AKG K701 & K601 & Rock - Page 4

My own experiences are similar. I prefer the K 701 to the HD 650 for rock -- and in fact generally like how it presents rock music. No excessive treble here, just a tiny bit of emphasis; at the same time very tight and deep bass with lots of energy and impact, very fast. An ideal bass characteristic for rhythmical music. No other headphone I've heard makes drum beats sound so impulsive and impactful -- a sharp impulse without any broadening/softening.

Break-in is one essential point, also earpiece positioning (in all 3 dimensions!).

I'm fully aware that the K 701 is not for everyone -- not suited to everybody's ears. Just as little is it the epitome of an unmusical and cold headphone as some people make it look like -- out of personal disappointment. There are people like me who enjoy it -- and there's nothing wrong with that.

I would never bash a headphone I personally don't like. Maybe I'm too old for such kindergarten behavior...
.

Hehehe...maybe with age the ears have gotten more tuned in.
Perhaps we can call it tonal maturity.

k701 + most of my music sounds like something coming out of these


something a little better like some hd600s sound closer to sound out of these

but I'd like something that combines the sound of the second pic and these

I listen to all of my music (including rock) on my K701. It all sounds good to me.

I work with kindergarteners on a daily basis. They're more respectful than most adults on this forum when it comes to expressing likes and dislikes. :O)

I stand corrected -- thanks!

Sorry to sidetrack, but do you know which DAC is used in the Kontrol 1? Is it CS4398, or another one? Can't seem to find any specifics on the net. The published specs don't seem to match the CS4398.

For mixing playback I'm using my Gina24 which uses AK4393 DACs paired with LM4562s on the 1-2 outputs. I also have an RME DIGI96/8 PST which uses the AD1852 and an LM4562 on the output. To my ears, the DIGI96/8 sounds maybe a bit more "fluid", but perhaps not as detailed. FWIW, I definitely heard a veil lifted when I replaced the Gina's original NJM2068s and removed/bypassed the capacitors on the main inputs and outputs (NJM2068s still reside in output channels 3-8).

If we're talking about the same thing, so the Kontrol 1 has the cirrus logic converters, digital-to-analog converter (DAC or D-to-A).

The Kontrol 1 sounds different than the RME in a surprisingly good way, and it's very cheap, too.

Yes, I know it uses CL converters..... but I don't know which particular model. Do you know which CL DAC is used? BTW, which RME unit was used for comparison?

One experience I would like to share with everyone. When I was auditioning the K601 and K701, and deciding what to buy, I had a ton of music with me. To mention a few: Pink Floyd Pulse, Riding with The King (BB King, Clapton), Sultans of Swing (Dire Straits), Pure Jazz (collection), The Girl In the Other room (Diana Krall). I had already decided to buy one of these pairs, since I have another AKG pair, and I am very pleased. Now, I was aware of the "Rock Issue" with them, since I listen to rock/rock&roll/blues quite often (also Jazz, Classical). 

 

Both pairs had around 5 hours of total listening done on them. Both driven from this setup: Marantz CD player (seemed quite good) -> Marantz Integrated Stereo Amp (with good headphone out) -> Headphone

 

First the K601: They sounded very good. I heard most of the CDs (like a minute each) and was quite pleased with the way they reproduced the whole range with Rock, and Jazz i have to say. Deep impactful (not too much) and detailed base. Good mid range (the Rock vocals were great), and detailed but not annoying treble. Excellent soundstage (very airy)

 

The K701: Somehow, i started off with Diana Krall. MAN! If you have the K701, try listening to Girl in the other room! Very detailed Base going ridiculously low, Diana Krall sounded like she was whispering over my shoulders and and the treble was excellent. The soundstage was in another world. However, i did sense a tiny bit of roughness. When I moved on with Rock, things started changing. Riding with the king was kind of harsh and bright and not what I expected, and Pink Floyd, to my big disapointment sounded very mediocre. However Sultans of Swing sounded very good, the whole range was excellent (especially vocals).

 

The reason why I chose the K701 is because after doing some research, i realized that with a good burn in, they would loose that roughness and become slightly more engaging. Also, unlike the K601 which was pretty good with everything, the K701 was absolutely amazing with one at least two albums I heard. I guess the quality of the recording (mainly the mastering of the album) has a lot to do with what you get from a headphone, since you get all that detail 2 centimeters from your ear.

 

Its been almost 100 hours of listening (+burn in with music), and I have to say I have noticed slight improvements. Rock does sound much better than it did, and this has nothing to do with "getting used to the sound". Some people say to give them around 300 hours, and that is exactly what im doing. So far, pleased with results.