This is a very accurate description of the two, for those who are wondering how the two compare.

No. The Q701 with bass mod has more bass than stock K7XX at least out of the box.   ****EDIT***I re-bought the Q701 back and I may have to reassess my statement regarding the bass. 

I find the bass a bit weak but getting better with more play time. I am afraid if I do the bass mod on the K7XX then the bass will be too much. The bass on a modded Q701 is just about right. I use Fiio E12 and also have O2 on order from Massdrop. I will keep using the K7XX for a few weeks and...

I listened to the K7XX for a few hours I concur with most but not all of your findings. I K7XX is laid back headphone. Highs are smooth and enjoyable to listen to. I do find the soundstage narrower than that of the Q701 though.   I was surprised that the bass on stock K7XX was lighter that the...

I will let you know once I have some playtime with the K7XX. I have already returned the Q701 so I won't be able to do any AB comparison, but the Q701 is still fresh on my mind.

Cheater!

I find the Q701 to be bass shy when I first got them. I did the bass mod and got just the right amount of bass that I like. I don't think I will need to do that with the K7XX, but we will see. I also found that the Q701 needs a good amount of play time to settle down.

Already sitting on the porch waiting for the fellow in brown   I agree, the soundstage a bit too wide at times, but this works very well for movies. I am willing to give up some soundstage for better bass, smooth treble, comfy ear pads and headband. I think the KXX7 will give me all that and...

Mine is scheduled for delivery today. I hope the soundstage is as wide as the Q701.

Very true indeed! The thing is it is very hard to convince those folks to look at it the other way around.

$849 for a headphone amp? While I never spent nor will spend that much on a headphone amp, I have spent thousands on speaker cable and interconnect only to find that the cheap ones are good enough. I upgraded my home theater amp from a $500 amp to a $3500 amp, my front end processor from mid-fi...

Even though I have the Fiio E12, I did also jump on the O2 drop.

Yes, the Q701 is a bit treble heavy. I hope that the K7XX, while correcting this, didn't take away that wide soundstage I came to really appreciate in Q701. It does wonders for movies.

I disagree. Have you listened to a DT-880 without amp? Amp is required to get decent volume out of these cans. All the attributes you listed, bass extension, wider soundstage, nice clear highs are minor improvements, which by the way you would not get, unless your source or amp can drive your...

I don't have the K7XX yet but I made my decision to buy one based on my Q701 experience. The Q701 has wider soundstage and has that airy 3D presentation, and has better mid-bass than the DT-880. The bass on the DT-880 might extend lower but you need to crack the volume way up and have a powerful...

One does not need an amp to get the WOW factor unless listening ay high volume. I have the Fiio F12 and I use that with the DT-880 more often since this one need more juice to sound its best.   For me there is no contest between Q701 and HD598. There are not even in the same league. I have...

I can live with these two changes. Thank you for taking the time to research this for me. 

 I can live with that. Don't need the seal nor do I need that much bass not o mention that sweaty leatherette ear pads, especially in the summer. I will see who has the RS185 pads with a liberal return policy just in case. Thanks Coldsnap.

I don't have the DT990 so I can't tell you for sure. But what I can say is that the soundstage would be comparable between these two, but I would expect the DT990 to have the edge. Have you posted on the DT-9990 thread as well?

I have the X2, Q701, DT-880 and HD598. The X2 does not have a massive soundstage. Maybe coming from other inferior cans the X2 might sound massive. In any case, soundstage difference shouldn't really be described as massive. The differences are minor but differentiable when comparing headphones...

How can a darker sounding headphone has the larger soundstage? That is the first thing you lose when you go for a darker sounding headphone in this price range. I don't have the DT-990 but I have the DT-880 and it has a wider soundstage than the X2.

Thank you, that would be much appreciated. I am not concerned about any sound leakage at all and anything that tames the bass of the RS175 is a welcome change. The RS 175 has way too much bass for my taste.

That is very funny! LOL! AKG told you to contact JBL? Maybe you got a newly hired customer rep? :)  Try calling them again. From what I have read the pads on the K7XX are the same pads found on the AKG K712.

The above few posts comparing the K7XX vs HD598 vs Q701 really shows how subjective sound is. I don't have any experience with the K7XX but the Q701 is by far, I stress the word by far, better can after the bass mod. The Q701 has a great soundstage, very good bass that is clean ( never crosses...

Yes, I know that, LOL! I was talking about big soundstage in headphone world. I have a properly calibrated dedicated HT room, with Revel F32 and C32 driving the front and center stage and JL Audio F112 providing the low end, driven by NAD M25 amp and Onkyo processor. There is no way any...