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Headphone Upgrade from Akg K702 - Page 2

post #16 of 29
9/26/12 at 10:33pm

IMO those hifiman orthos (HE5LE and above) should be a good upgrade for you. the dt880 and the he400 are just sidegrades to me (just want to mention). the problem with the he5le is that it is somewhat hard to drive. lousy peaks going everywhere when poorly driven =(

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post #17 of 29
10/7/12 at 10:02pm
Thread Starter 

Sorry to revive the thread, but after some time I have begun to consider electrostatics.  Amazon has the Koss esp-950 for $660 with an energizer included.  How would they sound given my tastes?  I'm still considering the w3000anv though despite their $1000+ tag if anybody with experience with them thinks they may suit my tastes better.  Thanks

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post #18 of 29
10/7/12 at 10:51pm

Unfortunately, I haven't auditioned the ESP/950, but other people's impressions are that they're basically "SR-Lambda on steroids" in terms of sound signature, especially if you use a Pro bias Stax amp in place of the E/90. That means great treble (on the bright side) and great bass with a spectacular midrange that lets vocals shine, if I had to guess.

 

What concerns me are the reports of its soundstage; plenty are fine with it, while others say that it's smaller than a typical Stax Lambda. If you like the K702 for its spacious soundstage, you may be let down, or you may be perfectly content. Again, hard to say when I'm comparing headphones I've never heard.

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post #19 of 29
10/8/12 at 12:42pm
Thread Starter 

I wonder how it would stack up against some of the other headphones I've heard.  I can be more than content with a soundstage below a K702, but at the same time I'm not really looking for something with a soundstage as small as say my SR 225i right now.  A middle ground would still be nice
 

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post #20 of 29
10/8/12 at 5:22pm

Try the HE-5LE.  

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post #21 of 29
10/8/12 at 5:44pm

You cannot upgrade from the K 702. Impossible.

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post #22 of 29
10/8/12 at 5:46pm

Although I will admit those Koss stats look ridiculously cool and I'd love to hear your impressions so I don't have to buy them myself tongue_smile.gif

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post #23 of 29
10/8/12 at 8:05pm

Maybe the upgrade you should consider is a nice amp - and keep the K702

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post #24 of 29
10/8/12 at 10:26pm
Thread Starter 

"You cannot upgrade from the K 702. Impossible." +1 Except for maybe the hd800 & Stax 009 <3

 

"Maybe the upgrade you should consider is a nice amp - and keep the K702"

 

Keeping the K702 for sure, DW.  Amp is already pretty fine with these especially with my tungsol goldpin

 

"Although I will admit those Koss stats look ridiculously cool and I'd love to hear your impressions so I don't have to buy them myself"

 

Highly considering it.  I don't have the funds to actually buy them for keeps atm, but I could use next quarter's tuition to demo them for a week or 2 off amazon and ship em back after that.  Would buy em in a month or two if I actually liked them.  <3 Amazon

 

"Try the HE-5LE."  Sorry, the HE-400 left a bad taste in my mouth so I'd prefer to stay away from  the Hifiman lineup.  Actually I saw a He-6 in the classifieds today for 700$ no shipping costs, but would prefer to avoid hifimans atm even for a steal like that.

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post #25 of 29
10/8/12 at 10:39pm

the he5LE sounds way different than the he400 lol

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post #26 of 29
10/8/12 at 10:45pm
Thread Starter 

I know, but I'd prefer to try new brands right now.  I've never owned an audio technica headphone, a koss headphone, or any electrostatics for that matter.  I'll probably end up going back to the he-5le or the he-6 somewhere down the line, just not right now.  Besides I don't feeling like investing in an iron neck to support the weight of any more hifimans right now =p

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post #27 of 29
10/9/12 at 4:36pm
Thread Starter 

Just bought the w3000 off amazon.  Doubt I'll end up keeping it for more than a few weeks as I only really have the funds to buy it, not keep it right now.  When I return it I'll try out the koss esp-950 and decide which one is for me from there.

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post #28 of 29
10/10/12 at 6:03pm
I had the k702 for 2yrs good amp and dac bought the He400 and find them an upgrade much more engaging and realistic sound stage
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post #29 of 29
10/10/12 at 8:01pm
Thread Starter 
I had the opposite experience. I admit the k702 soundstage isnt realistic, but the headphone is very detailed and to me the soundatage adds to their pleasure. The he-400 just sounded like bass was invading the entire frequency. This was good for my really bassy songs, but made everything else sound strange in a negative way. I really listen to every genre of music minus metal, but I enjoy rock the most and the he-400 just made rock sound wrong to me. Too much bass where it wasnt called for and the mids felt fairly recessed. I could see how some people could enjoy the he-400, but it just wasnt my cup of tea, sorry
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