2. amps-preamps
  3. 1138846779

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.
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Showing 1 response by t_bone

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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