[jaybar]

Hi all-

Are thyere any amps for the AKG K1000 headphones that would be significantly better than my current Grace m902 and:

1) Be less than 4" high
2) Do not need more than 1" of ventilation (spece between shelves on my audio rack is only 5")
3) Be no more than 15" wide

I assume I need an amp with a volume control or integrated amp, since I will eb conntectting it to my souces via a tape out on an existing integrated amp (Ayre AX-7).

A balance control would be a plus, but not essential.

I would be willing to spend up to $2500. Less is always better.

Things that come to mind, like the Cary SE1 or Single power will not fit into my rack, which only had 5" between shelves.

The Grace is good (very good), but the sound is ever so slightly thin and undynamic. With the Grace, I find the low gain setting preferable to the high gain setting. With the high gain setting it does sound warmer, but it loses transparancy and dynamics and is slighly more noisy. I could live with the Grace, but wondered if ther was better out there, that could fit in my rack.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Jay

 

[Ferbose]

I think RSA Raptor has a low profile, not sure about its actual dimensions though. If you are not completely satisfied with K1000/m902 (pretty good to my ears), tube amp is probably what you need. I like how K1000 sounds with Raptor.

 

[jaybar]

Thanks Ferbose.

Not enough clearance because of heat, according to Ray.

Jay

 

[grawk]

I think a balanced m3 could be done less than 4" high that could provide much love for K1000s.

 

[Teerawit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grawk I think a balanced m3 could be done less than 4" high that could provide much love for K1000s.

True; single-ended mode would be able to power them too.

 

[grawk]

Yes, but then you're way outclassed by the other amps listed...

 

[Ferbose]

How about Nelson Pass' First Watt amplifiers?
The website does not say how tall it is.

 

[DigiPete]

I built a single-ended Dynahi into a 12x12x3" Parmetals enclosure.

 

[jaybar]

Grawk

Thanks so much. The M3 appears to eb a DIY project and that is not an option.

Ferbose

Judging from the pictures of the Firstwatt amps on 6moons.com, I doubt that it would fit.

Jay

 

[Teerawit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grawk Yes, but then you're way outclassed by the other amps listed...

A balanced M3 doesn't mean it's >> (greater than) than a single-ended M3 when both are run in single-ended mode (he's not running in balance mode here).

If you don't want a DIY-type amp then I wouldn't suggest the Dynahi either.

 

[SteveM324]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaybar Hi all- 2) Do not need more than 1" of ventilation (spece between shelves on my audio rack is only 5") 3) Be no more than 15" wide Any ideas? Thanks, Jay

Jay,
Why not consider getting a new rack? You could sell your present one on Audiogon and then yours options are not limited by size. Also, I just sold my Grace 901 to get something better to drive my K1000's. I had similiar impressions of the Grace driving the K1000's (ok, but lean and the bass wasn't full enough). I bought the Portal Panache integrated amp about a week ago and it is night vs day better than the Grace with AKG's. The Panache really warms up the K1000's and the bass is much much deeper and better controlled. BTW, the Panache is also better than my Raptor at driving the K1000's. I would say that the Raptor and the 901 were about even in performance when driving the K1000's (both sound lean).

 

[grawk]

K1000s are balanced. Either get some balancing transformers ($100 a pair) or a balanced source, and the rig would be balanced.

 

[jaybar]

Steve-

I have benn struggling with the rack issue for several years.

I have two Zoethecus racks-One is their standard width of 25.5 inches with 8" between shelves and one is their "UK" sized rack which is much more compact and only has 5" between shelves.

Both racks together are 46" wide. If I get replace the more compact rack with one of standard dimensions, then the racks would jutt out into the foyer of our apartment and we would not be able to easily and safely walk in/out. Since I am visually impaired, not having the raclks in a position where I might bump into them is an important consideration.

We will eventually be moving to Florida in about 6-7 years and we will have a new space which will be able to contain larger racks, but untill then, I am not sure.

Jay

 

[Michael G.]

Using the K-1000, a little slice of audio nirvana was found when I met the Bryston 2BLP SS amp. It's an extremely low profile (1-1/2" tall) amp, and it barely runs warm when I drive the K-1000's, so even an inch or so of top clearance would be fine. The only version still available from Bryston is the 2BLP "Pro", and besides the inclusion of volume controls it is the same amp as the standard 2BLP. The $1000, 60 watt per channel 2BLP is powerful enough to double as a loudspeaker amp and it gives musical, tonally well-balanced, and unfatiguing sound with the K-1000's. Plus, you get an excellent 20 year transferrable warranty. A real "sleeper" bargain, and I'm willing to bet it can compete with any other headphone amp being recommended to drive the K's.

 

[SteveM324]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael G. The only version still available from Bryston is the 2BLP "Pro", and besides the inclusion of volume controls it is the same amp as the standard 2BLP.

I'm not sure that 2BLP is still available. I just checked Brystons website and I didn't see it. I agree Bryston make excellent equipment. I owned the B60 integrated amp a few years ago and it may work well with the K1000's but I never tried it. I think they list for $1500 new, but you can get them on Audiogon for about $800-$1000. The B60 SST is a current model and it is very low in profile. I'm sure that the Bryston would outperform the Grace 902 if you drove the K1000's off the speaker posts of the B60. However, I'm not sure whether driving other headphones off the B60's headphone jack would be equal to the 902.