Quote: Well I guess it depends what you compare it too. Mine did have dual OPA627 class a bias when I got it though, so I never did try the stock op amp. Maybe that made the difference.   But compared to my Yulong A100 or Audinst HUD-MX1 it definitely sounds slightly darker overall...

Quote: I think this is correct. In this case the M-Stage simply serves to modify the resulting sound signature rather than provide power to drive the cans.    

If having a DAC with the amp, musiland monitor 02 is pretty fun sounding with HD650. Fiio E10 is pretty good all round.   But if you want to have an analog line in for something like a portable source, Fiio E9 would probably be one of the best desktop amps at that price range.

Quote: I found the same thing. The black driver version seemed more relaxed sounding, which was okay for most songs, but maybe a bit too "laid back" for some faster pace/upbeat ones.

Quote:   I was skeptical of variations in quality of KNS 8400 but now that graph makes me wonder. So maybe the frequency response can vary on each 8400?   Either that or like tdockweiler said, the graph just might not be accurate, as in matching whats being actually heard.   edit...

Quote: Wow. I really did miss some posts here >< Maybe I should try testing stuff another time when I'm actually awake.   edit:It does still seem to sound different with the tissue. Unfortunately I don't have another K701 to AB with directly.

Not sure why, but I can't seem to remove the grill on my K701 . So I went back to the tissue mod and will probably listen to it like that for a few days or until something better comes up.

Quote: I think there is something under the Q701 small (middle) grill since it's hard for light to pass through. The K701 seems to be open.     Also how to open K701 grill here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/225819/guide-to-the-balanced-akg-k701-recabling.   edit: weird could not...

Listening now and actually I think the sound might be a bit over-damped with the amount/proximity of the tissue. Someone else should try this out to confirm what effect it might have.

Quote: Interesting. I hadn't seen that mod before. Maybe I need to try it sometime if this doesn't work.   I will decide what to do in a few days depending on if my K701 ends up inside my filing cabinet... 

Or the cause might not be restricting airflow, but instead a having a "sound shield".

And now I present, the AKG K701 Tissue Mod!     As you can see it's a really quick mod for testing purposes...   It's to simulate the foam/grill on Q701.   So briefly how does it sound? I believe I did notice a very slight increase in weight of the sound (less thin) compared to...

Quote: Now someone do a review on bubbles vs. no bubbles...    Probably get more placebo effect than any real result. 

I think the E10 would be a great choice. You can easily use it with either your laptop or desktop since it's usb powered and doesn't need a separate adapter. It has very good sq at the price and a decent built in amp. Bass boost feature might be useful too depending on what 'phones you are using...

Thanks chicolom for doing this comparison.   I've been wondering about this for a while. I have the K701 which I found thin and slightly bright for my preferences. So I borrowed a Q701 with mogami cable (since stock cable was unavailable...hopefully the sound is close enough but I know it's...

Quote: So I tried listening again with galaxy s + amp (m-stage as well as fiio e9) and it actually did sound pretty good with amp. Probably part of the issue with my previous test was I kept using my yulong (desktop dac) which tends to have better internal amp than portable players. So...

Quote:   Agreed. I would say there's not as much wow factor with these headphones compared to many others around this price. None of the airy Grado sound, warm fuller Sennheiser (600/650/555, haven't tried the others)  sound, or M50 bass. But's it's the overall clean, and clear sounding...

Quote: Personally I would recommend a DAC before AMP for these considering you are using it through laptop which might not have the best sound, esp considering they are focused on energy saving nowadays...   I didn't prefer the sound sig of these with an AMP (Fiio e9 or matrix...

For me the bass is present but not as deep as headphones such as the ATH-M50s, which I find allows other frequencies to be heard easier. Also I think they do have some slightly boosted mids and highs. Not sure if neutral is better for mixes, or just preference. The speed for these is very good...

Quote:   I was thinking that as well...but still only a little. I think it's mainly the boosted upper frequencies and that really clear sound. I haven't been able to pinpoint it yet. But the easiest way would probably be to use the same source for both and then have a neutral amp for...

Quote: I've been thinking the 8400 benefited a lot more from DAC as well and less from amp. Trying it out of different amp seems to give a different signature but not necessarily more detail or natural sound. For me they just sound really good out of a clean DAC. Weird though I didn't...

Quote: Guess I lucky with the right one the first time. The headband memory foam on mine is not as soft as the earpad memory foam, but not stiff either. Mine sounds pretty much as others have described it, so it probably passed QC if they have.   It would be great if mine was the...

Glad to hear that you are liking them dL 

Just tried the 8400 with the fuze as source instead of the usual D100 or galaxy s as source and it actually sounds a lot funner than yulong. Either it's a pretty good match with the fuze or the fuze just has a nice sound...Anyways it does seem to be possible to get a fun and more gear toward...

Also I found it necessary (like a lot of other 'phones) to adjust the position of the pads on the ears in order to get the correct balance of sound. Otherwise the soundstage sounds too small or upfront or bass sounds too much/less. Probably more of a preference issue. But the KRK is pretty good...