I'm assuming you were thinking about the k601 but are now doubting it?
I'd encourage you to try the k601 and use the pads from your Q701 on them. The k601 with stock pads is unremarkable (my opinion) but becomes a completely new headphone with the AKG angled pads. And you can make the treble stand out a bit more by removing the foam rings under the pads. This is how I run my k601 and it's my favorite dynamic headphone.
What changes have you noticed in regards to adding the Q701 pads? Larger soundstage, refinement?
If the modded K601's microdetailing sits between the Q701 and HD598, then I think I've found my new headphone
Edit, thanks for your quick response, I was expecting a response that would take a week or so.
What changes have you noticed in regards to adding the Q701 pads? Larger soundstage, refinement?
If the modded K601's microdetailing sits between the Q701 and HD598, then I think I've found my new headphone
I have a couple detailed write-ups in this thread. Search for them for more info.
But the basics: larger/more realistic soundstage, more space between instruments (better separation) and more even frequency response. This includes extended treble, especially if you don't use the foam ring.
No mods necessary, just a pad swap. And the foam ring just sits in between the pad and headphone and isn't attached in any way.
And just to be clear: I used K702 pads but I believe them to be the same as the Q701 pads.
I can't help but saying I was close. I really was. There's a deduction in the 1-3khz region for the K601, and a slight roll-off in the treble area without leaving any air. Leaving the K601's to be a warm headphone I assume?
Oh but what's this, a fast sub bass response similar to a balanced armature?
It's truly a shame, I really was close. I'm starting to tire of my AKG Q701's a tad bit because the 2khz spike is grainy, in the ER4S, that 2khz region is smooth and only adds to more enjoyment with female vocalists. I enjoy neutral, because I believe it's the music that should be musical, not my headphones. I also dislike Sennheisers because of their laid back treble. Ah well. Back to my search.
I would not judge a headphone based solely on graphs. They also reflect several other things down the line including the hardware/software used to measure these things. They are informative, like the graph of an engines power curve. But you really don't know what it's like until you take it for a spin around a winding back country road.
I can't help but saying I was close. I really was. There's a deduction in the 1-3khz region for the K601, and a slight roll-off in the treble area without leaving any air. Leaving the K601's to be a warm headphone I assume?
Oh but what's this, a fast sub bass response similar to a balanced armature?
It's truly a shame, I really was close. I'm starting to tire of my AKG Q701's a tad bit because the 2khz spike is grainy, in the ER4S, that 2khz region is smooth and only adds to more enjoyment with female vocalists. I enjoy neutral, because I believe it's the music that should be musical, not my headphones. I also dislike Sennheisers because of their laid back treble. Ah well. Back to my search.
I would not judge a headphone based solely on graphs. They also reflect several other things down the line including the hardware/software used to measure these things. They are informative, like the graph of an engines power curve. But you really don't know what it's like until you take it for a spin around a winding back country road.
My interests in headphones are very strict, and if one set of the frequency is off then I'm satisfied. If I can crank the volume up and still be happy then I'm sold on the headphone. I have the ER4S and Q701, and praised both of them for their priceerformance and each one of them has earned my 2000 hours of playback time since 2013. I've had other headphones but I disliked their bass boosted nature, hot treble spikes, lack of balance or midrange dips. I typically have a frequency spectrum up on another monitor and tend to scroll over frequencies. Finding out where a vocalists' octaves lie, bass range, or the frequencies of synthesizers.
I also find nothing wrong with reflecting what I hear to numbers on a chart, I typically listen to a headphone, and measure it using a microphone a kind head-fi member passed on to me. By measuring a headphone, it makes it easier for me to be articulate in my findings through solid evidence such as numbers and graphs. Using this information, I'm able to find a suitable headphone to further drive such an addicting hobby. My success rate has been 3/25 headphones, the other 22 headphones are the cause of my preference in music changing, changing requirements of a headphone (open vs closed back), or that I was careless and impulse bought a headphone. Being a student though, taste testing anymore headphones I deem worthy to be on my headphone rack would be exhausting for whatever is left in my wallet. I've tried testing headphones at a shop, but a simple 1 hour listening session will not be able to justify the ~5 hours a day I will be using the set of cans.
I was fortunate enough to be associated with an indie band so I do often go into recording studios, practice studios and concert halls of all types so I've already ingrained my version of perfect sound for my ears. Anyhow.
So far I've come to the conclusion that the AKG Q701's 2khz spike though can be exciting and does balance off the warm midrange hump; can be exhausting. It can make pianos sound a bit nasally and vocals sometimes a bit too shouty. The HD598 was too laid back in this area and I lost that sense of intimacy I liked with the Q701.
The HD598 also has a midrange hump for warmth, but there's no upper mids or treble to balance this off.
The HD598 had a better sense of air due to the 8khz presence being higher than the lower treble frequencies. The lower treble frequencies tend to have more high hat texture such as a brush sliding on them.
Oddly enough, the 2.2khz-3khz hump on the ER4S sounds very natural to my ears, it simply enforces the HRTF compensation graph used for headphones
2khz-5khz is fairly important for violins, violins sound sucked out and unnatural in the Q701's, the HD598's have a better presence.
Due to the midbass being relatively higher than the sub bass for the Q701's and 598's, it hides the sub-bass presence compared to the ER4S.
So 598 vs Q701 aside, why not visit a capable contender? The K601. The treble extension does bother me, but according to an =3591&scale=30]impedance vs frequency chart, I can push some upper treble into the K601's, the same tactic I'm doing for the Q701's. Along with Punnisher's suggestion to swap pads... it's possible I might enjoy the K601's as a good investment. If not I might as well return them and leave the mid-fi area.
Just kidding, it's not that easy, owning a hi-fi headphone means using money to solve money problems. (An amp/dac to go well with say an HD800). The mid-fi area gives some headphones a run for their money, and everyone can afford mid-fi. People complain and then companies create a better product out of feedback.
I have a couple detailed write-ups in this thread. Search for them for more info.
But the basics: larger/more realistic soundstage, more space between instruments (better separation) and more even frequency response. This includes extended treble, especially if you don't use the foam ring.
No mods necessary, just a pad swap. And the foam ring just sits in between the pad and headphone and isn't attached in any way.
And just to be clear: I used K702 pads but I believe them to be the same as the Q701 pads.
There's a definite improvement. A huge improvement, actually. I have a write-up earlier in this thread that addresses the differences. But mainly the frequency response seems to widen, more accurate and larger soundstage, and better instrument separation. Plus the comfort level increases since the 702 pads have more room for the ears. I feel the stock pads make the k601 very "congested", and using the k702 pads solves that problem completely.
When you change the pads, you can either leave the foam ring in or remove it. I find that removing the foam ring results in a clearer, brighter sound. But that is a matter of taste.
Also keep in mind that AKG pads have changed over the years. My k601 came with pads that are gray, uniform thickness and have a fairly small opening (almost too small for my ear to fit in). The k702 pads I use are black, thicker towards the back of the headphone, and have a much larger opening.
With the k702 pads, the k601 easily beats out the k701 and k702 in terms of sound quality. I actually traded my k702 after I switched the pads and I don't miss them at all.
Thank you, you haven't mentioned anything about the bass so I can only assume you're satisfied with the changes. When the time comes I'll be picking up a K601. If all goes well then I won't have to worry about the Shure SRH-1840's and be able to upgrade my portable rig
I haven't thought about changing the pads so searching up that solution wasn't on my mind when searching this forum, my apologies for the ignorance.
I don't think you'll be disappointed with the k601 w/ k70X pads. A great combo.
As for the bass, it's definitely not a bassy headphone. I'd say it very accurately conveys the content of the recording without adding or taking anything away. If anything I might say it's a bit bass-light in terms of quantity but that's nitpicking. It has extremely good extension though (and speed), especially after the pad swap. The wider frequency response works both ways; it extends higher and deeper with the pad swap.
Also, the better you amplify the k601 the better it will sound. That's true for any headphone but the k601 is very power-hungry compared to a lot of cans. Luckily the impedance range is in a nice middle ground so you can use tube, tube hybrid, or SS amps with good results.
Because of the 2-3khz bump, I'm completely satisfied with my k501 which sounds a little bit dark for an akg headphone.
Unfortunately it's not that easy to get one in good condition anymore..
ps I'm not unhappy with my k601 but sometimes the upper mids are just annoying to me
Owning several akg headphones, I already switched pads sometimes, but mostly between K501 K702 and sometimes also K601.
Anyway, somehow it seems I never had k702 pads on my k601 so I tried it today and I really like it.
the higher-mids bump, like akgs are used to have it, is not as annoying, little bigger stage, maybe better bass.
The k702 with 601 pads has way too much higher mids.
Any way, I will leave my k601 with 702 pads for a while I guess.
He has a K5 on high gain at 1 O' clock, but people on here were calling me crazy when I said my Magni V1 isn't strong enough to power them properly. Schiit sent it back and said there was nothing wrong with it. I ended up buying a pair of Fischer Audio FA-003 Ti's. The magni isn't strong enough to power those either, so I have another headphone amp to boost the signal, and have the Magni hooked up to that. It works.... for now. That's the DT 880 (250), K240 (600), K612 (120) and Fischer Audio's (64), and I can turn the volume all the way up, and it's not anywhere near murderous at all. I knew I wasn't trippin'... Now I'm confused as whether to buy a Magni 2 and use high gain, the K5 or a M-Stage Matrix.
I've heard nothing but greatness about the M-Stage. I wanted to buy one in the next town over a month ago, but couldn't get a ride. I needed a transparent amp for mixing. Reading this, it will definitely be my next upgrade.
I've heard nothing but greatness about the M-Stage. I wanted to buy one in the next town over a month ago, but couldn't get a ride. I needed a transparent amp for mixing. Reading this, it will definitely be my next upgrade.
It's pretty good at transparency, although a bit on the warm side which plays nicely into the 601/612 sound. Make sure you do the class a dual op-amp mod as it transforms the amp: http://www.tamaudio.com/burr-brown-opa627bp-with-class-a-biasing-mod.html?search=OPA627B
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erformance and each one of them has earned my 2000 hours of playback time since 2013. I've had other headphones but I disliked their bass boosted nature, hot treble spikes, lack of balance or midrange dips. I typically have a frequency spectrum up on another monitor and tend to scroll over frequencies. Finding out where a vocalists' octaves lie, bass range, or the frequencies of synthesizers.
