[Kukuk]

So after about a month of researching headphone and balancing priorities, I've finally pulled the trigger on my next headphone purchase. As the title mentioned, I've settled on the K271MKII's, and I'm wondering what kind of improvements I'll be seeing in sound quality. I've heard many people say these need an amp to really sing, but I've also heard some folks say the Sound Blaster Audigy 2's power these quite well.
 
So with that in mind, will I see a pretty sizable improvement? Will soundstage be better (Or, there for that matter)? I've read these are pretty bass light, but how light compared to the V6's? Not that I'm a bass head, but I'm trying to ween my self off the stuff.

 
Anyone else take a similar upgrade path? Recommended genres, or groups for these? Any thoughts would be great!

 

[SanJoseCanJunkie]

The V6 are bassier, but the 271 is a serious improvement in every single respect.  The 271 isn't the best can for techno/dance/electronic-whatever-it's-called compared to others (just not enough punch), but it isn't bad or anything.

 

[Kukuk]

I guess it's a good thing I loath electronic/dance music. Heh.
 
I've been hesitant to look into full-length reviews, because the moment I read something bad I decide against the given headphone. And going that way I'd never find a headphone upgrade.

 

[Deep Funk]

I went from V6 to AKG K240 DF, the DF is way better on the whole.
 
The V6 is not that bad mind you. While it was quite good when it shone I preferred the standard Sennheiser HD428. The V6 can sound quite bright and harsh yet I liked its sound.  

 

[hhforever]

Get m50, it beats the v6 in every sense. As for the MKII, i have not really hear it long enough to make any comments about it though.

 

[Kukuk]

Quote:

Get m50, it beats the v6 in every sense. As for the MKII, i have not really hear it long enough to make any comments about it though.

 
 
I've already ordered the K271's. I wasn't really looking for suggestions, just curious about the sound and how much of an upgrade it is.

 

[mondy]

How much does the k271 run? I cant seem to locate a pair in canada.

 

[Kukuk]

I got mine for $145 (US) shipped, from Amazon.

 

[SanJoseCanJunkie]

You are going to hear things in your music that you never heard with your V6 - I hope you have some decent quality recordings.

 

[Sarah]

I run my AKG K271 off of a similar sound card sometimes, and I think you will be plenty happy with that set-up. They aren't as warm/bassy as some other headphones but the quality and extension of the bass is excellent. I think they do a much better job with bass drum/kick drum sound than anything else I have. Plus gorgeous lower mids. And they do strings/orchestral music very well - every time I hear Peter Gabriel's last album (orchestral + low male vox) on another headphone, I think "god, these sound like crap compared to my AKGs, I can't believe how much I spent on these"

 

[Kukuk]

 
Quote:

You are going to hear things in your music that you never heard with your V6 - I hope you have some decent quality recordings.

I've been making sure to get all my music in lossless for the past year, because I planned on upgrading headphones at some point.

 
Quote:

I run my AKG K271 off of a similar sound card sometimes, and I think you will be plenty happy with that set-up. They aren't as warm/bassy as some other headphones but the quality and extension of the bass is excellent. I think they do a much better job with bass drum/kick drum sound than anything else I have. Plus gorgeous lower mids. And they do strings/orchestral music very well - every time I hear Peter Gabriel's last album (orchestral + low male vox) on another headphone, I think "god, these sound like crap compared to my AKGs, I can't believe how much I spent on these"

Funny you mention Peter Gabriel, since Here Comes The Flood (Shaking The Tree version) is the song I want to hear most on these puppies. I've been hearing people say these headphones do vocals wonderfully, so what better song to test it?

 

[Sarah]

Quote:

Funny you mention Peter Gabriel, since Here Comes The Flood (Shaking The Tree version) is the song I want to hear most on these puppies. I've been hearing people say these headphones do vocals wonderfully, so what better song to test it?

That is a beautiful choice for a first song   He is an artist who pays real attention to sound quality, so his recordings can be great test tracks.

 

[Kukuk]

I got these today. I'm liking them, but they definitely need to be amped. I feel the quality jump wasn't that big. Really more of a sidestep. Thankfully the new sound is more in line with what I listen to. So I'm wondering, does a Little Dot MKII+ or MKIII pair well with these? Any other suggestions? Really don't want to spend more than $200 on an amp...

 

[SanJoseCanJunkie]

 
I don't know anything about LD amps, but if you prioritize detail retrieval, at that price range you probably want a solid-state amp, and there should be tons of them for under $200 that can drive these easily.
 
You may be able to get a Matrix M-Stage or a Headroom MicroAmp for around $200.  A Meier SS amp is probably plenty for them as well, although I haven't listened to any personally.

 

[Kukuk]

Seems like the amps you mentioned run $250-350. Are there any other amps that might be cheaper?
 
I always imaged that when I needed to buy an amp, I'd have enough money to buy a high-end one. lol.