[Quint]

I just committed to buy a pair of AKG K-1000s--a 'phone I've always wanted--but I didn't give enough thought to the amp I'd be driving it with. I'm getting an RSA B-52, which I always thought was capable of driving them well, but now I'm having some doubts, as I'm starting to read a lot of comments about them needing a true power amp to really exploit their full potential. I'm starting to fear I made a mistake.

 

[kramer5150]

Ive read countless posts and comments by other members who use headphone amps with their K1k.

It amazes me the kinds of $$$ members throw around for gear without demo-ing / hearing it first. I guess I'm fortunate to live near so many "high rollers" in San Jose.

I hope you like what you hear, if not Ray has a good return policy.

Good Luck!!

 

[LFC_SL]

Alas, not every one can demo kit. Certainly in the UK we buy IEMs blind (so to speak). But we can try at least some full sized cans and desktop amps.

 

[Quint]

It's tough to demo a pair of K-1000s, as they're long discontinued and only available used--and do you know any sellers offering a trial audition? I certainly don't. So it was, by necessity, a blind purchase.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kramer5150 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ive read countless posts and comments by other members who use headphone amps with their K1k. It amazes me the kinds of $$$ members throw around for gear without demo-ing / hearing it first. I guess I'm fortunate to live near so many "high rollers" in San Jose. I hope you like what you hear, if not Ray has a good return policy. Good Luck!!

 

[Jahn]

Let's just say that if the tiny RSAAudio SR-71 portable amp managed to drive the K1000 (which it did, although SQ was questionable as it strained, lol) then the B52 has better than an outside chance to pump enough power into the K1000. How good that will sound, however, will be up to your ears!

 

[Quint]

Thanks, Jahn. I'm just spooked by the large number of people driving these things with power amps!

But, hey, if the SR-71 could drive them at all, that bodes decently for the B-52. We'll see, of course, but the 1000s were just too intriguing to pass up. Guess I should've given a little more thought to this before I pulled the trigger, but I guess there's still a good chance it'll work out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jahn /img/forum/go_quote.gif Let's just say that if the tiny RSAAudio SR-71 portable amp managed to drive the K1000 (which it did, although SQ was questionable as it strained, lol) then the B52 has better than an outside chance to pump enough power into the K1000. How good that will sound, however, will be up to your ears!

 

[humanflyz]

The question isn't of volume, but drive. You can push the K1000s to sound really loud, too loud to be safe, but having heard on the K1000s on so many amps, their full potential is realized on the speaker amps.

 

[noseallinit]

Well I'm a human fly
I-I said F-L-Y
I say "buzz buzz buzz"
A-and it's just becuz
I-I'm a human fly
A-and I don't know why
I got 96 tears and 96 eyes

I got a garbage brain
That's drivin' me insane
And I don't like the ride
So push that pest aside
And baby I won't care
'Cuz baby I don't scare
'Cuz I'm a reborn maggot using tomb warfare
Rock!

I-I'm a human fly
I-I said F-L-Y
I-I say "bzz bzz bzz"
A-and it's just becuz
I'm a unzipped fly
A-and I don't know why
And I don't know why
But I say,

Bzzzzzzz
Rock tonight, and I say
Bzzzzzzz
Rocket ride, and I say
Bzzzzzzz
But I don't know why
Aw, I just don't know why

 

[humanflyz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by noseallinit /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well I'm a human fly I-I said F-L-Y I say "buzz buzz buzz" A-and it's just becuz I-I'm a human fly A-and I don't know why I got 96 tears and 96 eyes I got a garbage brain That's drivin' me insane And I don't like the ride So push that pest aside And baby I won't care 'Cuz baby I don't scare 'Cuz I'm a reborn maggot using tomb warfare Rock! I-I'm a human fly I-I said F-L-Y I-I say "bzz bzz bzz" A-and it's just becuz I'm a unzipped fly A-and I don't know why And I don't know why But I say, Bzzzzzzz Rock tonight, and I say Bzzzzzzz Rocket ride, and I say Bzzzzzzz But I don't know why Aw, I just don't know why

LOL, what the hell is that?

 

[IPodPJ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by humanflyz /img/forum/go_quote.gif LOL, what the hell is that?

Well, it's a fly poem obviously... LOL... now what is it doing in this thread, that's the real question. Bzzzz..... Bzzzz....

 

[AdamP]

I just bought some K1000's as well... do you think my iPod will drive them well?








































j/k

 

[noseallinit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by humanflyz /img/forum/go_quote.gif LOL, what the hell is that?

q:O)> one of the early tunes by The Cramps when long hairs in leisure suits attended their shows..

could not help but post it when I saw your name.

 

[robm321]

Quote:

Originally Posted by humanflyz /img/forum/go_quote.gif LOL, what the hell is that?

ha ha ha wow, that kind of threw me off.

I have to agree with humanflyz...
Who tries...

kidding

Seriously, there are headphone amps that will sound good with the K-1000s, but I haven't heard any that will show off the dynamic range and give them the speed and bass they are capable of. So, try it out but don't judge the K-1000s until you've heard them properly powered.

I think the Aleph 3 or 30, or RWA signature 30 would be the best bet - if you want the best then get the Firstwatt F1 IMHO.

Sorry to hear about the purchase, but you may enjoy the sound until you feel the need to get a speaker amp. And if you have other headphones around, you have a fantastic amp... so I've read

 

[chesebert]

uh..you already got a preamp. all you need is a power amp. how bad can it be?

Had you not ordered B52 you would still need to find a preamp. noway to avoid that

KK deserves to be driven by a the likes of AR and Mac ..

 

[noseallinit]

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/superio...3/akgk1000.htm

And now AKG, a Harman Speciality Group company by the way, has addressed the same problems, and has designed a go for broke headphone which like Stax they describe as an ear speaker, though the distinction is largely semantic. Called the K1000, it synthesizes the key ideas from the Stax SR-Sigma and the Jecklin Float into a single design. We are talking here about a moving coil headphone rather than an electrostatic, but in common with Stax designs it is designed to be wired to the loudspeaker outputs of a standard integrated or power amplifier. A glance at the specifications sheet shows why. With a nominal 74dB for 1 mW (free field), the AKG needs a full watt to generate about 104dB , and using the usual rules of thumb, and allowing for the 120 Ohm impedance of the K1000 which will tend to depress the output voltage of most amplifiers, you should be aiming for somewhere around the 10 Watts/channel mark. This is more than is available from virtually any headphone socket.

For this reason the AKG is not pre-wired with a headphone plug. In fact the first 6 feet or so of wiring downstream of the phones themselves is a fairly conventional thin, pliable cable much as you'd expect to find with many headphones, except that a male locking 4-pin XLR socket terminates it. The rest of the wiring - a full 10 feet of the stuff - is rather thicker oxygen free stock with a transparent cover, equipped with a matching female XLR at the upstream end, and four bare wires at he other for hard wiring to the loudspeaker terminals. The arrangement is hardly elegant, but it is functional enough. The XLR connectors design is as rugged as they come.