Everybody's hate K701! (OR- Did anyone of K701's haters even tried them out trough extreme amp?)

Count me among the ones that believe most of the k702's 'weaknesses' are solved with proper amping. I believe most of the hate comes from those with improper amping, and these AKG's are extremely finicky in that regard. I believe a lot of M-Stage/Canamp/Burson guys may agree. My .02.

 

-Daniel

Are you talking about a Singlepower Extreme amp, or just high-end amps in general?

I haven't enjoyed the K-701 through any amp I've tried. Those include the Zana Deux, Si2A3, Dynalo, and M^3. They never sounded natural. My impressions were the same from a variety of amps at two CanJams and a few other meets. The sonic signature is off and I never liked it. I also listened to several other pairs and found them consistent with the pair I owned.

As for people who like the K-701, generally, the K-701 is their first high-end headphone and they haven't owned any of the older AKG headphones. It's rare to find someone who likes the K-501, K-340, older K-240s, K-1000, etc. who also likes the K-701/2. From comments I've read, they almost always prefer the older models. I do. I keep three pairs of AKGs around, but sold the K-701.

Oh no, not another 70X, love 'em or hate 'em, thread....I can feel it coming....

 The K240DF is much harder to drive than the K701/702.  And I much prefer that headphone to the K701/702.  So yeah, some of us have used appropriate amplification to drive the K701/702, and we just don't like them.  Not a balanced headphone by any stretch of the imagination IMO.  I like the K601 more, and the K501 even more.

 

Btw, I had a good chuckle when I read this review, which I cannot disagree with !!

 

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/524569/review-20-headphones-compared

 

Another Head Fi-er also calls them "plastic" sounding.

Edited by Kevin Brown - 12/13/10 at 12:33am

There are many Solid State amps out there that will be a great fit for the K-701/2, and the more natural the amp is the better sounds you'll get. The older AKG models are more easy fit to tube amps because they are high impedance headphones. The only problem that may be here, is the prices of a good SS amp...on the other hand, a fancy tube amp will be very expensive too (no shortcuts here).

 

Rayz, If you feel that they can be a way more better, eventually you'll need to get some amp. But if you're searching for quantity bass, I'm not sure the 701's is relevant for you. With a better source the bass will open up, and will get deeper and more transparent, but you won't get what is not there. Most of the hps on the market have some coloration on the bass over the AKG's, So, the headfiers standards become bassy, to very bassy. You can check this out with vintage studio monitor hps, and see the bass graph going up, especially in the last 15-20 years.

Edited by Acix - 12/13/10 at 3:58am

You won't change the K701 drastically by amping them, with the STX you've already provided them with the majority of power they need.

 

It's not entirely the fact that they need a very powerful amp, it's that they need the RIGHT dac/amp. They need to be colored into something that is enjoyable to the user, and that in the end isn't always enough to change the K701 from what they are, which is why people give up on them. It's definitely a sound signature that's not for everybody, it doesn't sound like it's one for you.

I agree with Elanzer, pairing the cans with the correct amp and dac is far more important than the price or bells and whistles that come with the amp imo. I have heard it through some 4 figure priced amps still finding myself unsatisfied.

 

As for me, though I love colored aths and forward sounding grados, the k701s will always have a place on my shelf for their unique sound sig :D

 

Can't wait to save up enough to pull the trigger on some k501s and kks though!

Well, in this case you can start with the headfive (used around $180).

 

The Matrix M Stage and the 701/702 are a perfect match. When I owned the matrix it brought the best out of the 701. it increased the detail and brought out the bass. Very nice indeed and for 270.00 shipped you cannot do better. Its perfect together.

Here is a few 4 figure priced amps for the K-702...

 

1. SPL Phonitor, Auditor at 3 figure.

2. Luxman P-1, the P-200 will do a great job too.

3. Lake People, start at 3 figure, a balanced version around 1K.

 

 

I tend to agree, though I'm liking the 702 better with the 'friend of foe' mod. To my way of thinking it's mostly a subjective thing. Either that particular sound signature appeals to a person's subjective taste or it doesn't. It's pretty dumb to argue about subjective taste....like arguing which flavor of ice cream is best. There is NO best....it's subjective. Personally speaking I prefer a phone with more weighty and less diffuse sounding mids....not to mention that upper mid resonance I (and a lot of other head-fiers) are hearing with them. Listing side to side with the DF the mids are like a slightly soft edged 'romantic' photograph compared to a more sharply defined and realistic photo. Depends entirely on subjective taste which you prefer....chocolate vs. vanilla or butter pecan. And to the OP, no I haven't heard them out of an amp that costs more than my car....and I'm not about to purchase one. If a headphone needs a $2000 amp to sound right then I'll take a pass. The 240DF sounds very nice with a $200 second hand LD mkV and I hear that the Fischer 003 can sound very natural and balanced with an even lesser amp..
 

Edited by lejaz - 12/13/10 at 5:28am