[Phos]

Funny thing, a while back I was thinking about how it would be possible to record audio such that it could be put through an HRTF algorithm after the fact, and I thought that four microphones in a tetrahedral layout would provide all the information required for this, but I had no idea how it could be utilized.  Well, guess what, it's called an Ambisonic soundfield and guess what the microphone used to record it looks like.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

M50? Hell no. Not for gaming. Very small soundstage. I would recommend the CAL. Enjoy them for all purposes.

My Q701s are being delivered a day early. I should have them today.

 

[Danny0990]

Geeze, listened to my first movie off a dvd from redbox last night with new setup. I'm blown away. After last night, I'm going to be a regular redbox customer. I can only imagine how good they'll sound with the lyr haha.

 

[rabidgamer]

Quote:

M50? Hell no. Not for gaming. Very small soundstage. I would recommend the CAL. Enjoy them for all purposes.
My Q701s are being delivered a day early. I should have them today.

Can't wait to hear your impressions, if my Pro 900s don't work out for gaming the Q701s will be my next step.
 
I should hopefully have my new headphones today too...
 

 

[Mysterious]

Quote:

 
I think it depends on what your gaming and music setups are like. If you're more serious about one or the other, than that's the one that takes priority.
 
So, for e.g. are you gaming with onboard audio, in stereo? Then music's a priority.
Do you game or listen to music on the go? Then you need closed headphones.

 

Using onboard radio 
nothing special 
just need something that can be used as both but priority is for music as will be leaving soon for university so closed headphones are preferred
 
 
Quote:

M50? Hell no. Not for gaming. Very small soundstage. I would recommend the CAL. Enjoy them for all purposes.
My Q701s are being delivered a day early. I should have them today.

Any Headphones that are good for gaming and provide the listening experience of the m50's but the listening to music will be priority with them
 
 

 

[SniperCzar]

Quote:

http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR01914/ ... Thank you

More BGC suggestions for you - http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR02036/ and http://www.biggiantcircles.com/impostor-nostalgia/
 
And because my electro-house example posted earlier was probably not everyone's cup of tea, have some Shnabubula. This one was featured on IGN - http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR02278/

 

[chicolom]

Quote:

My Q701s are being delivered a day early. I should have them today.

That was fast! 
 
I think I've exhausted all headphone possibilities in this price bracket, and the Q701s have officially "won" for me.  My requirements are open + velour + soundstage.  The only ones I haven't tried are the HD600s, but I'm not sure Id like them...maybe they'd be alright for instrumental music...
 
I might look into that ODA/ODAC thing coming later...

 

[Hailin]

Quote:

 
Were the HD598's comfort problems more of an issue than their sound for you? I'm interested in the HD598 but somewhat worried they might be too boring for me.

The comfort for me of the HD598s got better and better as I wore them. I was just not used to the shape of the earpads and where it clamped.
I found the sound on bass heavy tracks to be a tad boring. On everything else they were fine.
The soundstage is just awesome too on the 598s. Main reason I am struggling on whether to keep them or not is that wonderful soundstage.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

First impression for music.... the Q701 IS different from the K701. The difference is obvious. There is warmth here that I never really got from the K701. People tended to argue with me about the K701 not being bright or treble heavy, which I will fight about until the end of time. If they were talking about the Q701 however, I'd agree with them. It's different, and more pleasing. Sub bass is definitely not a strong suit, but it does have a pretty healthy dose of mid bass... so it's quite complimentary to the D7000.

Soundstage is definitely huge, which is a plus.

Bass has an incredibly quick decay, which is good in that bass will never smother the mids ever, but bad because there's not enough oomph in them to give a wow factor.

Would these replace the DT990? For me? Not a chance. I can already tell they won't be anywhere near as 'fun', but these are definitely the better alternative as far as well balanced all rounder, more than the HD598 (which I find boring). These have SOME fun. The vocals are damn good too.

I'd still recommend the DT880s over these for music, but we'll have to see for gaming (I'm sure the Q701 will be better, assuming positioning is still as good as the K701, where the DT880 lacks a bit in).

So far so good. They thoroughly spank the PC360 for music, lol. I'm probably not going to sell my PC360, if only because I can always use them whenever game chat is a must. it's easier to just use them in a pinch, instead of attaching, detaching a mod mic on these. However, the Q701 will definitely get more use, as I almost never chat anyways.

One thing, if you have a HUGE head, the Q701 may not have enough extension. I have to fully extend them, which was only ever an issue with me with the Koss UR 40 (not enough extension.... thing was made for midgets).

My test for bass....

[VIDEO]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaHuYxCaH3c[/VIDEO]


The Q701 does the mid bass well enough, but sub bass just dissipates a bit too quickly, where they would keep going on the 990s and D7000.

 

[Phos]

This talk about the mod mic is abruptly giving me ideas on integrating a mic into my HE-400's...  Rather than sticking it to the side, I could make a custom cable where the mod mic is braided into the left channel cable as part of a braided cable. 
 
And by the way, the HE-400 is absurdly good with that binaural recording you linked several pages back. So far it seems to beat the AD700 in that regard in terms of resving directional cues. Ad700 stage might be bigger though. 

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Oh yes, the Q701 is considerably easier to listen to than any of the main Beyers. The treble is non-fatiguing, but still very clear.

Assuming they work well for gaming, I'm keeping these. They are better than the K701, without question. Time for some BLOPS.

I like them for music, which is a LOT more than I can say for the K701 or HD598. They really do sound like an EQ-ed K701. Just wanna mention that I loved the K701 when I EQ-ed them with the Fiio E5 or the E7, though amping wasn't ideal on either. I'd say these are as if the K701 was on level 1 EQ on the E7. Speaking of, the Q701 on the E7 with EQ1 gives it a healthy dose of bass (subtle but noticeable), and makes them sound even more fun. Too bad I won't be using them with the E7 like that.

Quick dirty shoot:





Chico, thanks for the recommendation. I am really liking the Q701s. Very, VERY complimentary to the D7000.

I know I always say that I'm not giving up certain headphones (DT990s), but these actually have a place with me, as they don't fight for the same genres with the D7K.

The ONLY way I'd give them up is for some T1s, which quite frankly, can't afford right now.

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

That was fast! 
 
I think I've exhausted all headphone possibilities in this price bracket, and the Q701s have officially "won" for me.  My requirements are open + velour + soundstage.  The only ones I haven't tried are the HD600s, but I'm not sure Id like them...maybe they'd be alright for instrumental music...
 
I might look into that ODA/ODAC thing coming later...

 
You should try the K601. It's a different flavor of the AKG Q701, but a lot warmer. Somewhere in between the K702 and HD-600. It's crazy that they're often found now for $100-$150 if you get lucky!
If anyone on earth feels the Q701 has too much treble, the K601 might be the one for them. I do think the K601 does have more forward mids than the Q701. Definitely more upper mids.
 
I'd suggest the 598 over the HD-600. At one time I had the HD-600, HD-650 and 598 and kept the 598. I actually found it was the one I liked listening to the most due to it's huge soundstage and forward mids. HD-600 was especially good for gaming and movies, but I liked it less for music. The 598 also always felt like it had more treble than the HD-600/650 by far.
 
I think the K601 is also a tiny bit more forgiving than the Q701. Of course on some recordings the more forward mids can be an issue on the K601. This is rare though. The K601's bass might be a little better than the Q701, but I haven't compared them. I think it's just better sub-bass. Very tiny differences.
 
You might like the KRK KNS-8400 too. I've found it to sound similar to a closed Q701 somewhat. Despite being closed, the HRT benefits it a lot. As far as I'm concerned, the 8400 and the Q701 are tied for Skyrim. Only advantage the Q701 has is soundstage size. The KRK is even less forgiving than the Q701 and makes so much of my music sound like garbage.
 
MLE - I'm glad you like the Q701 (so far). I'm surprised you felt it was warm. I think it is compared to my old K701 for sure and that's one reason I like it. Not as warm as my K601 or HD-598, but pretty close. Surprised you found the HD-598 boring for music. It's mids are very engaging for me, yet at the same time I sometimes switch to the HD-598 when I want to relax and not be bombarded by crappy music that's too bright/harsh. My HD-598 takes the edge off of bad music SLIGHTLY. The HD-600 despite the extra bass (I believe) puts me to sleep. It's mids just don't do much for me.
 
The Q701 is even better when paired up with a slightly warm amp/dac. Even then, it's still not like the K601. I have my doubts there's a better budget DAC than the HRT MSII under $150 for the Q701.
 
Wish I could convince more gamers to try the K601, but never had any luck

 
I think if someone compared the K601 to the Q701 side by side for a half hour, they'd think the K601 is less detailed, but it's not too far off I think. I think the K601 also has better imaging than the Q701. I haven't verified this, but it has the HD-598 beat.
 
Now that I think of it, I haven't tried the K601 for Skyrim yet. Guess I'll do this tonight..
 
 

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Well, I don't actually find it warm, per se. WarmER than the K701, which I felt was on the bright side of neutral. I actually feel the Q701 to have a neutral sound signature. Not warm, not bright, just right.

And btw, just played some BLOPS with it, I can wholeheartedly recommend these for gaming. They even have bass impact, similar to the DT880s for gaming, maybe just a little less bass presence.

If I were to score them right now:

Fun: 7/10 (not enough sub bass to truly make them on the level of the DT880s fun wise, but close)
Competitive: 9/10 (need more testing, but everything seems to be spot on. This may change to a higher score, but not lower.)

 

[chicolom]

 
Quote:

Oh yes, the Q701 is considerably easier to listen to than any of the main Beyers. The treble is non-fatiguing, but still very clear.
Assuming they work well for gaming, I'm keeping these. They are better than the K701, without question.
I like them for music, which is a LOT more than I can say for the K701 or HD598.
Chico, thanks for the recommendation. I am really liking the Q701s. Very, VERY complimentary to the D7000.

I know I always say that I'm not giving up certain headphones (DT990s), but these actually have a place with me, as they don't fight for the same genres with the D7K.
The ONLY way I'd give them up is for some T1s, which quite frankly, can't afford right now.

 
I'm glad you like them!  

 
And glad to see you echo my impressions as well.  They're sound very much like improved K70x - which by definition makes them good for gaming

.  The difference between the K70x and Q701 is obvious when comparing directly - don't try and argue it's placebo.  I don't see any reason to NOT choose the Q's over the K's (unless your just being stubborn about the whole Quincy Jones "rebranding" thing, in which case - please get over it).
 
I think they're a really solid choice for soundstage lovers and gamers looking for an open, well-balanced, natural sounding can.  If you like acoustic based music (jazz, classical, etc.) they will do great with those genres as well.  Pretty darn good for some electronic too.  I can't see it's sound signature bothering anyone, it just really non-fatiguing.  There are "funner" sounding cans, but to me they sound unnatural for acoustic music - less of an issue with gaming though.  I still say the Q701s are the most natural sounding cans I've heard - meaning the timbre of instruments sounds closest to their real life counterparts.
 
The only way I'd ever consider selling mine is for another pair, or if I get a flagship that makes them redundant:  such as T1s,  HD700/800, etc - which won't happen for a looonng time...
 
MLE - methinks you should probably add them to the front page  *wink, nudge* 

 
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by tdockweiler /img/forum/go_quote.gif

 
You should try the K601. It's a different flavor of the AKG Q701, but a lot warmer.
If anyone on earth feels the Q701 has too much treble, the K601 might be the one for them.
 
Oh ya, forgot about those.  The thing is, I don't think I want cans warmer than the Q701 and I don't think they have too much treble   = \  I think the Q701s are almost spot on "temperature" wise   They don't over or under emphasizie anything which is why they sound "natural" to me.
 
 
I'd suggest the 598 over the HD-600. At one time I had the HD-600, HD-650 and 598 and kept the 598. I actually found it was the one I liked listening to the most due to it's huge soundstage and forward mids. HD-600 was especially good for gaming and movies, but I liked it less for music. The 598 also always felt like it had more treble than the HD-600/650 by far.
 
Hmm...I don't know what to think.  I don't know if the HD598s would be enough of an improvement from PC360s.  PC360 soundstage is great, but the signature isn't as full sounding as Q701s.  It's colder and thinner IMO.  I would think HD598s would be very similar.  And I can already fall asleep with the Q701s on, so the HD600s would probably put me in a coma

 
 
You might like the KRK KNS-8400 too. I've found it to sound similar to a closed Q701 somewhat. Despite being closed, the HRT benefits it a lot. As far as I'm concerned, the 8400 and the Q701 are tied for Skyrim. Only advantage the Q701 has is soundstage size. The KRK is even less forgiving than the Q701 and makes so much of my music sound like garbage.
 
I looked at those, but I don't think I could wear them too long without ear cramps.  Maybe the memory foam would help, but the cup depth is what concerns me.  I don't specifically need closed headphones anyways, so not much point in getting them when I can use open ones that will have better soundstage.  I have some CALs for if I need closed, but I rarely do.
 
Still, the KRK's might be a good recommendation for people on this thread looking for <$150 closed gaming headphones....
 
 
 
MLE - I'm glad you like the Q701 (so far). I'm surprised you felt it was warm. I think it is compared to my old K701 for sure and that's one reason I like it. Not as warm as my K601 or HD-598, but pretty close. Surprised you found the HD-598 boring for music.
 
Keep in mind MLE is used to sparkly cans

Actually, I am too.  I've logged the most hours on AD700s and KSC75s, both quite sparkly.  Coming from them the Q701 sound warm in comparison.  I'm actually suprised you (tdock) find the HD598 warmer then Q701, as my PC360s were colder than the Q's...  I thought the PC360s were a little boring for music.  THey actually had almost too much mids in some cases, which doesn't bode well for the HD598s =\
 
 
Wish I could convince more gamers to try the K601, but never had any luck

I think if someone compared the K601 to the Q701 side by side for a half hour, they'd think the K601 is less detailed, but it's not too far off I think. I think the K601 also has better imaging than the Q701. I haven't verified this, but it has the HD-598 beat.
Now that I think of it, I haven't tried the K601 for Skyrim yet. Guess I'll do this tonight..
 
What about the K501/K500.  Have you tried those with gaming?  Supposedly has the larget soundstage of the AKG line.  Some people say the x70x soundstage is too large, but I don't think so.  It's still smaller than AD700...
 
 

 
 

 

[chicolom]

LOL at these pad-rolled K601