[roskodan]

 
about the k712, when a/b-ing with the k701, i read the sound was quite different, but what i heard are two very different cans, except both sound technically like the price may suggest compared to, for example, the lcds, hd800, sound wise tho, it is hi-fi and some very good sound indeed, the k240mk2 very different sound from the others, right now i've those 3
 
i tried the hd700 at the local sennheiser dealer, along with bayer t1 and hd800, on my violectric combo, wasn't impressed, not that i didn't like the sound, i just wasn't impressed, i guess technically the other two stole the show
 
again with the k712/k701 same thing but i like the sound, it's just the good old resonably priced hi-fi sound
 
the k701 may have a reverse hd650 complex, that is having the mids too forward unlike the hd650 which is somewhat recessed in that regard, while the k712 seem like being somewhere in between the two, maybe like the hd600 but i didn't try these yet

 

[Rob80b]

   
about the k712, when a/b-ing with the k701, i read the sound was quite different, but what i heard are two very different cans, except both sound technically like the price may suggest compared to, for example, the lcds, hd800, sound wise tho, it is hi-fi and some very good sound indeed, the k240mk2 very different sound from the others, right now i've those 3
 
i tried the hd700 at the local sennheiser dealer, along with bayer t1 and hd800, on my violectric combo, wasn't impressed, not that i didn't like the sound, i just wasn't impressed, i guess technically the other two stole the show
 
again with the k712/k701 same thing but i like the sound, it's just the good old resonably priced hi-fi sound
 
the k701 may have a reverse hd650 complex, that is having the mids too forward unlike the hd650 which is somewhat recessed in that regard, while the k712 seem like being somewhere in between the two, maybe like the hd600 but i didn't try these yet

The HD700 I found grow on you, it's true they do not impress "at first" as the HD800 do, but over the last 7 months the 700s are now my preferred cans.
Your comment "the k701 may have a reverse hd650 complex" was exactly why I picked up the HD700s in the first place having already the K701s and HD580/600s, and they did not disappoint, the 700's sound field is much more linear, similar to properly positioned speakers which I personally prefer,  and I'm hoping, at least from what I've read, the K712s are somewhat similar in their sound-field placement, I'll know soon enough.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

The HD650... recessed mids? That does not compute. Whatsoever. The 701 having emphasized upper mids.... THAT'S a different story..

 

[kman1211]

The HD650... recessed mids? That does not compute. Whatsoever. The 701 having emphasized upper mids.... THAT'S a different story..

 


Considering how much the K712 as well as the HD 650 can change from system to system it doesn't surprise me, whether dacs, amps, or tubes. On some systems I found the K712 more forward than the HD 650 and other systems it was the exact opposite.

 

[DivineCurrent]

  I just recently re-acquired a pair of these headphones.
 
Holy crap I'd forgotten how good they are. I'm impressed all over again by their sound—overall just a great performer in almost every aspect that brings near-complete musical satisfaction to my ears. And at their current price on Amazon ($349) they're totally a must-buy for anyone who hasn't yet heard one! Even though they're "only" $500 MSRP, I definitely think they're end-game headphones easily, over dynamic flagships like the HD800, T1, and TH900, and even planar magnetics like the Audeze and HiFiMan models (including the newest HE-560).

So, I recently bought a Beyerdynamic T1 off Ebay, gave it a listen. Lots of detail, great soundstage, but frequency response? You might as well have put a speaker tweeter right up to my ear. I've tried it with multiple amps, none of them give the T1 the bass I'm looking for, it's too light, and the treble is still too shrill. One of the mistakes I will never make again, trusting frequency response graphs...
Anyway, have you heard the T1 before? and if so, what's the K712 like compared to it? I bet the K712 sounds much more balanced and life like. I bought it a few months ago to try it, but I didn't have an amp at all, and I kind of forget how it sounded.

 

[kman1211]

  So, I recently bought a Beyerdynamic T1 off Ebay, gave it a listen. Lots of detail, great soundstage, but frequency response? You might as well have put a speaker tweeter right up to my ear. I've tried it with multiple amps, none of them give the T1 the bass I'm looking for, it's too light, and the treble is still too shrill. One of the mistakes I will never make again, trusting frequency response graphs...
Anyway, have you heard the T1 before? and if so, what's the K712 like compared to it? I bet the K712 sounds much more balanced and life like. I bought it a few months ago to try it, but I didn't have an amp at all.

That's interesting because my impressions of the T1 were very different. They were slightly warm, somewhat lush, and had a good amount of bass and smoother treble than I expected. Did you try them on any tube amps?

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

From what I have seen of the T1, the response graphs have made it quite obvious that it has a pretty big spike in treble. Not sure what is there not to be trusted.

 

[DivineCurrent]

From what I have seen of the T1, the response graphs have made it quite obvious that it has a pretty big spike in treble. Not sure what is there not to be trusted.

Yeah, its weird though, the DT 880s don't sound nearly as shrill, and yet see how similar they are in the treble. And yeah I know the T1s sound best with tube amps, but I'm not willing to buy a tube amp just for my T1. 

 

[TimSchirmer]

I'll just have to keep enjoying these pre-Harman K340's. Properly amped, they sound better than most of the newer offerings anyways.

 

[wgb113]

Anyone compare them to the Oppo PM-2 yet?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[SSandDigital]

I would also like to know if there are any Oppo PM-2 users who have also heard the AKG K7xx sound to chip in.  Since PM-2 is on my list of headphones to try/buy.

 

[Rob80b]

Well the K712s showed up, just doing some preliminary comparison with my K701s with the bass port mod. Won’t see what they’re really up to as I’m currently in my shop with an Imac running uncompressed iTunes into a 25-year-old Technics receiver.
Except for the color, black vs white, physically they look more or less the same, different leather head band and pads of coarse.
So what’s up, well I felt my HD700s took a step toward the AKGs (a good thing) and so far these 712s have taken on somewhat of a Sennheiser flavor, being warmer, less airy, less tinny (nasal) than the K701s.
The higher shriller notes that Feist reaches on  “The Reminder” were almost painful on the 701s but passed almost unnoticed on the 712s coming across smooth and very well controlled, nice. But with less air the 712s lose some of the almost holographic sounds from the track “The Water”, but overall the 712s come out the winner on this album.
Using the opening bass notes from Massive Attack’s “Angel” (appears to be the litmus test for bass) showed that the bass port mod on the K701s may have added some reinforcement in the upper bass but the K712s win hands downs with regards to fullness and extension, no contest.
Went on to listening to Kraftwerks “The Mix” and never returned to the 701’s, IMHO the K712s for all intents and purposes, disregarding appearances, are a completely different phone…….smoother, warmer, bassier...  obvious as black & white!

 
 
Should be interesting this evening when comparing them to my current favorites, the HD700s on the Bryston gear
Anyway, that's all for now, gotta get some work done.

 

 

[Rob80b]

  It will be interesting to hear your impressions of HD800 vs K712, thanks.

 
And…..before memory escapes me, no the K712s should not be compared to the HD800s.. totally different animals....but the K701s on the other hand share a similar personality to the 800s.

 
 
Fresh out of the box, I must say I'm prefering the 712s more than I did the 800s, not saying they're technically better..they are not but the "these" AKGs are IMHO more enjoyable to listen to.

 

[XIX47]

How common is rattling in the left driver for these headphones? So far I experienced such rattling only in one particular instance; every time I start a certain game that has a bassy/impactful sound before entering the main menu. Otherwise I have never noticed this before.
 
I hope it is not something serious like a damaged driver, and it is just that one instance being too bassy.

 

[Rob80b]

  Should be interesting this evening when comparing them to my current favorites, the HD700s on the Bryston gear............................
 

Did not get a chance to do some heavy listening comparing the HD700s but immediate observations were quite enlightening.

"Way back when".. on these forums AKG and Sennheiser were more or less diametrically opposed, the K501s and HD580/600s were two flavors of the day, Grado being a third..... the advent of the K701s and HD650s made this opposition even more so.
Not to go into the attributes of each as there’s more than a decade of that on the forums, but here I am today with the Sennheiser HD700s and AKG K712s and damned if these two offerings do not share more similarities than differences, but in a nut shell the AKG now has bass-deep bass and has become much warmer while the 700s have shed the Senn veil and are crisper and clearer.
Appears that both manufactures in their strides to appease the masses have come head to head with similar offerings, at least when it comes to overall sound.
Without critical listening both phones could by many sound the same, but Sennheiser have put a lot of R&D into the HD700s, especially with regards to the head cup/baffle design and the driver integration and IMHO the results are rewarding with regards to staging and image placement, this of course coming from a speaker guy. 

 
AKG pioneered angled placement with the K701s pads (not to mention the K1000s, another kettle of fish), but never could really hear the difference and the cup/baffle design has been used forever with minor modifications and then there are now the new memory foam pads.
The 700s for me also have slightly better attack and decay, snares having a wonderful snap and bass notes are a little tighter and central images are less recessed. But the K712s as I noted earlier are no slouch either, running off the Bryston BHA-1 they are a lot less warm sounding than when I first heard them paired with the 25-30 year old receiver mentioned above, bass was also better controlled as was focus and detail but not quite the linearity of the HD700s.
Without direct comparisons and depending on associated equipment IMHO it would be a coin toss as to which is the better phone.
There are differences but they’re close so I’m sort of torn if I’ll keep both, the biggest deterrent for the K712s is the 3 pin XLR as I much prefer the added 6dB gain using balanced as single ended, depending on source, the volume control can get maxed out on the Bryston BHA-1.
The K712s need major surgery for the conversion, unlike my K701s, K501s and DF240s, although I’ve spent a special request to AKG service to if one can get the left cover “without” the mini xlr socket installed and either install a 4 pin mini XLR or even better…hard wired.