[rosgr63]

I just started listening to them again.
The clarity is excellent.
 
#29976 Made In Austria.
Reterminated to Balanced, using an XLR to SE adapter for Glenn's amp.

 

[john57]

 The K701 puts too much pressure at the bottom of the cups and therefor too much pressure on my neck which in turn can muffled the sound. I would then have the bend the wire frame to make the headphones more parallel to my face. I would agree that the K701 has clarity and less congested as compared to some of the planner headphones that I have tried. Clarity ranks high on my list. I tried the AKG K550 last week at BB but the headphones keeps sliding down on my head. The "wings" were useless to me. There is no "perfect" headphones is why I have several headphones at home to choose from. I do tend to find the negatives first before commenting on the positives since that the way I tend to approach things.
I do have a planner headphone the Fostex T50RP which until now had unrefinded treble but I found a solution [size=11pt]unexpectedly [/size]and now the Fostex sounds so much better.

 

[Clayton SF]

Ah--
 
Two videos of interest for this lazy Sunday afternoon:
 
1) How the AKG K702 (Austria) headphones are made; and
2) The Blackburn Story (how Mullard valves are made).
 
Happy Sunday.
My apologies if you've already seen these.

 

[Xcalibur255]

Quote:

I listened to the K701s last night and although the sound signature's "weight" is not as heavy as some of my other headphones, it has the clarity that bests my other headphones. I can understand why they are used in the recording studio.
 
Glenn's amp has incredible sound presence which makes the K701s an agreeable companion. IMHO.
 
Made in Austria #14914

The OTL gives the K701 a weight and body that I honestly didn't think they could have until I heard it for myself.  I did not find the bass wanting anymore either.  The way they are voiced in the mids gives vocals this larger than life realism that doesn't sound fake or unnaturally highlighted with the right tubes.  This is something I am missing right now.  Everything is very subjective, I'm viewing what I'm hearing right now through a lense that was colored by the AKGs for four years so there is bound to be an adjustment period.

 

[Xcalibur255]

Quote:

I just started listening to them again.
The clarity is excellent.
 
#29976 Made In Austria.
Reterminated to Balanced, using an XLR to SE adapter for Glenn's amp.

#14850.  May they rest in peace.
 
john, did you ever try wearing them with the headband placed very forward on your head, close to your forehead?  I've found the earcups don't seat right when they are worn with the band on top of your head.  The treble is better balanced once the earcups seal right too.  You can also "pivot" the headband itself by twisting it forward on those fasteners they are attached with.  I found this helped quite a bit too with wearing comfort.

 

[john57]

Xcalibur255
 
[size=medium]At first thought moving the headband forward would put the pressure point more toward the back of my neck and that is the area where my Eustachian tubes are.  After about 15 minutes my tubes will start to close and the sound will become muffled. On the other hand my Shure 940 requires me to move the headband forward to get best sound. Since the cups are on a pivot and the pressure is more evenly distributed I do not have an issue. Your second suggestion twisting it forward on “those fasteners” is something I would have to see if that would be feasible. I used to have three pairs of AKG 240 during my college years. They were very comfortable and easy to adjust. They did put some pressure on my Eustachian tubes but not to the degree of the K701. The headphone with the greatest clamping pressure is my HD380 and it does not bother my neck but the pressure becomes a bit overbearing after a hour or two. On the other hand my Beyers T70 is very comfortable with at least the sound isolation of my HD380.  I am planning to sell my Denon AHD2000 since I  never quite like them. The bass is too loose for my needs and it sounds like the [size=medium]Timpanist is using a felt tipped stick instead of the hard stick that is actually being used in the recording.[/size][/size]

 

[Xcalibur255]

Your post has shed some light on what may be going on with me and the LCD-2s actually, john.  Whenever I try to reposition them in search of comfort they suddenly become muffled sounding.  If they are clamping enough to close off my eustachian tubes that would make perfect sense because the loss of pressure equalization would affect the ear drum.
 
Mystery solved.  Thanks!  I need to work on that headband and reduce the clamping force.
 
On the subject of the k701, the shiny metal fasteners that attach the headband to the mechanism that lets the whole assembly slide up and down aren't tacked down with all that much force.  You can pivot the whole headband forward so that even if you align the metal arches with the top of your head the band itself is more towards the front.  I found this much more comfortable personally, that way the nub inside the band isn't pressing into your crown area and it lets you keep the proper earcup positioning.

 

[dminches]

How can an over the ear cup close off one's eustancian tubes? I don't see how that is possible with the LCD-2s.

 

[Xcalibur255]

Well, not close off completely but compress.  With some people  this can happen by applying pressure in the right place around the ears.  Mine have been sensitive all my life.  It is just a theory, but would explain the weirdness I've been hearing with the LCD-2 the past few days since I got it.  They make my jawbone hurt pretty badly near the cheek, and if I shift the the earcup even slightly suddenly everything sounds muffled and veiled, the tone even goes flat.  I thought maybe it was the seal being disturbed, but it doesn't go away unless I take the headphones completely off and re-seat them on my ears again.  I get an intense pressure on my eardrums when this happens too, like when you are trying to pop your ears.
 
I tried stretching the headband just a bit today, but I'm weary of doing so for fear that I'll break it.  Everybody says it is unlikely, but I have that sort of luck.  They're unusable as they are though, the pain is enough that I can't concentrate on actually listening to music.

 

[Clayton SF]

I had problems with my K701 fitting just right on my head and over my ears, so my solution was to wear a baseball cap on my head with a bit of padding under the cap to lift my "head" up about 1/2-inch higher and then place my headphones over my cap and head. It worked for me. Another repositioning-thing that worked for me was that I listened to the headphones while lying on my back in bed with my head resting on a pillow. The headphone cups were being supported by my pillow.

 

[john57]

[size=12pt][size=12pt]First I wanted to say that I do not have a problem with the comfort of the LCD2 other than they are heavy.  The LCD2 have a medium clamping pressure at least to me and it has a pivot point that you can freely move in and out the ear pads and the pressure on the face is about the same from the top and the bottom of the ear cups. My jaw bone just ends a bit before the end of my ear lobe. Under that is my jaw muscle and under that is my Eustachian tube. The AKG k701 headphone have two ear cups or pad that are rigidly attached to the two metal rods. There is no hinge or pivot point available for the ear cups to move freely. You mention that you can twist the cups forward. The whole headphone is curved inward there is more pressure at the bottom vs. the top of the ear cups. The added pressure from the ear cups gets transferred to the skin, muscle and in a short period of time to my Eustachian tubes.  When I had my k240 headphones each hour I would need to take them off and move my jaw and wiggle my ear lobe to free up the pressure in my middle ear and the sounds comes back to normal.  [/size][/size]
 
[size=12pt]Xcalibur255 [/size]
[size=12pt]I am surprised, I thought all my life that I was hyper sensitive to this issue but it seems to be a big issue. for you as well. My Fostex is lighter and has less clamping pressure. If you reduce the clamping pressure on the LCD2 you might lose some bass but more important will the headphone stay on your head? It is a heavier headphone. I do not like to sit as a statue. I like to move with my music, dancing or pretending to be a conductor as an example. 

[/size]

 

[Xcalibur255]

I took a few measured attempts at loosening the headband.  I can see I did somewhat because the cups don't hold each other together tightly anymore when they are just sitting on the desk now.  The problem area for me, actually, is the upper joint of my jaw directly in front of my ear canal.  Pressure in this spot is unbearable for me, it causes a burning pain and throbbing.  The LCD-2 elicit this response in about 30 seconds, and trying to move them around makes it worse.  That, and even with all the clamping they never stay exactly put they keep wanting to slide back slightly which increases the pressure on the front of my jaw even more because it moves the pivot point closer to that spot.
 
I have existing issues with all the joints in my jaw.  The K701s bothered me on some days too, but never like this.
 
So far this feels like a thousand dollar mistake, both sound and comfort wise.  The detail is certainly great, but the way the music is presented in the space around my head just sounds wrong.  I can't get into the music at all.  I don't think the HE-500 would have been better really, so my only other option would have been to wait another 6 months and buy a Beyer T1 which maybe would have been the right choice for me.
 
I realize I'm being unfair to the headphone, I have only had it a few days, but when the initial reaction is disappointment it is hard to listen past that.

 

[longbowbbs]

Something a bit different....I got wind of a Kickstarter SS headphone amp project called Sicphones (The name will be changing, there is a contest underway).
 
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1682246865/sicphones-a-high-end-silicon-carbide-headphone-amp
 
I got the amp a few days ago after a 4 month wait:
 
 

 

 

 

 

 
I have been burning it in for about 50 hours or so. I am using it with my PC_Jriver 18>Audioquest DragonFly>SicPhones Amp>Toxic Cable Silver Widows>HD650's
 
Hands down best bass I have gotten out of an amp. Granted my CSP2+ is sublime for mids and highs, this SS Silicon Carbide amp kick low end butt! It is very listenable across the full spectrum too. I think I found my new road amp. The case is steel and no tunes to worry about. I can throw this bad boy in my backpack to use at hotels for my usual 3- 4 nights per week routine. The Dragonfly likes its new friend!  $279.....Very cool.....

 

[Silent One]

Quote:

I took a few measured attempts at loosening the headband.  I can see I did somewhat because the cups don't hold each other together tightly anymore when they are just sitting on the desk now.  The problem area for me, actually, is the upper joint of my jaw directly in front of my ear canal.  Pressure in this spot is unbearable for me, it causes a burning pain and throbbing.  The LCD-2 elicit this response in about 30 seconds, and trying to move them around makes it worse.  That, and even with all the clamping they never stay exactly put they keep wanting to slide back slightly which increases the pressure on the front of my jaw even more because it moves the pivot point closer to that spot.
 
I have existing issues with all the joints in my jaw.  The K701s bothered me on some days too, but never like this.
 
So far this feels like a thousand dollar mistake, both sound and comfort wise.  The detail is certainly great, but the way the music is presented in the space around my head just sounds wrong.  I can't get into the music at all.  I don't think the HE-500 would have been better really, so my only other option would have been to wait another 6 months and buy a Beyer T1 which maybe would have been the right choice for me.
 
I realize I'm being unfair to the headphone, I have only had it a few days, but when the initial reaction is disappointment it is hard to listen past that.

 
Last year, you were kind enough to share what direction you were moving in with headphones. I was excited then as I am now for you. It seems the new cans may not serve as anticipated. But, I was previously made aware of your sensitivity with headphones in general. And applaud you for stepping away from the venerable K701's to give the LCD-2's a shot. 
 
Have you considered their return with a restocking fee and starting anew? 

 

[rosgr63]

Very nice looking amp longbowbbs.
How large is the power supply?