[anuenlil]

More than five and a half years since the last contribution to this thread... I received my second-hand pair of AKG K501 a few days ago. What a classic! I cannot hear the lack of bass that is often complained about, everything just seems to be in correct proportion. Moreover, the midband is indeed 'glorious' (as others have described it. I have HD650 and K702 to compare with, and the K501 trumps them for sheer listening pleasure. Very, very highly recommended. And not so hard to drive at all - I am currently listening to them on the end of a Neco Soundlab portable v2, works just fine!

 

[jarnauga]

I've just figured out that these cans actually sound best with zero gain on my BCL Linear, but the knob turned up to 3 o'clock or so. For a long time I thought they needed high gain and low volume to sound best, but then realized that I was getting a bit of harshness and also a weird tingle in my right ear. I think this is a much better option.

Exactly my setting. I discovered this issue with my linear after few tests with the amp -5 years ago or so-. The gain, through feedback I suppose, is horrendous and put distortion that is noticeable with this cans. It doesn't matter. You put them on '3' and they sound wonderful (3 to 5, to the top, don't change volume, as you know. BTW it is the same setting for a variety of other cans like K712Pro, but this last one suffers even more with other problems).

There are few models in the market/(second hand?) that can offer this two things: supreme transparency, absolute supreme. Not as a super neutral or about clarity or full range. But transparency to the music intent. Few models let pass through what is that noise about, that vital information, and instead inform you about mike location, mixing decisions, or wonderful mistakes in your playback chain. It's all about the music for me (classical only). Second one is keeping quality in low-medium volume setting. The Beyer 770-250 can do that as well. Not many others. The AKG sings like nothing I have ever encounter. Many reports in the past said the next step up can only be Stax. Maybe I can test that assumption in the long future.

As an anecdote I had success powering them directly (in 2008, mind you) from a Sony VAIO laptop. Even more than with the Linear. Those laptops had fancy sound parts, some of them. And it seems that model sound chip amp delivered enough current. But there was, at the very limit of audibility, a white noise, a hum in the background, very very faint. Maybe the chip, maybe power lines, I didn't know, never cared.

I could find a NOS pair 11 years ago and I am a very happy owner since. I found and missed an opportunity shortly thereafter to purchase a second unit in a very bad old box, so even an older batch, not the final white/light copper/brown one.

I used them from time to time, to enjoy myself with that sparkling and magical midrange. Nowadays the K712pro enjoy more time on the head. But, sadly, I need a new/better fit amp for the AKGs. In the past not many amps where around, not many, that delivered more current, apart from voltage (I remember when the Beta22 was almost the default go-to for that feature). But after... 2012? or so, with the planars in the market, there are a lot of amps available that should driver them properly, in full capacity.

My new DT1990 (completely different thing) is well served from the Linear though.

 

[anuenlil]

There are few models in the market/(second hand?) that can offer this two things: supreme transparency, absolute supreme. Not as a super neutral or about clarity or full range. But transparency to the music intent. Few models let pass through what is that noise about, that vital information, and instead inform you about mike location, mixing decisions, or wonderful mistakes in your playback chain. It's all about the music for me (classical only). Second one is keeping quality in low-medium volume setting. The Beyer 770-250 can do that as well. Not many others. The AKG sings like nothing I have ever encounter. Many reports in the past said the next step up can only be Stax. Maybe I can test that assumption in the long future.

That's remarkable - your description is right on the mark, expressing my experience with the K501 very well indeed!

 

[Beagle]

It's amazing how much midrange detail can come out when you eliminate pretty much the entire bass range.

 

[episiarch]

Over the past few years I'd fallen out of the habit of using my long-beloved 501's because, as much as I love them in many ways, I wasn't entirely happy with the comfort/fit, and I wouldn't have minded a little more bass presence. I've now added some softer earpads producing a little more of a seal, and they are really helping with both of my problems.

I'm still in early hours of listening with this combination, but so far I really like it. Here are the details if anyone else wants to try a similar experiment.

- Brainwavz round hybrid pads
https://www.brainwavzaudio.com/coll...ts/headphone-memory-foam-earpads-round-hybrid

- Pad adapter rings: you mount the pads onto these, then these bayonet-mount onto the headphone.
https://www.modhouseaudio.com/akg-kxxx-adapter/akg-earpad-adapters

 

[Hunki Chunki]

I agree with the earpad plan. I installed the sheepskin leather earpads on my 501s and it really turned the bass up significantly (as well as comfort)

I got the Dekoni pads from Massdrop here -
https://www.massdrop.com/buy/45999

 

[sennfan83261]

Does anyone know what diameter of elastic band I should get for the K501's? I ordered some 1mm diameter ones, which turned out to be too small. I figure that it I would need to get 2mm or 3mm elastic bands. Can anyone provide a definitive answer? Thanks.

 

[borizm]

Does anyone know what diameter of elastic band I should get for the K501's? I ordered some 1mm diameter ones, which turned out to be too small. I figure that it I would need to get 2mm or 3mm elastic bands? Can anyone provide a definitive answer? Thanks.

3 mm diameter will be much too strong. I have 2 mm bought in Poland - they are too strong too related to the light weight of K501 - I think it depends on the manufacturer or the purpose and there should be also weaker 2mm elastic bands on the market.

 

[MDR30]

Does anyone know what diameter of elastic band I should get for the K501's? I ordered some 1mm diameter ones, which turned out to be too small. I figure that it I would need to get 2mm or 3mm elastic bands. Can anyone provide a definitive answer? Thanks.

I've renovated several AKGs, from K400 to 701, and have a good supply of elastic band. I'll send it for free to anyone who needs it, just PM me.

 

[Kevin Sinnott]

I note this thread goes back a long time. So does my ownership and frustration with the AKG k501. I don't recall any other headphone I've wanted to like and taken so long to find the right amp to drive. For me, the magic moment was powering them using an old Crown power amp I'd found for a small sum in a church thrift shop. This solid state brick just finally drove my 501s to where I could feel the bass just like any other good headphone, except it also had this glorious soundstage that outshines every other phone I've heard. Using the Crown, which had other problems, proved to be impractical. I tried lots of amps. The Heed Canamp worked for many, but I use it for other phones. I have a Wheatfield HA1, which was highly recommended, but didn't do it for me using the AKG k501 either. The amp I currently use is a JVC JA-S55, which produces what I consider a fully balanced full-range sound. Classical or Pop are not a problem for this phone using the JVC. A heavy-bass drum recording like The Byrds Untitled comes through fine over the AKG k501, as do all my Telarc classical recordings. Is it a question of watts or volts? I do not know and leave it to others with more of a technical background. All I know is, after considering selling the AKG k501 a number of times, I am glad I held onto them and they have been my favorite phones for more than a couple of years now.

 

[sennfan83261]

I pulled out my AKG K501 last week and I was listening to them on the Schitt stack. Like you said, the soundstage is glorious and the timbre is just about right to my ears. However, there's quite a bass roll-off. I guess the extra juice will help, which is why I'm recabling mine to balanced soon.

 

[sennfan83261]

Well, I recabled my AKG K501 this weekend. Afterwards, I cannot really tell whether it noticeably improved matters on my THX AAA 789 unlike when running my HE-500 and HD6XX balanced. I have an extra pair at work that's still single-ended, so I'm going to A/B the two early next week. For the second picture below showing the wiring, please note that the cardan-ring was misaligned (secured only to one post), which is why the L- and L+ terminals are not aligned in a straight line across the picture. To align it to both posts, I had to turn the earcup 20 degrees or so CCW. Sorry for any confusion in advance.

EDIT: I compared the recabled K501 to an extra stock K501 that may or may not be sold off in the near future. Using the Mogami wire seemed to remove a bit of air and made the sonic presentation a bit more in your face rather than the familiar concert hall-like experience with the stock TRS. I'm thinking of reverting back to the stock wire.

 

[larcenasb]

Here's some love for the K501...

Hello everyone. I too adore the natural timbre and wide-open sound of the K501. But my pair had bent badges from the previous owner and I've lived with it long enough! This further made me wonder why the K500 has nicer badges (3D lettering) than the K501 (flat stickers). Surely, the K501 deserves more glorious treatment, being the top of the range in this series at the time.

So, I got the idea to have some custom badges 3D modeled. A brief search on Etsy showed 3D modelers charged about $20-25/hour for the computer modeling, and prints for something this small would be around $5/pair. I made a crude design on MS Paint to get my idea across. The "Austria Memories" font really looks classy IMO and obviously honors the heritage of these cans being made in Austria.

Then I contacted a few people on Etsy. One person didn't respond, another said the "K" in the model was too small and intricate to model, the third said it can be done no problem! He said he could model the design on the computer in an hour and no longer than that. He replied the next morning with the model.

"Whoa!" I shouted out, it looks just how I hoped it would! He charged $4/pair of badges, which I thought was very reasonable. I had them printed in black and went to Home Depot to pick up some spray paint.

The badges were shipped out a couple of days later and I awaited anxiously--but was trying to keep myself busy with my coursework. Once they got here, I set up my spray paint area. I used painter's tape to secure them to cardboard since they're so small and could be moved around by the spraying.

The gold spray paint really has a nice grain and luster to it! Here are some photos of the badges in place. I used double-sided tape that I had leftover after insulating my windows with plastic film for the winter.


I think the photos captured the result decently, but having them in hand and seeing how they reflect and play with light is pretty mesmerizing haha. Now I think the K501 looks much better and more premium than the K500. If anyone would like to do the same,--because I know many K501 badges end up getting bent--contact Jackson from "Custom3DServices" on Etsy. He's based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Also, in case anyone is wondering, I use velvet pads from that auction site (makes bass more present and solid with the better seal) and 1/4" Techflex sleeving. Now I'm going to listen to some Miles Davis! Cheers!

 

[larcenasb]

After trying many earpads: Dekoni elite velour, K702, cheaper velour versions... I keep going back to the stock pads. While the bass boost initially is nice, as is the comfort, I come to notice voices and tone, in general, is way off--clouded by bass that sounds unnatural, as well as a metallic sheen to the upper mids. The stock pads in comparison make the sound so uncolored, lifelike, and transparent.

I'm worried about the stock K501 earpads wearing out and not being able to replace them. Has anyone tried other earpads and found ones that don't change the sound too much?

 

[ookic]

Here to ask the same thing as larcenasb! I have K701's, and am searching for K500 cloth pads to put on them. Didn't find any on eBay, is there any known way to find them these days?