[GimmeCans]

A Chinese-production version of the "Anniversary" edition of the K702 (AKA "K712") are on Massdrop right now for $199. They list it as "K7xx".

They are very cagey about not being specific about where it is made but they do say it has a "$650 MSRP"... And here is where my BS detector starts to go off. That retail price applies to the K712, which is made in Austria. Zooming in on the box pic reveals that these are made in China. Which I don't have a problem with per se, but it's Massdrop 's tricky parsing of the description that concerns me a bit.

So I was wondering whether anyone on here had any experience with these AKG's? They could be a dog, or the deal of the century.. If they are as good as the Austrian ones, no problem... But are they??? Any thoughts?

 

[joeq70]

A Chinese-production version of the "Anniversary" edition of the K702 (AKA "K712") are on Massdrop right now for $199. They list it as "K7xx".

They are very cagey about not being specific about where it is made but they do say it has a "$650 MSRP"... And here is where my BS detector starts to go off. That retail price applies to the K712, which is made in Austria. Zooming in on the box pic reveals that these are made in China. Which I don't have a problem with per se, but it's Massdrop 's tricky parsing of the description that concerns me a bit.

So I was wondering whether anyone on here had any experience with these AKG's? They could be a dog, or the deal of the century.. If they are as good as the Austrian ones, no problem... But are they??? Any thoughts?

Tons of info on these--just search the forum and you will see.

 

[MtnMan307]

I just picked mine up today. My first impression is a very comfortable, reasonably lightweight, and very good headphone. I had to take them off to take a Schiit, but back to listening soon lol.

 

[PurpleAngel]

A Chinese-production version of the "Anniversary" edition of the K702 (AKA "K712") are on Massdrop right now for $199. They list it as "K7xx".
They are very cagey about not being specific about where it is made but they do say it has a "$650 MSRP"... And here is where my BS detector starts to go off. That retail price applies to the K712, which is made in Austria. Zooming in on the box pic reveals that these are made in China. Which I don't have a problem with per se, but it's Massdrop 's tricky parsing of the description that concerns me a bit.
So I was wondering whether anyone on here had any experience with these AKG's? They could be a dog, or the deal of the century.. If they are as good as the Austrian ones, no problem... But are they??? Any thoughts?

 
The Massdrop AKG K7XX are currently my preferred open headphone
The 62-Ohm AKG K7XX are considered a power hungry, so really need to be used with a decent headphone amplifier.
 
If you want to get a headphone cable, for the K7XX in a custom length.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/281666362379?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&var=580671292671&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
Not sure if it improve audio quality, but I just bought it because I wanted a shorter cable, as my headphone amplifier is only 2 feet from my head.

 

[MtnMan307]

So far...whoa!  The K7XX at $199 plus the Schiit Vali 2 at $169 = a home run out of the park for $368!  Holy smokes!
 
I do have a pretty good 5.1 set of speakers in the living room.  They cost around 1500 bucks almost 10 years ago.  This headphone and amp combo, in overall SQ, give those speakers some pretty serious competition.  My M50X, at $150, are not nearly as close as the price difference with the K7XX.  

 

[GimmeCans]

Amp no problem. Got that covered.
 
Not going to buy aftermarket cables for a $199 headphone. Just trying to see if I can get a 'read' on whether these are as good as the Austrian ones or whether aKG cut any corners like driver matching (like with the 601 vs the 701) and was hoping someone here might have seen or heard both. As I said, if it's as good as the Austrian ones, it's a steal; if not, it's just a cheaper set of AKG's.
 
I was at work when I did my OP and couldn't take time to search; going to follow joeq70's suggestion and do that.

 

[MtnMan307]

I have heard both the K712 Pro (only for a few minutes) and now the K7XX.  It was a couple months ago, but as I recall the 712 Pro was about the same overall.  Not very much difference.  The K7XX looks and feels like a pretty nice open backed headphone and very close to the 712 Pro IMO.  I think this is a tremendous can for the money and I'm glad to have read the very strong reviews on it and the Vali 2.  
 
What amp do you have?  Oh yeah, there are like 12 reviews for this on here too.

 

[GimmeCans]

I have the O2 and have run a borrowed pair of K701's with it; it has all the power I need.
 
My other full size cans are HD650s and while the 701s are probably the more technically 'accurate' of the two, I never really 'bonded' with their signature. I found myself "respecting" their sound more than "enjoying" it.
 
However, I did hear the 702 Anniversaries awhile back at an audio show (driven from a Bryston headphone amp) and liked them better than the 701's. The high end seemed 'tamed' compared to the 701. I also noticed that the cutout in the foam was a bit forward in the ear cup rather than centered in the earcup, firing directly into the ear, which may account for that.
 
About a month ago I got a pair of Shure SE535 IEMs and they have been getting nearly all the play time lately, to the point that I think my preferences in frequency balance may be shifting. That is why these K7xx's got on my radar, especially at the price. I haven't really toyed with EQ'ing much though. Maybe that's all I need, and keep the cash in my pocket or blow it on some custom sleeves for my 535's....

 

 

[MtnMan307]

I have a pair of SE-215s and like them. Never heard the 535 though. I think the K7XX are the 702 Annie's with a different ear pad.

Up to you. This is no Audeze LCD-X but an incredible value for $199 IMHO.