[Pyriel0]

Got the K701 back today and it works fine out of the F1. You guys have any songs in particular you want me to listen to?

So far from listening to some songs, the K701 misses some upper end extension/sparkle on cymbals and snare drum. The K1000 drivers seem to be a bit faster/have more punch to them. I think some of the midrange feels slightly(very slightly) recessed on the K701 but I never would have been able to tell without listening to only the K1000 for the last few months.

Keep in mind this is with a $2k transconductance amp and buffalo dac behind them though lol. They most likely wouldn't sound this good in other setups. The difference in cymbals/snare was easy to pick out right away. The speed/oopmh wasn't very apparent untill I listened to the beginning of Smooth Operator by Sade. I heard it on a couple Dream Theater songs in the guitar too but it was much easier to pick out on drums. The K701's do fine with fast music, I'm listening to Black Dahlia Murder right now and I hear everything accurately, when I said speed I just meant the oomph behind the notes.

I wouldn't give up my K1000 for them, but when the day comes that my K1K bites the dust, I will be able to live with a 701 instead of paying whatever price the 1K rises to by then. The successor to the 701 will be out by then anyways so hopefully it is right on the heels of the 1K. For $200 the K701 is very good but it does need good gear behind it = more than $200.

Edit: I wanted to make sure and add this. If you think these have the greatest soundstage ever and the sound is like a cloud around your head, you are not amping them correctly. Soundblaster x-fi = cloud , shanling ph100 = no cloud , F1 = no cloud

 

[Acix]

Pyriel0, how do you compare the bass?

 

[Pyriel0]

With the exception of the K1000 having more punch to it I think they are pretty similar bass wise. Give me some good songs for comparing bass and I'll try to pick out any differences. Only ones I really have that I know about are Dave Matthews "crush" and "the dreaming tree"

I listen to mostly faster rock/metal so bass quality usually isn't a concern lol its more speed.

Edit: Just swapped back to the 1k. This is the easiest thing for me to say for an overall comparison. The K701 is like a K1000 with the life sucked out of it. Its just more dry/bland becuase of the slightly recessed mids(imo) and the rolled off high end.

 

[Acix]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pyriel0 /img/forum/go_quote.gif With the exception of the K1000 having more punch to it I think they are pretty similar bass wise. Give me some good songs for comparing bass and I'll try to pick out any differences. Only ones I really have that I know about are Dave Matthews "crush" and "the dreaming tree" I listen to mostly faster rock/metal so bass quality usually isn't a concern lol its more speed.

What are the main differences that you found?

 

[moonboy403]

IMO, the K1000 is everything that the K701 can do but do it MUCH better especially the midrange which lies closer to the K501(liquid, smooth, and soothing). Then you throw in an airy and natural soundstage that no headphones can match. Everything sounds very effortless. There you have it, a K1000.

Admittedly, the K1000 was driven by the Audio Note Kit 1 while the K701 is driven by the Phoenix. The source was Electrocompaniet ECD-1 for both.

 

[Pyriel0]

Well in the normal stuff I listen to the bass just seems more present and punchy on the 1K. I listened to the song "chip away" from the NINJA 2009 tour sampler and you can hear much more rumbling of the floor toms after they are hit on the 1k. I don't know the term for this. I guess it would be a mix of speed/texture.

Switching from the 701 to the 1k is like having a veil removed and hearing the music on a whole new level.

Btw you should dl the sampler if its still up. It was a free dl from the official website awhile back. Chip Away is awesome.

I do think think the K1000 is worth the money as long as there is a good amp and source behind it.

 

[Acix]

Quote:

Originally Posted by moonboy403 /img/forum/go_quote.gif IMO, the K1000 is everything that the K701 can do but do it MUCH better especially the midrange which lies closer to the K501(liquid, smooth, and soothing). Then you throw in an airy and natural soundstage that no headphones can match. Everything sounds very effortless. There you have it, a K1000. Admittedly, the K1000 was driven by the Audio Note Kit 1 while the K701 is driven by the Phoenix. The source was Electrocompaniet ECD-1 for both.

Did you try the K701/2 + Phonitor combo?

 

[intoart]

The problem with the comparison (in the thread title) is that K701s are not worth anywhere near their price. I wouldn't even pay $50 for them.

 

[bhanja_trinanjan]

Tonality wise, what is the difference between the K1000 and the K701? Or is the K1000 just a much more transparent K701 with a bigger soundstage?

 

[Uncle Erik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bhanja_trinanjan /img/forum/go_quote.gif Tonality wise, what is the difference between the K1000 and the K701? Or is the K1000 just a much more transparent K701 with a bigger soundstage?

I found the K-701's tonality to be off in the mids/upper mids. Voices have an unnatural quality that I found disturbing and, ultimately, made the K-701 unlistenable. I liked much about the K-701. It's comfortable and gets most of the other stuff right. But it's like having a wonderful leather chair that has a wire sticking through the upholster that pokes you right in the back. No matter how nice the rest of it is, that wire will keep you from using the chair. Similarly, that weird, plasticky sound completely ruins the K-701 for me. I don't know how anyone can get past that. Funny things is that I haven't heard that with any other AKG I've listened to. I finally got a chance to hear the K-601, and I loved it. The K-601 is much better than the K-701. I've liked every other AKG I've listened to, as well.

The K-1000 sounds natural, top to bottom, much like the K-501, but with more extension and better soundstage.

 

[Pyriel0]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acix /img/forum/go_quote.gif Did you try the K701/2 + Phonitor combo?

No I haven't. The 2 shanling ph100's are the only other amps I have. I don't have the money to try out a lot of different expensive stuff. I did a lot of reading and decided to go straight for this setup.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bhanja_trinanjan /img/forum/go_quote.gif Tonality wise, what is the difference between the K1000 and the K701? Or is the K1000 just a much more transparent K701 with a bigger soundstage?

Tonality wise. The K701 compared to the 1k is like a soda that has been left out and lost its carbonation. Its just kind of "flat". There is much more snap and sparkle on the 1k and the soundstage is better ofc because they are pretty much small speakers instead of headphones.

For $200ish I think they are pretty good. I don't consider the 701's bad. It would be pretty easy to tear many headphones apart while comparing it to a K1000+F1. I am still happy with my choice of the K701 starting out and I'm glad they helped guide me to a K1000. Unlike everyone else, I've listened to the senn's(600 and 650) balanced + on a zana and didn't think they were all that after listening to the 1k for awhile. You can't expect the world of a headphone for 200 and I think the 701 does quite well for a starting/beginner headphone. The 701 sounds just about the same on a ph100 as the F1 also so it doesn't need a super expensive amp, just one that can swing current quickly.

 

[Sherwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif Similarly, that weird, plasticky sound completely ruins the K-701 for me.

I didn't experience anything like this in my K701. Since I can't reasonably explain what accounted for this change, I'll just mention that they had 2000+ hours on them and a moon blue dragon cable.

The upper mids were very neutral to my ears. I loved them.

That being said, there is nothing the K701 does well that the K1000 does not do better, with the possible exception of not looking like a ridiculous victorian ear helmet.

 

[moonboy403]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acix /img/forum/go_quote.gif Did you try the K701/2 + Phonitor combo?

No, I haven't. But considering that the Phoenix holds its own against a B22 IMO, I think it'll also hold up well against the Phonitor.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif I found the K-701's tonality to be off in the mids/upper mids. Similarly, that weird, plasticky sound completely ruins the K-701 for me. I don't know how anyone can get past that.

Like Sherwood, I also don't hear the plasticky tone that you speak of. It's odd since you don't think the SA5000 has a plasticky tone to it. Perhaps it's because the shape of our ears are different and hence having different resonance peak with different headphones?

 

[number1sixerfan]

I also found the K701 tonally off(actually, a bit similar to the same way I find the SA5000 a bit off--albeit even though I like the SA5000), and it really sounds nothing like the K1000. The K1000 sounds like a very highly improved K501. They both have clearer midranges than the K701 and have similar tonal balances. The K1000 simply just does everything better.

This is not to say that I couldn't enjoy the K701, but to my ears they sound just a little bit out of place in the K501<K701<K1000 lineup.

 

[moonboy403]

The K501 definitely has more in common with the K1000 than the K701. The only problem I had with the K501 was its lower treble peak.