[Young Spade]

Quote:

Has anyone here compared the comfort between the K702 and the K240 (pleather pads - older models)?
 
I'd really like to get a set of the K702, but I'm worried about comfort. The K240 sit on top of my ears (top part) and squeeze them down, and hurt after a bit. This is pretty much the only thing holding me back from getting the K702 (over the DT880)!

The K702s are very comfortable for me. The pads cover my ears nicely and the headband/cups adjust nicely to perfectly fit my head. FYI it's all the way down; the headband, so it won't get any smaller than what I have. During the week days I get around an hour or 2 easy with no discomfort. 

 

[lejaz]

 
Quote:

@lejaz: keep us posted with your impressions on the K702 and comparison against the DF (we have the same cans!)
To me, as I told you in the DFs thread, the K702 are in a different league, though I still enjoy the DFs, and I'll soon balance them.
The K702 are simply more revealing of the audio chain, I use them as reference when I swap some cables, or power cord. The DFs sound exceptionally well even with a bad source. This does not happen with the K702: they need good amplification AND good source.

Well, you warned me that they were incredibly 'light and airy'!

But agreed, they do a lot of things better than the DF. Maybe I'm just used to the 240DF mids and can't get used to the 702 mids yet. But I can make the same comparison with the dt250 and every other headphone I've heard...more solid sounding mids than the 702....not so darn light and airy. The 702 is more revealing of subtle details and more refined for sure....great for listening to a vocalist like Norah Jones, though the DF is no slouch with vocals either. I find the DF to be just as finicky about source as the 702. In some respects the 702 seems more forgiving because it is so smooth sounding.
 

 

[realmassy]

Definitely the midrange is the strongest point of the DFs, and I agree with you is better than the K702 in that repart. Sometimes with the wrong recording the K702s can sound dry too dry maybe.
And as someone else mentioned I miss the comfort of the DFs, especially given my problems to the neck cervical. The HD650 are very comfortable as well and they have a very nice midrange.

 

[lejaz]

Quote:

Definitely the midrange is the strongest point of the DFs, and I agree with you is better than the K702 in that repart. Sometimes with the wrong recording the K702s can sound dry too dry maybe.
And as someone else mentioned I miss the comfort of the DFs, especially given my problems to the neck cervical. The HD650 are very comfortable as well and they have a very nice midrange.

The DF also has just the right amount of highs, IMO. The k70X is a bit over the top on some material...at least to my ears. Cymbals sound over emphasized on a lot of classic rock songs I've listened to lately comparing the two headphones. I guess I'm a die hard fan boy, but the DF sounds more neutral/flat to me. The only other hp that's on my radar to try one day is the dt48....supposed to be the be all and end all of 'flatness'. But for now, I'm very happy with the combination of the DF, the 702 and the dt250.
 

 

[Acix]

Nice to see some love & appreciation around here.

 

[lejaz]

Most of the hate is purely subjective. People like warmer, bassier headphones and then make the claim that warmer/bassier is better or best.  Anyone who listens to "Blue Train" by John Coltrane and claims they have weak bass obviously needs to have their hearing checked. O.K. yeah, that's subjective, but they give out more bass than you'll likely hear at a typical live jazz performance. Currently awaiting one of fishski13's new mogami cables.

 

[Young Spade]

Quote:

Most of the hate is purely subjective. People like warmer, bassier headphones and then make the claim that warmer/bassier is better or best.  Anyone who listens to "Blue Train" by John Coltrane and claims they have weak bass obviously needs to have their hearing checked. O.K. yeah, that's subjective, but they give out more bass than you'll likely hear at a typical live jazz performance. Currently awaiting one of fishski13's new mogami cables.

When you get them and get some time with them, you should definitely post your impressions here. I'm waiting on a Blue Dragon cable right now and I'll post my impressions later when I get them

 

[kool bubba ice]

He He.. Yeah.. One member feels they are more neutral then his K1000.. I still think the DT48 varies in 'flatness.' Non audio metric DT48's.. I'd rank the DT48S NAGRA first. I'm sure ACIX can confirm this.. Then the DT48 8ohm, which Soaa has. Then the vintage DT48e 25ohm. Actually, the new DT48e models sound slightly colored in comparison..
 
To stay on topic.. I loved my 701 with the right source & amp.. I'm sure the 702 is just as good if not better. But I'm looking at the LCD 2/HD800 at this point..
 
Quote:

The DF also has just the right amount of highs, IMO. The k70X is a bit over the top on some material...at least to my ears. Cymbals sound over emphasized on a lot of classic rock songs I've listened to lately comparing the two headphones. I guess I'm a die hard fan boy, but the DF sounds more neutral/flat to me. The only other hp my radar to try one day is the dt48....supposed to be the be all and end all of 'flatness'. Buthat's on t for now, I'm very happy with the combination of the DF, the 702 and the dt250.
 

 

[lejaz]

Would you still rate the new DT48e higher than most other headphones(all other?) in regards to 'flatness'. Sorry to go a little off topic, but this relates to the k702 too, in regards to how flat/neutral the frequency response is..

 

[WayTooCrazy]

Well, I auditioned a friends K702 (stock) and re-cabled with OCC Copper (DHC cables I believe), and his HD600 (stock) and same OCC Cable (just with an adapter).  I find both headphones very nice.  Started with an iPod -> LOD -> Fiio E5 -> Headphone for first test (they sounded great).  Then I went to PC -> itunes -> alac -> uDac -> headphone, and they still sounded pretty good... with the K702 pulling ahead of the HD600 for detail.  When I put them on my Little Dot I+ though (which according to the Little Dot tube rolling thread), which I added the two components they said would synergize nicely with the K702 (Western Electric 408A and LT1364 OpAmp), I didn't like it.  I didn't like the HD600 or the K702.  They both had sufficient power I'd think.  When I listened to the same tracks with my Modified Grado SR-80i, it synergized the best.  I'm hoping someone here has a similar source setup... maybe they could tell me what I should use as tubes and OpAmp?  I'm ordering the headphones soon (unless KBI wants to sell his after he gets his HD800), and I want them to 'WOW' me like my Grados do.  The best I heard out of the K702 using the LD I+ was with the stock 6J1 tubes and an SWZ OFC Gaming cable.  They still didn't mesh to my liking though.

 

[emak212]

I received a pair of AKG 702's two days ago I bought from ebay for $250.  Even after listening for only 10 hours, I am extremely satisfied.  The first thing I noticed was an incredible attention to detail.  I was hearing things that I have never heard in songs, even through my $3k stereo setup.  Then came the neutrality.  Every song I threw at the AKGs was very sonically balanced.  I picked songs containing snares that are usually "harsh" to my ears, but the AKGs was able to produce a treble that was both dynamic and refined.  Then, I watched the oscillator on Foobar to take a close look at the midrange spectrum.  I couldn't find much to fault there either.  Billy Joel was in my living room.  The soundstage was also superb, but I'm sure it will open up even more as I listen.  The only thing I disliked about the AKG's (and I'm sure many will agree) was the bass response.  The AKGs seemed to lack sufficient punch when I listened to bass-heavy techno and hip hop songs (once again, I'm sure a proper break-in will provide improvements here).  On the other hand, the bass lines in Jazz and Rock are exactly how I want them - natural.  That is the word I would use to describe the sound of these headphones.
 
I was listening to FLAC through foobar -> ~$500 JVC receiver (I don't recall the model).  I'm sure the DAC in the JVC isn't anything special, but I don't have much to work with right now.  I'm currently looking into a portable amp/dac for these babies, but I'm concerned with the amount of power they require.  The iBasso d4 Mamba looks promising.  Any other suggestions for a portable DAC?

 

[kool bubba ice]

Better then others I owned.. SA5000/650/880/990/701 etc.. Beyers 'updated' the DT48e to make them sound more conventional & in step with other headphones.. I call them the Grado version, although it's a exaggeration on my part.. But the blackground seems a bit manufactured
 
Quote:

Would you still rate the new DT48e higher than most other headphones(all other?) in regards to 'flatness'. Sorry to go a little off topic, but this relates to the k702 too, in regards to how flat/neutral the frequency response is..

 

[renlute]

Thanks to all you K702 owners and reviewers above for reinforcing my sense that I should get a set myself. The cans just arrived an hour ago. Immediately I have concluded that it was $239 well spent.
 
I hooked them up to my modest headphone amp, a Presonus hp4 into which you can plug 4 cans simultaneously. My trial pieces are Renaissance music arranged by by me for modern orchestra. I have never been satisfied with the quality of sound from my samples and have been trying to figure out whether the problem is the software patches (Garritan Personal Orchestra) or some element(s) in the hardware chain from soundcard to phones. When oboe and clarinet play together the sound is annoying, so clearly something's wrong. Violins are usually scratchy, unpleasant. Drums are underwhelming.
 
I started with my AKG K240S, not much used since purchased new about 6 months ago. They produce a pleasant sound, good bass and general resonance. The pieces sound nice, but a little murky and undefined. I need to hear the individual instruments better.
 
Then I listened to the same 1-minute piece with my K240DFs, which I had bought used on Ebay about five years ago, obviously very well used as the pads were cracked and worn out. Cable and current pads are AKG replacements. The DF sound on my pieces is thin and scratchy in comparison to the K240S, and I can't get enough power from this amp -- the pot is turned all the way up. Thus they may need more juice to produce. Or, maybe the drivers are over the hill.
 
Then I tried the K702 fresh out of the sealed box. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. All of a sudden my orchestra got bigger, more powerful, and more spread out over the stage. There's the bass I have been looking for. And the K702 is not famous for bass. Haha, mine has it, sorry about yours, LOL. The clarinet-oboe combo still does not sound like I'm next to live players, but it's a lot better.
 
Right now I'm playing another one of my arrangements that has a lot of timpani and bass drum, which have sounded anemic with both my older phones. BAM BOOM -- the K702 really brings them out. Finally they produce a huge rumble! I always wondered why the hell I couldn't get any power out of the percussion all this time (since 2003). Here it is in all its glory.
 
Overall, an order of magnitude improvement in reproduction quality. And the K702 does not even have 15 minutes of burn-in yet. I look forward to Hour 300.
 
Comfort? Feels fine, more comfy than the others because of the soft fabric of the pads. They're a bit heavier than my other AKGs but the weight isn't noticed on my head. If I don't consciously think about them, they're weightless.
 
A more powerful boutique amp is on the way  -- a Sjostrom Audio QRV-07 (kit), which I hope will improve things even more. More power. Finally I can get back to focusing on playing with the musical structure and making more of it instead of agonizing about why I am not hearing the sounds I think I ought to be hearing.

 

[kool bubba ice]

I tell you, the BADA12 is magic with the 701, & I'm sure the same with the 702..

 

[goldenchild4942]

Hey guys, i am fairly new to the reference quality of sound in headphones and my first pair of decent headphones was the k240 and i just loved the clarity in them and searched for AKG Top of the link K702 and bought them after a year with my K 240.  I have no dedicated amp or portable and i know for a fact i am not coming close to getting these cans to sound like they should. I have used my yamaha hdmi receiver and quality sounds great and much better bass response and mostly overall sound but i need something portable.  I have seen some amps but its hard to find people that review the K702 when most people tend to stick with sennheiser and beyerdynamics. Could anybody give me some insight on great amps for the K702's..i have seen some use the PA2V2, Headroom micro portable and the p-51 mustang. If i could get some insight on these amps and any others that would be better. I would greatly appreciate it, i have had these 'phones for about 7 months now.