[393699]

 
The system can be a big factor in how bright or even good a headphone sounds. You know what the Q701 was plugged into?  It's been a while since I heard the DT 770. I found Beyers do tend to have a bit of a boominess to their bass, though different systems can alleviate this problem. I prefer the AKG and Senn bass due to them having more texture and resolution. I haven't had my K612 for about a month, I'm about to get it back and a Q701 tomorrow, can't wait to see how the two compare on a higher end system.

 
I totally agree with you that source has a big impact on audio quality. Yes, it was plugged into my Racoon SG300 tube AMP DAC combo. It has the PSVANE 12AT7-T tube in it. I brought it over to his house with me to make sure that I could test the Q701 with my own gear. I will be using the Racoon SG300 for my new K612 Pro when it arrives as well. This is the USB AMP DAC combo here at the link below. It is a warm sounding unit, and sounds great for the price. It is about 190 bucks in Canada, but you can get it for like 160 in the US. It sucks how everything is more expensive here. I had to pay 211 bucks for the K612 Pro including shipping, and I know you people in the US can get them for about 180 shipped. 

 Oh well, looking forward to hearing them.
 
https://www.springwateraudio.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=96#.VBu4YJ1rY2w

 

[cel4145]

This is the USB AMP DAC combo here at the link below. It is a warm sounding unit, and sounds great for the price. It is about 190 bucks in Canada, but you can get it for like 160 in the US. It sucks how everything is more expensive here. I had to pay 211 bucks for the K612 Pro including shipping, and I know you people in the US can get them for about 180 shipped.   Oh well, looking forward to hearing them.

That's not bad. Be glad you are not buying HT equipment. Canadian markup is even worse.

 

[393699]

That's not bad. Be glad you are not buying HT equipment. Canadian markup is even worse.

 
I was also looking at the Soundmagic HP200 headphones as well. Unfortunately, I could not find one dealer online that would ship to Canada. I then went looking for the HP100. There was only one for the HP100 though, and thy wanted a shocking 335 bucks Canadian. Pretty bad when you guys get them for 200 bucks US shipped.
 
http://www.amazon.ca/SoundMAGIC-HP100-Premium-Folding-Headphones/dp/B00DDUUBM6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411103962&sr=8-1&keywords=soundmagic+hp100
 
http://www.amazon.com/SoundMAGIC-HP100-Premium-Folding-Headphones/dp/B0086YJ86Y/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1411104039&sr=8-3&keywords=hp100

 

[kman1211]

   
I totally agree with you that source has a big impact on audio quality. Yes, it was plugged into my Racoon SG300 tube AMP DAC combo. It has the PSVANE 12AT7-T tube in it. I brought it over to his house with me to make sure that I could test the Q701 with my own gear. I will be using the Racoon SG300 for my new K612 Pro when it arrives as well. This is the USB AMP DAC combo here at the link below. It is a warm sounding unit, and sounds great for the price. It is about 190 bucks in Canada, but you can get it for like 160 in the US. Sucks how everything is more expensive here. I had to pay 211 bucks for the K612 Pro including shipping, and I know you people in the US can get them for about 180 shipped. Well, looking forward to hearing them.
 
https://www.springwateraudio.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=96#.VBu4YJ1rY2w

I haven't even heard of that AMP/DAC combo before. Would be interesting to see how it sounds and what tubes go well with it. I tube rolled my Lyr 2 twice before settling on a tube that sounds really good. The stock tubes and the Amperex Bugle Boys are a bit of a disappointment on the amp, I was beginning to feel disappointed with the amp. The Amperex Fat Bottles on the other hand are a whole another story, they have everything I want in a tube; musicality, soundstage, depth, imaging, dynamics, smoothness, big powerful bass, etc. The Senn HD 600 sounds so seductively good on the tubes. Hopefully the Q701 and K612 do as well. Haven't tried the DT 150 on them yet though. I hope the K612 pairs well with your amp. They react a bit differently to amplification than the Q701.

 

[393699]

 
I haven't even heard of that AMP/DAC combo before. Would be interesting to see how it sounds and what tubes go well with it. I tube rolled my Lyr 2 twice before settling on a tube that sounds really good. The stock tubes and the Amperex Bugle Boys are a bit of a disappointment on the amp, I was beginning to feel disappointed with the amp. The Amperex Fat Bottles on the other hand are a whole another story, they have everything I want in a tube; musicality, soundstage, depth, imaging, dynamics, smoothness, big powerful bass, etc. The Senn HD 600 sounds so seductively good on the tubes. Hopefully the Q701 and K612 do as well. Haven't tried the DT 150 on them yet though. I hope the K612 pairs well with your amp. They react a bit differently to amplification than the Q701.

 
During the half hour or so I tested the Q701, I thought it sounded amazing. The treble was just a tiny bit bright. I loved the airy detail though. The midrange on that pair of headphones was ridiculously good. Music just sounded so damn "musical".I used to own the Fiio E10, which I originally powered the DT770 Pro 250 ohm with. I then switched over to the Racoon SG300. The Racoon was a good improvement over the E10. It gave the DT770 Pro a warmer sound, and smoothed out the low end a little bit. It was still too boomy for my taste though. The sibilance in the upper treble on the DT770 also improved somewhat with the Racoon. Overall, to my ears, the DT770 really lacks detail and tightness. The bass is boomy, loose, and slow. The mids are rather recessed in the 2khz-4khz region as well. I am looking forward to the K612 Pro. A friend of mine owns the HD600. I really love their sound. One day I am going to pick up a pair of them as well when I can afford it.

 

[kman1211]

   
During the half hour or so I tested the Q701, I thought it sounded amazing. The treble was just a tiny bit bright. I loved the airy detail though. The midrange on that pair of headphones was ridiculously good. Music just sounded so damn "musical".I used to own the Fiio E10, which I originally powered the DT770 Pro 250 ohm with. I then switched over to the Racoon SG300. The Racoon was a good improvement over the E10. It gave the DT770 Pro a warmer sound, and smoothed out the low end a little bit. It was still too boomy for my taste though. The sibilance in the upper treble on the DT770 also improved somewhat with the Racoon. Overall, to my ears, the DT770 really lacks detail and tightness. The bass is boomy, loose, and slow. The mids are rather recessed in the 2khz-4khz region as well. I am looking forward to the K612 Pro. A friend of mine owns the HD600. I really love their sound. One day I am going to pick up a pair of them as well when I can afford it.

The Q701 is an amazing headphone, so is the K712 (I owned but gave to a friend) which sounds very similar to the Q701 but a bit more energetic with slightly deeper bass. I've always had a fondness of the AKG sound some reason. The DT 770 is a boomy sounding headphone, especially the 80 ohm version. I think the best mid-tier Beyer to get regardless of open or closed is the DT 150, now that is one good headphone. I got the HD 600 about a week ago, it has really grown on me since I owned it. The HD 600 is definitely a headphone worth owning. They took a while to open up or at least to get used to.

 

[393699]

 
The Q701 is an amazing headphone, so is the K712 (I owned but gave to a friend) which sounds very similar to the Q701 but a bit more energetic with slightly deeper bass. I've always had a fondness of the AKG sound some reason. The DT 770 is a boomy sounding headphone, especially the 80 ohm version. I think the best mid-tier Beyer to get regardless of open or closed is the DT 150, now that is one good headphone. I got the HD 600 about a week ago, it has really grown on me since I owned it. The HD 600 is definitely a headphone worth owning. They took a while to open up or at least to get used to.

 
This is going to be my first pair from AKG. About 5 years ago I had the Sennheiser HD555. They were not to my liking. Granted, they are a lower tier of headphone than the HD 600 and HD 650. I found the HD555 had a very veiled sound. It was like listening to a pair of headphones that was congested and had a cold. Treble detail and bass impact were both missing, but the mids were rather good. I then sold them, and bought a pair of Audio Technica AD700 (non X). Yikes, I wish I had a store locally to listen to them first before buying. The soundstage on those headphones was impressive for the price, but they had literally no bass at all. The sound was extremely thin. The HD 600 though, wow, what a wonderful headphone for you to enjoy paired with tube amps. I wish I had a pair.

 

[kman1211]

   
This is going to be my first pair from AKG. About 5 years ago I had the Sennheiser HD555. They were not to my liking. Granted, they are a lower tier of headphone than the HD 600 and HD 650. I found the HD555 had a very veiled sound. It was like listening to a pair of headphones that was congested and had a cold. Treble detail and bass impact were both missing, but the mids were rather good. I then sold them, and bought a pair of Audio Technica AD700 (non X). Yikes, I wish I had a store locally to listen to them first before buying. The soundstage on those headphones was impressive for the price, but they had literally no bass at all. The sound was extremely thin. The HD 600 though, wow, what a wonderful headphone for you to enjoy paired with tube amps. I wish I had a pair.

Ah, my first AKG was the K240, fun but a bit abrasive in the treble. The HD 555 was my first open-back headphone and honestly it put me off from Sennheiser at first. It did sound better with a better amp, but they started cracking in the headband quite bad and the cable shorted out so I got rid of them. I haven't heard the AT AD700, I read a lot about the lack of bass on them. The HD 600 is something special, especially with a good tube pairing, though I like them a lot on SS amps too. Problem is I heard a lot of the flagships and a few legendary cans, that gives you a really bad upgrade bug.

 

[393699]

 
Ah, my first AKG was the K240, fun but a bit abrasive in the treble. The HD 555 was my first open-back headphone and honestly it put me off from Sennheiser at first. It did sound better with a better amp, but they started cracking in the headband quite bad and the cable shorted out so I got rid of them. I haven't heard the AT AD700, I read a lot about the lack of bass on them. The HD 600 is something special, especially with a good tube pairing, though I like them a lot on SS amps too. Problem is I heard a lot of the flagships and a few legendary cans, that gives you a really bad upgrade bug.

 
I really love this community. I could talk about various audio equipment for hours.

 I have heard some amazing things about the Philips Fidelio X1 as well. A guy who works at one of the few local Hi-Fi stores in my city said that it is one of the best open headphones available for under 350 bucks. I would love to hear a pair. Here in Victoria BC, we have very few stores for testing high end headphones. The majority of people in this city just "buy the beats" from the local big box store. It is a shame that we don't have more high end places available that carry quality headphones. Have you had a listen to the Philips Fidelio X1/28 ? I did get a chance to hear the Shure SRH940 as well. I found it to be a little bright and sibilant up top. To my ears, it sounded like a headphone that would end up causing major ear fatigue after extended use. Granted, I heard that headphone at a store, and not connected to my own equipment.

 

[kman1211]

   
I really love this community. I could talk about various audio equipment for hours.

 I have heard some amazing things about the Philips Fidelio X1 as well. A guy who works at one of the few local Hi-Fi stores in my city said that it is one of the best open headphones available for under 350 bucks. I would love to hear a pair. Here in Victoria BC, we have very few options available for testing
high end headphones in stores. The majority of people in this city just "buy the beats" from the local big box store.

It is a shame that we don't have more high end places available that carry quality headphones. Have you had a listen to the Philips Fidelio X1 ?

Yes, I really enjoy this community too, it has some issues of course but every community does. I haven't heard the X1 before, some say there are multiple better headphones in the price range. Just depends on the price you can get other headphones at and what someone consider good. I haven't come across any true hifi stores here, most of my auditioning is because of a friend. My University book store has some Senns for auditioning, but nothing better than the Momentum and the HD 598. There are not many places to listen to good headphones in general, especially the $1K+ flagships, the best I've seen is a Q701 for auditioning at a Best Buy. Finding amps and dacs to audition is even harder than headphones. So people often have to take chances. Finding anything truly high quality can be somewhat of a challenge in general though, one of the drawbacks of mass-production.

 

[393699]

 
Yes, I really enjoy this community too, it has some issues of course but every community does. I haven't heard the X1 before, some say there are multiple better headphones in the price range. Just depends on the price you can get other headphones at and what someone consider good. I haven't come across any true hifi stores here, most of my auditioning is because of a friend. My University book store has some Senns for auditioning, but nothing better than the Momentum and the HD 598. There are not many places to listen to good headphones in general, especially the $1K+ flagships, the best I've seen is a Q701 for auditioning at a Best Buy. Finding amps and dacs to audition is even harder than headphones. So people often have to take chances. Finding anything truly high quality can be somewhat of a challenge in general though, one of the drawbacks of mass-production.

The last few days, the two pairs of headphones I ended up coming down to deciding upon were the K612 Pro and the AD900X. Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to audition either before buying. I was also interested in the Soundmagic HP100, HP150, and HP200, but they can't be shipped here. Only amazon.ca was available for shipping an HP100, and they wanted 335 for it. Well, rather overpriced considering they are 200 now in the US. Regarding the AD900X, it seems that the lack of bass definition and impact that was an issue with the original AD700 and AD900 have now been resolved in the AD700X and AD900X. Many people on head-fi seem to praise the AD900X. Searching the forums though, I don't think many people have tested the K612 pro and AD900X side by side. It would have been interesting to see a direct comparison done by someone on here. I am probably always going to wonder.

 

 

[appsmarsterx]

   I don't think many people have tested the K612 pro and AD900X side by side. It would have been interesting to see a direct comparison done by someone on here.
 

 
Lachan did a ma900 vs ad900x comparison some time ago. he also reviewed 612pro on his youtube channel...
http://www.head-fi.org/t/654161/review-comparison-ath-ad900x-vs-ath-ad1000x-vs-mdr-ma900-its-still-over-900

 

[393699]

   
Lachan did a ma900 vs ad900x comparison some time ago. he also reviewed 612pro on his youtube channel...
http://www.head-fi.org/t/654161/review-comparison-ath-ad900x-vs-ath-ad1000x-vs-mdr-ma900-its-still-over-900

 
Yes, I saw his and barnacules nerdgasm's K612 Pro reviews a few days ago. I saw that thread yesterday, but was just skimming through. I will read through it.

 

[IceTea]

Got one some time ago, a store was having a promotion bundle with the AKG K612s and iFi Audio's iCan v2. Sounds great together especially with the bass boost on the iCan, unfortunately it's quite troublesome to set it up so I often just use the AKGs alone.

 

[cdma2k]

 

   
 
I tested them side-by-side and the difference was glaring. The K701 might measure that way, but it's not offensive (maybe due to the diffuseness of the sound). The K612, on the other hand, has a much more forward presentation that sounds honky and glossy. Try listening to trumpets/horns and you will know what I'm talking about.
 
At any rate, I was pointing to the original comment about the K612 being "one of the most neutral." I don't think it is.

I agree, the K7xx isn't as abrasive in that area. I found different amps and tube rolling can change how brash and forward the K612 can sound. Pad rolling to K7xx pads can eliminate than brashness and forwardness as well. My K612 was being borrowed for a while, been using the HD 600 in the meantime. I get the K612 back along with a Q701 tomorrow. Which I'm happy about since I haven't tried either on the Schiit Lyr 2 yet.

612 is more difficult to drive than 700 series, however it deserves a decent set up (dac + amp) to fully explore its potential. It probably is not exceptional in some specific areas but one of the best all-arounders, balanced and neutral.