AKG k550 VS Akg q701 vs DT990 sound signature | Headphone Reviews and Discussion - Head-Fi.org

MrWhaffles · Dec 18, 2013 at 4:37 AM

Hello guys, i have a quick question, how would you compare the sound sig of the q701 with the K550?
I have the K550, but i don't really like it's sound sig so i was wondering how it compares to the q701.

EDIT: so after reading the Q701 thread i understood that it is quite shrill as well so i guess that's off the table. How about the DT 990?

money4me247 · Dec 18, 2013 at 4:40 AM

mrwhaffles said:
Hello guys, i have a quick question, how would you compare the sound sig of the q701 with the K550?
I have the K550, but i don't really like it's sound sig so i was wondering how it compares to the q701.

what don't you like about the sound sig? ...if it's the lack of bass, then going to the q701 would def not help...

MrWhaffles · Dec 18, 2013 at 4:49 AM

money4me247 said:
what don't you like about the sound sig? ...if it's the lack of bass, then going to the q701 would def not help...

oh no, it's not the lack of bass(i'm not a basshead at all), the highs irritate me sometimes.

cheuh · Dec 18, 2013 at 4:57 AM

I just saw this posted in the AKG K550 thread: http://www.head-fi.org/t/613707/the-akg-k550-appreciation-discussion-thread/1065#post_10073845

ampair said:
it depends on what you want... i'll try to give you a few quick comparisons.

K550 Q701
construction closed, with good isolation open, isolation is almost non-existent
comfort good if they fit your head, but you might have to mod the headband to get good seal and comfort. pleather pads might make you sweat during summer but keeps your ears warm in the wintertime. excellent, you barely feel them on your ears. whether the bumps on the headband bother you or not depends entirely on your head. i can wear them for hours without any discomfort or fatigue.
amping you can drive them right out of most smartphones and daps without the need for an external amp. they do get better with dedicated amping though. definitely needed. they will sound like crap if you plug them straight in your phone/dap/laptop/pc, but truly shine with proper amping (read the Q701 amping thread for more infos)
portability very good for on-the-go, i use them nearly everyday on my way to uni. the huge earcups might look ridiculous, but who cares? the swivel mechanism comes in handy for stowing them away in a suitcase. definitely meant for home use. not only will you hear every sound from the outside, also others will hear your music. no swiveling, no easy stowaway
soundstage extraordinarily wide for a closed headphone, almost sounds like an open one. also quite detailed, but nowhere near the Q701. huge, very detailed, simply breathtaking. and from what people say around here, it even trumps many other headphones that cost a lot more.
sound signature AKG house sound, very good bass extension, detailed. treble sometimes might be a bit harsh. read the thread for more detailed descriptions. apart from bass extension, better in almost any way imho (if properly amped). haven't tried the bass port mod yet.
tl;dr closed headphone that doesn' sound like one. great allrounder, especially for portable use since it doesn' require an external amp. responds nicely to eq'ing (cyanogenmod's dsp manager is your friend here ) great sounding headphone for home use, massive soundstage, very detailed. needs amping like vampires need blood. excellent bang for buck.

hope that covers it.

MrWhaffles · Dec 18, 2013 at 5:02 AM

cheuh said:
I just saw this posted in the AKG K550 thread: http://www.head-fi.org/t/613707/the-akg-k550-appreciation-discussion-thread/1065#post_10073845

hmm ty for the post, but i'm a bit confused "treble sometimes might be a bit harsh." didn't say if it applies to the q701 also, it just said better in every way. I'm assuming there's no problem on it?

cheuh · Dec 18, 2013 at 5:12 AM

It could be harsh if you're not use to it... or turn them up too loudly. It would probably be best if you ask people in the Q701 thread or have a listen to them yourself.

MrWhaffles · Dec 18, 2013 at 7:21 AM

cheuh said:
It could be harsh if you're not use to it... or turn them up too loudly. It would probably be best if you ask people in the Q701 thread or have a listen to them yourself.

well not really possible to give them a listen atm. will try the q701 thread though.

MrWhaffles · Dec 18, 2013 at 3:10 PM

So after reading the Q701 thread i understood that it is quite shrill as well so i guess that's off the table. How about the DT 990?

money4me247 · Dec 18, 2013 at 5:35 PM

mrwhaffles said:
So after reading the Q701 thread i understood that it is quite shrill as well so i guess that's off the table. How about the DT 990?

haven't heard the dt 990. from the akg k545 thread, it seems like those are less shrill so that's another option to consider. they can be found for $200 on razerdogaudio, so you save $50 compared to the dt990.

NickyaKillah · Mar 24, 2016 at 9:39 PM

Not to beat a dead horse, as you probably already bought something, but the highs on AKG headphones can always be lowered with a nice tube amp. I know the feeling, it can be bright AF sometimes

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	K550	Q701
construction	closed, with good isolation	open, isolation is almost non-existent
comfort	good if they fit your head, but you might have to mod the headband to get good seal and comfort. pleather pads might make you sweat during summer but keeps your ears warm in the wintertime.	excellent, you barely feel them on your ears. whether the bumps on the headband bother you or not depends entirely on your head. i can wear them for hours without any discomfort or fatigue.
amping	you can drive them right out of most smartphones and daps without the need for an external amp. they do get better with dedicated amping though.	definitely needed. they will sound like crap if you plug them straight in your phone/dap/laptop/pc, but truly shine with proper amping (read the Q701 amping thread for more infos)
portability	very good for on-the-go, i use them nearly everyday on my way to uni. the huge earcups might look ridiculous, but who cares? the swivel mechanism comes in handy for stowing them away in a suitcase.	definitely meant for home use. not only will you hear every sound from the outside, also others will hear your music. no swiveling, no easy stowaway
soundstage	extraordinarily wide for a closed headphone, almost sounds like an open one. also quite detailed, but nowhere near the Q701.	huge, very detailed, simply breathtaking. and from what people say around here, it even trumps many other headphones that cost a lot more.
sound signature	AKG house sound, very good bass extension, detailed. treble sometimes might be a bit harsh. read the thread for more detailed descriptions.	apart from bass extension, better in almost any way imho (if properly amped). haven't tried the bass port mod yet.
tl;dr	closed headphone that doesn' sound like one. great allrounder, especially for portable use since it doesn' require an external amp. responds nicely to eq'ing (cyanogenmod's dsp manager is your friend here )	great sounding headphone for home use, massive soundstage, very detailed. needs amping like vampires need blood. excellent bang for buck.