[Redcarmoose]

My next headphone purchase will be the Q701s as I have had a long affair with the k701 series.


I have two pairs of k701s first pair I purchased new in 08. Not knowing about amp matching it was a surprise when my newly acquired Woo Audio 3 would not even make em fart.

Later purchased a WA 5 LE and it is nice combo to match the k 701s. After 300 hours of burn in they really responded nicely. Next is the posts about 500 hours plus to get them where they need to be for burn in!

So my question is are my headphones past the 500 hour mark of burn in? With the Q701s I'm going to run em for a month in a closet before putting them on.


Purchased a late model pair in 09 with the Right and Left "R" and "L" on the top of aluminum bar and AKG on the bottom. I can't tell any difference from early to late models and they sound exactly the same to me. Spent a year with the k701s as my main headphones.

Recently I purchased a Schiit Audio Solid State Asgard amp and love the topography and synergy together. I have to say all of our matching and mismatching of products comes to the conclusion of every small difference is huge. The Schiit gets rid of any of the plastic sound. I have had kind of a love hate relationship with them as at times they become my perfect headphones. I have had experiences where they sounded just like speakers to my ears. I'm truly happy that I have lived with them all these years and really love trying new amps with them. After listening to them I still feel they are music genre dependent no matter how much I want to amp them out of it, or trick my ears to somehow get used to rock on em.

That said so many styles of music do shine on them. One review I loved reading was Markl during the first release days when he was doing a direct comparison of the k701s to the $5000 Sony R-10s.

Here.

Posted March 2006.

http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/akg-k701-headphone-initial-impressions-raw-and-uncensored.75440/



I can even go mobile with the JDS Labs c421 Operational Amp. So with the right genres and amp they really are a flagship piece of audio heaven for low cost.

 

[Solrighal]

I found that a thicker material in place of, or along with, the thin foam rings that sit between the driver and the mesh of the pads.  For me, real wool felt worked the best, as it didn't mess much with the rest of the sound.  That, plus the bass port mod in some fashion, made them much more enjoyable for more genres.

I'll give that a try & see how it goes. I can't give up on this soundstage.

 

[i luvmusic 2]

I thought you sold the Q701 and upgraded to Hd6XX?

 

[Solrighal]

No, no. I still have them because what they do they do very well. The soundstage in particular but also the instrument seperation are to die for. With the right music they do things my HD 650's simply can't.

 

[i luvmusic 2]

Sorry about that i thought you sold it..I ordered the Crack and I'am planning to get the HD65X how would you compare the the two?Thanks! 

 

[Stillhart]

I wouldn't recommend spending too much on amps and dacs in general. If you want to improve your rig the most cost efficient way is to upgrade your headphone. A great amp/dac isn't going to change your Q701 into an HD800.

 
So you're saying that buying a $1000+ headphone and using it with a iPhone/Realtek sound card will be more cost effective and sound better than a Q701 and a $300 DAC/Amp?  I don't think you're going to convince anyone that it's more cost effective.  I can't speak to the sound as I've never heard the HD800, but I'd be curious to read if anyone has ever done that particular AB test...

 

[Solrighal]

Sorry about that i thought you sold it..I ordered the Crack and I'am planning to get the HD65X how would you compare the the two?Thanks! 

No problem. I don't own a Crack yet so can't tell you which is better. I do prefer the HD 650's over the Q701 though, no matter what amp I use.

 

[i luvmusic 2]

 It wont changed your Q to HD but in my experienced coming from Audioengine D1 DAC to TEAC-U-DH01 DAC is a huge deference in terms of Q's sound.My current set up is PC + TEAC + Littledot 1+ Q701=

 

 

[i luvmusic 2]

 

Sorry about that i thought you sold it..I ordered the Crack and I'am planning to get the HD65X how would you compare the the two?Thanks! 

No problem. I don't own a Crack yet so can't tell you which is better. I do prefer the HD 650's over the Q701 though, no matter what amp I use.

THANK YOU SIR!

 

[Boogirl]

   
If you're looking in the $200-250 price range, I'd suggest finding a used Audio-GD NFB-15.32 (or similar).  The M-Stage is a great amp (I've got one) and the amp stage of the Audio-GD sounds indistinguishable to my ears.  The DAC on the Audio-GD, though, is really really nice.  It's a noticeable upgrade from the Modi.  I think it's hard to beat the Audio-GD for bang-for-the-buck in that price range.  It's definitely a little more expensive than the Modi/Vali, but might be worthwhile.  
 
If you're looking for something a little more neutral sounding (the M-stage, Vali, and NFB-15 are all warm), try the Yulong D100 or Audio-GD NFB-11.32 (or similar).  I love my Yulong D100, but I find it a little bright for the Q701's so I'm selling it.
 
Disclaimer - I haven't actually heard a Magni or Vali, but I've owned the Modi and I returned it.

Could you possible tell me a bit more about the differences betweens the NFB 11s and 15s to drive the Q701s? I was veering toward the 15s because they are cheaper, but the 15s are supposedly warmer than the 11s and I was wondering if that is good or bad for the Q701?

 

[ThurstonX]

I'll give that a try & see how it goes. I can't give up on this soundstage.

 
Agree completely.  The trick is finding the balance.  Good luck 

 

[Za Warudo]

  True, but some people reported good results with just a Vali.  Most headphones don't have the resolving power to distinguish between upstream gear and recordings like a HD800, plus most people who buy an HD800 have the dough or are willing to spend upwards of $1000 for an amp.
 

 
Quote:

   It wont changed your Q to HD but in my experienced coming from Audioengine D1 DAC to TEAC-U-DH01 DAC is a huge deference in terms of Q's sound.My current set up is PC + TEAC + Littledot 1+ Q701=

 

 
According to this blind test, maybe the HD800 doesn't have enough resolving power to tell apart different DACs, or maybe we are just all fools to think otherwise.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/high-end-pc-audio,3733.html

 

[jasonb]

That test just proves how good the ODAC is. 

 

[Nymrej]

As a new Q701 owner, I'm hoping for a little advice.  The headphone is just a little too small for my head.  Yes, it is a massive melon!  If I remove the headband from the tracks on one side and place it above the bar that restricts its movement, I have no problem at all.  Of course, without that restraining bar, I'm worried the elastic band will give out in time.
 
Anyone else have this problem?  Ideally, I'd move up each restraining bar about a centimeter, but those restraining bars seem immoveable.  Any advice would be very welcome.

 

[ThurstonX]

  As a new Q701 owner, I'm hoping for a little advice.  The headphone is just a little too small for my head.  Yes, it is a massive melon!  If I remove the headband from the tracks on one side and place it above the bar that restricts its movement, I have no problem at all.  Of course, without that restraining bar, I'm worried the elastic band will give out in time.
 
Anyone else have this problem?  Ideally, I'd move up each restraining bar about a centimeter, but those restraining bars seem immoveable.  Any advice would be very welcome.

 
There is a youtube video describing how to do just that.  I found it a little hard to follow, and didn't bother, since I have just enough room.  Search for it, but I'll try to post the link here.
 
This one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFpc6m9RyCY