In search of amp and dac for AKG K702

Whatever you're going to get, the amp needs to be able to power a hefty load.  Those 701/2's are power hungry beasts.  Though their impedance is only around 62 ohms, I think they're pretty low on sensitivity, and therefore you'll need a very powerful amp to really get the whole experience out of them.

My bedroom setup is as follows:

AKG K701

TC Electronics TC-7510 (DAC/Amp - $110)

Schiit Audio Valhalla (Amp - $350)

I'm feeding the system AIFF files via WiFi over an AiportExpress and controlling it with the Remote app.

It's still early on but I'm impressed so far with the sound quality.  The Valhalla is a step up from the built-in amp of the 7510 in driving the AKGs.

Depending on how you're going to get your music to your DAC/Amp, there may be better options out there for the money.  I liked the 7510 because of 1) Optical input, 2) Fixed level output (bypasses the volume control) and 3) Price.

That said, the 7510 alone was fine, IMO, for driving the AKGs alone.

Bill

By the way, if you use your K-702s out of a NAD amp that has PowerDrive, you’ll be surprised - well I was anyway (I mention this, since your in the Toronto area and NAD is a Toronto run company, maybe you have one lying around - I sure did). I haven’t found a budget dedicated headphone amp that really bested that simple solution. And the tone control on the amp allows you to « tame » the treble a bit when it is needed.

Problem is it’s a bit big of course :¬)