Astell and Kern AK 240 with Hifiman HE 1000s

[billtboys]

Next week, both the Hifiman HE 1000 headphone and the Astell and Kern AK 240 will be shipped to me. Will the 240 be able to drive these cans (non-balanced) with plenty of room?  If not, will it be able to drive them from the 2.5mm balanced jack? The specs on the 1000 are as follows: Impedence 35+-3 Ohms and sensitivity 90db.  It's sounds easily driven to me, but I just don't know for sure. Also, is there a benefit, other than a little extra oomph, that balanced has over non balanced. 

 

[gancanjam]

I tried my AK240 and auditioned HE1000 for a long listening using non balanced port. The pair was in audible levels but sounded very mediocre, then used Pico power as amp in between and then HE1000 significantly kicked up well with clarity/punch/volume/SS.I do not believe just by using a  balanced port will kick it up as well. 
 
Would not recommend you to use HE1000 / AK240 without an amp and you do not need a strong desktop amp for HE1000 like HE6 or HD800 but at least a decent portable amp is required.  AK240 balanced ports makes it slightly louder and opens it up to make the sound airier ( i did not tested this balanced port with HE1000 though but only one other IEMs)  Go buy an Amp !

 

[billtboys]

Thanks for the advice. I've got several portable  DAC/AMPs. I'll use the one that works best with the 1000s. 

 

[billtboys]

How do you like your AK 240?

 

[gancanjam]

AK240 Pros: Excellent all rounder in terms of SQ and ease of use, handle most file types, neutral signature, details and clarity is excellent, if song calls for Bass and treble then it will be heard for sure else it will not add anything on its own to the sound, coming from other lesser DAPs like DX90/Fiio then it will wow the listener , very capable of deep low extensions and sparkly extended highs without roll offs in either spectrum but again only if the song is recorded that way

AK240 Cons: EQ is there but not practical to use as it will mess the SQ like muffling it,reduce volume levels etc. , this means songs cannot be altered say.. increasing the bass for a bass shy song,  can only drive easy to drive IEMs and considering the price range it is disappointing,  not as musical sounding like some e.g. HM901(s) but towards more analytical sound but it does not mean that it is less engaging or flat/cold sounding, very small previous/next song button in the left side, slower boot up

I wanted to choose between AK240 and HM901 but finally went towards AK240 because HM901 had an awful interface but from last year onwards HM901s is is in production with a bit better interface .. Lotto paw gold was another contender before i bought AK240 but it was more transparent so thought it may not be very tolerant to my low res MP3s. So finally chose AK240 and no major complaints so far

I had tried AK240 + Amp + HE1000 combination,  it is jolly good fun mainly due to HE1000 abilities. HE1000 sounded great with anything thrown at it including even poor recordings ! HP1000 had a nice ever present sub bass but compared to many other bassy HPs had a lesser mid bass punch but i liked it that way as the bass sounded very luxurious.  It is the best HP i have auditioned IMO even better than HD800 or LCDs . Stax009 can give HE1000 a run for the money but comparatively it had lesser bass quantity, thinner sound and unforgiving for low res music . I am planning to get HE1000 myself, you have made a great choice.

 

[billtboys]

Man...you made my day. I'm at the end of a year of looking for better sound. Started off slow, made plenty of huge mistakes and learned very slowly.  Still, after a year, I feel like a novice. I probably bought more 600 dollar phones than any other price range and finally realized that I should just pick my end game and stop this silly accumulation of mid range headphones. Started feeling like an addiction.  So buying the AK240 and the 1000s is my version of an end game, so I can chill on the spending. I've got the STAX 207s, and that would probably have sufficed, but I feel I need something a bit less "referency", if you will. Plus, I need something that doesn't tie you down to an electrical outlet.... I need  something more relaxing and liquid. I hope the 1000s are the right choice.   But you've made me feel better about both of my decisions. Thanks!

 

[gancanjam]

Want to share few more words to assure you on your end game setup choice  
 
Imagine what can be better than your setup ? almost nothing .. May be the terrific Abyss AB1266  or LCD4 can challenge the HE1000, make no mistake all these three are technical exuberance but still HE1000 in my humble opinion is bit more balanced and handles top to bottom well as the treble in other two HPs may slightly fall behind their great Bass/Mids but again it all comes down to personal preference on these 3 HPs but HE1000 is a safer choice for relaxed luxurious listening instead of say the thunderous bass punches and heavy weight of Abyss HPs. Coming to AK240, may be AK240SS or AK380 can outclass it but only by a small margin unless you are talking about  very high bit recording DSD128 which is anyways not a norm in availability. You also can probably buy $2000 cable and make your rig a bit better
 
But to conclude whatever you do will not make your current end game setup jump to more than 5-15 % so i think you are already there and  just enjoy your setup  
 
I am doing long replies as I know exactly what you are saying about the hunt for end game setup as i tried saving money to go for many mid-fi rigs but ended up spending more in due course. But buying interim mid-fi also serves the purpose because when you do find your end game setup, you feel good that you have elevated to a new higher level compared to your mid-fi's ! Even I am trying to find an end game IEM now, deciding between Tralucent 1plus2.2, Rhapsodio Solar and UM Mentor and have also posted in this forum but no love yet from other HeadFi ers on recommendations my quest goes on and  hopefully i will find my  IEM soon

 

[billtboys]

Man...Thanks for the shot of confidence. I unexpectedly got my 240 in today. Coming soon is  a compatible (and doubtable) A and K CD stripper.  My hunt for better sound quality has ended with the 240. That's my end game. The 1000 will be awesome freakin' icing on the cake though. I haven't listened to anything better than CD quality and I owe my Grado 500es a big apology for keeping them on a hook for 6 months.  No offense to Grados (I think my 56 year old hearing is perfect for them) but imagine how good the 1000s are gonna sound on the 240 compared to the Grados. That was the most intense 2 and a half songs in my life and they were all 16/44.1....Listening to the music on my computer through MQS streaming. I'm guessing that's as good as it gets for me. For lack of a better word, what I just heard on the 240 was the cleanest sounding music I've ever heard. Plus the soundstage on  the grados was just right. I think the focus is was makes the soundstage extra good. Not huge...It just feels perfect.   It's going to elevate my listening on all my headphones.   I haven't played it through the STAX yet but I'm sure when I do, my mind will be blown.  Probably gonna use a Oppo HA2  to amp the signal between the 240 and the 1000s.  I'm not just going to assume that I can't hear better than CD quality. But before I go try to find 24/96 or whatever, I'm going to rip CDs because CD quality blows my mind on these  strange mid range cans through the 240.  In the meantime, I'm gonna have to figure which music sites are really putting out music that was recorded in quality, mastered in quality and mass produced in quality. I have no idea how to do that at this point, but I'm not gonna waste any money. I only regret a few purchases. Other than a couple of pairs of gimmicky headphones, I bought all of them without listening to a single one before I bought it. Just based it on reviews on youtube, mostly and some written reviews. It won't drive the 600s without an amp. Good luck on your IEM endgame...And don't tempt me. The thought of starting over horrifies me...LOL.  I have a balanced adapter coming pretty soon.I'll report back whether it makes a difference or not.   This was a huge decision for me, and I pretty much threw up a hail mary on those two audio choices, so thanks for making me feel good about it.  Almost forgot...The 1000s are coming Monday. 

 

[gancanjam]

You know what, after talking to you on HE1000 i bought a near new one yesterday from an Head Fi'er ! Ordered Amp and cables for it and waiting for that to come. Thought of waiting for HE1000 V2 but not sure when it will come so got the used original one at a good price.  Recently heard HD800S and LCD4 which were great but the former was bright and latter was dark for my taste so felt good about HE1000 purchase.  How do you like your HE1000 so far and which amp do you use ?

 

[billtboys]

I'm kind of spooked about Audeze's because my EL-8s developed problems with the cable going into the driver. Not the cable, the female part inside the phones. I think the Audezes would be too dark for me too, from what I hear. The 1000s are perfect for the way I want to listen to music.  Not as much detail as the STAX, but a sound stage that is just beautiful and I could listen for hours because of that warm, relaxing sound. It was a perfect fit, as you suggested. I like the 600s...Have a pair...Great reference headphone, but I never plug a song in and just listen. I have the feeling that the 800s would give me that feeling too, so they've never been an option for me. I rarely need good reference cans to do my job, so my goal was just to own a few to get a feel for them. I'm using an Oppo HA2 for that extra volume on the 1000s, and I don't think it quite gets me there. However, I really can't make that judgement until I get the adapters for balanced output in. Might give it enough oomph. If that doesn't do it, I'll  need an amp that more than barely drives them and I don't have one yet. Needs to be portable. Any advice on the matter would be appreciated. Glad you got you a pair of 1000s. 

 

[billtboys]

What amp did you get?

 

[gancanjam]

I am getting Neco soundlab V4 amp from an Head Fi'er , it will reach mid next week and should be able to drive my HE1000 very well. It is portable and also not that expensive for its quality, the reviews have been rave comparing it to desktop amps. I can share my thoughts mid next week on this . It is not a balanced amp which most portables are not but still it should be good.

 

[gancanjam]

Also i have personally listened to Pico Power ( not regular slim version)  which can drive HE1000 well with 60%-70% volume dial , but i have a feeling that Neco  V4 can do a better job.  I have also listened to Alo continental which is relatively portable can do a fantastic job but it is 5-6 times expensive than the Pico and Neco respectievely

 

[billtboys]

I couldn't find a pic of it on line, but I saw a V3 and the build looks great. Please let me know if it works well. Might do the same thing. 

 

[billtboys]

Cool...Please let me know.