[acs236]

I bought a pair of AKG 501s on the head-fi market. I can only wonder what head-fi personalities have tried, or even owned these phones.

I am looking for headphones to listen to at work. They need to be open and comfortable. I picked up pair of MS-1s, which met only one of the requirements. I am not convinced that, for me, comfort requires that they be circumaural.

After giving the AKG 501s a brief listen, the midrange immediately popped out at me. My main full sized phones are the HD580s, so this was quite a change. I had always been looking for a headphone that approached the Ety 4s midrange, which is the best that I've heard. I believe the AKG 501 might be the closest that I've found so far. More listening is in order.

I also notice a slight increase in the depth of the soundstage with these compared to the 580s.

 

[elrod-tom]

I love my AKG K501's. They have the sweetest midrange that I've heard yet, and very comfortable. Oh, and that soundstage...keep listening, it opens up even more.

 

[MoLtoSoLo]

I love the K501 too. It's just a very very nice headphone.
It was hard choosing between K1000 and K501, but at the end the K1000 just stole my heart.
Happy Listening.

 

[screwdriver]

no doubt about the 501's detail and soundstage which is really excellent .

you need a lot to power them to bring out the bass though.

overall they are very good headphones .

 

[SENOR4Q]

Yes, these phones need ALOT of power to drive them. With the extra power though, the soundstage does get deeper more than wider, as opposed to most phones. The treble extension also increases quite a bit. Overall, the best headphones I have heard (which, admitantly aren't many)