The Vintage AKG Headphones appreciation thread
Feb 12, 2023 at 1:42 PM Post #16 of 177
By the way: The K4 and K145 were cheaper and lighter versions of the K340, which sold poorly because it was so heavy. In terms of sound, they are absolutely not the same - the K340 is clearly better in terms of sound.
 
Feb 12, 2023 at 1:48 PM Post #17 of 177
By the way: The K4 and K145 were cheaper and lighter versions of the K340, which sold poorly because it was so heavy. In terms of sound, they are absolutely not the same - the K340 is clearly better in terms of sound.
Do you have any experience with off brand radiator type hps manufactured by AKG? Like the Pro 50.
 
Feb 12, 2023 at 2:03 PM Post #18 of 177
Do you have any experience with off brand radiator type hps manufactured by AKG? Like the Pro 50.
I have never been able to hear the Realistic, however, the K250 was clearly adopted here. But the Pro 50 uses the passive radiators from the K240 Sextett LP, the driver is unknown. Could sound quite good.
 
Feb 12, 2023 at 2:53 PM Post #19 of 177
I just purchased a pair of K501s that I found here in Europe for very cheap in excellent condition. The K501s were my first pair of headphones. My saxophone teacher gave them to me when I was 7 with an amp and CD player setup so I could start listening to and playing along with jazz CDs when we started studying jazz and music theory. I had them and used the regularly for the next 21 years until I lost them in a move.

I have been missing them ever since and had been meaning to pick up a pair, but that always seemed to get put on the back burner for other purchases. Well, today I grabbed these for €40 and I couldn't be any happier. After years of pining after them, I figured I would put them on and that they would possibly be a let down because my nostalgia clouded memories had built up their sound, but that's not the case. They sound fantastic and remain one of my favorite AKGs I have ever had the pleasure of owning and hearing.

Tomorrow I am going to check out a pair of K1000s that are going for a ridiculously cheap price in an ad on the same website I spotted the K501s on. Fingers crossed that they're in as good condition as they appear to be from pics. 🤞

Currently have the K501s plugged into my Schiit Lyr with the Modi Multibit 2 pulling DAC duty and decoding all the bits my laptop is sending it. First album on the new K501s is Sonny Rollins' 1958 masterpiece Freedom Suite. Sonny is one of my favorite jazz sax titans and as a bonus, seeing as how I'm a drummer and all, thus album features Max Roach hitting the skins! The saxophone in particular sounds so sweet on these.

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Feb 12, 2023 at 3:20 PM Post #20 of 177
I just purchased a pair of K501s that I found here in Europe for very cheap in excellent condition. The K501s were my first pair of headphones. My saxophone teacher gave them to me when I was 7 with an amp and CD player setup so I could start listening to and playing along with jazz CDs when we started studying jazz and music theory. I had them and used the regularly for the next 21 years until I lost them in a move.

I have been missing them ever since and had been meaning to pick up a pair, but that always seemed to get put on the back burner for other purchases. Well, today I grabbed these for €40 and I couldn't be any happier. After years of pining after them, I figured I would put them on and that they would possibly be a let down because my nostalgia clouded memories had built up their sound, but that's not the case. They sound fantastic and remain one of my favorite AKGs I have ever had the pleasure of owning and hearing.

Tomorrow I am going to check out a pair of K1000s that are going for a ridiculously cheap price in an ad on the same website I spotted the K501s on. Fingers crossed that they're in as good condition as they appear to be from pics. 🤞

Currently have the K501s plugged into my Schiit Lyr with the Modi Multibit 2 pulling DAC duty and decoding all the bits my laptop is sending it. First album on the new K501s is Sonny Rollins' 1958 masterpiece Freedom Suite. Sonny is one of my favorite jazz sax titans and as a bonus, seeing as how I'm a drummer and all, thus album features Max Roach hitting the skins! The saxophone in particular sounds so sweet on these.

Congratulations! At that price, you should stock up. They make great Christmas presents! 😉
 
Feb 12, 2023 at 3:34 PM Post #21 of 177
Congratulations! At that price, you should stock up. They make great Christmas presents! 😉

If the dude had had more than one available at that price I would have purchased more. Trust me on that one!
 
Feb 12, 2023 at 4:26 PM Post #22 of 177
Tomorrow I am going to check out a pair of K1000s that are going for a ridiculously cheap price in an ad on the same website
Good Luck snatching the K1000'S up.
Adding a small fast powered Sub-Woofer to handle anything from 40 hz below can be a blast. 😜 if you're into that sorta stuff. It does shut off when desired.
 
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Feb 12, 2023 at 5:08 PM Post #23 of 177
Good Luck snatching the K1000'S up.
Adding a small fast powered Sub-Woofer to handle anything from 40 hz below can be a blast. 😜 if you're into that sorta stuff. It does shut off when desired.

Aside from the K501s, the K1000s are the headphones I have owned in the past that I miss the most. I got a cash offer that was too good to refuse at a time when I was broke and strung out so I really needed the cash. I wasn't using them often (the K1000s are specialist headphones for me) and at that time I didn't have a lifestyle that let me own many luxuries, especially if they weren't in daily use. If these are in the condition they appear to be, they'll be coming home with me for sure.
 
Feb 12, 2023 at 6:43 PM Post #24 of 177
I have never been able to hear the Realistic, however, the K250 was clearly adopted here. But the Pro 50 uses the passive radiators from the K240 Sextett LP, the driver is unknown. Could sound quite good.
I just might pick up a pair for experimental purposes only. 😉
 
Feb 12, 2023 at 7:08 PM Post #25 of 177
Yes try it for the sake of us AKG lovers... :)

There is an objective reason too to try it even if we trusted Majoox knowledge and we do...

But each listener had his own HRTF and his own neurological biases and his own audio histoy, this is the reason why we differ by some margin about headphones value and appreciation.... :)

And i dont want to try it myself anymore :) but i am curious about the opinion of another K340 lover....
:)

I just might pick up a pair for experimental purposes only. 😉
 
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Feb 12, 2023 at 8:42 PM Post #26 of 177
It seems the more i read, the more i think i will be pleased by the sextett.... Read this review.... :)

Thanks to Davidzak64, JAnonymus5150, and Majoox for their passion with the sextett which had influenced me....I will receive mine in 3 days.... But it will take more time for me to wrote impressions... :)

https://diyah.boards.net/thread/709/akg-k240-sextett-lp
 
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Feb 12, 2023 at 11:22 PM Post #27 of 177
It seems the more i read, the more i think i will be pleased by the sextett.... Read this review.... :)

Thanks to Davidzak64, JAnonymus5150, and Majoox for their passion with the sextett which influence me....I will receive mine in 3 days.... But it will take more time for me to wrote impressions... :)

https://diyah.boards.net/thread/709/akg-k240-sextett-lp

Congratulations on your new (old) shinies! I hope you have a long and happy musical journey together! 😎🎉🍻
 
Feb 13, 2023 at 2:25 PM Post #29 of 177
What do you folks drive your High impedance headphones with?
 
Feb 13, 2023 at 2:31 PM Post #30 of 177
I am too proud of it , i apologize for another image of my treasury.... This Sansui has 2 names but it is the same tech and design : Sansui Au-Alpha 607i or Sansui AU X701... 100 watts....

It give volt and raw power at the headphone out....Only a resistor tame the power amplifier for the headphone out...The reason why my bass is so good, deep and extended is linked to this powerful clean amplification in particular....

Here i will report a good description by an owner i pick on another forum: «
«I have Sansui AU-X701 for about 3 years now and love it. Had all sorts of amps before that. After about 2 years it started developing a problem where it took loong time to turn on and in the end it didn't even. In first months after a professional made a full recap (63 Elna Silmic II caps) it sounded a bit too smooth, unnatural in the hights. Since then it's the best amp I've heard till this day.
Clean but not analytical sound, I think low distortion is what contributes to this. Imaging is great. Phantom center is pinpoint and doesn't move an inch. About musicality - it has this character that I'm not shure I can explain, I could say it's warm sounding but it's not in a real sense. It's the sound that makes you exhale and relax as soon as you turn it on. It has this ease of presenting music - quite fast, smooth and dynamic. Bass is very well controlled. I've read somewhere Sansui was striving to get a tube sound with transistor amps since they've started making them and that this alpha series is where they came very close to that sound. Like others had said, EQ and loudness functions work great, I also use it's phono stage and I can say It's miles better than ART DJ Phono Pre that I used before that. Effect loop is also very handy If you want to use dedicated EQ or a cheap chinese tube preamp like I do and bypass it with just a click of a button. Recapped or not, sub $450 price is a great investment in an amp that possibly sounds better than most new amps in $1000 price range. »


:)
In Sansui own words : «
AU-X701 Photo Gallery


This model is equivalent to AU-Alpha607 that is the third best model of the eighth generation of the 07 Series. The front panel has the incredible piano black finish. The sound of this unit is very natural and clear in high to middle range with powerful Sansui low frequency. The sound trend being started at AU-G99X was further polished on this model.

 

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