[roBernd]

there are no known fakes,if you want em, go for it!

 

[Husq2100]

Quote:

Just found a NIB pair of these K601 for sale. They are saying Made in Austria and quoting serial number [size=x-small]24580017[/size] on the back of the box. Does this sound right as I believe that they were made in china for the last couple years of production?

 
Quote:

there are no known fakes,if you want em, go for it!

 
More to the point that I was trying to confirm with the seller that they were actually made in Austria, not just Designed and Engineered 

As he was a shop, I figured that a very long time to have New Austria made stock on the shelf (not impossibe though) I ended up finding another pair with only 2 hrs use and $150 cheaper. That serial number I quoted above, is not the serial number Its some other AKG number as its on my box as well. Guy couldnt even get that right after I was specific about where to find info on box.....

 
so I just joined the K601 club: #21631 Made in Austria 

 

[paulscy]

I love my K601 and I think I'll keep it forever

 

[Zombie_X]

Hey all,
 
I got a K601 from tdockweiler and man I've missed them. They don't sound that different from my K501, but are not quite the same. The K601 is warmer and bassier. It's not quite as detailed sounding as the K501 nor does it offer the same resolution. It sound has a haze over it and can sound thick, which is good for rock and metal. The bass, while more impactful/present than the K501, is nothing to write home about. It's more subdued and is not quite all there. It's pushed back behind the excellent midrange. The soundstage is wide with good air but it's not that cohesive. Everything is there, but in a blur. Don't take this as it being bad as it's still impressive fore the price.
 
I hope you all will enjoy your headphone and I hope my comparison will shed some light on the differences between different AKG headphones.

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

Hey all,
 
I got a K601 from tdockweiler and man I've missed them. They don't sound that different from my K501, but are not quite the same. The K601 is warmer and bassier. It's not quite as detailed sounding as the K501 nor does it offer the same resolution. It sound has a haze over it and can sound thick, which is good for rock and metal. The bass, while more impactful/present than the K501, is nothing to write home about. It's more subdued and is not quite all there. It's pushed back behind the excellent midrange. The soundstage is wide with good air but it's not that cohesive. Everything is there, but in a blur. Don't take this as it being bad as it's still impressive fore the price.
 
I hope you all will enjoy your headphone and I hope my comparison will shed some light on the differences between different AKG headphones.

 
You and I almost never seem to agree on how anything sounds, but for this post I agree with almost every single thing for once!

My only complaint for the K601 is that it seems to really highlight harsh/very bright recordings and make them sound almost worse. This it with the Magni (flat) and ODAC. So it's definitely not forgiving at all. Yet not excessively detailed. The K601 to me is almost like a mix of a K701 and maybe an HD-600. Obviously it's not as warm as an HD-600, but I'm glad.
 
The K601 just sounds like it's warm, but yet not that bassy or with too much of a mid-bass hump. Male vocals and rock/metal is especially good on it. I like how Primus and Pearl Jam sounds on it. I think the K601 sounded even better with the HRT MSII than the Q701.
 
K601 is one of the best gaming headphones there is IMO. The thing that impresses me the most with the K601 is it's imaging. It seems a bit more accurate in this area than the K702 and Q701. Better than the HD-598 and slightly better than the HD-650. It's imaging is comparable to the Sextett.
 
I did find the K501 and K400 to have much larger soundstages, but you sacrifice warmth and bass. This K400 definitely sounds like it has more treble than the K601 but not by much.

 

[Zombie_X]

Hi,
 
I think the K601 is very forgiving of a poor recording. The K601 sounds slightly muffled to me when I compared it to the K501 and K400. This slightly muted treble makes music sound smooth to my ears.

 

[luckybaer]

Good to see these still are capable of starting conversations!

 

[grandpatzer]

Anyone here own O2 Amp?
I was going to pair it with the K601 as long as it is a OK choice.
 
I listen to some rap, my understanding is these propably are not for that kind of music?
 
I guess the sound will not be good from my Xonar DX soundcard without a AMP...

 

[Dutchi MerenGue]

Anyone here own O2 Amp?
I was going to pair it with the K601 as long as it is a OK choice.


I listen to some rap, my understanding is these propably are not for that kind of music?


I guess the sound will not be good from my Xonar DX soundcard without a AMP...

I have these and the o2 amp as well as a huge rap fan,


First the o2 thing, i've tried it with the o2 and their is enough power to drive them but personally i much prefer the matrix m stage better over the o2. It was to neutral for my taste, but you might like it, thek601's lean toward dark sounding already so you may not find this a disadvantage


As for rap, you definetly can use these forvrap provided youre actually one of those people who really listen to rap for the lyrics and not the beat. The k601 's have the greatest midsi ever heard short of the lcd-2's

If you enjoy more modern day trap and club type down south music, these are not for you, i'd get some bass oriented cans which youd be able o find for much cheaper than these

 

[bramm]

Let me join the club, I also have an AKG K601. Had it for more than two years now and am still very happy with it. Only currently I am looking for a good portable as well. I really love the sound and feel of the K601, is there anything like it in the portable world?

 

[Punnisher]

I'm joining the k601 club. So far I am really enjoying them. I never could enjoy my k702 fully because of the harsh upper midrange. These have no such harshness and in addition have slightly more body to the low end. More neutral overall and more like a true monitor.

I tried swapping the pads from my 702 to my 601 and it does actually make a large improvement. The 601 pads are a uniform thickness but the 701/2 pads are thicker at the rear to help angle the drivers. They are also more dense and have a larger inner opening. The result is more of an open soundstage and better separation of instruments but no loss of the original k601 signature.

And surprisingly the reverse is also true of the 702. Using the 601 pads on the 702 positions your ear closer to the driver which helps the low bass frequencies reach your ear instead of dying off. The midrange doesn't seem quite so forward. Overall more of a pleasing balance.

 

[mikeaj]

Does anybody else have experience getting replacement pads (in the US)?
 
Seems like K601 / K701 / K702 / Annie / Q701 / K712 / K612 (?) pads all fit, right? Older models like 501 too? The part number quoted for the K601 seems to be 2458M11010 at a price of $21.09 each through the contact person (Frank Rodriguez at Harmon). Any luck getting alternatives elsewhere, other options?
 
$42 is hardly in the exorbitant range, but it's enough to make me look around and wonder at what else is available, especially if some people prefer something else.

 

[Punnisher]

What pads are you looking to buy, and for what headphone? Pads should be interchangeable from all the models you listed.
 
I would stick with AKG, personally. I only found one other site with AKG pads and they were marked up even further from AKG's prices. In addition you are almost guaranteed to have good results. Aftermarket pads are more risky because they could sound completely different. Lots of testing has been done by myself and others with official AKG pads and the results have been documented fairly well.

 

[mikeaj]

Haven't decided, but it's for K601 headphones. The pads are probably some three years old by this point—still fine and usable (it's been washed several times in the meantime), but I figure they're probably a bit squished by now and exposed to enough hours worth of head/face time by this point. I wasn't the first owner, but I'm responsible for the vast majority of the usage.
 
I don't really have any complaints about the stock pads, but you never know if there's something else out there...

 

[Punnisher]

Well the 701/2 pads are definitely better on the 601 than the stock 601 pads. I did a comparison in this thread:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/667968/the-k702-is-better-with-k601-pads#post_9542989