[Brooko]

Yep - the HD600 is one of those cans that just grows on you (or at least it did for me).  Nothing I've heard has ever sounded as 'natural' in both timbre and tone as the HD600. It doesn't have the resolution or refinement as the flagships - but more than makes up for it in other areas. I usually listen to it 3-4 times a week (sometimes more).  Every time I've sold an HD600, I've ended up repurchasing it again later.
 
It can still give me WOW moments - and that is the mark of a keeper.

 

[Brooko]

BTW kman - did you end up picking up a 7XX from Massdrop?  If you did, can you PM me when you get it? Just looking for thoughts on if there are similarities or differences to the other AKGs you've owned/heard.

 

[fb24601]

   
 
Agree with plakat - and I can say for certain that for me the only reason I'd change the K812 cable is for aesthetics. Changing for sonics - I'd say your money is best spent elsehwhere.
 
But please - no cable debate in this thread. If you want to talk cables specifically for the K812 (and their "effect" on sound), take it to the main K812 thread.  Thanks.

Okay I understand.
 
But for certain headphones the cable are of very fine qualities and especially for those that are non-changeable such as T1 and TH900. These manufacturers have shown confidence in the cable quality and make it fixed for the flagships. Both flagships cables are recommended by head-fiders that there is no need for a change.
 
For akg stock cable you can search for comments and I do not need to comment further.
 
T1 sounds brighter in treble than k812 may be due to two reasons: Bass volume higher for k812 and so the overall tone is shifted downward;  the stock cable of k812.
 
The stock cable quality can surely affect the flagship comparisons. I won't disagree doing the comparison with everything just out of the box but I still need to say k812 can be much better. Just a note and I won't argue on cable sound performance anymore.

 

[kman1211]

  Yep - the HD600 is one of those cans that just grows on you (or at least it did for me).  Nothing I've heard has ever sounded as 'natural' in both timbre and tone as the HD600. It doesn't have the resolution or refinement as the flagships - but more than makes up for it in other areas. I usually listen to it 3-4 times a week (sometimes more).  Every time I've sold an HD600, I've ended up repurchasing it again later.
 
It can still give me WOW moments - and that is the mark of a keeper.

Sounds like the HD 600 is one of those special headphones for you. My HD 600 fights with my DT 150 for head time, they have a similar tuning though a bit different, they each have their merits, the HD 600 is so seductive sounding at times. I personally prefer the DT 150's overall though, I find it more refined and transparent(I forget I'm listening to headphones with this thing all the time), it has a lot of wow moments and its the only headphone I own that causes me absolutely no listening fatigue even at higher listening volumes. My left ear tend to clog up when I experience listening fatigue, which is incredibly annoying due to the channel imbalance it causes, especially in the bass. I plan on getting a better DAC in January and see if things change.
 
 

  BTW kman - did you end up picking up a 7XX from Massdrop?  If you did, can you PM me when you get it? Just looking for thoughts on if there are similarities or differences to the other AKGs you've owned/heard.

No I didn't, I already have the K712 and I heard the Annies, which are similar sounding but a bit different, the K712 has more upper treble energy, a bit more vivid sounding, and slightly heavier bass than the Annies. Both are on the darker side, treble presence more akin to the HD 600 though a bit brighter at times. So I have a very good idea what the K7XX will sound like, it will be quite similar if not identical to the K712 or Annies. One of my friends got a K7XX and she has a Q701(which she plans on giving me after she gets the K7XX) and has heard my K712(borrowed for a month), she much preferred the K712 to the Q701 in both sound and comfort which is the whole reason for her getting the K7XX.

 

[Brooko]

  Just a note and I won't argue on cable sound performance anymore.

 
Thanks - I'd appreciate it.

 

[Brooko]

  Sounds like the HD 600 is one of those special headphones for you. My HD 600 fights with my DT 150 for head time, they have a similar tuning though a bit different, they each have their merits, the HD 600 is so seductive sounding at times. I personally prefer the DT 150's overall though, I find it more refined and transparent(I forget I'm listening to headphones with this thing all the time), it has a lot of wow moments and its the only headphone I own that causes me absolutely no listening fatigue even at higher listening volumes. My left ear tend to clog up when I experience listening fatigue, which is incredibly annoying due to the channel imbalance it causes, especially in the bass. I plan on getting a better DAC in January and see if things change.

 
Another headphone I'll have to listen to at some stage - thanks for the advice

 

[SilentFrequency]

Yep - the HD600 is one of those cans that just grows on you (or at least it did for me).  Nothing I've heard has ever sounded as 'natural' in both timbre and tone as the HD600. It doesn't have the resolution or refinement as the flagships - but more than makes up for it in other areas. I usually listen to it 3-4 times a week (sometimes more).  Every time I've sold an HD600, I've ended up repurchasing it again later.

It can still give me WOW moments - and that is the mark of a keeper.

Hope you don't mind me asking what you mean by your hd600 not having the refinement of flagships, in what ways in comparison to these two flagships you have kindly comparison reviewed?

I've seen term "refinement" used quite a bit since joining HF so just curious in how that term is specific to your use of it

Thanks

SF

 

[kman1211]

   
Another headphone I'll have to listen to at some stage - thanks for the advice

No problem, I think you will be pleasantly surprised by them if you ever try them. It is worth listening, it has pretty much universally good reviews for a reason, this headphone made me realize open or closed simply don't matter in terms of sonic fidelity, it's just easier to find good open-backs. I got it because I needed a good closed-back and I read a lot of good things about them, I was taken aback when I heard it, it was an amazing first listen and I really never grew sick of it, it sounded so clean and very open, lush, warm, natural with absolutely no closed-back honkiness and the bass is very solid and with a strong backbone and easily on par with my K712(didn't have the HD 600 then). Sadly my HD 600 wasn't a good first listen to me(my K712 was being borrowed at this time so this is my impressions coming from the DT 150 alone), it grew on me a lot though. The HD 600 sounded suffocatingly congested and veiled when I first put them on which confused me at first as the DT 150 is actually slightly darker overall and a closed-back. 

 

[Brooko]

Hope you don't mind me asking what you mean by your hd600 not having the refinement of flagships, in what ways in comparison to these two flagships you have kindly comparison reviewed?

I've seen term "refinement" used quite a bit since joining HF so just curious in how that term is specific to your use of it

Thanks

SF

 
Refinement for me (in the context I use it) would include overall resolution, extension at both ends of the frequency, and the ability to portray a track smoothly and evenly - without any grain etc.
 
My thoughts on HD600 vs HD800 can be seen in  this post : http://www.head-fi.org/t/742673/comparison-review-a-tale-of-two-flagships-t1-vs-hd800#post_11052644

 

[SilentFrequency]

Refinement for me (in the context I use it) would include overall resolution, extension at both ends of the frequency, and the ability to portray a track smoothly and evenly - without any grain etc.

My thoughts on HD600 vs HD800 can be seen in  this post : http://www.head-fi.org/t/742673/comparison-review-a-tale-of-two-flagships-t1-vs-hd800#post_11052644

Thank you!

And I'm off to read your 600 v 800 review now

 

[0MoUsE0]

Very very nice review and comparison !
Thanks a lot !

 

[Criss969]

OP check out "David Maxim Micic - Bilo 3.0".. The first track of that album should sound amazing with those cans. I'm so jealous!

 

[Brooko]

  OP check out "David Maxim Micic - Bilo 3.0".. The first track of that album should sound amazing with those cans. I'm so jealous!

 
Thanks.  Unfortunately the K812 are back with their owner now.  I'll check it out with the T1 though - every time I spend time with the Beyers I grow to appreciate them more .......

 

[TrollDragon]

  If T1's balanced and natural sound signature fits your aural requirements, as it fits mine as well, then you will find LCD2/ V1/V2 as unacceptably unnatural and 'dark'.
Yours is a pretty good summing up of T1 but I have to add a note - I could not find out what the output impedance [o.i.] of Little Dot MkIV is but considering that this amp accommodates headphones with 32 Ohm impedance this indicates that its output impedance is too low for T1. On amplifiers with low .o.i. T1 sounds a bit thinner. On an amp with the o. i. of at least 100 Ohm T1's voice deepens, there is more bass quantity. The tones also gain more weight. The amplifiers which Beyerdynamic makes for its 600 Ohm headphones have 100 Ohm impedance output. 
In your review you did not do impedance matching for T1.

 
 

   
Thanks for the thoughts on the LCDs - I think I'll have to listen to them at some stage, but I guess that was what I was expecting though.
 
AFAIK the LD MKIV is around 40-50 ohms on the output impedance.  It is a true OTL - so ideally suited for the T1. It's probably not ideal for the lower impedance K812 though - although when I tried the AKG on both my NFB-12 (very low OI) and compared to the LD, there really wasn't that much of a sonic difference.
 
And I didn't do impedance matching on the amps - because if I want to run the two headphones through the same gear for a side-by-side match, there is no amp that will supply  a correct damping factor (according to your theory of T1 needing 100 ohm+).
 
I find your theory of needing at least 100 ohms OI for the T1 intriguing.  I understand the theory behind a too low damping ratio - but not so much too high.  As long as the headphone is getting enough voltage and current it shoudl be fine.  LD MKIV delivers both to the T1.  I've never felt that it has been bass light or thin on my system.

 
Directly from the Little Dot MK IV pages...
 
Pre-Amplifier Output Impedance: 600 ohms
 
You will find upon opening the MK IV that the cables going to Line Out jacks and Headphone Out socket are both connected to the same traces on the board. 

 

[TrollDragon]

Excellent review as always!