[tdockweiler]

Don't forget this one..you knew I had to do it

Variations between testing on the Headroom graph? That large? Who knows..
The Headroom graph actually makes more sense to me..closer to what I'm hearing.
 
I personally could care less about these graphs...still interesting to see.
 
BTW I think those differences on the IF graphs would be audible. There's no real way to know for sure if they're just variations.
 
 

Quote:

Here is the comparison Tyl created.
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/akg-quincy-jones-q701-sound-and-measurements
 
The differences are VERY slight - I do not believe them to be any more than sample and measurement variation within just one model would cover. 
 

 

 

[tdockweiler]

BTW this reminds me of the old discussions about the differences between the grey/silver screened HD-600/HD-650 and the older versions. I don't think anyone could agree on that one either. Some heard a difference and some didn't. Q701 is a much larger difference (to me) obviously.
 
I think people even went as far as saying the "new" silver screen HD-650 was easier to drive!

 
 
 

 

[liamstrain]

 
Probably won't be resolved. I do think we need to be cautious throwing this around as a fact, and/or recommending one version of the K/Q70X over another. Basically, pick the one whose price, color and cable configuration you want. 

 

[chicolom]

Quote:

Have you looked at the Cardan piece(s)?
 
I really don't know want they do but they are different.

I didn't dig that deep, sorry.  Someones probably going to have to volunteer to dissect the Q701s.  Not sure if I've got the skillz for that =\
 
Quote:

Or it's not really any different at all. Have you blind tested them? 

Because, frankly, there are MANY of us who have listened to both headphones and not found appreciable differences between them. Some of us (Tyl for instance) have measured them, and not found appreciable differences between them. And because our brains lie to us. It happens all the time. Nothing wrong with it, but there are limits to what we hear and why.  And yet some people (you) keep saying as fact that these are very different sounding headphones and recommending one over another, and that is anything but based in fact.  
 
Without measurements or ABX double blind testing - we are left with opinion (and those differ widely). So I am asking if this poster conducted a blind test, before making his statements.
 

 
I understand why you want a blind test.  I would to.  I was expecting them to be so difficult to tell apart that I would have trouble deciding to sell the K702.  That's not the case though.  It was obvious.  I've been testing opamps in my M-stage and I've already admitted that the differences between them quite possibly are placebo, so I'm not embarrassed to admit that my brain is tricking me.
 
Blind testing these AKGs would be like blind testing AD700 and AD900.  Are they similar?  Sure.  Do they sound the same?  No way - and yes, I've AB compared both of those headphones as well.  Did I need to blind test them to verify the differences were real?  No.  The differences were large enough to stand on their own and exist outside the realm of placebo/sighted bias.  It's the same situation here with these AKGs.  Everyone who has heard both the AD900s and AD700s have said the AD900s add a bit more bass, more mids, and tame the treble.  The same thing is happening with these AKGs.
 
I hope this clarifys why I've been saying that a blind test isn't necessary in this case.  If the situation was reversed and you had both AKG's, I would be suspicious of the claims and call for a blind test too

 
 
Quote:

Here is the comparison Tyl created.
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/akg-quincy-jones-q701-sound-and-measurements
 
The differences are VERY slight - I do not believe them to be any more than sample and measurement variation within just one model would cover. 

I've read that (and just about every other K v.s Q comparison before buying.  I trusted Tyll's opinion enough to expect VERY slight differences  That's the reason I got the K702; I was expecting almost identical signature to the Q701 but with larger soundstage.  I was expecting to have difficulty telling them apart, and difficulty selling off the K702s.  That's not what I got though.
 
Maybe people should start thinking Tyll's statements are the anomaly/outlier.  Maybe his Q701s were bass light and his K701s were bass heavy.  I don't know.  I'd bet money that If I sent him these two pairs he'd verify my impressions.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

As far as I'm concerned, you'd have to be deaf to not notice the difference.

I'm willing to bet that the older Qs WERE the same as the Ks, but that more recent batches did have a tweak somewhere.

People act like its impossible. We should all know by now that headphones get tweaked.

Zombie_X and I have heard bass monster DT770/600, where the majority of head-fi considers them bass light. As well as two versions of the MMX300. One bass heavy, one bass light, with nothing to tell them apart.

The Qs I have, and the Ks I used to have: glaringly obvious at how they sound different. Not night and day, but definitely different enough to call the Qs improved as a whole. Chico also isn't someone who would exaggerate differences, unlike the vast majority of head-fi who tend to make outrageous claims of night and day differences.

I agree with him wholeheartedly on his comparison, as it mirrors exactly what I heard. The K701 I had was dry and analytical. The Qs are warmer, more body to the sound, less analytical, but more musical. They are still detail monsters, but not as tipped towards analyzing as the older Ks.

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

 
Probably won't be resolved. I do think we need to be cautious throwing this around as a fact, and/or recommending one version of the K/Q70X over another. Basically, pick the one whose price, color and cable configuration you want. 

Also..I think one reason people suggest the Q701 so much is that right now it's just as cheap as the K701/K702. If it was $100 more, I'd have a harder time suggesting that.
I do wish they could come up with a way to make all the prices of the different colored models the same or similar.
 
When I bought my black q701 the white Q701 was nearly $75 more! I do wish the white Q701 came with white pads like on the K701.
 

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

The pads on the K701 are grey. :confused_face_2:

I like the Oreo look MUCH more than the K701, actually.

 

[shigzeo]

An older thread, but I'll revive it. I was at VentureCraft the other day trying out their new GoDap Unit 4.0. Their head of sales loves the Q701 which he brought out for me to test. I got to borrow the Unit 4.0, but not the headphones as they are his personal home phones. The Unit 4.0 did a very good job of powering the Q701: full bass, very wide, luscious midrange, and no real harsh high frequencies that I could tell in my few minutes with them. I'm a DT880 lover, so maybe my perception of harsh highs are different to a Sennheiser fan. Whatever the fact, the Q701 are great phones. I love that you can switch the cable and their comfort even when wearing glasses. 
 
I wasn't expecting such full force volume and sound coming from the Q701 as I wasn't as much a fan of the K701. But it's been years and my tastes may have changed. I don't know if they are the same or different, and I don't care. I live in a country where car manufacturers bring out 'new' cars that are just the stereo systems moved a few centimetres and the price jacked up a bit. A new model gets slapped on so that Toyota can say they have 40 different models. 
 
AKG putting out something the same but named different is simple play-as-you-can games, and is usual, even tame if you compare to Japanese companies. Whatever the fact, the Q701 is gaining traction here in Japan which is nice to see as this country is overrun with clones.

 

[Chris J]

Quote:

An older thread, but I'll revive it. I was at VentureCraft the other day trying out their new GoDap Unit 4.0. Their head of sales loves the Q701 which he brought out for me to test. I got to borrow the Unit 4.0, but not the headphones as they are his personal home phones. The Unit 4.0 did a very good job of powering the Q701: full bass, very wide, luscious midrange, and no real harsh high frequencies that I could tell in my few minutes with them. I'm a DT880 lover, so maybe my perception of harsh highs are different to a Sennheiser fan. Whatever the fact, the Q701 are great phones. I love that you can switch the cable and their comfort even when wearing glasses. 
 
I wasn't expecting such full force volume and sound coming from the Q701 as I wasn't as much a fan of the K701. But it's been years and my tastes may have changed. I don't know if they are the same or different, and I don't care. I live in a country where car manufacturers bring out 'new' cars that are just the stereo systems moved a few centimetres and the price jacked up a bit. A new model gets slapped on so that Toyota can say they have 40 different models. 
 
AKG putting out something the same but named different is simple play-as-you-can games, and is usual, even tame if you compare to Japanese companies. Whatever the fact, the Q701 is gaining traction here in Japan which is nice to see as this country is overrun with clones.

 
Wow!
The GoDAP Unit 4.0 looks like a VERY nice piece of kit!
 
BTW I own a pair of DT880s and Q701s myself!  How would you compare the two 'phones?

 

[elwappo99]

I was recabling a pair of K501 and had an interesting observation that may provide some insight on the "bass boost" on the Q701. When I wasn't quite finished yet, I put them on and noticed the side that wasn't finished and sealed had slightly lighter bass. Not super noticeable, but I'm quick to pick up on channel imbalances.  When I sealed it up, the two matched up. The bass increase on the Q701  could in fact be from the "Q" logo sitting in that same area behind the driver.
 
  Anyone confirm? 

 

[chicolom]

Quote:

I was recabling a pair of K501 and had an interesting observation that may provide some insight on the "bass boost" on the Q701. When I wasn't quite finished yet, I put them on and noticed the side that wasn't finished and sealed had slightly lighter bass. Not super noticeable, but I'm quick to pick up on channel imbalances.  When I sealed it up, the two matched up. The bass increase on the Q701  could in fact be from the "Q" logo sitting in that same area behind the driver.
 
  Anyone confirm? 

 
The bass increase on the Q701 isn't from the "Q" button or the felt behind it.   I tested it by swapping it out and I couldn't hear any noticeable difference in the sound. 
 
>  http://www.head-fi.org/t/537241/akg-k701-k702-vs-akg-q701/120#post_8133434

 

[NinjaSushi2]

So which is it then? For gaming are the K701, K702, or Q701s better? I mean I hear more bass for movies is better but too much bass on gaming is bad. So I'm guessing the K702 are the ones I want to order yes? Black Ops, BF3, MW3, GR Future Soldier, etc. FPS games. Also what amp is the best when using the K702 and gaming?
 
 
 
Normal 702 -
http://www.amazon.com/AKG-K702-Headphones/dp/B001RCD2DW/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1339193728&sr=1-1&keywords=akg+k702
 
Open back - This looks the exact same.. never heard of the "open back version". Arnt they both open backs?
 
http://www.amazon.com/AKG-Open-Back-Headphone-Monitoring-Mastering/dp/B005RMKD2Q/ref=sr_1_22?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1339193728&sr=1-22&keywords=akg+k702

 

[elwappo99]

Quote:

So which is it then? For gaming are the K701, K702, or Q701s better? I mean I hear more bass for movies is better but too much bass on gaming is bad. So I'm guessing the K702 are the ones I want to order yes? Black Ops, BF3, MW3, GR Future Soldier, etc. FPS games. Also what amp is the best when using the K702 and gaming?
 
 
 
Normal 702 -
http://www.amazon.com/AKG-K702-Headphones/dp/B001RCD2DW/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1339193728&sr=1-1&keywords=akg+k702
 
Open back - This looks the exact same.. never heard of the "open back version". Arnt they both open backs?
 
http://www.amazon.com/AKG-Open-Back-Headphone-Monitoring-Mastering/dp/B005RMKD2Q/ref=sr_1_22?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1339193728&sr=1-22&keywords=akg+k702

 
 
Hi NinjaSushi2!
 
You look like you recently joined and don't have too many posts, so if no one has said it, Welcome to Head-fi!
 
 
The sound is so similar you won't hear much of a difference. If you are looking for big bass for those games you are mentioning, you won't find it in these headphones. However, when I used my K701 for serious gaming, I was often accused of wall hacking because the sound was so detailed, I knew where people were through walls. It is very analytical, but not 'fun' with the big explosions and such.
 
As for those amazon listings, they are for the exact same product. It looks like a duplicate listing in Amazon's system.

 

[chicolom]

Quote:

So which is it then? For gaming are the K701, K702, or Q701s better? I mean I hear more bass for movies is better but too much bass on gaming is bad. So I'm guessing the K702 are the ones I want to order yes? Black Ops, BF3, MW3, GR Future Soldier, etc. FPS games. Also what amp is the best when using the K702 and gaming?
 

 
I prefer the Q701.  More immersive and fun.  There are very few open back headphones that can be accused of having "too much bass."  All x70x are open back. 
I would go with the Q701s.
 
If your after purely "competitive" gaming headphones, you can get something cheaper than AKGs that will do the job.
 
I recommend pairing whichever headphones you get with an amp or soundcard that has surround virtualization, such as Dolby Headphone.
 
Check out this thread > http://www.head-fi.org/t/534479/mad-lust-envys-headphone-gaming-guide-updated-6-2-2012-ksc35-added-comfort-scores
 
Quote:

The sound is so similar you won't hear much of a difference.

 
While the sound is similar, there were noticeable difference on the pairs I compared. 

 

[elwappo99]

Quote:

 
While the sound is similar, there were noticeable difference on the pairs I compared. 

 
Ah! Yes indeed there is some difference, but in the context of NinjaSushi2's comment, I felt that they may not have too much experience with headphones. In that case, the difference in the headphones wouldn't be as drastic or noticeable as a pair of say, HD650 or D2000.