[daleb]

Hello! So, I've been reading some more reviews, and I'm still wondering about some stuff. People say these headphones are too bright. When I have my EQ set up like this, do I need to worry about brightness? I use the HD 280 Pros right now, and they sound amazing with this EQ somehow:

 
 
The 280s having this =533]graph. Normally I don't really enjoy their sound signature all that much, but this EQ works wonders.
 
Anyways, another thing I've seen is a lot of people saying the sound stage was too big. How does that work? What would that feel like, and would it really be that bothersome? I've never had the chance to listen to an open back headphone.
 
Thanks.
 
edit: also, is it possible for my laptop's built in amp to be better then say the E11? I'm kind of scared I wasted that money. I listen to my current headphones at 18% volume, and I often have to turn that down... And I know I don't listen quietly, I've hurt my hearing over the past 4 5 years, especially before I became an audiophile.

 

[Stalker81598]

Quote:

Hello! So, I've been reading some more reviews, and I'm still wondering about some stuff. People say these headphones are too bright. When I have my EQ set up like this, do I need to worry about brightness? I use the HD 280 Pros right now, and they sound amazing with this EQ somehow:

 
 
The 280s having this =533]graph. Normally I don't really enjoy their sound signature all that much, but this EQ works wonders.
 
Anyways, another thing I've seen is a lot of people saying the sound stage was too big. How does that work? What would that feel like, and would it really be that bothersome? I've never had the chance to listen to an open back headphone.
 
Thanks.
 
edit: also, is it possible for my laptop's built in amp to be better then say the E11? I'm kind of scared I wasted that money. I listen to my current headphones at 18% volume, and I often have to turn that down... And I know I don't listen quietly, I've hurt my hearing over the past 4 5 years, especially before I became an audiophile.

 
If you like boosted upper mids and treble, the Q701 should appeal to you. Also, if you are listening to music with that "surround virtualizer" setting turned all the way up like that I'm sure it is having an impact on the frequency response of your headphones. That EQ may sound a lot different with that turned off.
 
The best way to describe the soundstage of the 701 in my experience is it sounds like the performer or source of sound is on the other side of a very large room. Sounds seem to be somewhat distant. It is more noticeable when you switch back and forth between the 701 and another headphone with a smaller soundstage. I don't find it bothersome at all but it's up to you to decide whether you like that kind of sound.
 
Your amp does more than just amplify the volume. A good amp can tighten up bass and improve extension, improve soundstage and imaging performance and provide headroom to avoid signal clipping. I'm not sure how the E11 performs with the Q701 but I do know from experience that it does require a more powerful amp than most comparable headphones.

 

[DutchGFX]

If you like boosted upper mids and treble, the Q701 should appeal to you. Also, if you are listening to music with that "surround virtualizer" setting turned all the way up like that I'm sure it is having an impact on the frequency response of your headphones. That EQ may sound a lot different with that turned off.

The best way to describe the soundstage of the 701 in my experience is it sounds like the performer or source of sound is on the other side of a very large room. Sounds seem to be somewhat distant. It is more noticeable when you switch back and forth between the 701 and another headphone with a smaller soundstage. I don't find it bothersome at all but it's up to you to decide whether you like that kind of sound.

Your amp does more than just amplify the volume. A good amp can tighten up bass and improve extension, improve soundstage and imaging performance and provide headroom to avoid signal clipping. I'm not sure how the E11 performs with the Q701 but I do know from experience that it does require a more powerful amp than most comparable headphones.

I see you power your HE-500 with a Magni. How does that sound?

 

[daleb]

Quote:

 
If you like boosted upper mids and treble, the Q701 should appeal to you. Also, if you are listening to music with that "surround virtualizer" setting turned all the way up like that I'm sure it is having an impact on the frequency response of your headphones. That EQ may sound a lot different with that turned off.
 
The best way to describe the soundstage of the 701 in my experience is it sounds like the performer or source of sound is on the other side of a very large room. Sounds seem to be somewhat distant. It is more noticeable when you switch back and forth between the 701 and another headphone with a smaller soundstage. I don't find it bothersome at all but it's up to you to decide whether you like that kind of sound.
 
Your amp does more than just amplify the volume. A good amp can tighten up bass and improve extension, improve soundstage and imaging performance and provide headroom to avoid signal clipping. I'm not sure how the E11 performs with the Q701 but I do know from experience that it does require a more powerful amp than most comparable headphones.

Well, actually, the surround virtualizer doesn't touch the sound when headphones are plugged in. I don't know why its on.
 
Yes, I know an amp helps with that, but how do I know when an amp is good enough? I feel like the amp on this is already very good, I don't know if an E11 can be better then it. I'll find out in a week when I get it, I guess.

 

[Stalker81598]

Quote:

I see you power your HE-500 with a Magni. How does that sound?

 
I have not heard the HE-500 with any other amp so I can't make a comparison, but it sounds fantastic to me. Magni is quite transparent and doesn't seem to color the sound at all. When comparing it to the HE-500 unamped, bass extension and impact are greatly improved.  Imaging clears up quite a bit though the soundstage remains intimate and somewhat small. I think this is a characteristic of the HE-500 itself though. Magni seems to handle quite well and doesn't break a sweat making these cans sing. Volume knob usually stays between 8 and 10 o'clock, depending on the track. I've never felt disappointed with its performance or wished for more. However I am curious to see how the HE-500 performs with a higher tier amp, such as the Burson Soloist. 
 
Quote:

Well, actually, the surround virtualizer doesn't touch the sound when headphones are plugged in. I don't know why its on.
 
Yes, I know an amp helps with that, but how do I know when an amp is good enough? I feel like the amp on this is already very good, I don't know if an E11 can be better then it. I'll find out in a week when I get it, I guess.

 
If you like the sound of your headphones directly from your laptop, there's no reason you can't listen to them that way. Generally speaking, any kind of amp would be an upgrade from no amp at all, though the difference may be less apparent with an amp like the E11 as opposed to, say, a Lyr. Honestly, I wouldn't be concerned with what other people say you "should" have for one headphone or another. I see people say all the time that a particular headphone sounds terrible with a certain amp or with no amp at all, which is just nonsense to say the least. I have never plugged in an amp and had my headphone sound like a completely different headphone. An improvement, no doubt, but I'd never say that any of my headphones sound "terrible" without one. At the end of the day, if you are enjoying your music then it doesn't matter what amp you are using or what anyone else's opinion is. After all, it is all about the music.
 
Having said that, you may want to think about getting an amp for the Q701, if only for the simple fact that it may just not get loud enough plugged directly into the laptop. The 701 is of below average sensitivity and therefore requires more power to reach listenable volumes.

 

[Jodiuh]

Q's, John Grado, Tyll, burn-in in 1 article: http://lifehacker.com/5993461/do-i-really-need-to-break-in-my-headphones-for-the-best-sound

 

[Techno Kid]

Do the Q701's sound the same as the K701's or are do they have a slight difference in signature?

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

Do the Q701's sound the same as the K701's or are do they have a slight difference in signature?

 
Some slight differences. The Q701 is a bit warmer to me and has a slightly more closed in soundstage, but this could be due to the extra warmth fooling me.
Vocals are definitely better for me on the Q701 compared to the old K701 or K702, but it depends on preferences. The Q701 is a bit fuller sounding.
 
Check out the first post in this thread for some other differences.

 

[Techno Kid]

Quote:

 
Some slight differences. The Q701 is a bit warmer to me and has a slightly more closed in soundstage, but this could be due to the extra warmth fooling me.
Vocals are definitely better for me on the Q701 compared to the old K701 or K702, but it depends on preferences. The Q701 is a bit fuller sounding.
 
Check out the first post in this thread for some other differences.

 
Thanks for replying, the Q701 being a bit warmer than the K701 sounds like they're more me liking as I tend to like warmer sounding IEM's and headphones.  Even if the soundstage is a bit more closed in it wont bother me as I'm coming from IEM's to headphones and even a smaller soundstage will sound large to me so I'm good with that aspect.  
 
Even though I've really wanted to try the K701 or Q701 I think I might just wait and save for either the HE-500 or save a bit more for the Audeze LCD-2 which are the 2 Ortho's I really want and I'm really liking my HE-400 and HD600 at the moment.

 

[Stalker81598]

Quote:

 
Thanks for replying, the Q701 being a bit warmer than the K701 sounds like they're more me liking as I tend to like warmer sounding IEM's and headphones.  Even if the soundstage is a bit more closed in it wont bother me as I'm coming from IEM's to headphones and even a smaller soundstage will sound large to me so I'm good with that aspect.  
 
Even though I've really wanted to try the K701 or Q701 I think I might just wait and save for either the HE-500 or save a bit more for the Audeze LCD-2 which are the 2 Ortho's I really want and I'm really liking my HE-400 and HD600 at the moment.

 
The Q701 may be slightly warmer sounding than the K701, but I still would not recommend it to anyone that says they prefer warm headphones. 

 

[Danthrax]

It was a PITA, first it's $60 for the pad, then you have to squeeze the sides while pulling the top off of the back, but besides being attached to the sides via tabs they are also "clipped" around the metal bars and that needs to be unclipped as well.

 

[daleb]

I got the E11s in today! Hopefully they will suit the Q701s well. The main complaint I've heard about them is that they make the sound stage smaller, but that should work exactly how I want it, seeing as I've never even tried an open pair of headphones. I've only had the pleasures of closed back ones.

 

[Evshrug]

Daleb,
I heard the E11 is actually pretty good on soundstage for a solid-state amp, at least that's what ClieOS's review round up suggests. I've only heard the E5, E12, my Yamaha receiver, and my tube amp, which Zigis just sent me new wood side panels for.

For you Lyr owners, here's a copy of what I just posted in the tube rolling thread :

I just received some tubes from Bulgaria .... 2 matched for $13.60 + $9 shipping .... wasn't expecting much, but these sound very good .... though the bass is overemphasized.  This makes them perfect, however for driving something like my Q701 phones, for example.  The price went up a few dollars since I purchased, but this is a very inexpensive buy.  Oh, they're Voskhod 6N1P / ECC88 Gold Grid tubes.

Linky

I got one of those, but it is not compatible with my 6DJ8 amp. Then, I got four Voskhod 6N23P tubes, which ARE compatible, but I've been listening to a pair of bugle boys and haven't rolled in the Russian tubes yet. I think my Bugle Boy I've been testing is a little microphonic; if I tap the amp or sometimes when I bump he table it sits on, I hear a faint ringing sound through my headphones.

 

[daleb]

I can't hear a difference between my 280s with the E11s and my laptop. In fact, it might be warmer/fuller with the laptop then with the E11s...
Are you sure I need an amp for the Q701s?
 
Edit: The first of the 2 EQ choices (I believe they're bass boosts?) Makes the sound more full now. This is a definite improvement now, but I don't see it as being an improvement in detail or sound stage or imaging or anything else.

 

[Change is Good]

I am tempted to replace the headband on this baby with a more comfy one. I'm scared I might mess something up though. The headband replacement guide doesn't look easy