AKG 701 vs modded Grado SR80
Jun 13, 2008 at 4:25 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 25

briank996

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Hi Everyone,

I recently purchased a pair of SR80s ($106) and have since recabled them because I hated the quality of the OEM Y split ($50) and bought a new headband from Fatman ($52) I now see that the AKG 701s can be purchased from reputable sources for just over $250, no need to recable and come with a sweet headband. I love the way the Grados sound but is it time to consider these? Is the sound better in your opinion?
 
Jun 13, 2008 at 5:10 AM Post #4 of 25
Quote:

Originally Posted by briank996 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Thanks, already have a cmoy that sounds excellent.


I don't think thats anywhere close to what it takes to drive the AKG 701s, I'm not sure what a good amp is for the AKG 701 so I'll let someone else chime in. I hear they are very picky about amps though.
 
Jun 13, 2008 at 5:13 AM Post #5 of 25
Quote:

Originally Posted by goober-george /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I don't think thats anywhere close to what it takes to drive the AKG 701s, I'm not sure what a good amp is for the AKG 701 so I'll let someone else chime in. I hear they are very picky about amps though.


Hmm.. I'm not sure what the problem would be, they're only 64 ohm speakers.

Anyway here's my little RA-1 replica with rechargable batts..

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Jun 13, 2008 at 5:21 AM Post #6 of 25
alot of k701 owners (or just people who like to talk about them I guess) give off the impression that the k701 does not run well off a portable amp. it usually ends with people blaming an insufficient amp for the shortcomings on the k701. however myself personally never having heard them I can't really say for certain if theres any validity to these claims. but from what i've seen, people go to this conclusion fairly often.
 
Jun 13, 2008 at 6:30 AM Post #8 of 25
Quote:

Originally Posted by briank996 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Thanks for the information y'all. From here on out, let's assume that amplification isn't an issue.


If amplification isn't an issue with the K701, it would be an incredibly stupid purchase because they sound so un-hi-fi without "proper amplification," and you could do better with $200+. I'd go nuts if the K701 were meant to sound good out of my Pico!

People go to the improper amplification conclusion often because it's true. It's not like the D2 effect where one person who's only owned an iPod makes a big deal out of the D2 SQ and praises it as the best sounding DAP. The K701 really does sound "improper" without a good rig, along with the rest of the common $200~300 range headphones. Some HP veterans go nuts over the issue, because some people recommend cheap amps to power these HP monsters (for example, cMoy + K701).

It wouldn't be a bad choice if you had a main headphone rig to listen to with the K701, and use it as a temporary solution for portable needs. I used to do that with my HD 650, where I'd listen to it out of an AE-2 at work, and plug it into my desktop amp at home.

For the best bang out of your cMoy, you should look at Grado headphones, or portable Audio Technica HPs. My Alessandro MS Pros (Grado produced) can sound lively out of a mediocre rig, and the Audio Technica ESW9 is just as uncompromising, eventhough it was a little too colored for my tastes. There's a whole lot more, but the K701 is not a good idea
smily_headphones1.gif
 
Jun 13, 2008 at 12:08 PM Post #11 of 25
Quote:

Originally Posted by briank996 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Thanks for the information y'all. From here on out, let's assume that amplification isn't an issue.


Let me be 100% clear, your amp does not have enough power to drive the K701s.
 
Jun 13, 2008 at 12:16 PM Post #12 of 25
Is K701 better than SR80?

IMO this is not the question to ask. The right question should be do you prefer the AKG sound signature or Grado's. It's kinda hard to compare apple to orange. The thing that decides if K701 is better choice for you is your taste, and not so much in the absolute goodness.

The amp requirement is another story though. Btw impedance does not say much about the amplification requirement.
 
Jun 13, 2008 at 12:20 PM Post #13 of 25
It's just that I already planned on upgrading the amp, regardless. Probably a Little Dot XX or SOHA creature of some sort. So I'd rather just take amplification out of the equation for the purposes of this thread.
 
Jun 13, 2008 at 12:26 PM Post #14 of 25
Quote:

Originally Posted by briank996 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
It's just that I already planned on upgrading the amp, regardless. Probably a Little Dot XX or SOHA creature of some sort. So I'd rather just take amplification out of the equation for the purposes of this thread.


I see, we all assumed you were like the hundreds of others who post threads wanting to use power demanding phones out of their portables.

Anyway in that case, the K701s are going to be a completely different sound than the SR80s.

The SR80s are close and aggressive, while the K701s have a massive sound stage and works best with classical and the like. They don't have an upfront sound presentation making them sound relatively boring with rock.

We can't really tell you which one is better because everyone prefers different things.

I myself thought the K701s weren't involving enough. And the ones I heard were balanced out of a Headroom Balanced Desktop amp (a couple thousand dollars.)

Long story short, we can't tell you, you'll have to hear them yourself.
 
Jun 13, 2008 at 12:26 PM Post #15 of 25
To be honest with you, I think you are somewhat considering apples to oranges. The sound signatures from what I have read on the Grado an 701s are very different. I have owned an SR 80 and upgraded about a month after I got it.

Grado is detailed, and more up front. AKGs are going to be very light, and airy with a big soundstage. If you can get to a meet to try them out. Like I said I have only heard the SR80 stock, I can not say how much the cable upgrade would help.

Maybe you would be better off with a higher-end Grado or Alessandro?

EDIT: I basically just said the same thing as Navy and I didnt even read his post. Kind of funny we both described it as comparing apples to oranges though.
 

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