[sbulack]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sacundim How would you compare the K501 to the ER-6? I just got recently an ER-6, whose brightness and clarity I am quite enjoying compared to my Senns (HD555). Which is prompting me to replace the HD555 with either an ER-4S, a DT 880, or, more relevantly to this thread, a K501. In particular I'm interested on how the bass in the K501 compares to the ER-6.

I would say that the bass in the K501 is quite balanced with the rest of the acoustic spectrum. I switched to the K501 from the K240S because the bass in the K240S ended up being more prominent in the spectrum than I wanted for more critical listening. I would say that the bass in the ER6 is too low to be balanced with the rest of the acoustic spectrum, and that the ER6's treble is more prominent than I would require for a balanced, life-like sound.

What is in common between the K501 and the ER6 is the level of detail and the quality of the sound in the midrange-thru treble region, AND a well-sized, coherent soundstage that they both present. The ER6 have a decidedly more prominent treble than the K501, but my ear enjoys the fineness of detail presented by both phones and the finesse with which it is presented by both. I find that the new Headsave Classic with AD8620/10 is positively synergistic with the ER6. I love how this amp presents the texture of the sound so viscerally, helping to increase the presence of the bass that IS there in the ER6, AND I love how this amp takes the edge off of the high end with the ER6. I also get a nicely sized, and quite coherent soundstage with both phones. It sounds to me, when I listen to both phones, that the sound is coming from a space well outside of the phones. Without any crossfeed, I get no "blob in the middle of my head" effect with either phones.

 

[robert]

i can stop fretting about the threads. a good thing.

weather is lousy and i've finished the last (yeah, right) mod to the HD, so i've spent much of the day under phone.

one topic that always comes up is SoundStage; what phones have it, which ones don't and the like. today has been a melange of pop, jazz, and classical. today's conclusion (subject to recount): it's mostly in the source. pop stuff (almost exclusively) is pan potted close miked, umm, stuff. take "Tango in the Night". each cut has an element in the left channel and one in the right. and the lead vocal center. really wwwwwwwide soundstage. ummmmm.

non-mainstream jazz, today's selection was "Masada at Tonic, 2001", esp. live stuff, tends to centrist display; although the drummer most always spans the stage. good recordings, though, manage to separate the instruments. "Constellations" (Tiny Bell Trio, aka Dave Douglas) on hatArt. Douglas is center, no surprise. Jim Black, drums, is all the way across, but the guitarist (Brad Something, last name changes with the album; really) nicely separated, but not dead center, and slightly behind Douglas.

anywho. the phones are definitely keepers.

 

[doobooloo]

i like them so much that i have two pairs.

lack of bass? completely remedied by bass boost on my ppa.

 

[Ferbose]

I have had K501 for five years.
It has great clarity and soundstage width, and does not give me the blob-in-my-head kind of congested feeling.
The midrange is transparent and mellow and the treble has good exntension.
The sound is detailed but not fatiguing.
Comfort is first-rate, and build quality is very solid.
It has its limitations in bass, though.
So don't expect it to deliver body-shaking bass.
With bass heavy music, K501 will politely tell you that bass is there, but the bass won't jump out and grab your attnetion.
I am happy with K501 becuase it is great for classical music.

 

[wallijonn]

The K501 compliments the DT880 quite well as they both have similar signatures. For a better bass response either change the cable or add about +2 dB at 50 - 60 Hz. Yeah, I still have my K401 and K501. It's the perfect phone to rest your ears after listening to bright phones for extended periods.

 

[Jose Perez]

I am totally diggin' all the love the K501's have been getting lately and am glad to add a bit of my own. I am so happy with my K501's Their sound never gets old and they are so comfy for prolonged listening. If I had to do it over again I would buy these at more than $100 what I paid for them. Getting the right amp for them is tricky but when you find the right one (in my case the EddieCurrent HD-25) the synergy is magical.

 

[vforrest]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wallijonn The K501 compliments the DT880 quite well as they both have similar signatures. For a better bass response either change the cable or add about +2 dB at 50 - 60 Hz. Yeah, I still have my K401 and K501. It's the perfect phone to rest your ears after listening to bright phones for extended periods.

I am a recent K501 buyer; mine are still burning in. Could you elaborate on cable replacement? I haven't tried removing the cables, but it doesn't look as easy as replacing Senn cables. Who makes replacement cables for the K501s?

 

[robert]

about the bass thing. i'm playing "The Cure"/"The Cure"/Keith Jarrett Trio.

this is one of the few tunes i recall where Jarrett spends most of his time in a deep left hand. Peacock is also forward in the mix (it is a live disc). i've listened to countless times, headphones & speakers.

the bass lines (both Jarrett and Peacock) should be relentless, but not over the right hand or DeJohnette. that's the way it sounds with 501s.

 

[DHT 2A3]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jose Perez Getting the right amp for them is tricky but when you find the right one (in my case the EddieCurrent HD-25) the synergy is magical.

I've only listened to my 501s via my PIMETA, which may not be the best match. Will be interesting to see how they sound with the Porta Corda II (better??). But I have a feeling that to really make them sound exceptional (as opposed to just fantastic

), I'd need a tube amp.

 

[tagosaku]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vforrest I am a recent K501 buyer; mine are still burning in. Could you elaborate on cable replacement? I haven't tried removing the cables, but it doesn't look as easy as replacing Senn cables. Who makes replacement cables for the K501s?

You can ask Larry at http://www.headphile.com/.

 

[gurus]

Thanks for your impressions of the K501s.

Looks like they are a "super bargain" at $139 for what they deliver. I will have mine by end of the week.

 

[Ferbose]

It only occurred to me yesterday that my new DAC1 has pre-amp function and I should try K501 with my sub. Fortunately I have a pair of subwoofers going down to 25 Hz. One of them is now mated with speakers. The second is connected to DAC1 to be used with K501.

Now I can't really complain about the bass of K501 at all. K501 is a complete open design, so subwoofer bass penetrates easily. The bass now has extension and body, and visceral impact as well. Low bass notes also have a pleasant openess, as if it coming from a distance, and in fact it is from a sub 6 ft away. Surprisingly, the added bass opens up the rest of the spectrum as well, and gives an even more spacious feeling than K501 alone. And the kick in the bass--it is wonderful. The kick is as much aural as it is visceral. The body gets the shaken-up feeling, but the ear does not hear overly loud notes--much more like real bass. This is better bass than I have heard on HD580 and an entry-level Stax.

I guess K501 mates better with subs than HD580/600/650. Senns already have great bass, and adding a sub to create visceral impact can add too much bass volume. Vibrators are probably better with Seens. K501 is slightly deficient in bass and adding a sub sounds just right. Oh, K501 already has great bass clarity (fast and tight) that does not mess up the mids, so now I get both bass clarity, speed, extension and kick. Yup, my K501 really rocks, with a sub at least.

 

[kiwirugby]

Two things to underscore what has been said already about the 501s: long, I mean long, burn in period (300+ hours) and an amp with bass boost or some form of eq. These two things combined make the 501s absolutely phemomenal in their wide soundstage and beautifully claer and balanced sound spectrum.

I'm with Bill Ward, get the 501s and the DT880s, you'll never need anything else....or probably couldn't afford it!

 

[gabedamien]

Where are these available for $139??

 

[Nak Man]

Used to be $125 ... sigh.