[Ferbose]

For most speaker amps, it is hard to know how they will react to a 120 ohm load. In my expereince, an amp that can put >10 W into 8 ohms can drive K1000, volume-wise. Even if the amp is 160 W, it is only 12 dB louder. So it looks like to me any amp less than 200 W is fine, as long as the volume knob is its reasonable working range.

For headphone amps to drive K1000, it better be capable of delivering 1W into 120 ohms. The most powerful headphone amps I have seen can deliver 1-2 W.

 

[Patrick82]

I'm using Krell KAV-500i that is 250 watts per channel and I use only 6% volume of what this amp can do. There are no problems with warmth, bass or resolution at all. Every negative thing the reviewers say about this amp (and other amps) are solved with power conditioning and isolation. Notice that this reviewer says it's bright and another says it's warm...

It's the last amp I will ever buy for K1000 because it has all I need and more!

 

[Edwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveM324 Michael, I think you are absolutely right about this. That is why AKG doesn't even bother to supply a 1/4" headphone plug with the stock cord. The AKG engineers probably know that almost no regular headphone amp can deliver the current required for the K1K to reach their full potential.

Well, they did commission SAC to make a dedicated headphone amp for it.

And FWIW, even though it had balanced inputs, it was essentially a single ended output, as the grounds were tied together.

-Ed

 

[Michael G.]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ferbose For most speaker amps, it is hard to know how they will react to a 120 ohm load.

True, it is hard to know this until you actually try the amp at hand with the K-1000's. I once tried to use a 50 w per channel Onkyo receiver to drive them. Whenever the volume was turned up to normal listening levels, the circuit protection would kick on and mute the sound. So, it's not just a question of having enough power - you also need a halfway robust amp that will not go into oscillation with high impedance loads.

 

[Michael G.]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JzzMaTzz http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/f...irstwatt3.html

I agree with the idea presented in this article that tube amplification is not necessarily the best way to drive the K-1000's. Tube sound is desirable, but if you leave the tubes in the preamplifiaction and/or the source component and go for SS amplification, I think you'll have exactly what you need to drive the K 1000's to beauty.

 

[jjcha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael G. True, it is hard to know this until you actually try the amp at hand with the K-1000's. I once tried to use a 50 w per channel Onkyo receiver to drive them. Whenever the volume was turned up to normal listening levels, the circuit protection would kick on and mute the sound. So, it's not just a question of having enough power - you also need a halfway robust amp that will not go into oscillation with high impedance loads.

Yeah. I don't know if this was the reason why, but my Pathos amps (both the Classic and Logos) couldn't drive the K 1000 worth crap. Distortion at any reasonable listening volume. And these are pretty nice, fairly well powered speaker amps too.

Best,

-Jason

 

[Michael G.]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveM324 I that AKG recommended amps in the range of 40-50 W/ch... As others have stated, I think a high quality amp capable of delivering a lot of current is best... With my Mark Levinson amp, the K1Ks have a full body sound that is not fatiguing at all... I never achieved this full body sound with either my Grace 901 or the Raptor (both of which I currently own)... My recommendation to K1K users that are experiencing leaness, sibilance or lack of bass is try a speaker based amp of high quality and high current capability...

What everyone seems to agree, on sooner or later, is that high current rather than raw power is the ticket. And, some of us seem to be finding out that "speaker based" amps, with headroom to spare, just-so-happen to be the ideal amps that are truly capable delivering the combination of high-current *and other things slightly mysterious* that the K-1000's need... There seems to be some mystery involved in this subject, even for the pros. For instance, one area of confusion seems to be the subject of output impedance. Amp designer Pete Millett insists that K-1000's need an amp with a very low output impedance in order to provide a high damping factor for the K's drivers. According to him, the "thinness" of tonality reported by some users is partly caused by using amps with high output impedances. But this assertion contradicts the real-life experience of some users who say they get great sound with amps that have typically high output impedances (tubes). The most that can be said for sure is that the K-1000's present a unique and challenging load for an amplifier. Real world experimentation is slowly providing us with the answers we need to solve the riddle of the sphinx named "K-1000".

 

[Michael G.]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveM324 ...Since I was able to drive them to high volume levels, I thought I had all the amp that was needed. I know now that I was wrong...

Agreed. High volume levels have little to do with optimum sound, at least in the case of the K-1000. When you finally find the right amp for the K's, you'll instantly recognize that these are superhuman headphones.

 

[Mocan50]

Is there an easier cheaper amp that could use with these??

i dont really want any amp that looks like it came from a science lab!

 

[TheSloth]

I'm still looking for someone who has tried a Musical Fidelity A1 pure class A integrated. They seem to sell for less than $200. I picked up one in the UK for £100, however had to return to NY before I even got to try it out with the K1000's. I have high hopes for that 'budget' system.

 

[Ferbose]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mocan50 Is there an easier cheaper amp that could use with these?? i dont really want any amp that looks like it came from a science lab!

I recall that, a while ago, SE9 was often recommended for driving K1000:
http://www.norh.com/products/se9/index.html

Amps I have tried at home are T-amp, Jolida JD301, modded Jolida 102B, and Sophia Electric Babay amp clone:
http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=129665

Right now I prefer Cayin HA-1A (~$450) for driving K1000, and it makes a cool headphone stand as well, but it is kind of hard to buy in the US:

 

[pawlowski6132]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mocan50 Is there an easier cheaper amp that could use with these?? i dont really want any amp that looks like it came from a science lab!

Yes. This is probably right up your alley.

Click Here

 

[Canman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael G. Agreed. High volume levels have little to do with optimum sound, at least in the case of the K-1000. When you finally find the right amp for the K's, you'll instantly recognize that these are superhuman headphones.

The K1000 helped stopped me from considering both the R10 and the HE-90 in the FS forum!

 

[tmarshl]

I sold my Stax Omega IIs with KGSS after I paired the K1000s with Nelson Pass' FirstWatt F1 current source amplifier.

The performance of this combination is unequaled IMHO.

 

[Hirsch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Canman The only headphone jack that I've found to provide enough power is the Audio Valve RKV.

I've found another one, albeit unlikely. The Wheatfield HA-2 is a damn nice K-1000 amp. Clean and clear. I tried my Electrocompaniet Signature amp (60 watts/channel, roughly), but it was not as clean as the Wheatfield. The HA-2 is able to drive the K-1000 loud enough to make Dave1 happy without a trace of distortion, which is louder than I'll ever listen to it, and would deafen Dusty Chalk.

Did I mention that it has good bass?

There's actually a really nice synergy between the HA-2 and all AKG headphones I've used with it. I didn't suspect that the K-1000 would be just as good, but it is (perhaps even more so). I wound up selling my K-701 after A/Bing it with the K-1000 out of the Wheatfield. The direct comparison in the same system showed me just how much the K-701 loses relative to its now discontinued big brother.