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30 minutes with the K1000; ermm. removed from sgh and moved here
Topic Started: 1 Nov 2006, 01:53 AM (510 Views)
yongchris
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Originally planned on popping down to Jaben to listen to the 701, before deciding to call it in for a full review, but when Wilson offered to let me listen to the K1000, I couldn't say no. :P

Equipment.
iPod mini --> pocket dock --> DIY PCOCC cable mini to RCA --> Firestone Audio's Big Joe Power Amp (edited: thanks TopGun) --> AKG cabling coupled directly to speaker output --> K1000 (All tracks played in WAV or ALAC)

Started off by warming up the ear speakers (I would NOT call them head/ear phones) with my WAV rip of 'The Mission' soundtrack. Lots of deep timpanis and light flutes with lovely orchestral accompaniment. Having lived with the DT990 for the last month (Sept Issue... cheap plug blush.gif ). I must say that the K1000 did not seem to go as deep. What it lost in the bass department, it more than made up for in the midrange. Midrange was luscious. Sweet and warm, drawing one deeply into the music. I noticed that the low level resolution of the K1000 was amazing. Experimenting with the volume, I found that rather than becoming softer or louder (and losing or gaining detail), with the K1000, it seemed more like moving seats. Turning the volume softer was like sitting further back in the concert hall. All the details were there, just further away. Turning up the volume was like moving to the front row. It was loud, but not deafening and none of the intricacies of the piece sounded distorted. No other headphones I've listened to can do this so well.

I moved on to my favourite test tracks from Jacintha and I was literally blown away. I didn't look up when a visitor came in and let the door slam, I didn't look up when Uncle Wilsons phone started ringing off the hook. I was so mesmerised with the sound of Jacintha's voice (She's a horrible SI judge...but what a great singer). Her voice oozed honey and chocolate and champagne and sex. It was getting hard... yes... getting hard... to take the ear speakers off. I must admit that Jacintha sounded better on the K1000 than it did at home with my 2.2 system (2 studio monitors + 2 sub woofers).

Moving on (before any accidents in Uncle Wilson's shop wink.gif ), I scrolled to Karajan conducting the Berlin Symphonic. I love the passion that the maestro Karajan translates into his music. If you think that a conductor is just a silly man standing in front of an orchestra doing the neutron dance (which I used to belive), you have to hear pieces conducted by Karajan. His intrepretation of classical pieces is simply astounding. I never would have believed it, but he is truly great! I digress. The K1000s sounded good, not great. Everything sounded brilliant, but there was a certain chest-thumping, body-resonating feeling that was missing. If you've ever sat in the first few rows at the SSO, you'd know that feeling. When the orchestra cresendos towards that climatic note, you feel it deep within your soul. While the K1000 went deep and reproduced everything accurately and cleanly, the bass did not sound full. Frankly, I've never heard that fullness from any headphone system, even the deep-bassed 990, but the K1000 was quite close. In fact, I think all it needs is a pair of subwoofers wired in series with the K1000, sitting in the corners of your listening room, and you'd have that feeling. Soundstaging is definitely its strength, probably from the design. The drivers are further away from your head, so none of that in-your-head feeling from normal headphone systems. Having the drivers directed a distance away from your ears certainly helps. It's akin to sitting right in front of two speakers angled directly at you.

My last test track was from Portishead - Live in NYC. I love the song Roads. I've loved that song since I watched Lori Petty bathe with sand to that tune in Tank Girl. The Live in NYC version is my favourite and I always, always use it when reviewing gear. If you've watched the Live in NYC DVD, you'd know that this was recorded in a live soundstage, with the audience sitting 360 around the performers. When you listen to the album, you should be able to clearly hear that soundstage with each instrument being played in freespace with no closely reflecting walls. There is also a classical group accompanying the band, and there are TWO seperate drums being played. Beth Gibbons is standing in free space with the instrumentalists arrayed around her in a horseshoe. This track is magical on a high resolution system. And it was magical on the K1000. Beth Gibbons sounded so real I wanted to reach out and touch her. I literally started swaying in my seat, and I'm sure Uncle Wilson may have thought I was on drugs.

I ended the session listening to some jangly indie pop from K's choice, Hello Saferide and Camera Obscura. These are not test tracks per se, but stuff I just really enjoy listening to. If anything, the K1000 made the music more fun. The kind of head-shaking, toe-tapping fun that you read about but rarely experience.
Considering I am particularly fastidious about having accuracy and transparency when purchasing hi-fi gear (I go for pro-studio gear mostly), I actually prefer warmth and tonality when using headphones (ie, I prefer the UM2 to ER4). The K1000 spoke magic into my ear. Its midrange was truly liquid and alluring. With the adjustable angle of the drivers, it would be up to personal taste for positioning. Too open, and much detailing would be lost, too closed and soundstage suffered. I honestly didn't really like the way the K1000 gripped the side of my head. I found it uncomfortable and I'm sure it takes some getting used to. It was also not as detailed and transparent as some would prefer. But the musicality of them cannot be denied. Compared with the HD650 and DT990, I would personally pick the K1000 without hesitation. Sadly, it doesn't fit into my home system. I don't think I can accomodate it into my equipment, unless I purchase an entirely new rig with amp and source. Anyway, I only use headphones at work and never at home.

Chris

[Note by Scanfiend: added a few smilies which did not copy over properly :P]
Recipes at Secret Garlic Butter. Click me
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jdimitri
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Ah, it's deadly isn't it?
For a couple of days i thought i was going to buy one after listening to it at jaben..

Anyway, great review ;)
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