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Inexpensive amps for 701?

post #1 of 15
12/29/10 at 1:04pm
Thread Starter 

So I just ordered me a pair of K701's and I've read many reviews and posts saying they are very sensitive to amping.

 

So sorry for nth thread about amp help, and of course I'm fresh into the world of Amps. So any experienced users know any good AMP/DAC setup for 701's? I searched but to no avail. I'm hoping something near $100, but after lurking for awhile, that seems almost impossible....

 

Would an e7 be enough?

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post #2 of 15
12/29/10 at 3:19pm

You'll need to expand your budget to get the most out of the 70x series headphones. A decent inexpensive amp that mated well with the 70x's that I've had were the Millett Starving Student Hybrid Tube amp. It's a DIY amp that can be found on the Sales Forums for about $125. A uDac for about $75 will fit the DAC requirements.


After that, it gets more expensive.

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post #3 of 15
12/29/10 at 7:32pm

OK, so you bought the headphone equivalent of a Mac truck, and you want to drive it with a 4-cylinder engine out of a Subaru ? Technically, it might get out of first gear, but you just arent going to be doing justice to your truck, er, headphones.

 

I dont own the Corda Swing, but that is the bare minimum I would consider - I believe that the Concerto has had good reviews from 701 owners, but that is well north of your $100 budget.

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post #4 of 15
12/29/10 at 10:45pm

I seen a couple of people in this thread http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/521680/fiio-e9-review about the USB Dac/amp Fiio E9 about how well  it drives their AKG 701 and what not, Thread should give you insight.

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post #5 of 15
12/31/10 at 4:13pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks for the replies,

Looks like I'm going to have to save up a little more till i get a nice amp. : (

 

Since this is still here, What's the difference between an external sound card and a DAC? any suggestions?

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post #6 of 15
12/31/10 at 5:01pm

You could consider a DAC with usb input as an external sound card. Though sounds cards will normally have an output capable of driving some headphones, where you might not have that with a DAC. As far as suggestions, you might want to browse/search the other forum- there's just as many to choose from compared to amps.

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post #7 of 15
12/31/10 at 5:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by baka1969 View Post

You'll need to expand your budget to get the most out of the 70x series headphones. A decent inexpensive amp that mated well with the 70x's that I've had were the Millett Starving Student Hybrid Tube amp. It's a DIY amp that can be found on the Sales Forums for about $125. A uDac for about $75 will fit the DAC requirements.


After that, it gets more expensive.



This with a Grub DAC or an HRT Streamer will yield excellent results.  The Millett and 701s have amazing synergy.

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post #8 of 15
12/31/10 at 5:15pm


 

Quote:
Originally Posted by estreeter View Post

OK, so you bought the headphone equivalent of a Mac truck, and you want to drive it with a 4-cylinder engine out of a Subaru ? Technically, it might get out of first gear, but you just arent going to be doing justice to your truck, er, headphones.

 



Yeah I agree with you. K701 is a hard rock! But this makes my headfi hobby interesting and continuous! Despite K701 abnormalities, I love this headphone cos this makes me crazy!

 

Happy New Year 2011! 

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post #9 of 15
1/1/11 at 1:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by VALIENTE View Post


 Despite K701 abnormalities, I love this headphone cos this makes me crazy!

 

I suspect that Uncle Erik would agree with you 100% on that - I think he would rather have Bose QC3 than the K70*
 

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post #10 of 15
1/1/11 at 2:29pm

 

The 70x series does not gel with everyone.  Grados are the same way.  I love mine to death and its a cheap ticket to truly high end. Old grumpy pants need not apply.

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post #11 of 15
1/1/11 at 8:32pm

True Different headphones suites different people. Yea I do love my AKG 702 tho of course there are people who hate them.

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post #12 of 15
1/1/11 at 8:37pm

Matrix M-Stage is another cheap amp that is said to pair well with the K70X from what i have read. Note that i have not heard that combo personally, so take it with a grain of salt.

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post #13 of 15
1/2/11 at 7:24pm
Thread Starter 

So i just hopped into another thread and somone suggested the Audio-gd NFB-12 or the FUN:

My question is what's the difference? the FUN has USB input sooo... what does that mean?

 

and the NFB-12 has 2 of the same chip than the FUN, is that better?

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post #14 of 15
1/2/11 at 7:45pm

FUN and NFB-12 -should- sound on par with each other (I say should because nobody owns an NFB-12 yet, there's been delays on shipment). Their amping power output is the same.

 

Both of them have USB input. The FUN has more connections for speakers/extra amps, and an analog line-in.

 

Basically, the DAC section in the NFB-12 should be better because of the dual WM8741 chips and the NFB-12 is smaller. The FUN's advantage is the extra inputs/outputs, and swappable OPAs to customize the sound.

 

If you don't need the extra connections and can wait until Feb 15th (yes, they're that backed up on NFB-12 orders, plus chinese holidays) then the NFB-12 is for you.

 

If you want ONLY a headphone dac/amp (no speakers or anything), then look into the Audio-gd Sparrow. Version B with the WM8741 added in is the most cost effective, and will sound similar to the FUN and NFB-12 (all 3 of these have similar outputs and internals)

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post #15 of 15
1/2/11 at 9:16pm

This is relevant to my interests. I may buy the AKG k702 for $200 shipped, is this a good deal? I bought a asus xonar dx sound card but I know I will need a decent amp for this. Can anyone recommend one on amazon or a good site to buy from?

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