[Pearlworld]

Great phones at a great price. Anyone have k501 / k701 , im curious to hear a comparison... the k501's just compliment DT770 (electronica) and MS-1 (rock) so well, wondering what k701 would be like...

 

[NoPants]

k701 is pretty far cry from 501...but it might be mostly due to the physical design, including velour pads which seal better and those little foam disks

Anyways the 701 carries very accurate bass which retains a trace of the characteristic rolloff found in the 501

Mids are arguably similar between the two, but I'm not A/B-ing them right now

Treble is hard for me, I'll let someone else do that...although I can sort of udnerstand what people mean by 701 "sparkle"

The soundstage of 701 is also smaller in comparison

Overall I consider the 701 to have a "darker" signature than the 501, this in conjuction with the audible qualities make 701 a good all-encompassing headphone which works with many genres, as opposed to 501 acoustic specialty

 

[OvidiuDanut]

I would also like to see more neck to neck comparaisons between 501 and 701!
For classical especially which one does the best job?

 

[Rise To The Top]

What is a good price for a new K501?

 

[holland]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rise To The Top /img/forum/go_quote.gif What is a good price for a new K501?

FYI, they are discontinued. You'll find some left overs around some dealers. Quick google turns up $159, there may be better places. These do sound yummy, don't they.

 

[The Burn Pt.2]

~125 USD, accurate within 20%

 

[NoPants]

just traded mine away I guess I didn't love them enough...=p

well actually they weren't getting time in over my ad2000s, so I figured that they needed a better home

still kinda weird to see my first full-size cans go haha

 

[dissembled]

I can't find these phones for the life of me. How do the K601s compare.

 

[NoPants]

601s are smaller soundstage and "stuffy" compared to 501s

 

[kamenal]

Just want to share my joy! UPS just dropped my K501! I am listening to them right now through the iBasso T2 and my MOVE amp is on the way. Elgar's Cello Concerto sounds awesome, almost like the STAX 3030 I used to have.
Got to give a listen to K701.

 

[porschemad911]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pearlworld /img/forum/go_quote.gif Great phones at a great price. Anyone have k501 / k701 , im curious to hear a comparison... the k501's just compliment DT770 (electronica) and MS-1 (rock) so well, wondering what k701 would be like...

Hmmm, interesting impressions. My MS-1 arrived today, and I'm not sure they're better at all than the K-501 for rock. In fact, I think they might be slightly worse due to the peaky upper mids lowering the quality of the vocals. I guess I've been spoilt by the purity of the K-501 in this area.

In terms of punch and bass impact I'd rate them about equal out of my LDII+. Straight out of my CDP the MS-1 probably wins though.

 

[adanac061]

I received the k701 and k501 this morning from nopants in a trade.

I've been testing them head to head using a variety of different music
and can report that the k501 wins by a long shot.

The k701 seems to have a veil!! Compared to the k501 it is muffled in the bass and mids.

I would describe the k501 as pure and uncolored , spacious and airy ...
lightning fast as well.

The k701 is darker, more closed in and less realistic.

I can also Dispel The Myth that the k701 has more bass than the k501.
Because technically, the k501 driver has way, way more bass than the k701 could ever dream of.

This can be tested by swapping the pads and foam back and forth.
The k701 with the k501 pads sound puny with almost no bass,
and the k501 with the k701's foam and pads turns into a bass monster.

And this is with the old bass-lite version.

So for all you K501 owners secretly dreaming of a k701 ,.. don't waste your time, you allready have one of the best dynamic headphones ever made.

 

[LowPhreak]

Quote:

Originally Posted by adanac061 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I can also Dispel The Myth that the k701 has more bass than the k501. Because technically, the k501 driver has way, way more bass than the k701 could ever dream of.

How do you figure?

 

[adanac061]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LowPhreak /img/forum/go_quote.gif How do you figure?

This can be tested by swapping the pads and foam back and forth.
The k701 with the k501 pads sound puny with almost no bass,
and the k501 with the k701's foam and pads turns into a bass monster
far more bass than the k701 in the same configuration.

 

[Hi-Finthen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by adanac061 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I received the k701 and k501 this morning from nopants in a trade. I've been testing them head to head using a variety of different music and can report that the k501 wins by a long shot. The k701 seems to have a veil!! Compared to the k501 it is muffled in the bass and mids. I would describe the k501 as pure and uncolored , spacious and airy ... lightning fast as well. The k701 is darker, more closed in and less realistic. I can also Dispel The Myth that the k701 has more bass than the k501. Because technically, the k501 driver has way, way more bass than the k701 could ever dream of. This can be tested by swapping the pads and foam back and forth. The k701 with the k501 pads sound puny with almost no bass, and the k501 with the k701's foam and pads turns into a bass monster. And this is with the old bass-lite version. So for all you K501 owners secretly dreaming of a k701 ,.. don't waste your time, you allready have one of the best dynamic headphones ever made.

Quote:

Originally Posted by adanac061 /img/forum/go_quote.gif This can be tested by swapping the pads and foam back and forth. The k701 with the k501 pads sound puny with almost no bass, and the k501 with the k701's foam and pads turns into a bass monster far more bass than the k701 in the same configuration.

Agreed, the k501 w/k701 pad & disk mod is sweet, which simply must be tried folks, its killer!

Although, the k701 will and does scale up quite nicely with each and every improvement in my signal chain, and is fully enjoyed here daily in my variety rotation of transducers! Comparatively, it is warmer than the k501!

I agree, as do many other oldtimers I read, the k501 is a fantasticly clean and clear window into the music if your gear chain allows