[TitaniteXtreme]

  The deeper pads on the K712 make it sound a little less intimate than the Anniversary. 

 
Sorry I am quite noob in headphones, I am just wondering does "less intimate sound" headphone makes the music sounds a bit laid back, such that we need to increase the listening volume in order to hear more details of the sound?

 

[emertxe]

   
Sorry I am quite noob in headphones, I am just wondering does "less intimate sound" headphone makes the music sounds a bit laid back, such that we need to increase the listening volume in order to hear more details of the sound?

 
You need to get the HD800 for absolute clarity and detail even on very low listening levels... Though K712 Pro are definitely not bad either - but yeah, they are nowhere near HD800 in terms of clarity, the AKGs are a bit veiled in their bass in comparison.

 

[ethan7000]

Sorry I am quite noob in headphones, I am just wondering does "less intimate sound" headphone makes the music sounds a bit laid back, such that we need to increase the listening volume in order to hear more details of the sound?

You'll find that there's a large variation in what people mean by different terms. To me, if something is less intimate, then the sound seems more distant. It usually refers to mids for me - I think of the HD650 as very intimate because it feels like the vocalist is right next to me singing. I found the Alpha Dog to have this quality as well.

 

[TitaniteXtreme]

Since K712 is an open headphone, so I am expecting sound will leak out from the headphone. Can somebody here share their experience on how much sound do they leak if listening at normal listening volume? Does the sound leakage very serious? 

 

 

[TitaniteXtreme]

You'll find that there's a large variation in what people mean by different terms. To me, if something is less intimate, then the sound seems more distant. It usually refers to mids for me - I think of the HD650 as very intimate because it feels like the vocalist is right next to me singing. I found the Alpha Dog to have this quality as well.

 
Hi ethan, it seems that you owned Fidelio X1. There's a review by grizzlybeast (http://www.head-fi.org/products/philips-fidelio-x1/reviews/9534) mentioned the following things:
 

1. "The drivers don't seem to push the sounds forward enough to make them stand out." I am basically trying to say they don't have a strong sound but rather distant and far away. The instruments are far too soft and distant to make this an engaging headphone.
2. The problem is that on songs that you want to be engaging and full, the sound doesnt fill up. The bass is there but the instruments sound distant. 
3. The problem is that you always desire to turn the volume up to fill in the air with stronger sounds. However, it just doesn't happen. It gets loud but then feels like its going to cook the drivers. 

 
 
Ethan, when you are using X1, will you experience the same problem when listening at a relatively low volume?
 
I am also wondering, does AKG K712 pro have these kind of "distant sounding presentation", where a person need to increase the volume, in order to hear more of the music?

 

[BillsonChang007]

Since K712 is an open headphone, so I am expecting sound will leak out from the headphone. Can somebody here share their experience on how much sound do they leak if listening at normal listening volume? Does the sound leakage very serious? :confused_face:  

Not sure about the AKG, but my Grado leaks sound at 40% [which is what I considered normal volume] out of 100% with my iPhone 4

Hopefully it helps!
Billson

 

[tdockweiler]

   
Reading your posts for quite a while, you have interesting opinions that often differ from general consensus... It's seems like you hear things differently than the majority of people. 

 
Yep, lots of us have differing opinions and this is nothing new on Head-Fi

I think my impressions of all my headphones are not that much different (The Annie being the one real exception). The real difference though is my opinion in amps/dacs. I seem to never hear them like everyone else does. Well, except the O2 and ODAC.
 
Nobody ever complains about this 2khz emphasis (at least not on the Q701). Just in this thread and only recently. In the Q701 thread i've never seen it even once. I only pointed this out because you're the first in a very long time. You make it sound worse than it really is. Maybe you should try a different amp/dac.
 
I actually like the very slight upper mids peak. The only time it bothers me is if it's the music's fault. Maybe on just one or two albums. Very bright/harsh Jpop recordings. The Q701 never makes it any worse IMO.

 

[tdockweiler]

   
For me the MSII was ever so slightly harsh in the mids so its probably not the best match for the Q/K7xx. Its still a good DAC, especially for the money, and the harshness in the mids is slight but I did notice it in comparison to the HeadAmp Pico DAC and MSII+.

 
MSII wasn't bad when I had it, but a little too warm with some headphones like the HD-650. Just due to preferences. For me the problem with the HRT MSII is that the soundstage seemed really closed in. I didn't realize what I was missing until I compared it to a $30 Creative X-Fi Go Pro and the ODAC. The SRH-940 also sounded warmer than it should with the MSII and that was kind of screwing with my impressions of that headphone. My DJ100 also seemed congested/muffled and it wasn't caused by the amp.
 
 

  I haven't used my MSII in a while but I pulled it out to do another comparison. The K712 are indeed slightly harsher in the upper-mids, and possibly in the highs as well, with the MSII. The MSII+ seems to be slightly warmer and I prefer it with the K712.

 
I wonder if the MSII+ is more transparent than the MSII and some competition for the ODAC. I'd like to try another DAC in the future that's under $350. Maybe the Bifrost. Nothing too warm though. If the MSII+ is warmer than the MSII than i'll probably skip it.
 
I love the Modi, so most likely I'll love the Bifrost. They both use AKM chipsets. I doubt i'll hear much of an improvement though.

 

[ethan7000]

   
Hi ethan, it seems that you owned Fidelio X1. There's a review by grizzlybeast (http://www.head-fi.org/products/philips-fidelio-x1/reviews/9534) mentioned the following things:
 

1. "The drivers don't seem to push the sounds forward enough to make them stand out." I am basically trying to say they don't have a strong sound but rather distant and far away. The instruments are far too soft and distant to make this an engaging headphone.
2. The problem is that on songs that you want to be engaging and full, the sound doesnt fill up. The bass is there but the instruments sound distant. 
3. The problem is that you always desire to turn the volume up to fill in the air with stronger sounds. However, it just doesn't happen. It gets loud but then feels like its going to cook the drivers. 

 
 
Ethan, when you are using X1, will you experience the same problem when listening at a relatively low volume?
 
I am also wondering, does AKG K712 pro have these kind of "distant sounding presentation", where a person need to increase the volume, in order to hear more of the music?

I don't find the X1 to sound distant in general. However, as I said in the X1 thread, it's not ideal for low volumes due to a laid back treble presentation. I can't speak about the K712. But if you are looking for low volume listening, you want something with some emphasized bass and treble, much like the effect of a loudness button on a stereo. The reason for this is that our ears hear best between ~300Hz and ~6kHz, so a hp that has emphasis below and above those frequencies will be better for low volume listening.

 

[acs236]

I've been happily listening to my K701s for a few years, but I'm somewhat intrigued by the K712.  I really like the overall sound and balance of the K701, but wouldn't mind a touch more bass. I don't think I'd want a huge amount more.  Also, generally like the AKG sound and dislike the Sennheiser house sound, to the extent it's expressed in the 580s and 650s, both of which I've owned.  The Senns sound a bit mushy to me, and I want to avoid that.  In fact, the K701s don't sound quite as clear as my Ety 4s, which I've been using for several years.
 
Ideally, I'd like the K701 with a bit more bass and perhaps a bit more mid-treble.  Knowing this, would any of you who've heard the 701s and 712s recommend the 712s for me?

 

[emertxe]

  I've been happily listening to my K701s for a few years, but I'm somewhat intrigued by the K712.  I really like the overall sound and balance of the K701, but wouldn't mind a touch more bass. I don't think I'd want a huge amount more.  Also, generally like the AKG sound and dislike the Sennheiser house sound, to the extent it's expressed in the 580s and 650s, both of which I've owned.  The Senns sound a bit mushy to me, and I want to avoid that.  In fact, the K701s don't sound quite as clear as my Ety 4s, which I've been using for several years.
 
Ideally, I'd like the K701 with a bit more bass and perhaps a bit more mid-treble.  Knowing this, would any of you who've heard the 701s and 712s recommend the 712s for me?

 
K712 Pro have significantly more bass than Q701 I've heard... Not a bit, very significantly more.
 
Therefore I must recommend you the HD800, or T1s... These have more bass than Q701 but not a lot more - just enough to become neutral enough in bass region.

 

[tdockweiler]

  I've been happily listening to my K701s for a few years, but I'm somewhat intrigued by the K712.  I really like the overall sound and balance of the K701, but wouldn't mind a touch more bass. I don't think I'd want a huge amount more.  Also, generally like the AKG sound and dislike the Sennheiser house sound, to the extent it's expressed in the 580s and 650s, both of which I've owned.  The Senns sound a bit mushy to me, and I want to avoid that.  In fact, the K701s don't sound quite as clear as my Ety 4s, which I've been using for several years.
 
Ideally, I'd like the K701 with a bit more bass and perhaps a bit more mid-treble.  Knowing this, would any of you who've heard the 701s and 712s recommend the 712s for me?

 
You should probably try the Q701 or modded Q701 instead. The Q701 will have a little less treble perhaps. For me it had fuller mids, less treble and a slightly smoother sound. The mids on the K702 were kind of lean, but not too bad.
 
Q701 is a bit warmer than the K701/K702 and has a little more bass. There's a few more changes which are posted in the Q701 thread.
 
I'm glad I made the switch from the K702 to Q701. I've used the Q701 for nearly 3 years now and love it. With the easy bass mod it's even better.
 
The soundstage of the Q701 does seem a little more closed in compared to the K702/1 though, but not too bad.

 

[TitaniteXtreme]

  I don't find the X1 to sound distant in general. However, as I said in the X1 thread, it's not ideal for low volumes due to a laid back treble presentation. I can't speak about the K712. But if you are looking for low volume listening, you want something with some emphasized bass and treble, much like the effect of a loudness button on a stereo. The reason for this is that our ears hear best between ~300Hz and ~6kHz, so a hp that has emphasis below and above those frequencies will be better for low volume listening.

 
Thanks for your input! I find it quite helpful~~ 

 

[TitaniteXtreme]

Not sure about the AKG, but my Grado leaks sound at 40% [which is what I considered normal volume] out of 100% with my iPhone 4

Hopefully it helps!
Billson

 
Thanks for your feedback!

 

[JWahl]

Got my K712s in this afternoon and been getting some quick listening in for about 15 minutes.  So far so good.  Slightly different sound than I expected having owned the K702 65th Anni  however...
 
When I had my Annies, I was powering them with an Audio-GD SA-31 amp and Resonessence Concero as usb converter to a PS Audio Nuwave DAC.  Now I'm using a Burson Soloist driven by a simple Schiit Modi.  My quick assumption would be that the K712/K702 65th seem rather sensitive to the gear that's driving them.  The K712 with my current gear seems much more open and airy than I remember the Annies being.  Probably need to let them burn in a little more though.