[Change is Good]

In all seriousness, if you did not like the Anniversaries when compared to the Qs... then you WILL NOT like the K712.

 

[emertxe]

In all seriousness, if you did not like the Anniversaries when compared to the Qs... then you WILL NOT like the K712.

 
+1... K712 Pro still have x7xx trademark sound BUT that significantly boosted bass makes both really different in the end. While Q701 have less bass than HD800, these K712 Pro have significantly more bass than HD800.
 
I hope it's more clear now...

 

[tdockweiler]

In all seriousness, if you did not like the Anniversaries when compared to the Qs... then you WILL NOT like the K712.

 
I tell myself this and so do many others, but maybe i'll be surprised and I actually LOVE the K712?
It seems there is only one person here who has heard both the K712 and Annie.
 
The Annie isn't terrible, but I just prefer the Q701. Just preferences.
BTW I actually haven't heard a REAL Annie, just the Q701 + Annie pads. I think it's the general consensus that it's 99.9% the same as the Annie. Two have said this and both had the two headphones at the same time.
They could be wrong (no, I didn't say it!).
 
The differences between the Annie and K712 might be enough for me to like the K712.
 
I actually want to compare the K712 to the modded Q701. Who knows, maybe someday i'll be a K712 owner if I like it?
 
It's just hard to imagine you all raving about a headphone that could be 95% identical to the Annie.
 
I disliked the Annie so much that I couldn't stand it for more than 20 minutes. It was sometimes nice for gaming and movies though.
 
Still makes ZERO sense why I would prefer the HD-650 to the Annie. How is that even possible? I generally love the AKG Q701 type sound.
 
Maybe my Q701 is warmer than most pairs and doesn't sound as good with Annie pads. That's my idea.
 
BTW my modded Q701 might be in my #1 spot soon and bypass my $50 DJ100 with M50 pads

 
 
Also.. for the Annie to be acceptable to me it would need more relaxed low mids (not so forward) and be more open/spacious sounding. Not so closed in. I guess just a tad more treble. I think the K712 pads would fix some things for me. Possibly. I think there had to be a good reason for AKG to alter their memory foam pads. Chicolom said the K712 was darker than the Annie, but I don't want to believe this!
 
 

 

[emertxe]

If you like the Q701, stay with them... K712 Pro are not technically better than Q701. K712 Pro are still mid-fi headphones, technically in the same league as DT880 and Q701, for example.
 
The reason why I see K712 Pro as the best mid-fi headphones is simple - they just do almost everything right. Versatile and let's say balanced sound signature while being forgiving enough to perform well with every genre, quality soundstaging, good comfort and ergonomics. They are also going to work with almost any amplifier IMHO - warmer, neutral or brighter.
 
They are far from perfect... But I cannot imagine more versatile headphones up to 500USD. Maybe second-hand Alpha Dog, looking forward to see them measured...

 

[Change is Good]

   
I tell myself this and so do many others, but maybe i'll be surprised and I actually LOVE the K712?
It seems there is only one person here who has heard both the K712 and Annie.
 
The Annie isn't terrible, but I just prefer the Q701. Just preferences.
BTW I actually haven't heard a REAL Annie, just the Q701 + Annie pads. I think it's the general consensus that it's 99.9% the same as the Annie. Two have said this and both had the two headphones at the same time.
They could be wrong (no, I didn't say it!).
 
The differences between the Annie and K712 might be enough for me to like the K712.
 
I actually want to compare the K712 to the modded Q701. Who knows, maybe someday i'll be a K712 owner if I like it?
 
It's just hard to imagine you all raving about a headphone that could be 95% identical to the Annie.
 
I disliked the Annie so much that I couldn't stand it for more than 20 minutes. It was sometimes nice for gaming and movies though.
 
Still makes ZERO sense why I would prefer the HD-650 to the Annie. How is that even possible? I generally love the AKG Q701 type sound.
 
Maybe my Q701 is warmer than most pairs and doesn't sound as good with Annie pads. That's my idea.
 
BTW my modded Q701 might be in my #1 spot soon and bypass my $50 DJ100 with M50 pads

 
Also.. for the Annie to be acceptable to me it would need more relaxed low mids (not so forward) and be more open/spacious sounding. Not so closed in. I guess just a tad more treble. I think the K712 pads would fix some things for me. Possibly. I think there had to be a good reason for AKG to alter their memory foam pads. Chicolom said the K712 was darker than the Annie, but I don't want to believe this!
 
 

 
It's true.
 
I've had all three... Q701 --> Q701 w/foam pads --> bass rattle issue --> Anniversary --> bass rattle issue --> Fidelio X1 (tried something different) --> Anniversay --> K712
 
Each new AKG gets darker and warmer... plain and simple.

 

[emertxe]

  Each new AKG gets darker and warmer... plain and simple.

 
I would say that it's a good thing in relation to x7xx series because their 2khz emphasis needs to be masked somehow to be tolerable. I would say it's alright on K712 Pro but definitely possible to spot... They still sound a bit shouty and sibilant in vocals due to the peak.
 
On the other hand, as I already stated, the same amount of bass would kill K812 for me... Nomax loves TH900 and at the same time praised K812 having more soul than SR-009, HD800 and even T1. I am worried that it really means AKG headphones turned BASSY.

 

[Change is Good]

   
I would say that it's a good thing in relation to x7xx series because their 2khz emphasis needs to be masked somehow to be tolerable. I would say it's alright on K712 Pro but definitely possible to spot... They still sound a bit shouty and sibilant in vocals due to the peak.
 
On the other hand, as I already stated, the same amount of bass would kill K812 for me... Nomax loves TH900 and at the same time praised K812 having more soul than SR-009, HD800 and even T1. I am worried that it really means AKG headphones turned BASSY.

 
Oh, it's definitely a good thing for most of us. Just not for some...

 

[tdockweiler]

   
I would say that it's a good thing in relation to x7xx series because their 2khz emphasis needs to be masked somehow to be tolerable. I would say it's alright on K712 Pro but definitely possible to spot... They still sound a bit shouty and sibilant in vocals due to the peak.
 
On the other hand, as I already stated, the same amount of bass would kill K812 for me... Nomax loves TH900 and at the same time praised K812 having more soul than SR-009, HD800 and even T1. I am worried that it really means AKG headphones turned BASSY.

 
I think you're the first person I've heard from who's ever mentioned the 2khz "emphasis". You must be ultra sensitive to this area or something. It's never bothered me at all and nobody else complains about it. The upper mids peak on the K601 is much worse and actually makes harsh/bright recordings with weird peaks much worse. The Q701 never does this for me.
 
The K702 did have a peak that bothered me and would never go away. Maybe it was 2khz...I don't remember. It was gone on the Q701. Could be the outer grill foam reducing it slightly.
 
If my Q701 was ever shouty  it would not be used.
 
I do remember the Q701 being a tad more fatiguing when I had the HRT MSII compared to the ODAC and Modi. Never found out why.

 

[chicolom]

   
I think you're the first person I've heard from who's ever mentioned the 2khz "emphasis". You must be ultra sensitive to this area or something. It's never bothered me at all and nobody else complains about it. The upper mids peak on the K601 is much worse and actually makes harsh/bright recordings with weird peaks much worse. The Q701 never does this for me.

 
 
I thought it was common knowledge that the x70x all have a small hump around 2khz.  It can give them a little glare to their upper mids.  The K712 has the least amount of glare though.

 

[emertxe]

   
I think you're the first person I've heard from who's ever mentioned the 2khz "emphasis". You must be ultra sensitive to this area or something. It's never bothered me at all and nobody else complains about it. The upper mids peak on the K601 is much worse and actually makes harsh/bright recordings with weird peaks much worse. The Q701 never does this for me.
 
The K702 did have a peak that bothered me and would never go away. Maybe it was 2khz...I don't remember. It was gone on the Q701. Could be the outer grill foam reducing it slightly.
 
If my Q701 was ever shouty  it would not be used.
 
I do remember the Q701 being a tad more fatiguing when I had the HRT MSII compared to the ODAC and Modi. Never found out why.

 
Reading your posts for quite a while, you have interesting opinions that often differ from general consensus... It's seems like you hear things differently than the majority of people. 

 

[devhen]

 

  I think you're the first person I've heard from who's ever mentioned the 2khz "emphasis". You must be ultra sensitive to this area or something. It's never bothered me at all and nobody else complains about it. The upper mids peak on the K601 is much worse and actually makes harsh/bright recordings with weird peaks much worse. The Q701 never does this for me.

 
I thought it was common knowledge that the x70x all have a small hump around 2khz.  It can give them a little glare to their upper mids.  The K712 has the least amount of glare though.

 
Yep its been mentioned many times in this thread already, by several different people, including myself. It does give the upper mids a bit of a glare and can cause fatigue.

 

[devhen]

 
I do remember the Q701 being a tad more fatiguing when I had the HRT MSII compared to the ODAC and Modi. Never found out why.

 
For me the MSII was ever so slightly harsh in the mids so its probably not the best match for the Q/K7xx. Its still a good DAC, especially for the money, and the harshness in the mids is slight but I did notice it in comparison to the HeadAmp Pico DAC and MSII+.

 

[devhen]

I haven't used my MSII in a while but I pulled it out to do another comparison. The K712 are indeed slightly harsher in the upper-mids, and possibly in the highs as well, with the MSII. The MSII+ seems to be slightly warmer and I prefer it with the K712.

 

[TitaniteXtreme]

Can anyone here tell me does K712 suitable for low volume level listening? Is K712 a headphone that need to increase the volume to a certain loud level in order to hear all the details?

 

[emertxe]

  Can anyone here tell me does K712 suitable for low volume level listening? Is K712 a headphone that need to increase the volume to a certain loud level in order to hear all the details?

 
This is going to be very subjective... Though I would recommend K712 Pro for low to normal listening levels. They have really significant amount of bass for neutrality seakers but they offer enough treble and soundstaging to be still balanced enough and not overly veiled/muffled.
 
Btw, I like k712 Pro the most with metal... These are definitely very good for metalheads. Not perfect but I would go as far to recommend them over LCD-2 due to their better soundstaging and a bit better FR balance. They are forgiving enough as well, surprisingly.