AKG K501 love...

[fewtch]

My AKG K501s are getting lots of love recently. These have got to be the best jazz/newage headphones, even better in some ways than the DT880 to my ears. The highs are mellower and less analytical than the DT880, and those mids are just mind blowing. The bass lightness makes everything sound airy and crystalline, and mids are so warm, liquid and detailed... did I mention that it has great mids?

Just thought I'd post something since the K701 is getting most of the attention these days. The K501 hasn't gotten any worse (

) since they later two cans came out, and the more I listen the more I likes...

P.S. I suspect K701 is somewhere in my future, but for now I'll have to live with the K501 (not hard to do at all

). Between K501 and DT880, I'm in audio heaven. This combo is just perfect for me, and is probably a great casual/critical listening combo for anyone with similar musical tastes to mine.

 

[Ferbose]

I am surprised you like K501 over DT880 for jazz.
I thint K501 is a bit bass-shy for drums and bass.
For me the slight brightness of DT880 makes jazz very lively.

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ferbose I am surprised you like K501 over DT880 for jazz. I thint K501 is a bit bass-shy for drums and bass. For me the slight brightness of DT880 makes jazz very lively.

I like it just a little better, not a lot. Possibly because the DT880 can be a little analytical, and I like the smooth flowing mids of K501... just a personal preference thing. IMO it's not at all bass shy for jazz (but definitely is for rock -- actually more lack of punch than lack of bass).

I definitely prefer the DT880 -- a lot -- for classical. Much more transparent and realistic to my ears. In fact I think the K501 isn't a very good classical phone, which probably puts me in the extreme minority of K501 owners

.

 

[episiarch]

Another member of Team K501 Luurrrv here. These probably qualify as my most-reached-for headphone at home (for the same types of music you mentioned), even though the ER-4S and CD3K still serve as my critical-listening reference phones.

 

[VR6ofpain]

My question, do the K501's do anything better than the K601's?

Considering they are about $10 apart in price...and the K601's look to be nicer materials, I am wondering if anything should hold me back from just jumping on the 601's? I was considering the 501's till I heard about the 601's, then I got concerned as to which would suit me better...then I bought the HF-1's...now I want an AKG again.

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by VR6ofpain My question, do the K501's do anything better than the K601's?

Nobody seems to know anything about the K601

Don't think I've seen a single review yet.

 

[kramer5150]

Quote:

Originally Posted by VR6ofpain My question, do the K501's do anything better than the K601's? Considering they are about $10 apart in price...and the K601's look to be nicer materials, I am wondering if anything should hold me back from just jumping on the 601's? I was considering the 501's till I heard about the 601's, then I got concerned as to which would suit me better...then I bought the HF-1's...now I want an AKG again.

K601s are that inexpensive? I see new K501s on ebay for ~$150.

Garrett

 

[VR6ofpain]

Well since the K501 just dropped to $129, the price difference is much greater now.

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by VR6ofpain Well since the K501 just dropped to $129, the price difference is much greater now.

Yep, and IMO this puts the K501s into the "crazy bargain" category (along with the HD580)... provided you can deal with the bass. I have no problem with it at all, but it took some psychological adjustment. Burn-in with heavy bass tones helped as well.

 

[jagorev]

My question: How do these compare to the 580 or 600? Do they do anything better?

 

[dhp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jagorev My question: How do these compare to the 580 or 600? Do they do anything better?

The mids I like alot more on the AKG K501s, and the soundstage is ALOT wider. They also don't have that Sennheiser deathgrip

 

[spike33]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jagorev My question: How do these compare to the 580 or 600? Do they do anything better?

Tighter bass, bigger soundstage, more natural mids, more treble without being harsh, more comfortable. You gotta ask the question the other way around, what does 580/600 do better than 501? more bass.

 

[gshan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spike33 Tighter bass, bigger soundstage, more natural mids, more treble without being harsh, more comfortable. You gotta ask the question the other way around, what does 580/600 do better than 501? more bass.

Best one sentence review ever, spike33. I'm glad I went AKG.

 

[PixelSquish]

my 501's for 130 clams from headphone.com are arriving today! can not wait, mostly to start some burn-in, and then to just enjoy them.

 

[VR6ofpain]

Quote:

Originally Posted by idiotekniQues my 501's for 130 clams from headphone.com are arriving today! can not wait, mostly to start some burn-in, and then to just enjoy them.

That was fast...actually when did you order them (what type of shipping too)?