[Schizorabbit]

I've heard that this particular set of headphones is rather picky about which amp's it works great with and which amps only perform mediocre when paired with the 1000's. So i was just wondering if anyone had any suggestions.

 

[SteeleBlayde]

Depends on what the budget is.

If you're looking for something around $1000, the the AudioValve RKV MKII from Meier Audio is a very good deal.

 

[FCJ]

Sounds great with the nOrh se-9.

 

[JMT]

I thought the K1000 paired with drewski's N.E.W. amp/pre was fantastic, to bad N.E.W. is no longer. I haven't heard much to compare with, and I would really like to hear the RKV and the nOrh with them. I am currently using a vintage (thanks FCJ) Marantz 1060B with mine.

 

[Sugano-san]

The K-1000s sound very good when driven by the EAR/Yoshino V20.

 

[Jazz1]

Quote:

Originally posted by Sugano-san The K-1000s sound very good when driven by the EAR/Yoshino V20.

Heck, Even I'd sound good driven by the EAR

 

[andrzejpw]

Quote:

Originally posted by Jazz1 Heck, Even I'd sound good driven by the EAR

That's funny because its true.

Personally, I'm dying to hear the RKV/K1000 combo.

 

[MusicLover]

Cary Audio 300 SEI

http://www.caryaudio.com/products/audio/cad300sei.shtml

 

[zimmer]

I will probably be in the minority with my opinion but that doesn't always stop me....

I think the K1000s sound good with even lower end sources and amps. I won't argue that there are combos that sound better than others but that shouldn't rule out the possibility of using the K1000s at all. I've even tried them short-term off the headphone socket of some cheaper roundy-sound recievers at a local audio shop and felt that quality was still present.

Lopsided systems weighted towards the speaker end (Naim forum I think refer to them as Mullet systems

) might not be the best long term, but can work. Don't deny yourself the pleasure of the K1000s just because you don't have the special amp yet. I am reminded of an article in Stereophile afew months ago on Patricia Barber - I remember seeing a picture of her boombox-ish system hooked up to Proac speakers.

 

[Nightfall]

Quote:

Originally posted by FCJ Sounds great with the nOrh se-9.

I second that, not to mention the nOrh is a tremendous buy for the money.


JC

 

[HappymaN]

I just received an email that told me that my nOrh shipped today. Wish me luck.

 

[elrod-tom]

I've got the K1000 with the nOrh SE9, and it might be the best $400 (yes, that included tax, shipping, the whole deal) I've spent in a long time.

I'm interested in how the MG-Head OTL32 does with them, as Divergent's website claims that it's optimized for use with the K1000. I heard them briefly on the TwinHead at our Detroit meet, and although it sounded pretty good, it reached the point of clipping rather quickly. I'm wondering if the OTL-32 will do the same...hope not.

Tuberoller likes his with the Fisher 400.

I also listened to mine with my Adcom GFA-535, and it was also nice (but a bit on the bright side). I should think that it would work fairly well with any integrated amp, so long as it has a treble control.

However, IMHO, it really sings when amped by tubes.

 

[jpelg]

I've heard the K1000's with the nOhr se9 several times, and must say that it is a bargain for that price. Each time was with stock tubes, and I thought it was an absolute necessity to use the Stefan Audio Arts Equinox cable with it to sound best. This, of course adds another $200 to the package, but it is still a bargain, IMO. I've never heard one with tubes rolled.

I've had the ASL OTL32 for a little while now. After rolling some tubes, I've settled on some RCA 12au7 cleartops for the moment. Without any extension cable (the OTL32 has a direct XLR connection), the sound is really nice. Occasionally a bit bright with some recordings, but I find that true with many phone+amp combos (including the nOhr), as I believe this to be the fault of the recording or source, more often. As far as power is concerned, I'd say that it is "ok" for the K1000's. Yes, I can drive it to clip, but only at volume levels just beyond my personal max anyway, so it is not too much of a prob. I know it is not the "best", or my last amp for the AKG's, as I've heard the K1000's from a pair of 140wpc CJ monoblocks, and nothing has come close since. There are times when the ASL does not give the feeling that there is a whole lotta headroom when driving the AKG's. But for the price I think the ASL is a good value. Is it better than the nOhr? I can't honestly say, as I've not compared them side by side, and my audio memory is not that good. Neither will be your last amp with the K1000's, IMO. With the Equinox cable factored in, I'd go out on a limb and say that they are comparable in price and sound quality. With their respective different preamp & output capabilities, those should be more of the factors in your decision, if necessary. Or if you can live without the Equinox, the nOhr is dirt cheap.

I've not had any QC problems with my OTL32. It is a beautiful looking, and solid unit. An interesting note (to me anyway), is that my two headphone jacks (XLR & 1/4") are reversed in location from the pic on Divergent's site - not sure why the diff. BTW, my Ety ER4S' sound great out of the OTL32, in both high or low-impedance mode. In high-mode, there is a bit of hum that is detectable, but that is from the high gain at this setting, I believe. At the low setting, there is less punch, but the amp is dead quiet. Also, having two headphones plugged in simultaneously lowers the power going to the AKG's XLR jack considerably, but has no appreciable effect on the 1/4" jack volume level. I haven't experimented with the OTL32 using low-impedance cans yet, but I can't wait for my A-T's to arrive for that. Hopefully soon.

Going up in the price ladder, I'd say that the RKV is a solid choice at just under $1000. You could probably be happy with that setup for a long time, if not forever (right joelongwood?).

There are many who can also atest to the Fishers with the K1000's. I haven't heard this combo myself.

As a Conrad-Johnson fan (see above comment) l'd love to hear the K1000's via the CAV50 (or 60, or 140!) integrated tube amps. But not until I can afford it.

Bottom line (again, for me anyway) is that the K1000's sound best with tubes to warm them up.

 

[gbeard]

Quote:

Originally by jpelg: I've heard the K1000's from a pair of 140wpc CJ monoblocks, and nothing has come close since.

The more comments I read like that just make me drool at the thought of my Berning ZH270 driving the AKG's. The Berning has the great extension of a SS amp, but with the warm naturalness of a fine tube amp. It is quiet, dynamic, and holographic. It has very low output impedance ranging from 1.8 to not quite 9 ohms at the highest feedback setting. Sounds like a date...

Does Headroom give a 30 day trial on the AKG's too? Or perhaps someone wants to sell me theirs?

Cheers, gb

 

[mikeg]

The superb sound of the K1000 is essentially identical whether obtained from inexpensive or expensive tube amps. Read this excellent review by Matt: http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showt...threadid=26014