Tube amp suggestions for AKG K1000

[Dusty Chalk]

The best I've heard the K1000s to date is with an Audio Note Kit 1 300B SET amplifier. The sound was so pure and clear. Gain was a bit higher than I need. I'm planning to develop a custom tube amp for the K1000s.

Donald North

Welcome to head-case!

[aardvark baguette]

Sorry about your meager Keratinocytes.

[Hopstretch]

The best I've heard the K1000s to date is with an Audio Note Kit 1 300B SET amplifier. The sound was so pure and clear. Gain was a bit higher than I need. I'm planning to develop a custom tube amp for the K1000s.

Donald North

The Donald North?

Would you mind sharing what sort of design you're contemplating for the K1000 amp and/or a ballpark cost estimate?

And welcome.

[Smeggy]

In the not too distant future I'll be trying mine with a Cavalli EHHA hybrid I'm going to build so that should be interesting.

[TomB]

In the not too distant future I'll be trying mine with a Cavalli EHHA hybrid I'm going to build so that should be interesting.

From what I've heard and read, Smeggy - the EHHA should be the ideal DIY candidate for K1000's. Steinchen said his EHHA made his K1000's "sing."

Be sure to find those 6GM8's first, though. That's the long pole in the tent: finding 6GM8's. Many tube vendors should have a handful, but no more.

[Guest sachu]

From what I've heard and read, Smeggy - the EHHA should be the ideal DIY candidate for K1000's. Steinchen said his EHHA made his K1000's "sing."

Be sure to find those 6GM8's first, though. That's the long pole in the tent: finding 6GM8's. Many tube vendors should have a handful, but no more.

aah..that's the beauty of buying the EHHA kit from Jeff ...

He supplies a pair of tose tubes along witht he kit...

Now there is a bargain..

[Blackmore]

Thanks guys for updates, keep coming, however I already bought PrimaLuna ProLouge Two integrated KT88 based amp, here some pics of it. I will post some impressions, based on my set up, later, but here are some from seller set up.

Sources: NAIM5 with retail of EUR 2300, Ayre CX7E latest, upgrated version, retails for EUR 3999

Speakers: Sonus Faber Auditor M, retails for EUR 4250

Cables: Cardas all of them

Amp: PrimaLuna ProLouge Two with stock tubes, fully burned, retails EUR 1650

Ear speakers: AKG K1000

I started with NAIM and wasnt impressed, just listened to it for the whole hour with some strong feeling that I was missing a lot. After some break I switched to Ayre and man, was that an relief or what? Just after first few seconds it become quite clear what it was. Long story shorter, Ayre is much easier, without been laid back, much extended/detailed, without been harsh, having magic clarity and huge space, without been analytical, great musicality and delicacy, without been to lush or not natural sounding. Naim, by comparisson, is darker, duller and not musical, kind of hard sounding, if I can say so. For such retail price is not my thing at all and thats not the amp fault, cos having tried Ayre made it clear.

As last , but not least, I finished my session listened to Sonus Faber speakers. Man, if you look at their finish, simply beautiful, but thats not all. I never expected such sound from small thing like that, really impressive. Great imagine with quite remarkable reproduction, actually remind me some electrostats. When you close the eyes you simply forget you listen to speakers, brilliant. There was one thing that didnt kept with more efficient guys and that was low end, bit loosy, however didnt expirianced such thing with K1000. Not sure what ever it was speakers limitations or maybe from amp, but the seller guy told me speakers. The imagine I did expirianced with speakers are quite the same on K1000, very clear and easy to place the band, brilliant vocals with overall balance.

Well, that all by now, my amp need some burn time, but from out of box it wasnt that far away from Ayre set up, which is an good thing...

More later...

[Smeggy]

aah..that's the beauty of buying the EHHA kit from Jeff ...

He supplies a pair of tose tubes along witht he kit...

Now there is a bargain..

That's assuming he ever gets back to me of course

That prima is pretty

Edited April 6, 2009 by Smeggy

[dBel84]

I had been hoping to plug the K1000 into the EHHA at the meet but the one Ken brought along didn't have the adapter and had been "tuned to the stingray" . Kev never made it with his , perhaps one day the smegman will head south of the river

I remember reading about the prima luna when it was released and it read very well back then. Looks like a fine combo..dB

[Donald North]

The Donald North?

Would you mind sharing what sort of design you're contemplating for the K1000 amp and/or a ballpark cost estimate?

And welcome.

Thanks. Yes, that's me

It will be a SET tube amp using the 45 or 2A3 on the output with output transformer, no feedback, and tube rectified. I will offer it at a couple levels.

Price will be around $2000 for the first level.

Donald North

[Smeggy]

can you do a $200 version as well, you could call it the SubLevel

[guzziguy]

can you do a $200 version as well, you could call it the SubLevel Warthog

I prefer this name.

[swt61]

can you do a $200 version as well, you could call it the Cheap Bastard

I prefer this one.

[jp11801]

To get you to k1000 bliss land I would urge you to try a good 300b design as they have just enough power for the k1000 and SET designs have sounded better to me than push pull and pentode designs for the k1000 and in general.

Also do not discount something lke a nice tube preamp/SS combo. The minmax preamp mated with the first watt F1 was a stellar combo.

I think I have heard the prima luna at my old local shop in Florida and they sounded good and were built well to boot.

[Donald North]

can you do a $200 version as well, you could call it the SubLevel

I wish! Unfortunately it's not possible to do it here in the USA at that price.

Donald North

[Icarium]

I pre-ordered an EC ZDT a couple of weeks back, so I am looking forward to trying the K1000 with that in about 2 months. I'll be sure to report on it.

Foo_me had the prototype for the ZDT, the Nautilus, for an extended demo. He tried the K1000 with it and it was a pretty underwhelming performance he said. Of course he has a very good 300B amp he normally uses and the ZDT is supposed to sound better so shrug.

[HeadphoneAddict]

Did he use it via the 4-pin XLR or the speaker outputs?

I was going to plug my SRD-7 Pro into the speaker out, and plug my K1000 pigtail into the back of the SRD-7 Pro - then switch between Stats or K1000 on the loudspeaker setting. Craig said the amp is a lower gain amp, and unless the source/DAC had a high output that it might not power the K1000 very well via the 4-pin XLR.

I also plan to use the ZDT 4-pin out with my woodied re-cabled D2000 and HD600, and the 1/4" SE jack for my RS-1, AKG K240M, ATH-ESW10 and HFI-700 among others. So, I can listen to my balanced dynamics, SE dynamics, stats and K1000 with one amp. If it doesn't do the trick for me I would possibly sell it, and then look at a Beta 22 with speaker out, but I prefer tubes. OTOH, if it is good enough I might get rid of the Square Wave XL instead.

[Smeggy]

I wish! Unfortunately it's not possible to do it here in the USA at that price.

Donald North

Pfft, excuses....

[guzziguy]

Yeah, it's probably be doable if he cased it in a shoe box.

[Icarium]

Did he use it via the 4-pin XLR or the speaker outputs?

I was going to plug my SRD-7 Pro into the speaker out, and plug my K1000 pigtail into the back of the SRD-7 Pro - then switch between Stats or K1000 on the loudspeaker setting. Craig said the amp is a lower gain amp, and unless the source/DAC had a high output that it might not power the K1000 very well via the 4-pin XLR.

I also plan to use the ZDT 4-pin out with my woodied re-cabled D2000 and HD600, and the 1/4" SE jack for my RS-1, AKG K240M, ATH-ESW10 and HFI-700 among others. So, I can listen to my balanced dynamics, SE dynamics, stats and K1000 with one amp. If it doesn't do the trick for me I would possibly sell it, and then look at a Beta 22 with speaker out, but I prefer tubes. OTOH, if it is good enough I might get rid of the Square Wave XL instead.

Speaker outputs. His K1000s are hardwired with SAA Equinox I believe.

[deepak]

To get you to k1000 bliss land I would urge you to try a good 300b design as they have just enough power for the k1000 and SET designs have sounded better to me than push pull and pentode designs for the k1000 and in general.

Also do not discount something lke a nice tube preamp/SS combo. The minmax preamp mated with the first watt F1 was a stellar combo.

I think I have heard the prima luna at my old local shop in Florida and they sounded good and were built well to boot.

I agree with jp# about good 300B amps.

And I don't agree with people that posted in the HFi threads saying 300B's are great for just female vocals and such (maybe crappy 300B amps...)

My friend's ECC99/300B monoblocks and K1000 can easily handle any highly dynamic orchestra piece, thrash metal, minimal folk music, etc. The setup is almost as good as the Omega 2 MK1

[luvdunhill]

minimal folk music

wassat? like, soloists?

[Dusty Chalk]

They only play one note at a time.

[deepak]

wassat? like, soloists?

Music that doesn't include Ghost

[HeadphoneAddict]

Speaker outputs. His K1000s are hardwired with SAA Equinox I believe.

I guess I'll just have to cross my fingers and hope for the best. If it sounds better than what I am using now, I guess I wont know what I am missing...