[citroeniste]

NOTE: Initial post edited to include a sampling of my usual audition pieces that I use for speakers)

I'm going to be auditioning the AKG K-1000 soon, and I was wondering if some of y'all could give me some examples of material you think best shows off its WEAKNESSES.

To give you an inkling of my musical tastes, here's a list of what I used to audition Tannoy's TD12 when I was considering buying them:

-Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, "Amazing Grace" (Live Art)

-Natalie Mechant, "Space Oddity" (Live in Concert)

-Shostakovich 7, 1st mvt, Yuri Temirkanov/St. Petersburg Phil. (London)

-Sarah McLachlan, "Path of Thorns" (Mirrorball)

-Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds, "Cry Freedom" (Luther College)

-Ludacris, "Coming 2 America" (Word of Mouf)

-John Coltrane, "Greensleeves" (Coltrane box set)

-Mahler 6, 2nd mvt Levi/Atlanta SO (Telarc)

-Dave Matthews Band, "Crush" (BCTS)

-Pink Floyd, "Time" (DSotM, Mobile Fidelity Ultradisc II)

-The Brecker Brothers, "Some Skunk Funk" (Heavy Metal BeBop)

-Led Zeppelin, "Tea for One" (Box Set 2)

-Outkast, "Spaghetti Junction" (

Yes, it was a long audition, and I expect my K-1000 audition will be similar in length. Getting to SCS isn't exactly easy without a car as it is...

PS: Here's the complete message I got from Hr. Martin Seidl of AKG, with English translation below. Considering that I prefer the the TAH/580 combination to the Orpheus, I don't know if I should be encouraged or discouraged by his comments....
---------------
Media Markt in SCS hat einen K-1000 immer auf Lager und auf Winsch auch vorführbereit. Allerdings Ist der K1000 mit dem HD580 nicht zu vergleichen, da der K1000 in einer anderen Liga spielt. Der K1000 wird mit den High End Elektrostat Kopfhörern verglichen ... und nicht selten als die bessere Alternative empfunden.

Ich hoffe, Sie werden ebensoviel Gefallen an diesem HIGH END Hörer finden.

MfG

Martin Seidl
Sales Manager
-----------------

(Translation:

Media Markt in Shopping City Sued -- a shopping mall outside of Vienna -- always has a K-1000 in stock and will prep it for listening upon request. At any rate, the K1000 is far beyond comparison with the HD580. Rather, it should be compared to high end electrostats -- and is often found to be a better alternative.

I hope you enjoy this HE headphone!

With friendly greetings,)

 

[Nick Dangerous]

I think comparing the K1000 with high-end electrostats is fair. Tube amplification is necessary to tame it, however.

I recommend auditioning them with violins, vocals, guitars, and deep bass.

 

[AndreYew]

I would recommend something with lots of energy in the upper midrange, like female vocals, especially if they sing scales that go up and down, because that's a good way to compare the relative performance of the system across the spectrum. Do some notes jump out at you more, or does the apparent image size change? Distorted electric guitar would also be good. Solo violin pieces are also good for this. When I audition something I always bring along some poorly recorded material to see how unforgiving the system is.

I disagree that it can be compared to high-end electrostats. The HD580/600/Max are higher resolution and more refined than the K1000/SAC amp combo, and easier to listen to. The Senns are closer to a Stax Omega II than the K1000, IMO.

During your audition, make sure you play with different settings of the flaps, as that will affect the acoustic crossfeed, bass, and midrange response of the K1K.

--Andre

[edit for typo]

 

[citroeniste]

Oh, I'm sure it is -- I just strenuously disagree with the idea that "high end electrostats" are so far beyond my '580s to as to make the comparison a farce. As I've written here several times (and I guess I'm in the minority on the subject) I'd rather listen to the 580/TAH combination than the Orpheus with most of my favourite music ("heavy metal classical" along the lines of Shostakovich, Mahler, and Bruckner; jazz of all stripes from Miles to Bela; rock, especially the Dave Matthews Band and the classics; and "Dirty South" rap).

Quote:

Originally posted by Nick Dangerous I think comparing the K1000 with high-end electrostats is fair. Tube amplification is necessary to tame it, however. I recommend auditioning them with violins, vocals, guitars, and deep bass.

 

[Neruda]

Quote:

Originally posted by Nick Dangerous I think comparing the K1000 with high-end electrostats is fair. Tube amplification is necessary to tame it, however.

I'm afraid I have to disagree. The K1000s can sound fantastic through any perfectly good solid state amplifier, provided the amplifier has good microdynamics (which are important with headphones).

As for auditioning music, bring what you like to listen to. it's as simple as that. if you like bela fleck, bring bela fleck to audition. that's what you'll be using this headphone for after all, am I right? It had damn well better sound good with your favorite music!

 

[dngl]

I'd run a few frequency sweeps.

 

[Dusty Chalk]

Something with bells in it? Or piano (especially busy piano)? T.H.D., you know...

 

[Neruda]

Quote:

Originally posted by Jon Beilin I'd run a few frequency sweeps.

"Gosh, this headphone sounds awful, but the frequency sweeps sound great so I guess I'll keep it."

Hey, who doesn't enjoy sitting in their favorite chair after a hard day and listening to frequency sweeps?

 

[aeberbach]

So far there have been a couple of CDs played through the K1000 that have made me stop what I was doing and just listen.

KID A - Radiohead
Blood Sugar Sex Magic - Red Hot Chili Peppers

Both have far more detail than I knew with HD600.

 

[citroeniste]

You are of course right, but two points:

1) My taste in music changes. Example: three years ago I listened to about 1000x more Rush than I do now, and basically no rap. Now I'm much much more likely to cue up Ludacris's "Word of Mouf" than Rush's "Permanent Waves". I want cans that can roll with the punches. And in high school all I listened to was Romantic-epoch classical... (I was a weird kid, admittedly.)

2) The post was in effect a backhanded request for recommendations of well-recorded music.

Quote:

Originally posted by Neruda As for auditioning music, bring what you like to listen to. it's as simple as that. if you like bela fleck, bring bela fleck to audition. that's what you'll be using this headphone for after all, am I right? It had damn well better sound good with your favorite music!

 

[Neruda]

but if you have no good recordings in your collection, why bring any good recordings?

Keep in mind that the K1000, at least in my experience, can be pretty vicious with bad recordings, so you'll definitely want to bring at least a few. Bring some good recordings, but bring some from your own collection. what CD's do you have which you think are well recorded? Bring those. You can't prepare for everything, but chances are you won't need to.

 

[aeberbach]

Oh yeah, on the subject of bad recordings:

Ten Bloody Marys and Ten How's Your Fathers - Elvis Costello

Oh this is so bad... It's not just Watching the Detectives that is distorted.

 

[dngl]

I'm serious about the frequency sweeps. It gives a really good idea of the timbre and accuracy of a phone and helps you look for weak spots in performance with real music.

 

[Neruda]

I know you're serious, I just question the usefulness of frequency sweeps when auditioning personally.

 

[Dusty Chalk]

Quote:

Originally posted by Neruda Hey, who doesn't enjoy sitting in their favorite chair after a hard day and listening to frequency sweeps?

Actually, I quite enjoy Kraftwerk...