Quote: Originally Posted by vvaffles warning: akg k70x may not be for everyone. possible side effects may include anger, frustration, pressure on ears, pressure on head, and fatigue. consult headfi before use LOL! I was about to give up on mine before trying balanced

The AKG K70X remind me of the Magnepan speakers that I used to own. I owned several models with the largest being the MG20. Those speakers really needed alot of power to come alive and trying to power them with an integrated amplifier made them sound like an AM radio. I ended up driving them...

You should at least consider the LD DAC 1 + LD MKVII+ for a balanced setup that would cost way under your buget ($700). If you can use a soldering iron you could reterminate the headphones yourself for around $10. I am very pleased with this setup, although I must admit that I have not listened...

I do not own the HD650, but have heard that they benefit substantially from being balanced. I can say that it made a huge difference on my AKG K701. You need a DAC with balanced output and an amp with balanced input. For the recable on the HP it depends on the headphone out on the amp. Some use...

Wish I had a setup like that in College

I think the K7XX are so amp dependent it's hard for anyone to make judgement without stating what electronics they are using upstream. Before hearing them in a balanced setup I was about to give up on them. Balanced they are a totally different headphone with plenty of bass and midrange detail...

Quote: Originally Posted by photons This is my first reply to a thread in Head-Fi. I became interested because a couple of people here have a rig similar to mine and especially because the MKVII+ is so new. I can say, with total confidence, that the AKG k701 is a much improved sounding...

little.tube@gmail.com

K701 have a 4 wire cable all the way down to the plug, where as the K702 have 3, hence K701 can be easily reterminated for balanced.

Quote: Originally Posted by feifan Thanks, sunneebear. Good to have the instructions if I ever want to to try the mod. I use the K701 a lot in my SE rigs so will probably keep it that way. I'll continue looking for a balanced pair that's affordable. BTW, can you confirm that the K701...

Quote: Originally Posted by MomijiTMO You're sounding like you're going to like the HD650. Or even the HD600?

You might want to post in the headphone amp forum. Probably get some responses there.

Just to follow up in case anyone else has this problem. I solved it by installing the Creative Centrale software. I first did a firmward update, still no good syncing with WMP, but works fine using Centrale.

Link Please?

Quote: Originally Posted by roebeet I would highly recommend Rockboxing the E280, if at all possible - it will breath new life into your player. First caveat: Your player may not be supported. At this time, only the V1 and R models work with Rockbox. Check out the wiki here...