Ear-"Speakers" (K1000)
Written: Dec 25 '02 (Updated Jan 05 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Ultimate pair of headphones money can buy
Cons: Expensive and require speaker amp
The Bottom Line: This is one of the must-have set of headphones, although the price wont allow me to really own one for a while.
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| Tomo_Ishigami's Full Review: AKG K 1000 Professional Headphones |
Before getting into the discussions, this pair of headphones is not electrostatic headphones. In fact, you should be able to see the typical siluette of dynamic transducers.
Also, it still is a pair of "headphones" and you shall not expect the performance identical to that of "Hifi Listening Room." You shall not get reflection etc which some of you may find essential.
This pair of headphones is one of the most spatially accurate headphones. You can really feel the directions at which sound is produced. You can adjust the directionality by moving the speakers. (A little delicate so dont yank on the ear-speakers)
In terms of euphonics, it equals the performance offered by many electrostatic headphones. High is pretty clear and transparent although some extremists may find it a little strong. Mid-range is very smooth but not so laid-back. It is rather dynamic sounding. One may think base may be too diffused by the look of it, but actually, you can feel the base. It is quite surprising. (The result depends on the setup: You get poor sound if you use poor amps. Also, some combinations of components can give very poor results. So auditioning is absolutely necessary.)
Generally, speaking it sounds like you are sitting in the theater or open-air listening to the performers. Very realistic sounding for the lack of better word. I understand that some genre do not require this. Those of you who like them may prefer something else.
The big bummer for K1000 is that it require an integrated amplifier. You may not simply jack it into preamps or cd players, because it require both large voltage and current gain. Note some headphone jack may be able to drive them. But I cannot promise you get full potential with ease.
There are four contacts for the headphones and you connect them like you connect your speakers to your speaker amp. So you will find it difficult to jack into normal sockets.
The small bummer is that you might not find it comfortable to wear. For me, it is pretty comfortable. I dont move around so it stays on like a good little doggie.
Audition Setup:
AKG K1000
Denon PMA-390 IV Integrated Amplifier
Sony DVP-M30 DVD/CD Player
Conclusion:
This is one of the choice when you need the ultimate pair of *home* headphones. Getting an awesome speaker amp for this pair might as well be worth it considering the performance.
General Notification:
This is strictly an opinion. Although it has come from experiences in auditioning various other headphones, all opinions are subjective to some degree. So auditioning by yourselves is essential especially the product's price is this high. Just so you know. I am just telling you this is worth your try.
P.S. I am fixing mistakes in response to your comments. I may have been in a hash mode at the beginning. But I appreciate the comments. Thanks. And, I gotta approximate pricing.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Tomo_Ishigami
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Reviews written: 14
Trusted by: 27 members
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