[Pyriel0]

K701's do fine with actual instruments. If a song was recorded with stronger bass like kick pedal, like some of the big double bass songs from dream theater, you will hear it. If a song just has the drummer keeping beat and not trying to actually take attention, you will hear it. K701's show you exactly what was recorded. Nothing more and nothing less. They don't do well with the big fake bass of most modern rap/hip hop/electronic.

I just got the ultrasone pro900 a couple days ago now and they are supposed to have insane bass. I was not surprised at the bass of these headphones coming from my K701's. The impact is a bit more and it should be because they are closed compared to the open K701. The only reasons I notice they have more bass is the bass guitar stands out a lot more and it does well with the fake rap bass.

I suggest a good solid state amp if you get K701's or K601's. If you listen to a lot of rap/hip hop/electronic with big fake boomy bass then don't get akg's.

 

[lazpete]

Well guys, a pair of k601 now reside at home, and they are nasty

. will come back in a couple of weeks with some toughts on metal and rock trough these.

im happy

(can we have a k601 smiley?)

 

[ph0rk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pyriel0 /img/forum/go_quote.gif K701's do fine with actual instruments. If a song was recorded with stronger bass like kick pedal, like some of the big double bass songs from dream theater, you will hear it. If a song just has the drummer keeping beat and not trying to actually take attention, you will hear it. K701's show you exactly what was recorded. Nothing more and nothing less. They don't do well with the big fake bass of most modern rap/hip hop/electronic.

Can you see the contradiction here?

I was actually fine with the bass of a k701 when properly amped. My main gripe was, even with a warm amp, there was just too much treble energy to enjoy them. They made, for example, any dragonforce song sound like a wall of treble. With other, darker music (for example, tool) they still managed to be fatiguing in the treble regions.

I find that the smoothness of the k601 midrange and the smallest touch of extra low treble energy vs an HD650 makes them pretty versatile rock/metal headphones. They are even less sensitive than the k701, though.

 

[Pyriel0]

I don't see the contradiction in my post. I said they do fine with actual instruments like kick pedal meaning the bass drum. They don't do long drawn out synthesized fake bass well. I listen to In Flames / Slipknot / Bullet For My Valentine / Between the Buried and Me and a lot of stuff like that. The K701's have been fine for all of those. If there is a small punch to the bass like a kick pedal makes it helps the sound out. If the bass is just a keyboard button with no punch to it, then on the K701 it just doesn't sound right.

 

[ph0rk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pyriel0 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't see the contradiction in my post. I said they do fine with actual instruments like kick pedal meaning the bass drum. They don't do long drawn out synthesized fake bass well. I listen to In Flames / Slipknot / Bullet For My Valentine / Between the Buried and Me and a lot of stuff like that. The K701's have been fine for all of those. If there is a small punch to the bass like a kick pedal makes it helps the sound out. If the bass is just a keyboard button with no punch to it, then on the K701 it just doesn't sound right.

I'd expect that you are preferring the attacks that have more treble in them on the k701. That doesn't really have much to do with the k701's bass performance (which I still think is fine with enough juice), but the tendency of some synthesized bass notes to not have much high frequency content (and a great deal of electric bass is no different - Jah Wobble of PIL for example, or any other dub influenced artist).


Calling synth bass 'fake' doesn't really make much sense - why is amplified, tubed, and effected electric string bass more "real", when you could have close-miked stand up bass instead? If it is a recording, it is all "fake" anyway.

 

[Pyriel0]

I don't call guitar(string) bass fake because it will come on stronger right at first when its strummed/slapped and then die out(making some sense of attack) unlike synth notes that have no attack and are just there. The string vibrating will still be stronger at first and die down no matter what distortion is added or amp it passes through.

 

[ph0rk]

Synths have had ADSR envelopes since, oh, 1939. Also, compressed electric (string) bass can have no attack peak at all - sometimes this is even desired by the artist. In either case, synth or string bass tones without a peaky attack probably aren't meant to have 'punch' anyway, and thus the k701 is rendering them fine.

Regardless, I'll reiterate that the bass performance isn't what I think the k701's major fault is - it is rather too much treble, and this is of course a matter of taste.

 

[myinitialsaredac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ph0rk /img/forum/go_quote.gif Regardless, I'll reiterate that the bass performance isn't what I think the k701's major fault is - it is rather too much treble, and this is of course a matter of taste.

As is all sound

Dave

 

[synaesthetic]

AD2000

 

[lazpete]

Ive used the k601 for 48 hours now, and I must say that this is a fantastic pair of cans, with the most wonderful comfort. From Bloodbath to Bach, Ascend to Eva Cassidy.
Just adore them!

 

[QQQ]

AKG K701 & K601 & Rock = NO

Forget it, don't even think about it. It's like pushing F1 bolid through offroad challenge.

 

[MaZa]

Out of those two K601 is better suited for rock music, but even still its far from optimal IMHO.

 

[lazpete]

Quote:

Originally Posted by QQQ /img/forum/go_quote.gif AKG K701 & K601 & Rock = NO Forget it, don't even think about it. It's like pushing F1 bolid through offroad challenge.

Why? Apparently, im missing something, cuz my rockmusic sounds pretty darn good out of the k601, a lot better than out of the sr60's and dt880's.

So, i think it has nothing to do with off-road cars at all. But thats just me.

 

[arteom]

I don't have or haven't heard the K601, do have and really love a K701 though. The AKG sound signature is not one that many here enjoy with rock music, but with well recorded rock music it works pretty well. I have heard a few recording that just sound dead with the AKG, but many in my collection are acceptable to say the least. One thing that you notice with the AKG that you really don't get with others is the moving sound of the instruments in the space provided. That being said, a nice Grado would probably convey allot of rock music better.

 

[ph0rk]

I like my k601, but then I don't see a problem with a neutral-ish phone for rock music - I can make my own smiley-EQ.