AKG K701 vs Beyerdynamic DT990

Heya,

 

I think the DT990 would likely suit you a little more. But they're pretty opposite headphones. The K701 is an analytical, detailed, bass-lite headphone by comparison to the DT990, which is very bassy, some recessed mids and bright treble. Both have good sound stages, but the K701's sound stage is synthetically large sounding and unnatural to me. The E9 & E7 is good enough for both of them.

 

I'd probably put you more on the Beyer Dynamic DT880, Sennheiser HD600, Hifiman HE-300, Fischer Audio FA-002 or AudioTechnica AD900.

 

Very best,

 

Well, get the K702's or Q70...whatevers. Try them out. People on the internet say they're supposedly a wee bit more bassy. I can't tell you for certain though as I have the K701's. Good for acoustic. But not my taste, personally (I much more enjoyed the SRH940 for that). But I guess what I would stress is that a headphone that is good at everything is a better deal and a better step into higher end audio rather than getting a specialized or limited headphone (I often call these crippled, because why would you get a headphone that is pretty bad for a few genres but good at others? Example, K701 is terrible for electronic dance music (EDM) or anything that calls for serious sub bass drops; it's so not satisfying when you hear a butterfly fart in your ear instead of a boomy drop). Again, great for acoustic and some classical. And of course, this is merely my opinion. Based on what you're after, I would put you more on headphones listed above, as they do the acoustic stuff great, but also are more capable of doing all genres as they all have more bass than the K701's.

 

Very best,

I own both (well, the 702's) and I'm literally torn between the two. My 990s offer great beat, and actually have good detail for most music. The 702's have good bass, but it is natural bass, which is great and not great at the same time. It is also a very airy can. Think of the 702s as a feather pillow, and the the 990s as memory foam in terms of sound density/weight lol

Based on the E7+E9 combo, I'd say the DT990 but if you're REALLY into folk and acoustic, get the K701s.