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iim7v7im7 said:

Thanks for sharing your impressions regarding the HeadRoom Micro Amp.  I really wasn't sure that that part of the purchase.  I got the impression that from online reading that it may not be well regarded compared to newer options like the Schiit Asgard and some others in the sub- $500 price range.  The specifications on it look quite good.  What are others experiences with Headphone amps? Has anyone A/Bd K701s or K702s with both of these amps?

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Yeah the Micro is severely under-appreciated around here and I don't know why. I guess maybe that it's ultra small and too many people incorrectly think it's some under-powered portable device. It's also not as cheap as the chinese built amps or the Asgard.
 
Some people love the K702 with the Asgard, but I hated it. I don't want to bash that combo in this thread since a lot of people loved it. The Asgard seemed to only be good to me with specific headphones like the D2000 and Sennheiser stuff. It hated the ATH-AD2000 and K601.
 
I mainly switched from the Asgard to the Micro and never looked back. It drove both my HD-650 and K702 perfectly fine. I have a feeling the Micro sounds very similar to the M-Stage, but nobody has compared them yet. I've heard some claim the M-Stage is dark, but I doubt that.
 
I also have the Fiio E9, which is OK for the Q701/K702, but I really do think they deserve better. It's a good place to start at least. I cringe when people skip the E9 for a portable amp for the K702. I mean the E9 is only a few dollars more.
 
BTW if you check old posts, there's quite a few people that also loved the K702 with the Micro. I think those posts are from many years ago. It also does a good job of driving the K601, K501 and K400.

Hi,
 
They arrived this afternoon and I am enjoying listening them.  I was surprised that a 62 ohm pair of headphones requires the :high" gain position on the micro amp. Do you use the "crossfeed" function at all?  Lastly, what are the sonic aspects to expect after the K702s break in?
 
Thanks Again,
 
Bob

Quote:

iim7v7im7 said:

Hi,
 
They arrived this afternoon and I am enjoying listening them.  I was surprised that a 62 ohm pair of headphones requires the :high" gain position on the micro amp. Do you use the "crossfeed" function at all?  Lastly, what are the sonic aspects to expect after the K702s break in?
 
Thanks Again,
 
Bob

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With my Micro Amp I can get away with using medium gain (which IMO is like a low gain on most amps) and set it to about 45% volume (maybe 11 o'clock). This is with the Q701 though. Same driver, but I bet the Q701 gets more volume at the same settings. I know that sounds weird.
 
I use the Micro Amp with my HRT MSII. If I use a weaker source i'll of course need to crank the amp higher. My Micro Amp has never needed to be past 50% with any headphone ever. The K400 seemed to need to be cranked very high. More so than my 600 ohm Sextett or DT-770 600.
 
When I had the K702 I didn't experience much change after 150+ hours, but there could have been some. Most people have it seems like.
 
BTW I think the low gain for the Micro must be for like IEMs or something. I use medium for almost everything.
 
I never use Crossfeed with any of my headphones. It does seem to make the K702 slightly warmer, but a little less clear. It does help a lot with gaming though.

So far is there any head to head comparison between AKG K702  vs AKG K550?
I'm very interested to know how both cans are performing especially in the separation, soundtage & bass?

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tdockweiler said:

 
BTW the Headroom Micro has perfect synergy with the K702 and Q701. It doesn't fix the K702s treble, but still sounds good. I imagine the Micro Amp holds up very well with the M-Stage, which after shipping is probably the same price as the Micro Amp.
 
Don't worry, when you get the Micro Amp your first impression will be something like mine.."This thing is so small. No way this thing could drive the K702 well enough!". Yes, I know that amp size doesn't always mean much

The Micro is about half the height of the Fiio E9! It has a brick as a power supply though.
 
My Micro Amp is never going anywhere.

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I used a MicroAmp with K702s and liked it fine until I bought a Burson HA160. The bass is more extended and the highs are smoother. Sold the MicroAmp.

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pbarach said:

I used a MicroAmp with K702s and liked it fine until I bought a Burson HA160. The bass is more extended and the highs are smoother. Sold the MicroAmp.

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Good choice of AMP with your 702s.  While I have not heard the 702s I love the Q701s with this amp.

I have both a Headroom Microamp and a Grace Design m903.
 
The MicroAmp can play the K702s with the volume at about 11 o'clock and the m903 needs to be turned up to + 75-80 dB. However, the level of airiness and musical detail, particularly in the lower frequencies is superior on the Grace.  Both amps also have cross-feed circuits.  The m903's is more subtle than the MicroAmp's and loses less clarity when engaged. Like most things in audio, the cost benefit curve gets quite steep for moderate levels of improvement (m903 is 6x the cost of the HR MA, but to be fair it contains a DAC and other features as well).

Hello, i am new around here and also still a baby in audiophile world anyway. I bought q701 a couple days ago, because i am starting to feel thirst for richer sound after venturing with k240 and m50. I wonder if my onkyo seu55sx-2 (external sc) is enough to actually put q701 into full power. Thanks and sorry if this question already asked before. Thanks

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spangler said:

Hello, i am new around here and also still a baby in audiophile world anyway. I bought q701 a couple days ago, because i am starting to feel thirst for richer sound after venturing with k240 and m50. I wonder if my onkyo seu55sx-2 (external sc) is enough to actually put q701 into full power. Thanks and sorry if this question already asked before. Thanks

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It's possible that soundcard is underpowered for them but they'll never be as full sounding as the k240. Other's may know more about that s/card. I've never heard of it. But before you invest in another amp for them you might consider putting that money towards the hd600....much fuller/richer midrange than the akg's. I've not heard the 'Q' though, only the 'k'.

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lejaz said:

It's possible that soundcard is underpowered for them but they'll never be as full sounding as the k240. Other's may know more about that s/card. I've never heard of it. But before you invest in another amp for them you might consider putting that money towards the hd600....much fuller/richer midrange than the akg's. I've not heard the 'Q' though, only the 'k'.

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The Q and the K sound different. The Q fills in that lacking midrange and bass warmth - I found it to be a excellent headphone (liked it better than the HD650 - haven't tried the HD600).
 
As far as the sound card I looked into it - it might suffice but if you can get your hands on a dedicated headphone amplifier for testing purposes there is a nice chance you'll hear something you like with the dedicated amp compared with the sound card.

Thanks for answering
 
what is recommended dedicated headphone amplifier recommended with budget less than $100 or around that ?
Q701 will be used mostly to listen classic, jazz, acoustics and I prefer warm feeling thanks.

what i find strange about my k701 is that at my normal listening volume, it sound bad and for some reason the treble hurts my ears.
no bass, thin sounding, piercing treble, ect...
but when turn up the volume knob on my amp a bit suddenly it sounds really nice and smooth and highs no longer bring pain in my ears.
at higher than my normal listening volume it sounds not as treble dominant, bass is there. i never heard drums on other pair of proper headphones other than ad700 and k701.
theres always better phones at drums than k701 but i like the drums im hearing in these after i turned up the volume a bit.
on my matrix m stage amp my volume knob normally sits at 9' o clock position but now i like it better on a little above 10' o clock.
can any1 who own a q701 and a k701 help me compare the sound with this track as a reference?

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einzweidrei said:

 
On my matrix m stage amp my volume knob normally sits at 9' o clock position but now i like it better on a little above 10' o clock.

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That sounds like you've got the M-stage set to +18 gain.  I would try setting it to +10 gain and you should be closer to 12' o clock volume.

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chicolom said:

 
That sounds like you've got the M-stage set to +18 gain.  I would try setting it to +10 gain and you should be closer to 12' o clock volume.

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we went through this before in the past. lol
its at 10gain. i tried 18gain. i guess my preference volume is different from normal people.
and can you try the test track i linked and tell me your volume knob of ur m stage with q701 and ms2?

Here's another resource for equalizing headphones. I haven't tried it, but it looks like it can help get rid of some of the treble spikes.
 
 
How to equalize your headphones: A Tutorial (head-fi)