[drarthurwells]

These initial impressions revealed evident differences but I need more time to evaluate the subtle differences.

Using my now favorite tube set up (with el cheapo tubes) in my Bada PH12, one Namking 6H8C as input and two Electro Harmonix Gold 6SN7 tubes as output (since the old, sweeter Chinese Namking is not as hard sounding as the Shuguang 6N8P previously used as input), and the E5 CDP, here is what I initially heard:

The K701 is very nice indeed. As you may know I love my SA5000, but the K701 was a pleasant surprise.

I noticed no treble stridency, even right out of the box - an excellent treble extension. Haven't yet checked with my CDs that sound harsh though.

The tone edges are slightly softer on the K701 than the SA5000, at all tone frequencies, and this:

1. Gives slightly more of a euphonic tone to the K701 compared to the slightly leaner SA5000

2. Makes the K701 bass (and all other tones) slightly less well defined than the SA5000 which makes the tone image sharper on the SA5000 compared to the slight blur of the K701 tone image

3. The slightly blurred tone image of the K701 adds slight liquidity but detracts slightly from the 3-D holographic imagery of the SA5000

Both the SA5000 and the K701 are great headphones. The K701 will be very appealing to many people. Will sound better than the SA5000 when used with modest components.

The SA5000 does have a slightly brighter sound than the K701 while the K701 is brighter than the HD650.

I think the K701 is equal to the HD650, in some ways better and in some ways worse - depends on the characteristics you like.

Is the K701 as good as the SA5000 ?

I need more listening time. I may hear subtle differences over time that could sway me one way or the other.

The expressed opinions are my own and may not agree with any other person in the universe.

 

[JaZZ]

Congrats on you new headphone!

Now give it the official 300 hours. And then try it with an accurate and neutral amp!

(I mean not one that's trimmed to generate ideal synergy with the SA5000.)

.

 

[shplorgh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by drarthurwells The expressed opinions are my own and may not agree with any other person in the universe.

 

[drarthurwells]

OK here's the skinnny thus far:

The K701 is slightly better, overall, than the HD650, in ways important to me.

The K701 is more tube sounding and the SA5000 is more solid state sounding, relative to each other.

Those owning a solid state amp should consider the K701 to give added tone body to counteract any solid state leanness they might have in their amp.

Those owning a tube amp with rich tone might want to consider the SA5000 to balance out tube richness with the sharper solid-state-like tone edge of the SA5000.

 

[skyline889]

Although I really liked the pair my girlfriend had for listening to rock, most of the time I found the SA5000s to be quite a bit brighter than the HD650s, too bright most of the time for my taste. If the K701s are just slightly less harsh than the SA5000s, they must be pretty bright. Hmm, having second thoughts about the K701 now.

 

[warpdriver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by skyline889 Although I really liked the pair my girlfriend had for listening to rock, most of the time I found the SA5000s to be quite a bit brighter than the HD650s, too bright most of the time for my taste. If the K701s are just slightly less harsh than the SA5000s, they must be pretty bright. Hmm, having second thoughts about the K701 now.

Hold on. You are using harsh and bright in the same way. Brightness has to do with excess treble energy whereas harshness has to do with distortion.

The 701's are lively in the treble, more so than than the 650's, but they are not harsh at all.

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

Doc, sounds like you're hearing about the same effect from the K701's I got out of hearing them at a meet. Appearences aside, I'd take them over the HD650's, but they still don't do what I like the SA5000 for.

Quote:

Originally Posted by warpdriver Hold on. You are using harsh and bright in the same way. Brightness has to do with excess treble energy whereas harshness has to do with distortion. The 701's are lively in the treble, more so than than the 650's, but they are not harsh at all.

Yeah, the HD650's, K701's and SA5000's are not harsh in an of themselves, though they could be if the electronics they are used with are. Of course the K701 is brighter than the HD650, and the SA5000 brighter than the K701, so of course such harshness becomes easier to hear, since the frequencies it is located in are more prominent.

 

[Azure]

Dr. Arthur Wells: I believe the SA5k's have a rather forward sound signature, correct? And I've read that the K701's are kind of laid-back a la Senns (Supposedly as an alternative to the HD650). What I'm wondering is if you had any trouble adjusting to this "calmer" presentation to find out if the K701s are better? You seem to REALLY like the signature of the SA5k's, so I'd guess that you prefer a more lively and "fun" presentation (I know that you are amping them with a hybrid amp, but the general sonic characteristic should still be rather forward, no?). Did you find the K701s "boring" at any point? I prefer a forward presentation myself for clarity purposes, and I plan on trying some HD600s soon, but I'm concerned that my ears won't give the more laid-back sonic presentation a chance and will jump to the immediate conclusion that the HD600s lack detail and are boring. Did you notice any sense of this with the K701s? Or is it forward enough that fans of the SA5k's won't be bugged by the more "relaxed" presentation?

 

[drarthurwells]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Azure Dr. Arthur Wells: I believe the SA5k's have a rather forward sound signature, correct? And I've read that the K701's are kind of laid-back a la Senns (Supposedly as an alternative to the HD650). What I'm wondering is if you had any trouble adjusting to this "calmer" presentation to find out if the K701s are better? You seem to REALLY like the signature of the SA5k's, so I'd guess that you prefer a more lively and "fun" presentation (I know that you are amping them with a hybrid amp, but the general sonic characteristic should still be rather forward, no?). Did you find the K701s "boring" at any point? I prefer a forward presentation myself for clarity purposes, and I plan on trying some HD600s soon, but I'm concerned that my ears won't give the more laid-back sonic presentation a chance and will jump to the immediate conclusion that the HD600s lack detail and are boring. Did you notice any sense of this with the K701s? Or is it forward enough that fans of the SA5k's won't be bugged by the more "relaxed" presentation?

Yes, it seems to me to be slightly a more forward sound with the SA5000 than the K701, and the K701 has a slightly wider soundstage, when correcting for sensitivity with volume control.

The K701 is a little less senstive than the SA5000 so that the SA 5000 needs a little less volume. Unless you cut the volume down a little when you switch from the K701 to the SA5000, you will experience the SA5000 as much more forward than the K701, when it is only slightly so when volume is corrected.

Forward sound can be reduced by turning the volume down some. The HD650's laid back sound can be corrected some by turning the volume up. There are limits to this - works best when there are sensitivity differences that need to be corrected for.

Now, correcting for sensitivity differnces by turning the volume down some when switching from the K701 to the SA5000, the SA5000 is more forward than the K701 as you say, but I think by a small amount, (where my small may be your large).

 

[skyline889]

Quote:

Originally Posted by warpdriver Hold on. You are using harsh and bright in the same way. Brightness has to do with excess treble energy whereas harshness has to do with distortion. The 701's are lively in the treble, more so than than the 650's, but they are not harsh at all.

Well, most of the time they were way too bright for me, since I am used to Sennheisers, almost to the point where I couldn't bear to listen to them so that's my definition of harsh, idk maybe fatiguing would be the better term for it?

 

[Azure]

Quote:

Originally Posted by drarthurwells 3. The slightly blurred tone image of the K701 adds slight liquidity but detracts slightly from the 3-D holographic imagery of the SA5000

Could you elaborate on this please? By 3-D holographic imagery, are you implying soundstage? I thought that the SA5k's don't exactly have the largest soundstage, at least compared to the HD6x0 and K701 (Due to SA5k's being very forward in presentation)? Or do you mean that the imaging is more realistic and not exaggerated like other headphones, and that the imagery is thus 3-D because is seems real?

 

[Gibo]

mmmmmm 701s

 

[milkpowder]

K701 sounds good to me! Does the K701 have as wide a soundstage as the HD650? Will it fill the gap between the HD650 and say, the SR325i (or any pair of Grados)?

 

[Patu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by milkpowder K701 sounds good to me! Does the K701 have as wide a soundstage as the HD650? Will it fill the gap between the HD650 and say, the SR325i (or any pair of Grados)?

It has easily wider soundstage than 650s. And what comes to its sound, it lands somewhere between 650s and SR325i.

 

[ken36]

Now, quite honestly, I don't know what to think.