mad lust envy said:

An M50 without a need for the stretch mod? Sweet.

And yes, I prefer the 558 over the 598 due to a more immersive, more engaging tonality. The 598 is more detailed, but less musical.

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Yup yup! Which is why I'm so inclined to bring the M50x around on plane rides these days. It's not exactly portable, but they're pretty darn good to pass up playing on the Vita on long plane rides. The removable cable, brilliant even if it uses a locking mechanism. 

Would it be worth going from the AD700 to the Q701 or K702 purely for games? I play mostly open world games.

Hi guys.. I'm back again looking for another set of headphones, I bought the AKG Q701, Good sound but I cannot stand the comfort of them for me, Last night I believe my headphones induced a headache on me, The clamp pressure on my jaw, To the bumps on the headband just kills me, Is there any AKG's amazing for gaming like the Q701's soundstage etc? I looked at the Sennheiser HD 700's how are they compared to the AKG Q701?, What about the 598's, HD 650's etc?

K712 Pro. No headband bumps, and memory foam pads which don't add the same kind of pressure to the jaw. That is your best bet. Note, that almost every over ear headphone will induce some pressure to the jaw. Not many that I have found where it isn't a little uncofmortable, except the K712 Pro/Annie, MA900, and the Slyr (as far as the most recent ones) which has stupid soft velours. Your other bet is something on ear, which gets rid of jaw discomfort for pinched ears. YMMV.

Thanks man I'll check them out.

I'd like to thank everyone on here for helping me pick out my latest headphones. K712 pros w/ X-Fi Titanium HD sound card. Should be arriving in a week or so. -=). Been using the Turtle Beach Earforce X11's w/ Earforce DSS for 3^ years now.

thecalculator said:

I'd like to thank everyone on here for helping me pick out my latest headphones. K712 pros w/ X-Fi Titanium HD sound card. Should be arriving in a week or so. -=). Been using the Turtle Beach Earforce X11's w/ Earforce DSS for 3^ years now.

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Don't mention it. Happy to help.

lttlfld said:

I'm not sure just how big of a difference you will notice, but you could also get the HD598s for $150 from fry's: http://www.frys.com/product/7821729

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I would highly recommend you stay away from Fry's unless it's the most amazing deal in all of existence... and even then think twice.  They have the worst customer service of any retail store I've ever been in.  I kept going back because they have such great prices, but every time they **** up or piss me off... or both.  It's not worth the headaches.
 
Razz, sorry the Q701 didn't work out for you.  A few more options if you like the sound:  1 - Get the K712 pads to replace the stock ones.  This should do wonders for the sound and the comfort.  2 - Get a baby seat belt pad to cover the bumps.  Ev and others have done this and speak highly of it.  For me, the bump discomfort has gone away... I think they must have broken in or something.

Luckily, I don't have a Fry's nearby to tempt me. Your deal on those Recon3D's was SICK! Did you have problems with that transaction?

Aight K612 + 702 pads = added warmth.
I did some A/B today and this is what the 702 pads do:
- reduce sibilance significantly
- reduce energy in upper mids and treble
- increase bass quantity
- maybe adds a little bit of width
- enhance comfort

So while I appreciate the sibilance tone down and increased comfort, I don't like everything else. Tis obviously a matter of preference

So I prefer the tonal balance of the stocks (minus sibilance and comfort)

Still it's a funny thing, how pads can essentially make two headphones out of one, definitely a plus.

mad lust envy said:

Damned if I do, damned if I don't.

People always want comparisons. Now if i make comparisons and have a bias towards one, it will come off as the other one not being worth listening to.

Perhaps I'll remove comparisons and just stick to just reviewing the headphones, without any other mention to other headphones. Then you guys can decide what you prefer. I'll leave my choice for my recommendations list and that's it.

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I'd just like to say that I *highly* appreciate the comparisons you make between similar headphones (eg Senn 558 has more tonality than 598, less refined but more musical; or K712 has more warmth and bass than the Q701; or many similar things you've said). That's really the reason why this thread is so useful and enlightening, and much better than a standard "top 10" or "here are some numbers" list, where I read someone else's headphones that he/she likes (and which he prefers over others), but am completely unable to guess (which is what I want to do rather than buying everything) what *I* might prefer.
 
I would keep it up . I like your descriptive and detailed comparisons, *and* agree with your insistence that readers of the guide should not compare numerical scores of different headphones (and should instead use each score to judge a headphone on its own basis).
 
If someone doesn't realize that your opinion is your opinion is your opinion is used when making comparisons, then I will print out all 1500 pages of this thread, bind it in a book, and beat them with it.

razz7 said:

  Hi guys.. I'm back again looking for another set of headphones, I bought the AKG Q701, Good sound but I cannot stand the comfort of them for me, Last night I believe my headphones induced a headache on me, The clamp pressure on my jaw, To the bumps on the headband just kills me, Is there any AKG's amazing for gaming like the Q701's soundstage etc? I looked at the Sennheiser HD 700's how are they compared to the AKG Q701?, What about the 598's, HD 650's etc?

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And that is exactly why I got the K702 Annies instead of the Q701.  I had the same discomfort issue with the Q701, but fortunately I was able to try them at a store so I didn't have to pay for the privilege of regretting that purchase.  If you like the Q701 sound then look for the K712pro or K702 65th Anniversary, whichever you can find cheaper.  It's a night and day comfort difference.  The Sennheiser HD598 are also very comfy, but the sound is different, not as good as the Annies IMHO.  The HD650 will clamp even harder than the Q701 on your jaws so that's probably not a good pick either.  I haven't tried the HD700 so I can't comment on that.

evshrug said:

Luckily, I don't have a Fry's nearby to tempt me. Your deal on those Recon3D's was SICK! Did you have problems with that transaction?

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I was actually there looking fro about three other things and struck out.  Then I caught sight of the Recon out of the corner of my eye as I was walking towards the exit.  They were in a completely random section and I am 100% certain I wouln't have been able to find them if I'd been looking for them.
 
Amusingly, the entire time I was checking out, I kept assuming it was too good to be true.  Either this wasn't the Recon you guys were talking about or they were defective or the price was just mismarked, etc.  I absolutely don't trust them at all.
 
The last time I went to Fry's I ordered an SD card online for in-store pickup.  I waited for the email that said it was ready.  Then I went to the front desk and proceeded to stand around for ten minutes while three different people were trying to figure out where it was, making phone calls, diggin through stack of papers, etc.  I came to my senses and realized that I could have literally just walked to the back of the store and grabbed one quicker than this.  So I left and made sure to let them know what I thought about their "service".  God I hate those guys...

I've only been inside one of the Fry's outside Chicago and my experience was about the same as every other big box retailer. Two employees said hi, the rest ignored me, I wandered for about 3-4 minutes until I found what I was looking for, purchased it and left. Since there aren't any in Cincinnati then I guess I lucked out. When I want one of their awesome in-store only sales I have a buddy in Naperville pick it up for me or try and price match locally. Guess I've lucked out when shopping there the few times I have.
 
And I agree with Evshrug, the price people paid for the Recon3D USB is nuts. I've been enjoying mine while playing ESO lately. Mmm, 5.1 high fantasy surround sound.

I got mine on clearance for $5.  Picked up both of the ones they had on hand.  One is on my Xbone and the other is at work as a portable dac/amp to improve teh sound on my ****ty Dell laptop.  Once I get a replacement (GO 720?), I'll probably pass my $5 Recon off to the community here.  Either that or save it for my eventual PS4...