[wskitche]

I've been lurking around here for a while, purchasing some ksc50's in the process. I like the sound of the '50s, but i've found the ear hangers to uncomfortable at times. So anyway, i've been looking around on the net at options for some phones for home listening and the Grado sr80's and the AKG 401's are the top contenders.

Although i ran all around town trying to find a dealer that had these, i struck out. Sooooo, i'm going to have to order these from somewhere.

My music interests are Rock, Folk, Jazz, Vocal, Fusion, Acoustic, anything but rap, and a very limted classical selection. I'm looking for a phone with a wide dynamic range, open sound stage, and the ability to reproduce the music with accurate, foot-tapping realism.

Right now, i'm leaning towards the 401's but am still considering the grado' b/c i've heard it said that they are real good for $$ and that they have a good deal of PRAT.

-Scott

 

[Neruda]

I have the SR80's and the K401's. trust me, you want the 401's. The SR80's have a terrible soundstage in comparison, and are muddy and overly bright. The K401's are much smoother, sound great with a wider variety of music, and are way more comfortable. I trust you read my review?

 

[Gluegun]

Neruda: what about the Impact? Both of them are sort of meant for rock, right? What about ease of driving?

 

[wskitche]

Drivability is not a concern to me, I am planning on DIY some sort of amp to go with whatever phones i end up purchasing.

-Scott

 

[Neruda]

the SR80's might have the edge on impact, but it's a slight edge. With a good amp the K401's have just as much impact or more.

wskitche, that would be a good idea. don't skimp on the power, because AKG's need tons of it!

 

[stymie miasma]

It's funny, but the only headphone that had me literally tapping my foot while auditioning was the Grado SR60 with guitar-based music (PJ. Harvey, The Jesus Lizard, Shellac).

I haven't listened to the AKG K401 but I have auditioned the K501. I found the 501 a little lacking in the bass but overall it was extremely airy and spacious. The soundstage and the comfort were the two biggest drawcards from memory. The fact that the 401s reportedly have an edge over the 501s in terms of lower-end response makes me think that given an appropriate amp, the 401s would sound decidedly lavish

 

[Neruda]

the K501 needs an amp before its bass really opens up. did you use it with an amp?

 

[stymie miasma]

No I didn't Neruda...I can't for the life of me remember what I was running them out of, but from memory it may have been an Arcam amplifier.

I really want to go back and give the AKGs another go with a dedicated headphone amp, in particular the 401s as they were out of stock when I was last there. The only amp these guys carry is the XCansV2...do you think that would be a good match with the AKGs??


cheers

 

[Neruda]

I don't know for sure. I do know that they sound heavenly with the OBH-11SE