[sumo-kun]

Wow, these cans seem to have a pretty big following now. I was considering these a while back when they were first released here but I decided against them because they were not very neutral. I don't own them so I can't really write with any great authority but listening to them in the shop for a long time has given me the impression that these are way too deep in the bass region. They are spacious and really comfortable and I guess they would do for more non-critical type listening. The first time I tried these on, I instantly noticed the deep and artificial bass. Its like its got some bass boost circuit in them or something. I am used to listening to STAX SR303s so most cans sound bassy to me, but these were probably the bassiest in the whole shop, even more than the Denon D5000s. BTW, the shop I go to is in Tokyo and they have jsut about every model of high end phone on display to try in little booths, each amped and connected to a high end Marantz CD player. I have listened to almost all of the cans there and the Kenwoods were near the top of the pile but they are rather pricey.

The tops of the Kenwoods are clean but they are a bit sharp. The mids are maybe a little recessed. The soundstage is very wide and "airy" but that detracts from being able to hear the smaller details. They don't approach STAX level of clarity or openness but its not bad for a dynamic phone. I remember that these were not very smooth but rather lively and quite tiring to listen too. I got the impression that these were not really balanced and neutral but more tailored for a "pop" type sound which would impress instantly but would in the end be fatiguing.

My bottom line is that these are competent but for the price I think better could be had. Very lively and "in your face" but will probably get tiring after a while.
Of course, I don't own these and so you should take the above comments with a pinch of salt as it were. The source, amp or whatever might not have been optimal in the shop so don't believe everything I say

One thing is certain though, these things have too much bass and it sounds artificial. No amp/source can possibly have so much of an effect as to make these sound so bassy. It is at least crisp-ish bass so bass heads will probably like these

 

[nick20]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sumo-kun /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wow, these cans seem to have a pretty big following now. I was considering these a while back when they were first released here but I decided against them because they were not very neutral. I don't own them so I can't really write with any great authority but listening to them in the shop for a long time has given me the impression that these are way too deep in the bass region. They are spacious and really comfortable and I guess they would do for more non-critical type listening. The first time I tried these on, I instantly noticed the deep and artificial bass. Its like its got some bass boost circuit in them or something. I am used to listening to STAX SR303s so most cans sound bassy to me, but these were probably the bassiest in the whole shop, even more than the Denon D5000s. BTW, the shop I go to is in Tokyo and they have jsut about every model of high end phone on display to try in little booths, each amped and connected to a high end Marantz CD player. I have listened to almost all of the cans there and the Kenwoods were near the top of the pile but they are rather pricey. The tops of the Kenwoods are clean but they are a bit sharp. The mids are maybe a little recessed. The soundstage is very wide and "airy" but that detracts from being able to hear the smaller details. They don't approach STAX level of clarity or openness but its not bad for a dynamic phone. I remember that these were not very smooth but rather lively and quite tiring to listen too. I got the impression that these were not really balanced and neutral but more tailored for a "pop" type sound which would impress instantly but would in the end be fatiguing. My bottom line is that these are competent but for the price I think better could be had. Very lively and "in your face" but will probably get tiring after a while. Of course, I don't own these and so you should take the above comments with a pinch of salt as it were. The source, amp or whatever might not have been optimal in the shop so don't believe everything I say One thing is certain though, these things have too much bass and it sounds artificial. No amp/source can possibly have so much of an effect as to make these sound so bassy. It is at least crisp-ish bass so bass heads will probably like these

Sounds like a high-end DT770, with a splice of Grado. Maybe a hybrid - let's call it the RS-770.

There also seems to be a large following, because people are generously curious.

 

[mr.khali]

Hmmm..... very interesting. Looking forward to hearing more reviews. Kees, have you heard the DT 150's? If so how do these compare?

 

[Kees]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sumo-kun /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wow, these cans seem to have a pretty big following now. I was considering these a while back when they were first released here but I decided against them because they were not very neutral. I don't own them so I can't really write with any great authority but listening to them in the shop for a long time has given me the impression that these are way too deep in the bass region. They are spacious and really comfortable and I guess they would do for more non-critical type listening. The first time I tried these on, I instantly noticed the deep and artificial bass. Its like its got some bass boost circuit in them or something. I am used to listening to STAX SR303s so most cans sound bassy to me, but these were probably the bassiest in the whole shop, even more than the Denon D5000s. BTW, the shop I go to is in Tokyo and they have jsut about every model of high end phone on display to try in little booths, each amped and connected to a high end Marantz CD player. I have listened to almost all of the cans there and the Kenwoods were near the top of the pile but they are rather pricey. The tops of the Kenwoods are clean but they are a bit sharp. The mids are maybe a little recessed. The soundstage is very wide and "airy" but that detracts from being able to hear the smaller details. They don't approach STAX level of clarity or openness but its not bad for a dynamic phone. I remember that these were not very smooth but rather lively and quite tiring to listen too. I got the impression that these were not really balanced and neutral but more tailored for a "pop" type sound which would impress instantly but would in the end be fatiguing. My bottom line is that these are competent but for the price I think better could be had. Very lively and "in your face" but will probably get tiring after a while. Of course, I don't own these and so you should take the above comments with a pinch of salt as it were. The source, amp or whatever might not have been optimal in the shop so don't believe everything I say One thing is certain though, these things have too much bass and it sounds artificial. No amp/source can possibly have so much of an effect as to make these sound so bassy. It is at least crisp-ish bass so bass heads will probably like these

Nice to see some more impressions. Thanks.
I largely agree with your findings. I think though that the pair you listened to might have needed a bit more burn-in. Mine settled very nicely after a few days. The bass is tighter and the highs are definitely not screetchy. Still a lot of bass though, no question about that. I also find them to be (after a lot of head-time) not fatiguing at all. I definitely agree with the rest of your comments.
And I still rather like them a lot.

 

[Kees]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr.khali /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hmmm..... very interesting. Looking forward to hearing more reviews. Kees, have you heard the DT 150's? If so how do these compare?

I must say I never heard the DT150.

 

[Fungi]

I listened to them *briefly* in Japan and liked what they did, but of course I LOVED what the RS-1 did so I don't remember much else too well

For the same money I'm tempted to say the ESW9 is better, but then again the Kenwoods are full size and my memory isn't clear. (Also, both are around $200 in Japan now.)

 

[richierich]

$200 for the K1000s in japan? Dang it might be worth it to ask my friend in Japan to send me the K1000s.

 

[silverrain]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skylab /img/forum/go_quote.gif Mine have shipped - hope to get them in 10 days or so. Glad i got them before the price went up

Same here.

 

[silverrain]

While waiting for my K1000 to arrive, I re-visited the ebay site to read the specs again, and noticed this important fact!

Quote from ad:
Port where low region playing wide cooking stove is achieved
To reproduce a low region with the expansion richly, the port has been optimized.

Whoa!
If anybody was undecided about buying a pair of these, this should make you grab your wallet and make it cry!

Gotta love these translations....

 

[obobskivich]

i was considering buying this, but couldn't find a lot of information on them, everything I read was good, but it wasn't this detailed, now I'm definitely ordering a pair

what I'm afraid of is, hating my D2000's, which I hold as the best quality headphones i've ever heard (vs basically anything my dealer had, except maybe the GS1000's, but the Denon's won on comfort and price)

and now i'm reading that the KH-K1000's are gonna come in, and be like, WHO'S YOUR DADDY, and my denon's will go up on a shelf and be forgotten (

)

now, one question I have, on that self adjusting head-band thing, can you still hang them for storage, from the metal hoop, or the headband, or whatever?

 

[Skylab]

Mine came today - WOW! Fast shipping. Will be breaking them in before any real impressions, but a quick listen was definitely favorable

 

[richierich]

Sweet! Can't wait to read your initial impressions Skylab

 

[Wilashort]

i too, specially with fast music...
Quote:

Originally Posted by richierich /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sweet! Can't wait to read your initial impressions Skylab

 

[PeterDLai]

Quote:

Originally Posted by silverrain /img/forum/go_quote.gif While waiting for my K1000 to arrive, I re-visited the ebay site to read the specs again, and noticed this important fact! Quote from ad: Port where low region playing wide cooking stove is achieved To reproduce a low region with the expansion richly, the port has been optimized. Whoa! If anybody was undecided about buying a pair of these, this should make you grab your wallet and make it cry! Gotta love these translations....

I've always wanted to cook with my headphones.

 

[richierich]

**twiddling thumbs** still waiting Skylab.....