AKG Q701 Review - Page 2

I'm sorry, but "perhaps a few sound changes"?   If I paint my headphones green will they sound better too?

Quote:

Originally Posted by rhythmdevils 

I'm sorry, but "perhaps a few sound changes"?   If I paint my headphones green will they sound better too?

They might not sound any different, but maybe you could convince yourself they are more environmentally friendly. 

It just baffles me how well marketing works.  You could sell a rancher's own cow crap back to him with the right marketing. 

But on with the review, it's good the OP is enjoying the headphones. 

Shame the ALO Rx mk2 is sold out.  I love the q701's with that amp.

K701/2 and Q701 sound exactly the same... anything else is either marketing or ~price-tag-placebo.

haters gonna hate.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hawkinsman07 
 

I wish everyone who rushes out to buy *any* pair of AKGs could hear the K501. And marvel at the pricetag they sold for when they were available. And ask yourself why any sane headphone company would discontinue something that sounds so good for so little money. So much easier to let Marketing run your company than listen to those fools from engineering, right ?

If I may suggest, try listening to "Flunk - Play", try to find it in FLAC (naturally), and just enjoy the soothing sounds of that group. I have a pair of GS1000s, and this song ALWAYS sends shivers down my spine with that superior quality of sound separation. I suggest you find that song ;)

I own both the 702 and the Q701. I have listened to the Q since early February nearly every day. I was going to post a review but I changed amps several weeks ago, and of course the sound changed a little with that. I started out with the Burson HA-160 and I thought that was the perfect match. But then I read Jason Stoddard's post here on Head-Fi regarding the Schiit Lyr tube hybrid amp and what a perfect match they were for the 701, one of his favorite phones. So, having more money than sense, I took the leap on the Lyr, and for the past several weeks I have been listening to the Lyr and the Q, as well as comparing the amp with my 702's. In a nutshell, to my ears I hear a little deeper bass, same mids and a slightly softened treble. In direct comparisons with the same music, in a wide variety of genres, I prefer the sound of the Q over the 702. The 702 is slightly leaner in the bass and somewhat analytical in the treble. However, they still sound very, very good to me. But now I only listen to the Q version. Not because of the cosmetic changes but because I simply prefer the sound. It is a little warmer and the tweaks have made an already great phone that much better to my ears. To put this in perspective, I also compared the Q with my HD800's daily, and the Senns still clearly rule the roost. But on classical music, acoustic jazz and well recorded pop and rock CD's, the Q701 gives the 800's a good run for the money. All in all, an update to an iconic headphone that people who enjoy the 701/2 would appreciate. For those who prefer a different sound signature, or closed back designs, the changes in the Q701 would most likely not change their opinion. Some posters simply state this is just a marketing gimmick, and while I agree this classic marketing, it does not change the fact that the Q has been enhanced over the 701/2.

I still plan to write a more in depth review, but I want to make sure that I have the full measure of this Lyr amp before I do. Whatever you listen to, enjoy what brings you pleasure. Like they say, it's all good.

Quote:

Originally Posted by macbob713 

I still plan to write a more in depth review, but I want to make sure that I have the full measure of this Lyr amp before I do. 

Please do a full review of these headphones and please compare the differences between the Q701 and the K701/2's.

Thanks

Quote:

Originally Posted by macbob713 

In a nutshell, to my ears I hear a little deeper bass, same mids and a slightly softened treble.

Nice !!  (I almost pm'ed you a few days ago you because I saw in the other thread you were going to directly compare.  )

I just got my Q701's, and while I didn't spring for a Lyr, I also just got a Valhalla.

I got the black ones.  Very nice looking.  Still have the green cable though.  Cheap cable IMO.  Quick impressions right out of the box, no burn in for the 'phones or the Valhalla, vs the K701's I had before with the Aune and Sparrow in my sig: still too bright (that "treble emphasis"), but yes, more (improved) bass (but still could use more).  Even right out of the box, I prefer these to the K701's I had.  More after I burn them in a while ...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin Brown 

I got the black ones.  Very nice looking.  Still have the green cable though.  Cheap cable IMO.  Quick impressions right out of the box, no burn in for the 'phones or the Valhalla, vs the K701's I had before with the Aune and Sparrow in my sig: still too bright (that "treble emphasis"), but yes, more (improved) bass (but still could use more).  Even right out of the box, I prefer these to the K701's I had.  More after I burn them in a while ...

 

please post impressions with the y2/CK2III pairing.  thanks!

The *70* series brightness comes from the lack of any kind of filtering of note in front of the drivers - just a very very open foam ring I can't believe is doing much.

You can second-guess AKG and tune the sound a lot by trying out different foams/felts behind the stock foam (good idea to always follow the "ring" shape and often it works well to cut out a segment of anything thick you put in there). Soundstage tends to decrease the darker the response gets (I think this is a general rule anyway) but there is infinite possibilities.

Really these phones have great potential and it’s a shame a lot of people give up on them without a little tinkering first to see if they can tune it to their tastes. Seach "Friend or Foe" for more details on filter modding these phones.

I hesitate to post this.

Really hesitate.

If some of you are familiar, I really disliked the K701's I had.

When I first got them, seriously, I thought there was something wrong with them, they sounded so bad to me.  (No, there wasn't anything wrong with them, I just couldn't understand all the love they get here for how unbalanced they sounded to me.  No bass, and that treble emphasis that to me made them sound waaay too bright.  Fatiguing, harsh, brittle, you name it.)

There was a thread here a while back that stuck in my brain.  I don't just burn in headphones, I pummel them into submission!! 

So overnight last night, I let them play random tracks about 25% louder than I would ever listen.  Quite loud in other words.  But no, no danger of blowing drivers or anything.  Just ... really loud.  With the Valhalla because I wanted to burn that guy in too.

I took a quick listen this morning, and it was like a different headphone !!  The bass was a little more up front, but the treble had really settled down.

I need to do some more listening tonight when I get home.  I'll try them with the CKKIII, but that'll be next week in that I have that amp here at work.

I do plan to hook up with a buddy sometime in the next few weeks to compare the Q701's with his K701's.  Will be curious ...