[Evshrug]

^So you're having a pleasant experience?

 

[Chris J]

Yes, q701 scales way up with better equipment. My modded q701 is sublime now with Woo WA22.
My he500 has not received much head time today.

I wish I could find the link, some guy on Head Fi said his Q701 sounded amazing with is uber expensive Bryston BHA-1.

 

[ThurstonX]

^So you're having a pleasant experience?

 
I am, esp. after I finished the JergPad mod yesterday.  Makes a huge difference with the HE-500.  And I guess the grill mod helps with the soundstage.  Bought mine used, and the grills were already modded, so I can't compare.
 
Now I understand exactly what people mean when they say they use the Q701 for very analytical listening and the HE-500 for a more laid back experience (kick back with a glass of something and just enjoy some tunes).  The Q701 definitely is sharper and more forward in the highs, but the lows have more punch and presence due to the mod.  The Qs are easier to drive, regardless of the ohm rating.  I love the Q701 for that: from portable C5 to Lyr, it's all good.  I suppose I should try the HE-500 on the C5 again.  With the Lyr, the HE-500 is fantastic.  Nothing veiled at all, respectable soundstage, and everything presented on a very even level, at least to my ears and one album.  Nothing over-accentuated, which is the idea behind the JergPad mod, judging by the graphs in the thread.  Truly DIY "engineering" (OK: enhancement) at its best.
 
At the moment I'm using some Matsu****a / National PCC88 / 7DJ8 tubes I got from Upscale Audio.  Not too expensive, and very smooth, though I'm not sure they're really broken in yet.  Getting close.  Eventually I'll roll the Reflector 6N23P-EV (even less expensive), and back to the GEs that came with the Lyr.  Since they all seem to want at least 40-50 hours (100-200 for the Reflektors, according to Cryoset.com) to really reach their peak, it'll take a while.  Good thing it's an enjoyable experience.  Maybe Santa Claus will drop some serious NOS tubes down my chimney 

 

[Hairspray]

 
Now I understand exactly what people mean when they say they use the Q701 for very analytical listening and the HE-500 for a more laid back experience (kick back with a glass of something and just enjoy some tunes).  The Q701 definitely is sharper and more forward in the highs, but the lows have more punch and presence due to the mod.

 
The bass port mod has made my Q701 incredibly forgiving.
On certain tracks, the amazing low bass could be just a little bit more controlled, but it definitely gives bad recordings a very solid foundation and more fullness.
It kinda gives a new life to my alternative rock collection, that sounded thin and lifeless with the unmodded Q701.

 

 

[Hairspray]

I'm wondering if I haven't lost something with the mod.
Where is my analytical and merciless Q?
I'm torn between its two personalities.
 
I could order an inexpensive K701 and get the best of both worlds (the "Made in Austria" K701 is still available, but for how long..?).
But I also have the intention to add a PRO 2900 to my quiver.
Jeeez, are these thoughts overwhelming...
Good night, I'm done with all that shizzle...

 

 

[dweaver]

I have been sharing my early impressions of the K545 and thought this post might be of interest to a few people in the thread here. http://www.head-fi.org/t/670709/akg-new-headphone-k545/150#post_9927755

 

[62ohm]

Is the Q701 mod worth it over the risk? Should I mod mine? 

 
 
Can someone post a link of a guide to mod it? It seems that everyone favors the mod and it seems that there is little to none risk involved in doing it...which intrigued me.

 

[darrenyeats]

Almost everyone, but there were a couple of dissenters who reversed it. I am not yet sure I want to change the bass. I've decided to wait a year: the guarantee will have run out and the headphones will be truly broken in.

There was something good about the overall sound of (broken in) Q701s at my very first listen and I'm afraid of disturbing that. We'll see how I feel when mine are broken in.

Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using Tapatalk

 

[PleasantSounds]

  Is the Q701 mod worth it over the risk? Should I mod mine? 

 
 
Can someone post a link of a guide to mod it? It seems that everyone favors the mod and it seems that there is little to none risk involved in doing it...which intrigued me.

 
Check the first post in this thread - link to the mod is right at the top. 
 
Risk is fairly low as the mod is reversible. Just be careful not to pull any wires and try to lift the sticker without ripping it apart. It's not too hard really.

 

[tdockweiler]

  I'm wondering if I haven't lost something with the mod.
Where is my analytical and merciless Q?
I'm torn between its two personalities.
 
I could order an inexpensive K701 and get the best of both worlds (the "Made in Austria" K701 is still available, but for how long..?).
But I also have the intention to add a PRO 2900 to my quiver.
Jeeez, are these thoughts overwhelming...
Good night, I'm done with all that shizzle...

 

 
The Q701 for me has never been overly "analytical and merciless". That's more like the T90, KRK KNS-8400 or DT-880. The DT-880 was TOO revealing for me. The Q701 for me is "slightly" forgiving actually. Not as much as an HD-650 though. I noticed thought when I switched from the ODAC/Modi to my Micro DAC it was more revealing than before. Way easier to pick out the lower bitrate files that are in my collection. There isn't many really.
In comparison the ODAC and Modi are kind of forgiving. I even noticed this when I got to try the T90.
 
The mod for me actually made it even MORE revealing. Not by much. Don't ask me why or how. It has more bass but it's mostly low-bass and perhaps a little mid-bass. Of course there is no way to prove any of this and that's OK.
 
For me there isn't really a huge change between stock and modded. For me it requires specific tracks sometimes.
 
Some tracks that require good bass sound almost exactly how they do on the HD-650. I mean just the bass. My HD-650 doesn't have a huge mid-bass hump though and very good low bass presence (but not great).
 
Have to say that I love ambient electronica on the Q701 and am always looking for hidden gems. Itunes has a ton of stuff you can sample but buy elsewhere if needed. Love ambient electronica because there's almost always a specific artist that almost anyone could like I think. I like the really minimal stuff that's good for relaxing. Not the really dark stuff with all the droning noises etc. It's hard to find ambient that's not too repetitive.

 

[CCXR594]

Hi, I've really been eyeing buying a pair of Q701's around this holiday season and i'm really wondering how good they'd work out for me. Currently, I'm using some Shure SE215-Ltd IEMs as my standard music listening gear. Must say, they're amazing compared to anything else I've heard up to this point, including beating out my XB500's on EDM stuff. I'm really just looking to what the next step up in amazing (but somewhat sensible) audio gear. I mainly listen to House and other forms of electronica, but love some classic rock too. Metal, rap and punk also occupy my collection so far. I've got a FiiO E07K being used for amp/DAC stuff at the moment, and i may be bothered to get a desktop thing sometime this summer. Also, at the moment almost all of my music is stuff purchased from iTunes, so it's lossy, would that be a glaring issue with something as precise as these cans? 
 
Even though, my music tendencies are a bit bass oriented, flatness is really what I look for. I currently have +6 treble on the EQ for my 215's running through the E07k. 

 

[zazex]

I think that the Q701's, brand new for two and a quarter,
are one of the great bargains in audio at this time.

 

[Ashade]

^ This.

I don't think there's better bang-for-the-buck, at least in the circumaural department.

Modded, they are fairly flat, if not very slightly on the warm side. The only "flaw" you might not like it's that pike around 2kHz, but you cannot do much better under $500.

 

[zyxfhtf]

I just have a question that are there any amplifiers you will recommend for Q701?

 

[Chris J]

I just have a question that are there any amplifiers you will recommend for Q701?

For a bit over $100, the FiiO E12 or FiiO E09K

For about $300, the matrix M Stage.