Lack of bass in AKG's

[gloco]

Hi Possum, i also listen to lighter material as well. Such as Sting, Sarah Mclachlan, Paula Cole, DMB, Jeff Buckley, keb mo, nelly furtado and lots of others. I dont have a problem with switching cans for different genres. Macdef posted a link to musiciansfriend which has them for $120 which sounds like a steal for this quality of headphone on the market.

George

 

[Possum]

Ah, if you don't have a problem switching, then go for them! I just had to try them, too, for the price I was able to pay for them a few months ago - $100 barely used (a very generous price) from a fellow member here, and ended up selling them for about $92-93 because while I enjoyed them, I always found myself missing the bass I had with all of the Sennheiser's I've owned. I have high doubts that people would still sell these headphones for $100 used, so $120 is a VERY good price for a new pair.

 

[MikeR17]

Sounds like the SR-225 would be perfect for you!!

But yeah, if anyone wants to buy one, mine are still for sale.....

I bet you'd probably like the 3000s. They are great phones with a lot of detail and very deep extension. Quite comfortable too

 

[gloco]

Hey Mike, i know...i already have two pairs of Grado's and i'm just looking for a different sound. AKG and BeyerDynamics seem to be on my mind the most over Sennheiser...which a few months ago i was seriously considering until i found out they are definitely not rock cans. Those 3000's seem to have a lot of push around here. But they are a little too much $$$ and again, looking for a different sound (i already have the 7506's). Just looking to expand my horizons (and collection!).

George

 

[Xander]

Quote:

Originally posted by Possum The K501's will have good clarity and a large soundstage, but they might not suit the music you listen to if you want the bass presence felt when you attend a concert given by those groups you listed. Some people who say the K501's are good for rock have mentioned groups that seem to be of lighter styles of rock. I listen to many of the groups you listed, and that kind of music WANTS to convey its bass power. Think what it'd be like if you went to a Metallica or RHCP concert and told the bass guitarists to move to the back of the stage with separate speakers. Sure you'll hear their bass, but you won't feel it like you should.

After listening to the K501s recently, I can't in any way concur with your findings.. What were you driving them on? I found the bass on them to be very neutral on material that was properly mixed and recorded. Percussions, and especially Bass guitar had perfect presence and dynamics. There isnt too much bass, or too little bass. Most of the live music I've heard was played in house and in studio, and I feel very safe saying the K401s and 501s recreate bass very accuratly.

also, gloco.. These are NOT shrill, tinny, thin, bass shy sounding headphones. They're very neutral sounding, and do have a very wide, airy soundstage. They have impact, though not as much as some other phones, and very natural bass presence.

I've listened to these headphones with a different array of amplifiers, and I can say for sertain that the more power, the better. Starting out of my Sony CDP, they sound OK. There is absolutely no low bass to speak of, however. Sound overall is just really merky. Using the high output excellent super-duper headphone jack on my Sansui intergrated, they are transformed. Better separation, wider soundstage, better bass, more low bass, everything. It's like listening to a different set of phones.

 

[gloco]

Hi Xander, cool! Thanks for the info. I will be getting a JMT built amp sometime this week, he set it to 6db gain. I would assume a JMT amp would have more than enough power to drive it (i will need (two 9v batteries to power it). Since i saw that link from Macdef i pretty much on plan on ordering them once i get the amp and probably follow with the Beyer 770's afterwards. I just wanted to make sure to have a good understanding of the low end output of these phones. I think with the 770's it should round out my collection of cans for the time being.

George

 

[Neruda]

Quote:

Originally posted by Xander Using the high output excellent super-duper headphone jack on my Sansui intergrated, they are transformed. Better separation, wider soundstage, better bass, more low bass, everything. It's like listening to a different set of phones.

That sounds like the same effect the SAC has on the K501's. do you know how much power that headphone jack has? (I don't think it'll have a watt at 120 ohms, but the higher the better.)

 

[Possum]

Quote:

What were you driving them on?

I was using a DIY Szekeres amp with a few modifications (see my profile for mods done, see HeadWize's project libraries for design details).

Quote:

Most of the live music I've heard was played in house and in studio, and I feel very safe saying the K401s and 501s recreate bass very accuratly.

My experience with live music is being next to a piano while playing it, being in the back of a concert band while playing percussion instruments, and listening to a few orchestras in concert halls (none of these were for rock music though). For recent live rock, I've heard are a few concerts outdoors in an open space on campus (Guster), and indoors in an oldish auditorium (Moby), a few local bands playing outdoors and indoors in various areas, using loudspeakers to project their sound.

I tried all kinds of rock with the K501's. I went to the K501 from a Sennheiser HD545, and there was a noticeable step down in the bass region. For music where I knew that bass instruments weren't too prominent, the K501 sounded fine. But for a particular song when you're used to hearing the bass come out at you and hit you a certain way, it just wasn't felt as much and left a feeling of dissatisfaction.

I'm not the only one who finds the bass to be thin with the K501 - many others have said it before. If you find the bass on the K501 to be "accurate", then you're probably listening to a different kind of music and prefer your bass to be that way. See my profile again for the kinds of music I listen to. For many of them, the K501 does not produce "accurate" bass in the sense of actually feeling and noticing it the way the artists would want you to.

 

[Possum]

Quote:

also, gloco.. These are NOT shrill, tinny, thin, bass shy sounding headphones. They're very neutral sounding, and do have a very wide, airy soundstage. They have impact, though not as much as some other phones, and very natural bass presence.

gloco, I advise you to audition these somewhere if possible. Sometimes there are completely opposite opinions of headphones as you can see here. These may or may not be what you're looking for.

Just remember, everything ANYONE says about them, even if they demand that it's a fact, is still just THEIR own opinion.

 

[gloco]

Possum, it sounds like your describing the lack of visceral bass. Like many others have wrote about, basically it sounds like the 501's lack punch, so does that mean the bass response is more like the lower end grado's (ie. fast)? Also i found this info about my Yamaha receiver, i assume this is more than enough power:

Headphone jack rated output/impedance
Output level (8 ohms, 0.04% thd)….0.45v
Impedance 330ohms

Let me know, thanks guys!

George

 

[Tim D]

Doo bee doo...there are people that if you tell them you really didn't like Senn HD580/600's for whatever reason they will tell you to get a better beefier more expensive amp. Yet at the same time there will be people that love Senn HD580/600 out of the jacks they have on hand. If you tell them you believe your amp was good enough they might say that your high frequency hearing isn't.

Than there are people that if you tell them you don't like AKG501 for whatever reason...they may tell you to get a better beefier more expensive amp. Yet at the same time there will be people that love their AKG501's out of the jacks they have on hand. If you tell them you believe your jacks are good enough, than they might say you can't hear natural low-end or accurate sound hehe.

Ahhh see this is where Etymotics are instantly better than others...cause you can just say they don't have Ears4Ety's.

I'm being sarcastic of course...but really it comes down to preference. But have fun arguing about how your headphones don't have any weaknesses...only people do!

Not very sure if your receiver jack is good enough however. Also visceral bass is different from just speed or impact. Visceral bass is just physical headshaking bass...it doesn't automatically translate into fast taut bass. 330 ohm output is also not ideal for many headphones I'd imagine...course maybe you're sick of hearing how many reciever/integrated headphone jacks are less than ideal, but there is some truth to the claims.

 

[gloco]

Quote:

Originally posted by Tim D Ahhh see this is where Etymotics are instantly better than others...cause you can just say they don't have Ears4Ety's. I'm being sarcastic of course...but really it comes down to preference. But have fun arguing about how your headphones don't have any weaknesses...only people do!

Ohh you wise ***** lol.

The problem with ety's is that i didn't like the feel of earbuds so i really doubt i would find those comfortable. The only benefit i see of ety's is for air travel...which, i wont be doing anytime this decade, lol. Your correct about people's taste in sound though, some people think the bass reproduction in Grados are great, while others think differently. It's all about opinion, the thing to do when researching is weed out the "way too subjective" opinion. There's always some truth in a lie, you just gotta read through the BS.

George

 

[Xander]

Quote:

Originally posted by Neruda That sounds like the same effect the SAC has on the K501's. do you know how much power that headphone jack has? (I don't think it'll have a watt at 120 ohms, but the higher the better.)

I'm really not quite sure. I can bring it to clipping levels before it gets BLISTERINGLY loud, althought its way too loud for me.

Possum, I don't doubt your ear, as it sounds like you have an idea as to what things are supposed to sound like. I found the K501s pretty neutral, but I didnt get a long listen. What strikes me as odd, though, is that the K401s supposidly have a TINY bit more bass then the K501s, and at times I find these headphones to be a smidgen on the bass heavy side. JUST a tiny bit. Eeenie eenie weenie bit.. Anything just a tiny teenie bit less would be perfect... The K501s...

Anyway, gloco.. You must listen first, and trust your ears. It's true when they say everyone hears something different.

 

[Xander]

Oh, and I'd have to say the K401s nor the K501s sound thin, unless driven on a horrible source.

 

[Neruda]

The K501's get their bass punch with the right power. I wish I knew more about the szekeres' design...it could have tons of power, I don't really know. But a watt at 120 ohms is quite a lot; that's enough to power a reasonably efficient speaker at 8 ohms. Even with the right power though, they'll have less impact than the HD580. I honestly wish the K501's had a more impact. That might be their only failing in my eyes (ears?). That's probably my problem though, because an over-dynamic presentation is simply another form of coloration, which is no good.

Gloco, I ran those specs through an Ohm's law calculator, and it turned out to be 25mW if i did it correctly

. Not a whole ton! That's because the .45V was apparently measured at 8 ohms.