When you say well-amped, are we talking about a sound card that has an amp and matches ohms?
Or are we talking a fully fledged desktop amp with a built-in DAC?
I never used soundcards, so I don't know about compatibility with AKG'S.
I can say that my destop amp (Talisman Audio) drives 601 very well,
but I have to turn up the volume knob to reach the same acoustic level with ny ortho
(Mad dog). Just to give a reference point.
General consensus is that AKG K/ series are rather picky with the amp as regards both quality and power
Thank you.
That's fair, though I am hopeful they will not be too hard to drive initially, as they have a fairly high decibel level and sensitivity.
Combined with the soundcard DAC, I should at least get an idea of whether they are an improvement and enjoyable.
And then can take them to the next level with a dedicated amp.
Musok, if you do not make a decision soon, I will let you know week how the K612 goes.
Thank you.
That's fair, though I am hopeful they will not be too hard to drive initially, as they have a fairly high decibel level and sensitivity.
Combined with the soundcard DAC, I should at least get an idea of whether they are an improvement and enjoyable.
And then can take them to the next level with a dedicated amp.
Musok, if you do not make a decision soon, I will let you know week how the K612 goes.
How much is "soon"?
Already made a thomann basket to get the shipment for free with the K240 studio. Though, I would like to know how the K612 drives without the amp on the onboard.
I've owned both the K240 mkii and HD558. I sold the k240 and use the 558 almost everyday.
For me the K240 was not a very good headphone, it's bass was a bit bloated and the highs although clear were harsh and impossible to listen to for more than a few minutes I would even go to call them Shrill. Sibilance was unbearable and is ultimately why I sold them. On the good side the had beautiful smooth and full mids and were very comfortable. The only time I enjoyed using them was for vocal or guitar monitoring.
The 558's are very easy to listen to, they have all the bass of the 240's but it is less boomy and intrusive. The mids are a bit recessed on the 558's and the highs are laid back. I find this sound signature very pleasing for my ears. There is very little sibilance on the 558.
I would say that my ears are very sensitive to sibilance as I find even the ATH-M50 to have a bit too much for my taste, If you aren't bothered by sibilance and want a cheaper headphone with forward high then get the 240's, if you want a smooth laid back warm sounding headphone go for the 558's.
I would say no, you need a little more juice for the K612s to sound powerful enough. It will sound ok with NX1, not distorted or coloured, just not loud enough. Reportedly so does NX1 work fine with the 62Ohm AKG cans, but not with the 120Ohm 601/612 which are surprisingly hard to drive.
HD558 or DT770 spring to mind in the same pricerange, if you don't want to invest in a more powerful amp. Or go for the more expensive AKG:s
But, if you have a powerful amp, 612 is a bargain. In many areas on the same level as HD600, for half the price, which is great.
Thanks, xeizo!
I decided to get the HD598 after all and am very pleased with it after a month of intensive listening; no problems with amplification there!
I tried the Beyerdynamic DT990 pro 250 Ohm for a few days but found its bass response overwhelming - strangely enough, its treble wasn't harsh or sibilant to my ears, but the mids were severely recessed. I wanted to try and listen to a "more exciting" headphone than my 598, but was very disappointed (and am not in the market for buying expensive amps to improve the 990's sound!)
I'm looking for a good solution for gaming and all around sound quality! I've been looking at the option of getting a gaming headset, but after tons of reviews etc. I've come to the conclusion that they all have mediocre sound at best and that the whole virtual 7.1 thing is just a gimmick and that you can get just as good of a surround feel from stereo headsets. Also the mics on most seem to be aweful and a cheap desktop mic or lav mic would most likely do alot better.
I'm really leaning towards the AKG K 612 Pro + Speed-Link SL-8708 Lucent for now as my built in motherboard audio has an impedence output of 200 Ohm which I hope will be fine with the AKGs. The sound card is the Realtek® ALC892 and is apparantly capable of simulating surround on its own from what I read.
What do you guys think? does this sound like a good solution, right now the only thing that worries me is the mic, so any recommendations in the same price range would be greatly appreciated. Also would prefer a desktop mic over a lav mic...
My understanding is the 612 is the new 601 and according to some posts around here, it's 99% identical. AKG mentioned something about different capsules? That's as far as I got.
If the 612 isn't much more, than the only reasons I can think of to go for the 240s is
A) Detachable cable
B) Slightly different construction (don't think they have the little stretch band cords, so the headset may last longer)
If you've decided you're definitely getting open back, then I along with you will probably get the K612.
I realise that this is far too late, but anyone thinking of buying the K240 should listen to it first, as it has anything but a neutral sound despite many people claiming that it has! Great midrange but very strange bass and a weird cushiony reverberation in the background especially on acoustic instruments. K612 might need more amping but sounds much betterin every way. Plus, it's currently cheap on Amazon in the UK,,.........
I haven't heard 612, but its technical specs are identical. to 601 specs.
601 / 612 need to be well amped, otherwhise it's better to look elsewhere. Imho.
The received "wisdom" about the K612 needing expensive amping actually put me off buying them a couple of years ago because I only had a Topping Nx-1. I recently bought a K612 and to my surprise, they sound great with my little Topping Nx-1 on high gain from my iPod classic via LOD L9. I appreciate that they will most probably sound even better with a C5 or something more expensive than the £85 I bought the headphones for, but to me, this "expensive amping" is almost a myth which is deterring many people from buying these excellent cans
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