[amartignano]

Quote:

Originally Posted by db597 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Anyone find their K701 bass shy? I hear this phrase often used in this forum. But once through the burn in period, my experience has been quite the opposite. Bass is deep and well extended. As for volume, it's not any less than my previous headphones - the HD595 (and nobody has ever described that pair of cans to be bass shy). I suspect anyone finding the bass anemic is not amping it properly, or simply hasn't burnt it in fully.

It strongly depends on how they are amped, and on what sound you are used to. The K701 bass is wonderful, deep, warm, surrounding, but doesn't hit in the midbass like a HD650 bass (for example). Wonderful for classical music, sometimes not so good in bass-driven electric music or electric bass.

Andrew

 

[db597]

Quote:

Originally Posted by amartignano /img/forum/go_quote.gif It strongly depends on how they are amped, and on what sound you are used to. The K701 bass is wonderful, deep, warm, surrounding, but doesn't hit in the midbass like a HD650 bass (for example). Wonderful for classical music, sometimes not so good in bass-driven electric music or electric bass.

I get where you're coming from. The HD650, however, is reknown for it's strong bass response - to the extent that some feel it a bit unbalanced and therefore not a clear improvement over the HD600. I'm just happy that the K701's bass is in the ball park of the HD595/HD600.

 

[amartignano]

Quote:

Originally Posted by db597 /img/forum/go_quote.gif . I'm just happy that the K701's bass is in the ball park of the HD595/HD600.

Me too. I'm one of the people who prefers HD600 over HD650.

Andrew

 

[strangemusic]

701 owner in the house! I wish I had the cash to drop on a CanAmp for these 'phones, but my Headfive performs admirably, regardless. In terms of instrument/vocal separation and clarity these are the best headphones I've tried so far. Download Antonio Lotti's "Crucifixus" if you want to hear what I mean, it's an eight-part choral arrangement with organ, and EVERYTHING stands out in detail.

I hadn't realized that there were balanced K701's around... does balancing change the sound drastically?

 

[amartignano]

Quote:

Originally Posted by strangemusic /img/forum/go_quote.gif I hadn't realized that there were balanced K701's around... does balancing change the sound drastically?

I quote the answer. I'm very intersted in this, because, knowing what balanced amping can do generally, I think it can bring the K701 to upper level, solving some "dynamic relax" of the AKG.

Andrew

 

[jornfin]

Hello there,
a signal passing from A to B will never be better (purer, less distorted) at B. What I mean is, the brightness, harshness, etc. might stem from your source. Low and midprice CD or DVD -players hardly ever sound natural. The better headphones might just be revealing the limitations of the source. To make sure, try them with a fancy source.
Don't want to mock your CD-player - don't even know what it is! But reading through a lot of threads here, I can't help but wonder whether many listeners are not working on the wrong side of their set up, if they want to improve sound quality.
Any help?

 

[robm321]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hey, stop it! I'm already interested in the GS-1000 and saying things like that might make me buy yet another pair of headphones. Anyhow, I've been putting more hours on the K-701s and have been letting them play softly overnight. The sound is changing somewhat, but they're still not doing it for me. Sure, they're crisp and analytical, but so is the K-501, which sounds more natural. And you're right about knowing what to keep and sell. It's tough. One consideration about these, however, is that they're very unlikely to become rare or more expensive. They've been out just around a year, and AKG will probably keep them in the lineup another 4-5 years, at least. Even after they're discontinued, there will be a lot on the used market. I think the ones to keep are the ones that are high end and were/are low in production numbers. People tend to hang onto those and push the market up. I'd snatch up the GS-1000 if it were discontinued, but on the other hand, the HD-580 was recently discontinued. No one is rushing to get the last pairs of those except for the low price. So if I sold the K-701 now, I could always get it again in the future at a lower price.

Good point about non discontinued phones. I gave the K701s a real shot like I said I would and listened for a long period of time to different music. The K701s just didn't do it for me.

I will keep my HP-2s, K-1000s, and my GS-1000s as my reference phones. Everything else is subject to be sold. I think AKG did a good job on these, so I do think highly of the K701. I enjoy listening analytically. That wasn't the problem. They just seem... well you explained it better...

 

[Happy Camper]

The more time on them, the better they get. The 701s are really showing the SP amp capabilities as the caps grow in strength. The 701s do everything well and some things great. With this amp, the dryness is gone and the enjoyment is gratifying. Unless someone comes off some K1000s at the right time, I could live with the 701s. Was going to try some RS-1s later this year for older acoustic rock or some Beyers for electronic rock but the 701s are showing well in these areas. May just roll some tubes to see where the sound goes from here.

 

[cotdt]

i notice that most people like sound that sticks out and grabs one's attention, and K701 is not for them. to me, other headphones do grab your attention... and sticks out like a sore thumb. K701 doesn't fare well in quick auditions because it does its job and nothing more, but once you get used to it, you'll appreciate its amazing resolution and ability to present music the way it was meant to be. K701 is for those who wish to hear the music, rather than the headphone.

 

[Welly Wu]

I am now happy with both the AKG K 701 and Ultimate Ears Ue-10 PRO. I definitely plan on keeping both or upgrading to each companies future top of the line reference products. After more listening with my relatively new K 701s, I have determined that they are the closest sonic match to my beloved Ue-10 PRO in a full sized, circumaural, open air headphone. I am now happy and relieved. If you own either one or are lucky enough to have both, then give them more listening time and I think you will understand for yourself. The Grado RS-1s were definitely fun, but fatiguing. The Sennheiser HD 600 was near perfect except for the 3 blobs in your head and the "veil." The HD 650 was better except it sounded darker, bass heavy though it has less of that "veil." Give these cans a listen sometime soon.

 

[egokun]

I have been experimenting a little bit, and I've found out a way to make my K701 more acceptable to my ears. Of course, it must be considered that my main setup for listening is 5G iPod -> Sik Ram Din -> PA2V2 -> K701, obviously not what you'd consider hi-fi equipment (Xenos 1HA-EPC coming Monday, but you get the point). Also, I've been using them for only 60 hours or so, and I know that the K701's sound is supposed to change significantly as the hours go by.

Still, I find the highs on the K701 unbearable unless I listen to them at a volume that makes the bass almost inaudible, or totally thumpless anyway. It may be that I'm extremely treble-sensitive, the fact is that, if I listen to the highs on the K701 at a volume where the bass is somewhat pleasing, the muscles of my eardrums contract so hardly and so fast that I can't listen to any music for almost an hour, not even with my UM2s. Scary but true.

So the other day, I decided to fiddle around a bit with the iPod's EQ. Bass boost is not an option, because it makes the sound quite bloated at times, and the piercing highs are still there (and no, I'm not a big fan of mp3gain, my music collection is too big). But then I tried treble reduction, and whoa!, it worked. Tamed highs, more upfront bass, a very enjoyable sound, only the bass is still slightly bloated with some recordings, but I can live with it. They now sound more like the UM2s, but with a wider soundstage of course, and I can listen to them for hours without any fatigue. I'm not really a basshead, but I do enjoy the bass thump on my UM2s, and this EQ setting does bring it out with the K701.

 

[Mikesul]

I have had my 701s about a month and I am very satisfied. However, the cable has started to go into a permanent tangle mode. The tangles have memory and are as bad as any cable I can remember having. When I first received the phones I was pleased with the feel of the cable which seemed so soft that I did not expect it to do this. Has anyone found a solution?

 

[Welly Wu]

No, no solution for the cable tangle. Just got to live with it or get one of those plastic thingamajiggies to roll up the cable. Whatever. Just be grateful there is no user replaceable cable option so you can't spend more money on an already expensive pair of headphones.

 

[unter Schuld]

[size=small]I have owned the K 701 since they were released by AKG and have had a mixed experience.

Here, I will only write about my problems with the k 701.
[/size]
[size=small]There is one aspect I hate about the k 701:[/size] [size=small]its build quality is poor when compared to my reference, the hd600. I have owned my hd600s for over four years and have not had one problem. The most strenuous activity I do with either headphone is sleep. I have had the k 701 since it was first released and it is in pieces: broken plastic, damage to the cable, and both of the ear pads have fallen off. Better put, my k 701s have pwned me.

Nonetheless, the headphone still works and sounds great -- when paired with the correct music.

Should I buy another pair?[/size][size=small]
[/size]
[size=small]--
I have to thank Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, Vladamir Horowitz, Pyotre Il'ich Tchaikovsky, Kyril Kondrashin, Murray Perahia, Chopin, Beethoven, Copeland, Louis Lortie, Jacqueline Du Pré, Cergui Celibidache, the members of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Bach, Glen Gould, every (classically trained) composer and musician, and[/size] יְהֹוָה[size=small] for leaving me in horrible debt. Of course, I would kill myself if I could not enjoy your labor. So, I labor until death.[/size]

 

[Norman]

They aren't broken till the drivers die

You could try something other than the K701 since you already have a pair and know the sound quite well. If you don't like the new ones then sell them and then get the K701s.