[conquerator2]

 
You may have a different opinion if you have heard both on my system.

I know the tubes... But the Mstage is a warmer amp...
I don't think I'd want them warmer though, I am just happy the amp performs very well with all three cans, though K612 gets most all of home use.

 

[kman1211]

  I know the tubes... But the Mstage is a warmer amp...
I don't think I'd want them warmer though, I am just happy the amp performs very well with all three cans, though K612 gets most all of home use.

I've heard plenty of SS amps warmer than my tube amp. If anything my amp is on the bright side. Tubes being warmer than SS amps is a misconception. I found the biggest difference is tubes have a bigger more powerful sound, smoothness, more body, and more robust dynamics. They just sound more real to me.

 

[conquerator2]

 
I've heard plenty of SS amps warmer than my tube amp. If anything my amp is on the bright side. Tubes being warmer than SS amps is a misconception. I found the biggest difference is tubes have a bigger more powerful sound, more body, and more robust dynamics. They just sound more real to me.

I should probably give tubes a shot sometime down the line then :]

 

[kman1211]

  I should probably give tubes a shot sometime down the line then :]

Yeah, it's just a different sound signature, some prefer it and some don't. It's worth trying both tubes and SS amps as it may be different than you expected, it was for me, I fell in love with the tube sound immediately. Some headphones like tubes more and some SS amps more, some like hybrids the most, etc. There are exceptions as well where a headphone that usually likes one type of amp really likes an amp of a different type. It's like comparing dynamic and planars. It's just a different presentation. Tubes can be bright, cold, warm, dark, lean, laid-back, aggressive, transparent, veiled, etc. I do find overly warm tube amps do tend to overemphasize the tube sound. The K612 likes more upfront sounding amps in general, they generally won't sound that good on an overly laid-back amp whether it's tubes or ss.

 

[Saraya]

 
Yeah, it's just a different sound signature, some prefer it and some don't. It's worth trying both tubes and SS amps as it may be different than you expected, it was for me, I fell in love with the tube sound immediately. Some headphones like tubes more and some SS amps more, some like hybrids the most, etc. There are exceptions as well where a headphone that usually likes one type of amp really likes an amp of a different type. It's like comparing dynamic and planars. It's just a different presentation. Tubes can be bright, cold, warm, dark, lean, laid-back, aggressive, transparent, veiled, etc. I do find overly warm tube amps do tend to overemphasize the tube sound. The K612 likes more upfront sounding amps in general, they generally won't sound that good on an overly laid-back amp whether it's tubes or ss.

What models do you consider laid back amps?

 

[NimnuL]

So I play with AKG K612Pro for couple of weeks by now - sweet cans I must say. 
They use the same driver like K702/712 - http://www.akglife.com/varimotion
I assume the main difference between the K7x2 and K612 are the pads which are angled in 7 series, not flat - this causes difference in stage (it's a bit smaller but more consistent to my ears in K612). Details and sparkling is similar, comfort - I'd give a nod to K612. 
 
To me K612 give amazing value/money ratio, it's hard to beat that. The closest competition are HD600 which are a bit more natural and more detailed, but not worth twice the money for sure. 

 

[conquerator2]

  So I play with AKG K612Pro for couple of weeks by now - sweet cans I must say. 
They use the same driver like K702/712 - http://www.akglife.com/varimotion
I assume the main difference between the K7x2 and K612 are the pads which are angled in 7 series, not flat - this causes difference in stage (it's a bit smaller but more consistent to my ears in K612). Details and sparkling is similar, comfort - I'd give a nod to K612. 
 
To me K612 give amazing value/money ratio, it's hard to beat that. The closest competition are HD600 which are a bit more natural and more detailed, but not worth twice the money for sure. 

Definitely, in terms of imaging, accuracy and neutrality it is in it's own ballpark in the 200USD range [no surprises... the drivers are present on all their higher priced K7XX models ]
 
I for some reason don't like Sennheiser :/ so, there
 
K612 are my best all-round cans under 500USD. MA900 and X1 being more musical and less neutral, though still great.

 

[AUserName501]

Spoiler: Quote: NimnuL

Quote:

  So I play with AKG K612Pro for couple of weeks by now - sweet cans I must say. 
They use the same driver like K702/712 - http://www.akglife.com/varimotion
I assume the main difference between the K7x2 and K612 are the pads which are angled in 7 series, not flat - this causes difference in stage (it's a bit smaller but more consistent to my ears in K612). Details and sparkling is similar, comfort - I'd give a nod to K612. 
 
To me K612 give amazing value/money ratio, it's hard to beat that. The closest competition are HD600 which are a bit more natural and more detailed, but not worth twice the money for sure. 

They do not use the same driver. The impedance of the K612 is much higher than the K7xx series.

 

[conquerator2]

 
They do not use the same driver. The impedance of the K612 is much higher than the K7xx series.

Alright, but it's still a damn good driver IMO.

 

[kman1211]

Definitely, in terms of imaging, accuracy and neutrality it is in it's own ballpark in the 200USD range [no surprises... the drivers are present on all their higher priced K7XX models ]

I for some reason don't like Sennheiser :/ so, there

K612 are my best all-round cans under 500USD. MA900 and X1 being more musical and less neutral, though still great.

I'm not too fond of Sennheiser much either. Most of their headphones is as if the soul was sucked out making them a boring and soulless listen and they never sound quite right to me. I thought the K612 was more detailed and neutral and natural sounding than the HD 600 personally.

The drivers seem to be related to the K7xx drivers, but they aren't the same driver. They do have very similar sound and design traits.

 

[elwappo99]

 

 
They do not use the same driver. The impedance of the K612 is much higher than the K7xx series.

Alright, but it's still a damn good driver IMO.

 
Certainly a very good driver, but it is different than the K702 drivers.

 

[AUserName501]

Spoiler: Quote: elwappo99

   
Certainly a very good driver, but it is different than the K702 drivers.

 

It's a shame Tyll hasn't measured the K601/K612 because I'd be interested to see how it compares to the K7xx series.

 

[elwappo99]

There are credible measurements for the K601, just on the "unmentionable" site. It definitely measures admirably, and IMO better than the K701.

 

[AUserName501]

Spoiler: Quote: elwappo99

  There are credible measurements for the K601, just on the "unmentionable" site. It definitely measures admirably, and IMO better than the K701.

 

I have seen those CSD plots and they do look pretty good.

 

[tdockweiler]

  So I play with AKG K612Pro for couple of weeks by now - sweet cans I must say. 
They use the same driver like K702/712 - http://www.akglife.com/varimotion
I assume the main difference between the K7x2 and K612 are the pads which are angled in 7 series, not flat - this causes difference in stage (it's a bit smaller but more consistent to my ears in K612). Details and sparkling is similar, comfort - I'd give a nod to K612. 
 
To me K612 give amazing value/money ratio, it's hard to beat that. The closest competition are HD600 which are a bit more natural and more detailed, but not worth twice the money for sure. 

 
Had the HD-600 and an Asgard 1 as my first setup and didn't care for it that much. Always felt the K601 was far better and switched to that. Sounded clearer, more detailed and had a larger soundstage. The HD-600 was a little smoother, but always sounded a bit muffled and lacked detail. I don't think I ever paid over $250 for an HD-600 though.
 
I wish I had stuck with the K601 and skipped the K702s. I kept going back and forth between the two forever. At least I found out about the Q701..
 
Looking forward to some more modded Q701 vs K612 reviews.
 
Said this before, but to me the K601 (and i'm sure the K612) is like a weird mix of the HD-600 and K702. The K601 always sounded warmer/fuller than the K702 and a little smoother.
 
BTW I think the K601 is far better than the K400 and K501. Both of those are overrated.  K501 does have an amazing soundstage but both lack bass somewhat. Whenever I use my K400s I feel as if I'm missing a lot of stuff that should be there.