[dknightd]

Its been about four days now. The sound continues to fluctuate. Sometimes not enough bass, sometimes just right. Sometimes strident highs, sometimes not.

One thing that seems to be continuingly missing is what I call "grit".
I listen mostly to reggae, rock, folk etc, but when I listen ccritically
to headphones I listen for how they reproduce acoustical intruments, because that is what is real. To me the 701 are still missing the lower midrange grit
of clarinet, violin, and even flute. They seem to be a little too polite and trebbely for my tastes.

Just and update and bump. From what I've read here I've got another 10 days or so before they start reaching their peak.

 

[Andrea]

dknightd, I enjoyed reading your posts so far. Keep it up!

 

[Asr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dknightd One thing that seems to be continuingly missing is what I call "grit". I listen mostly to reggae, rock, folk etc, but when I listen ccritically to headphones I listen for how they reproduce acoustical intruments, because that is what is real. To me the 701 are still missing the lower midrange grit of clarinet, violin, and even flute. They seem to be a little too polite and trebbely for my tastes.

I noticed the same thing when I took my K701 for some critical listens on classical music. Good to know I'm not the only one to notice it. You'll find that ultimately it's just a trait of the K701, it doesn't go away. Unless its burn-in continues past 1000 hours....

 

[Andrea]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Asr I noticed the same thing when I took my K701 for some critical listens on classical music. Good to know I'm not the only one to notice it. You'll find that ultimately it's just a trait of the K701, it doesn't go away. Unless its burn-in continues past 1000 hours....

Interesting.



The burn in thing tends to be conceived rather schizophrenically here on head-fi -- it oscillates from the one excess to the opposite one

 

[dknightd]

Well, it has been about ten days, so I was going to come back and give my post burn-in impressions. I think they have settled down now. But I'm getting a cold, so my ears are a little plugged up, so I think I'd better wait. . .

 

[Alu]

I never really got to like the K701, even though my first impressions were great. It was my very first headphone and I didn't know how much one could improve on it, at least for my taste. And yes, I did burn them in for over 500 hours (while using them). There's only one word that I could find to describe them: Boring. I did prefer the AKG over my former HF-1, but there was something lacking that I really couldn't put my finger on. I also was using the Corda Aria which is said to be one of the most synergetic amps for the K701.

 

[cclragnarok]

Isn't the Benchmark DAC is supposed to be pretty bright? In that case, it is not surprising that HD650 would be better with it.

The K701 also needs more current, but I don't know whether the Benchmark DAC provides enough current to drive them well.

And yes, I also think that you should burn the K701 for 300~500 hours before making a decision on them.

 

[Spareribs]

The k701 is a wonderful headphone but it can sound a little thin on some CDs. So I ordered the HD650. Hopefully it will help.

 

[xenithon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spareribs The k701 is a wonderful headphone but it can sound a little thin on some CDs. So I ordered the HD650. Hopefully it will help.

I agree. Check my thread about the K701s and W1000s compared to my reference HD650s. On many tracks the 701s sound far superior, but on some (or many depending on your type of music) tracks it sounds like it is lacking something. Exceedingly better than the W1000s, but not as full-sounding as the HD650s. In my thread I also state that I think it could be because the HD650s sit so much closer to the ear/head but I could be wrong

 

[NiceCans]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spareribs The k701 is a wonderful headphone but it can sound a little thin on some CDs. So I ordered the HD650. Hopefully it will help.

Interesting how personal preference plays into this.
I found the HD600 to be too 'thick' on some recordings so moved to K701

In my mind the bass of the Senns tended to overshadow and downplay the mids too much (and I imagine the HD650 to be moreso as it is known to have more bass).

While I must agree that at times the K701 could be a bit 'less-thin', I find I can more easily live with this than the way ot was with the Senns.

It's all just a matter of taste and perspective.

Of course, being a Head-Fi'er I'd love to have both . . . . unfortunately HD600/HD650 is a bit above my budget for Bed-Phones (which is where I think they'd be perfect for me).

 

[robm321]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cclragnarok Isn't the Benchmark DAC is supposed to be pretty bright? In that case, it is not surprising that HD650 would be better with it. The K701 also needs more current, but I don't know whether the Benchmark DAC provides enough current to drive them well. And yes, I also think that you should burn the K701 for 300~500 hours before making a decision on them.

Bingo - the Benchmark will not help the highs at all. I think the 650 will have the advantage with that DAC/amp.

There is a definite spike in the treble on the K701 compared to the rolled off 650, so you aren't imagining things. I hear it too. It needs a soft SS or tube amp to smooth it out.

http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCom...are+Headphones

Hope you feel better soon

- let them burn in while you get better.