[analogbox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by progo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Oh man, I didn't know the K1000s were liquid sounding... LITERALLY. When tremendously enjoying "Perfect Sense" on Water's In the Flesh the ears seemed to wet themselves.

Now, I'm jealous.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

I'll know tomorrow how the K1000 sound off the new Eddie Current ZDT.

 

[derekbmn]

Analogbox....I have been following your journey with the K1000 and thought I would offer a few suggestions.

I saw a suggestion earlier in the thread regarding running your Aleph without a preamp. NOT A GOOD IDEA as the Alephs have low voltage gain and as such do VERY poorly running direct from a source, and passive preamps as well. Keep your Decware in the setup.
Tubes.....
The Sylvanias are decent 6922s ...BUT they do have a brighter tonality and also lack refinement in comparison to many others. I would look for some Matsu****as. These are 6922 tubes that can still be found for sane prices in comparison to the Mullards. These were made in Japan and with Mullard tooling. They sound VERY similar and internal construction appears the same.
They are smooth,refined and slightly warm sounding and have great inner detail that sucks you into the music.

Cables.....
I have experimented alot here, trying many DIY designs including VH recipe silver cables, cables built from stranded copper and many others. In the end I ended up using one of my old trusty favorites ,that being cables built Tara Labs. I have been fond of their cables since the late 80s. Their cables are of solid core copper construction and work wonderfully with the K1000s. They offer everything one needs in a K1000 rig including some warmth without any loss of detail. Refinement, spaciousness and solid 3D images is a strong point of their cables in general. (some of their older stuff can be found on Ebay for decent prices)

Sources.....
Pretty obvious here as bright, hard and or overly "digital" sounding sources need not apply.


Other Stuff.....
Don't overlook the simple task of positioning the phones themselves. Getting the right driver toe out and front to back positioning on your head can have a substantial effect. And different positioning may be desirable for different recordings.

Also keep that Aleph plugged directly into the wall outlet and NOT through any power conditioner(s). It will really suck the life out of the setup.

All of this is IMHO and nothing more. I hope some of it helps.

 

[analogbox]

derekbmn:

Thanks for your suggestions. In the brief moment where I had the Aleph connected directly from the DAC, the sound coming out of K1000's were lower than I expected so I think you're right about that.

As for the tubes, I've been eyeing some Amperex 6922's to go with CSP2 but the Matsu****as sound very interesting, too. Either way, I think I'll be experimenting with some tubes in the near future.

The weakest point of my rig is the source and cable. I'm currently out of budget to upgrade any of them but I believe they are still decent enough to let me enjoy the music. Nevertheless, I'm keeping an eye out for good deals on IC's and a DAC.

 

[krmathis]

I am really pleased to see that more of you get your eyes and ears open for the magical K1000.
Liquid certainly is one way to describe the sound..

 

[Hirsch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by number1sixerfan /img/forum/go_quote.gif Has anyone compared a stock K1000 with a commercially recabled K1000 side by side?

Yes.

 

[Pyriel0]

Can someone explain why the sound would be worse without a preamp. I thought as long as the power amp got enough of a signal to drive the headphones loud enough it was ok. I don't understand the difference between using a computer/volumite to control the volume and using a preamp to control it. I understand if the amp needs more than the source can output that a preamp would need to be used, but not the other way around.

 

[derekbmn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pyriel0 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Can someone explain why the sound would be worse without a preamp. I thought as long as the power amp got enough of a signal to drive the headphones loud enough it was ok. I don't understand the difference between using a computer/volumite to control the volume and using a preamp to control it. I understand if the amp needs more than the source can output that a preamp would need to be used, but not the other way around.

The Aleph 3 in this case ,DOES need more than the standard 2V to reach full output. Without it ....they sound rather anemic and lifeless.

 

[Pyriel0]

Ah ok. I have an F1 coming within the next few hours and I am hoping it will work well coming from the buffalo. If it doesn't, I guess I will have to use my shanlings as preamps for awhile. Thanks

 

[derekbmn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pyriel0 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ah ok. I have an F1 coming within the next few hours and I am hoping it will work well coming from the buffalo. If it doesn't, I guess I will have to use my shanlings as preamps for awhile. Thanks

Very exciting !! Please let us know how it works out for you. A little experimentation can go a long way when fine tuning a K1000 rig.(but very much worth the effort)

I do have a feeling the Shanlings will end up in front of the F1.

Edit: pretty sure the PH100s do not have a preamp out...correct ?

 

[Pyriel0]

No they don't. I would just have to make a couple trs->xlr connectors and run them from the headphone outputs to the f1 inputs if that would work. I don't have any other options/gear right now.

Its 2 pm for me atm so hopefully the F1 will be here in the next 3 hours. Just sitting here anxiously waiting lol.

 

[tmarshl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pyriel0 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ah ok. I have an F1 coming within the next few hours and I am hoping it will work well coming from the buffalo. If it doesn't, I guess I will have to use my shanlings as preamps for awhile. Thanks

You are in for a treat! I also recommend recabling the K1000s if you haven't done so already. Makes a tremendous difference.

 

[Pyriel0]

It just got here and I don't need a preamp for the F1 at least. I have to set the computer output to -35 db just to listen at a normal level with the buffalo going straight into the amp. I guess I will go ahead and order a volumite for the buffalo now.

Only listened to some of the song Crush by Dave Matthews so far but it sounds wonderful.

 

[Donald North]

I am intrigued that you guys are try the F1 with the K1000, considering that the F1 is more of a constant current source amplifier with 80 ohm output impedance.

http://www.firstwatt.com/products/f1.htm

 

[analogbox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'll know tomorrow how the K1000 sound off the new Eddie Current ZDT.

Any news?