AKG K1000s... what are they running for now?

[archosman]

Was curious what these are going for these days. Seen a few WTB threads over at HF...

[n_maher]

All I've seen is north of $1000, which pains me since I turned down a new pair at $500ish two years ago.

[Nanoha]

Around $1300+/-$200.

[archosman]

i bet Tkam will sell you his pair for $5k, no sweat.

I've got a pair. Can't wear them 'cause I got a fat head. Hurts too much to wear them and don't want to stretch them out. I've been thinking about selling them so at least someone could get some enjoyment out of them. They're in great shape a well as the wooden box. Think I have the original AKG box and manual... but would have to look.

Just thinking about it... not in any rush.

[boomana]

I don't know what they go for now, but I also know that when I bought mine, I really wasn't thinking about the overall cost. First, I bought the headphones (NOS) for $1000 about a year ago, then I bought the Extreme Platinum back in Dec. after hearing the stock version with the K1000s. I then bought a FirstWatt F1 after hearing it and picked up an Equinox tail. Then, I sent the Extreme back for pre-amp outs for my now very nice set up of Exemplar modded Denon 2900>Extreme Platinum with secondary power supply>FirstWatt F1>K1000. Now, I'm deciding which hardwire to get and to go cage mod or no. These are turning into the most expensive headphones I've owned, but zero regrets. I love them.

[deepak]

They are pricey to build a system around. Everytime I look at custom amp solutions for them, my eyes almost fall out of my head.

archosman: now is probably the time to sell since there is a lot of hype surrounding them (National Meet separate K1000 room, NorCal meet with Foo_me's setup, etc a lot of people are touting them to be the best headphones ever made).

[909]

best headphones ever.... most people were singing a very different tune before they were discounted.

i'm not a K-1000 fan, but foo_me's rig is truly exceptional.

[PFKMan23]

best headphones ever.... most people were singing a very different tune before they were discounted.

Most people were doing that for alot of Discon't cans not just the K1000s, but stuff like the HP2s as well.

[Icarium]

It's definitely up there for best sound possible ever. If you don't mind having a power amp for them... I think they are probably also the cheapest rig to max the fuck out of.

[deepak]

I think they are probably also the cheapest rig to max the fuck out of.

lol, what? You know you could build an amp for them that's close to $10000-15000 in parts alone...how much is that retail? $17000-30000?

[archosman]

They are pricey to build a system around. Everytime I look at custom amp solutions for them, my eyes almost fall out of my head.

archosman: now is probably the time to sell since there is a lot of hype surrounding them (National Meet separate K1000 room, NorCal meet with Foo_me's setup, etc a lot of people are touting them to be the best headphones ever made).

well these posts at least give me an idea. Now I have to figure out what to do...

[boomana]

best headphones ever.... most people were singing a very different tune before they were discounted.

i'm not a K-1000 fan, but foo_me's rig is truly exceptional.

I'm not sure I'd call them the best headphones ever, but I've been lucky enough to hear most, except the Stax line (other than Thrice's modded Lambda Pros, which I...sacrilege...preferred to the HE-90s with an Esoteric SA10 and Woo), and they're up there with my fav listening experiences. I especially like them with thick choral works. Do you think that's because the right amps weren't yet hit upon? I can't imagine that anyone hearing them in a proper set up could totally dis them, even if they preferred a different sound.

[deepak]

best headphones ever.... most people were singing a very different tune before they were discounted.

i'm not a K-1000 fan, but foo_me's rig is truly exceptional.

Before being discontinued most people were using some mediocre amps, from what I've read using the search. IIRC canman was the first one to use a balls to the wall amp- the original Aleph 3, which blew a lot of people away at the NY meet he took them to. That sort of got the ball rolling.

[archosman]

I used the AudioValve RKV to run mine...

[909]

Most people were doing that for alot of Discon't cans not just the K1000s, but stuff like the HP2s as well.

high price tag coupled with a rare discounted headphone changes its sonic presentation. not... it reinforces to me that public perception plays a huge factor on impressions, which are driven in part by current trends and reputation.

I'm not sure I'd call them the best headphones ever, but I've been lucky enough to hear most, except the Stax line (other than Thrice's modded Lambda Pros, which I...sacrilege...preferred to the HE-90s with an Esoteric SA10 and Woo), and they're up there with my fav listening experiences. I especially like them with thick choral works. Do you think that's because the right amps weren't yet hit upon? I can't imagine that anyone hearing them in a proper set up could totally dis them, even if they preferred a different sound.

i was being sarcastic

The K-1000s haven't really impressed me at all until i heard them on foo_me's rig, but the "proper set-up" should conceivably work for most decent high-end headphones especially when the other components enter the high-end, money no object range or whatever it takes to make it sound phenomenal.

[kitaoji]

archosman, let me know if you're selling. I don't have a WTB thread at Head-Fi, but I'd certainly be interested in buying them

It's been around $1200 lately (+ lots more for recabling), but I've seen some around $1050. There was this phase in May when a few pairs were available for $800ish, which was rare (and I wasn't around to jump on them, which really pains me now).

[Dusty Chalk]

Before being discontinued most people were using some mediocre amps, from what I've read using the search. IIRC canman was the first one to use a balls to the wall amp- the original Aleph 3, which blew a lot of people away at the NY meet he took them to. That sort of got the ball rolling.

I don't know about that. I always thought they were a special can from the first time I heard them. "Speaker-like soundstaging". I also remember being underwhelmed with the bass until I heard it on some really nice amps, but there have been fans of it all the way back to the days of...oh, who was that guy...he was the first one to try it with a Kenwood RD-VH7 and a subwoofer...I think...

[909]

i remember being told when they still were in production they didn't have such a great resale value (something in the $600 neighbor) and that coincided with the less than lofty reputation.

[n_maher]

i remember being told when they still were in production they didn't have such a great resale value (something in the $600 neighbor) and that coincided with the less than lofty reputation.

IIRC TTVJ closed them out at $550 or something like that.

[tkam]

Actually at the end of their production pretty much everyone including TTVJ had them going for $900-$1000. It was a few years before that he had them on sale for around $400. Man I wish I had bought 10 or 20 pairs back then.

[Elephas]

I'm not sure I'd call them the best headphones ever, but I've been lucky enough to hear most, except the Stax line (other than Thrice's modded Lambda Pros, which I...sacrilege...preferred to the HE-90s with an Esoteric SA10 and Woo), and they're up there with my fav listening experiences.

Hey, would that be the Headphile-modded Stax Lambda Pro that thrice used to own, but not anymore?

I have a K1000 that's uncomfortable to wear and therefore gets very little use. It feels kind of like the Monkey King's constricting headband. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_King

I also don't have a suitable power amp for it. I don't know about selling it though. These discontinued headphones seemingly only go up in price.

[Salt Peanuts]

Actually at the end of their production pretty much everyone including TTVJ had them going for $900-$1000. It was a few years before that he had them on sale for around $400. Man I wish I had bought 10 or 20 pairs back then.

Ditto. To think that I could've had few pairs for $500 each just couple of years ago.

[mulveling]

2 years ago I bought mine at $520 from TTVJ and sold them for $450 a few months later :'(

[Dusty Chalk]

Towards the end of their run, Headroom was blowing them out for something in the US$300's. I remember, because the used ones wouldn't go higher than that for a while, and that's what I paid. Until they were truly out of print.

That said, resale value is not the same as an indication as to whether or not they're a good headphone/earspeaker. I mean, how many of you would pay much more than US$125-150 for HD580's -- doesn't make them any less of a good headphone, right?

[hirsch]

Towards the end of their run, Headroom was blowing them out for something in the US$300's. I remember, because the used ones wouldn't go higher than that for a while, and that's what I paid. Until they were truly out of print.

Headroom was blowing them out the doors at $379. I remember buying pairs for people outside of the US at that price. Then AKG changed its mind, and the K-1000 stayed in production, but at a higher price everywhere. The final shutdown was a couple of years later, but those low "false alarm closeout" prices were never seen again.