Technology rotary woofer, and the man behind it, Mr. Bruce Thigpen, certainly made sure the design is patented and that gives the protection rights customary. After the patent expires, the price will certainly drop sharply, as others will be allowed to produce it - but the cost of building it in whatever structure is most handy on a case per case basis will remain the same. Hopefully ET will decide to produce the Jr. version of the unit more people could actually afford prior to patent expiration.

 

[analogsurviver]

Quote:

Have'nt listened to that, but I got once an information about it:
The arguments was against it, because of the very high distortiones caused by air turbulancies as well as poor transient and decay response....
But you never know before measuring and testing yourself...

I would really love to see measurements of a real instalation - by a third, unbiased party. But must admit, manufacturer publishing square wave of a loudspeaker  well below audible range (and any other speaker) with specified method and test equipment must have both confidence and courage to do so.
 
I own and use daily Eminent Technology ET2 air bearing pick up arm. Still going strong after almost 3 decades - if the "fan" is anything like ET2 in real performance and long term reliability, as strange as it might sound, might even be - a bargain in the long run.

 

[tdogzthmn]

I have a very nice sub and subwoofer amp that I's like to pair with a K1000 once I buy it.  I really enjoyed listening to these headphones but found my pair had a bit of a rattle and less than stellar bass response with certain genres.  Now that I have a nice Sub which I can pair with them I think it will be the right solution for my needs.  

 

[hrklg01]

Yes! I do think also like you! A good bass woofer external can help a lot.
The crispy and open sound reproduction of the K 1000 will be well complimented.
Hope you will be satisfied!
BR

 

[musikaladin]

...here some comments in another thread about using the K-1000 in combination with a subwoofer...