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Amp recommendation for AKG K1000's headphones?

I recently gave into temptation & picked up a pair of AKG K1000's. I've wanted a pair for ages & with their retirement there was no time like the present. Now comes the interesting part of finding an amp that pairs well with them :)

But before making the leap into uncharted territory [for me] I was curious what amps might be worth an audition? To level-set -- ideally this will become a dedicated headphone rig, so the scope of this decision doesn't need to account for synergy with my existing front-end gear.

Thanks in advance for your consideration.
bish
robm321
932 posts
 
I think the Cary 300SEI is good all around period. It's wonderful for speakers as well.

I haven't tried it, but I think the best synergy from what I've been reading on headfi is the First Watt F1 because of the current it supplies?

I've heard the Grace doesn't really power them well.
arthurmail
6 posts
 
lfd mistral le with meridian 566.24. Glorious sound!
rgurney
279 posts
 
I listen to my AKG K1000's with monoblock Fi 300B amps.
audiothunder's avatar
audiothunder
10 posts
 
I am interested in buying the Cary SEI integrated and AKG K1000 headphones. Does anyone have a good store recomendation and price for the AKG 1000 since they are now being discontinued? Has anyone tried different 300B tubes with this combo - especially the Western Electric and Sophia? I have read that the WE have the best mids but soft bass and rolled highs. The Sophia is just a tad less in the mids but magnificent in the bass and highs for an SEI. Also, has anyone experiemented with any headphone cords like Blue Moon and Cardas? Finally, has anyone compared and listened extensively to the K1000 and K701s? Any comments?

PS
I am trying to find an old SEI with gold face plate - let me know if you have any leads. Thanks
t_bone
1,182 posts
 
I use an EAR 859 with my AKG K1000s. I don't use them often enough though. While the separation between the binding posts is too wide (requires either jumpers or splitting the cable a bit...), I love the amp dearly. Despite its 13.5 watts, and the "headroom" offered by tube amps, I find the amp a trifle weak for true headbanging music. I can therefore heartily recommend either the 861, which gets an extra 1.5 watts (and the preamp section is by-passable), OR... the EAR 861 which has basically the same Enhanced Triode Mode circuit, with twice the power but without the preamp section.

Another I would love to try is the Pass Aleph Os...
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