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Bad low frequency bass on AKG K702
Jul 8, 2010 at 12:09 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 354
PointyFox

PointyFox

Headphoneus Supremus
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I just bought the AKG K702 to compare to my Bose Triport.  I immediately noticed a lack of quality in the K702's bass.  I compared the capability of the K702 to play low frequencies versus the Triports.  The K702 seems to not be able to play anything below 30Hz without massive amplification. A little below 20Hz is where the K702s can no longer reproduce the sound at any amplification (the drivers start to make odd buzzing noises).  The Triports can play below 10Hz at medium volume.  Increasing the volume of a low frequency sweep on the K702s make it sound progressively more bassy.
 
Are K702s really this bad with bass or do I have a defective pair?
 
Jul 8, 2010 at 12:16 AM Post #2 of 354
The K702s are renowned/infamous for being bass-light, but I'm not sure about how far they're meant to stretch..
 
Jul 8, 2010 at 1:25 AM Post #3 of 354
I love my AKG K701s but I must admit, they are do not reproduce bass very well unamped.  People may say that the AKG K701s are producing natural or more neutral bass, but it really isn't (if you aren't amping it). Music coming out of the K701s definitely have the bass less pronounced than when recorded. It works well with concerts and lives where studios would tend to over-pronounce the bass in the recording. Good amping will definitely bring the bass back and good amping is a requirement for the AKGs if you intend to hear the lows as it should.
 
Like bass amps and guitar amps, bass always requires more power. AKGs need more power
 
Jul 8, 2010 at 1:42 AM Post #4 of 354
Just a comment on amplification - The current draw of the headphones is simply a byproduct of their design, and necessary for what AKG have built them to do. Just like you can't test a Ferarri out by putting mileage plus tyres on it, the AKGs will demand good amplification to do what they're built to do.
 
I find they've got very present and enjoyable bass when amped properly (though they're still very dry headphones), but I can't comment on the very low frequencies you might get from trance/electronica as that's outside my listening scopes.
 
Jul 8, 2010 at 1:58 AM Post #6 of 354
+1. You also have to keep in mind that these are studio headphones., and their purpose is for professional recording/mastering/mixing. Being "enjoyable" isn't necessarily their goal - it's accuracy. Bose, on the other hand, has really pronounced/exaggerated bass. If that's what you like, the AKG's are most probably not for you. You can give the Audio-Technica ATH-M50, Denon D2000 (or higher), some Ultrasones a try for phones with deep extension, yet accurate/detailed.
 
Quote:
pwilson said:
Just like you can't test a Ferarri out by putting mileage plus tyres on it, the AKGs will demand good amplification to do what they're built to do.
Click to expand...

 
Jul 8, 2010 at 2:07 AM Post #7 of 354
How do you know that the triports play 10hz?  the human ear cannot hear that low.  And even if it could, I very much doubt the triports can go that low.  Most headphones only go to 20hz.
 
Jul 8, 2010 at 2:11 AM Post #8 of 354

 
According to the chart and my own experience the bass roll-off is real, but it isn't that bad. I haven't see a FR for the Triports, but I don't think you should be using the Bose headphones as a bass reference. 
 
Jul 8, 2010 at 2:17 AM Post #9 of 354
The K701s are not exactly accurate, but they are very detailed. If you had a real studio monitor, you'd understand. Mid highs are emphasized with bass less pronounced in the K701s.
 
Quote:
blackzarg said:
+1. You also have to keep in mind that these are studio headphones., and their purpose is for professional recording/mastering/mixing. Being "enjoyable" isn't necessarily their goal - it's accuracy. Bose, on the other hand, has really pronounced/exaggerated bass. If that's what you like, the AKG's are most probably not for you. You can give the Audio-Technica ATH-M50, Denon D2000 (or higher), some Ultrasones a try for phones with deep extension, yet accurate/detailed.
Click to expand...

 
Jul 8, 2010 at 5:29 AM Post #10 of 354
The K702's are heavily dependent on proper amping. With a good amp you should be able to achieve adequate base performance and extension. Despite this, if you are looking for heavy bass and serious bass slam then the K702's will never satisfy you. So if you are looking for just a bit more bass I would look into some good amps.
 
Jul 8, 2010 at 6:21 AM Post #12 of 354
K702 has some serious bass power and grunt when amped with a Burson HA-160. They still do sacrifice some quantity for quality, but the compromise is worth it. The K702 bass is better than that of most speakers under $1 K.
I only wish it had better mid-treble integrity and sounded a bit more lively.
 
Jul 8, 2010 at 6:25 AM Post #13 of 354
This. And not to mention, I seriously doubt the headphones make anywhere near enough movement for 10Hz to be felt, either.
 
Quote:
rhythmdevils said:
How do you know that the triports play 10hz?  the human ear cannot hear that low.  And even if it could, I very much doubt the triports can go that low.  Most headphones only go to 20hz.
Click to expand...



 
Jul 8, 2010 at 7:51 AM Post #14 of 354
Why are people telling me they need more power when I amped them?  In fact I kept gave them so much power when trying to get 20 Hz out of them they started making odd high pitched buzzing noises.  My soundcard has a high quality headphone amp with impedance matching at can drive these headphones to listening levels easily.  These headphones are just unable to reproduce low frequency bass.  Try it yourself.
 
You can get some high quality samples from here: http://www.burninwave.com/
 
Jul 8, 2010 at 8:34 AM Post #15 of 354
1) I tried 15Hz, 20Hz, can feel the bass vibration (Gosh i hate that feeling ._.)
2) What kind of high pitched buzzing noise are you referring to ?
When you are turning the volume knob of your amp ?
I got that too, so i just turn the knob to and fro a few times and the noise went away, forgot what was the theory behind that noise though.
 
3) when I turn the volume up at 10Hz (which I cant feel much vibration), i can hear ta(left side), ta(right side), ta(left side), ta(right side) and so on. Don't know what cause it lol, just knew that i had to quickly turn off the 10hz noise..
 
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