[kampman]

I've owned my K601s (SN 5871) since the spring of 2007, and I haven't found myself wanting for another pair of cans since. I've had a chance to compare them to a number of standards (MDR7506, Grado SR60/80, Senn HD280), and nothing really comes close from a sonic standpoint, not to mention comfort. I can't say anything about them that hasn't been covered in this thread, but I do love them.

I do suspect that I may have been doing myself a disservice all this time, though, since I haven't purchased an amp for them, and I don't really have any equipment that's capable of driving them to the standards that they demand. They seem to do pretty well in spite of it, though.

 

[estreeter]

Hmm - one of the problems I have found with Head-Fi is that any similarities between two headphones can easily be overstated, esp when the comparison is carried into subsequent threads by third parties. The other side of that coin is that you can pick any two people from a given thread and they will often claim to be hearing very different things from the same headphones.

These disclaimers out of the way, I will highlight an area where the 601 still troubles me - the curse of the *occasionally* piercing treble. I have never heard the 701, but nothing I've read elsewhere suggests that it suffers from this malady. The kicker is that, at 50 I am not as susceptible to hot treble as some on this forum : any issues of that nature with the Grados disappeared once they got beyond the 50 hour mark.

A lot of it is mood and whether you have had a decent nights sleep or not, but there is no way that I would deliberately pair these cans with a bright source. Even with well over 200 hours on them, the wrong combination, particularly from a cold amp, will drive many to another pair of cans. I often prefer the 501 or the DT440 for longer listening sessions, yet there are other times when I'll put the 601 on with no particular expectations and they are fantastic. While they have more bass punch than many seem to credit them with, I just dont see them as cans for hard rock/metal, but it may simply be a case of pairing them with the right amp.

 

[snakemaycry]

Hi

I bought mine at the end of July and I'm still not considered if I want to keep them or not. I'm still fighting with 'lack of bass' syndrome and I'm thinking about comparing them to HD600, but I can't find any shop that could let me hear them first

But to the point. I'm using them while listening to various things throught my laptop to CA 540A v2 amp and then to phones. Today I tried to play with amp's EQ, and pushed a really little bit more bass. Damn! These are other phones now with that little bit punch that I deserved all the time. Now help me: will I burn in hell for using EQ (I have it off - flat, on every device that i have) or should I just go and buy myself HD600 because they have what I desire or be happy with EQ'ed K601 and turn off EQ everytime when I'm using speakers (they have enough body and bass) ? I suppose that amping K601 won't give me enought bass increase, thump comparing to EQ. What do You think ?

 

[Jazz9]

Anybody used their K601s with a Shanling PH100?
I've got K601s on the way and have been wondering about what budget amp (<$250) to pair them with.

 

[Jazz9]

Anyone had a good experience with a diy amp with the K601s?
I've looked around and the M^3 seems to be a great amp but it's too expensive for me (like I said in my post above my budget is <$250, used or new).
The CK²III is cheaper and is said to be a nice performer but there's no info on a potential pairing with the 601s.
Same with the Shanling PH100, said to be great with the 701s but what about the 601?
I currently have a Zero Dac/Amp.
If someone has an other alternative in my budget don't hesitate!

 

[Shike]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jazz9 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Anyone had a good experience with a diy amp with the K601s? I've looked around and the M^3 seems to be a great amp but it's too expensive for me (like I said in my post above my budget is <$250, used or new). The CK²III is cheaper and is said to be a nice performer but there's no info on a potential pairing with the 601s. Same with the Shanling PH100, said to be great with the 701s but what about the 601? I currently have a Zero Dac/Amp. If someone has an other alternative in my budget don't hesitate!

I use a Mini^3 with mine without any trouble. It provides more than enough clean power.

 

[Jazz9]

Owner of K601s since yesterday

Expected to have to really crank up the volume with my Zero but surprisingly anything over 9 o'clock is too loud

Still trying to find them a better amp even if I'm satisfied enough with my Zero.

 

[KGM11]

Just got mine (#19xxx). Positive first impression, I think I'm going to really like these.

Currently running them from the headphone out on a mid-70s Yamaha CR-600 receiver hooked up to my Hercules Fortissimo IV. 2.5-3/10 seems plenty loud... how badly do I really need/want a separate, dedicated headphone amp?

 

[scompton]

IMO, you don't. Comments on the ortho thread of the mid 70s Yamaha receivers are very positive. They were designed to drive the difficult to drive Yamaha headphones of the era.

 

[winzzz]

how does k400 and k601 compared to each other ?

 

[KGM11]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scompton /img/forum/go_quote.gif IMO, you don't. Comments on the ortho thread of the mid 70s Yamaha receivers are very positive. They were designed to drive the difficult to drive Yamaha headphones of the era.

Thank you! That's a pleasant surprise, especially since it was a freebie

 

[scompton]

I've never heard a Yamaha, although I'd like to. The K601 is driven very well by my other vintage amps/receivers, NAD 3155, Realistic STA-2200, Kenwood KA-7100, and Hitachi HA-M2 MkII

 

[paulb09]

I agree with scompton.

Your next step would probably be to save for a dedicated DAC / CD player (the Fortissimo is a soundcard right?)

 

[iamthecheese]

Anyone have any experience recabling the 601s?

Something I'm considering as a DIY project but I want some info before tearing open my cans...

 

[paulb09]

I don't think I've seen anyone recable them, but I'd imagine they're as much as a pain as I've heard the K701 is. If I ever get a balanced amp and have excess money I'd love to try making a balanced K601.