[MaZa]

Quote:

I disagree. Whether you boost the bass and leave the volume knob where it is, or lower the midrange and treble and turn the volume up, results in the exact same potential for clipping. Unless the EQ is in the source and the volume knob you're turning is on an amp with more voltage swing than the source. But even then, you could just turn down the main volume of the source for the same effect

Dunno, whenever I have boosted a lot of something with EQ, it has always sounded worse than cutting.

Quote:

You mean phase distortion.

Possibly. Im not that aware of technical stuff, Im only hopelessly trying to put in words what my ears are telling me.

 

[khbaur330162]

I would imagine the K701 mating very well with some type of copper/SPC recable and a Dynahi. Depending on your budget, going balanced may also turn out fruitful for its lower end. The Beta22 could be a nice match.

 

[marillion64]

my advice is sell the 701 and buy a gs1000 ..same soundstage but the bass is much better..

 

[ndskyz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jh4db536 /img/forum/go_quote.gif The lack of midbass bugs me a lot and I have urges to rid this 701, yet i feel it might have potential. If i can get any sort of bass out of it, that would make it such an awesome headphone. When it's playing certain techno or rock, this headphone just sounds horrible. I hate to see such a headphone with great attributes go to waste. Maybe im really looking at the wrong headphone...the RS1 may have exciting highs/mids and a decent amount of bass?

Im surprised at the number of people who buy these cans and then complain about the lack of bass. EVERY review I have ever read about the 701's said the bass was there but not over pronounced, like most other cans tend to be.

I guess people have gotten so used to bass enhancement in the cans that going to a neutral can with the emphasis's on accurate reproduction has been a bit of a let down. It's like buying a sportbike and expecting it to be comfortable on a 200 mile trip.

Personally I like the bass in the 701's

 

[ericj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ndskyz /img/forum/go_quote.gif I guess people have gotten so used to bass enhancement in the cans that going to a neutral can with the emphasis's on accurate reproduction has been a bit of a let down. It's like buying a sportbike and expecting it to be comfortable on a 200 mile trip. Personally I like the bass in the 701's

That's the first time i've seen the K701 referred to as 'neutral'.

 

[SergioRZ]

I also like the bass in the 701's... that's why I want more of it

I've tried the Senn 650, and I did find it too much bass oriented which sounded very much artificial and boomy. That's not what I want... I want good, clean, extended bass, like what the 701's have, but with a little more impact, more present... you know what I mean?

 

[JaZZ]

The cheapest way is to let the earpads wear in. Over time they become softer, so the drivers get closer to the ears, hence pump more low frequencies into the ear canals. Just push the earpieces against your head to simulate that! The effect is quite pronounced.

If you'd use a computer and foobar2000 as source, I could offer my EQ preset for the K 701:

(I would have liked to upload the corresponding .feq file, but the Head-Fi forum doesn't allow this.)

Actually I don't need equalization in my main rig (McCormack UDP-1 feeding the Corda Opera) and even rarely use it on my computer, but it sounds a bit more neutral with EQ nonetheless. Still my ears consider the K 701 as is one of the most neutral headphones.
.

 

[spinali]

Quote:

Any mods (DIY stuff) that effectively add bass response to the 701's? Anyone ever did sucessfuly make them better in the bass department?

I've done some extensive testing of the foam sound "do-nuts" in the K701. These polyethylene pads, 2-1/2" x 1", modulate the bass and treble. If you take out the pads, you end up with an incredibly clean, almost metallic sound. However, if you DIY your own sound do-nuts, you can modulate the treble and bass until it's closer to your taste.

DO NOT CUT OR ALTER THE FOAM DO-NUTS THAT CAME WITH YOUR HEADPHONES. Instead, you'd do best to construct your own after buying the materials from McMaster-Carr. Look under Rubber and Foam, and the following will fit your requirements:

ShapeSheets, Bars, and Strips
BackingNo Backing
CompositionFoam
MaterialPolyethylene Foam
Polyethylene Foam TypePolyethylene Foam
Thickness1/4 or 3/16"
Lowest Temperature Range-300° to -100° F
Highest Temperature Range+171° to +210° F
Temperature Range-110° to +180° F
Tensile Strength Range6 to 50 psi
Tensile Strength44 psi
Stretch Limit Range101 to 150%
Stretch Limit150%
Density Range.4 to 5 lbs./cu. ft.
Density2 lbs./cu. ft.
Foam StructureClosed Cell
Texture TypeFine Cell
Foam FirmnessSoft
Firmness, psi6 (25% Deflection)
Compression RecoveryGood
ColorBlack
FinishTextured on Both Sides
ToleranceStandard
Specifications MetFood and Drug Administration (FDA)
FDA SpecificationFDA Compliant
PropertiesOil Resistant and Abrasion Resistant and Tear Resistant and Impact Resistant and Weather Resistant and Chemical Resistant
Sheets, Bars, and Strips FormSheet

You cut your own sheets to vary the bass. Vary the inside diameter of the do-nut to change the sound, or punch holes into the do-nuts you've constructed. I've ordered several sheets of the stuff. It's about $5 for a BIG sheet. (You asked for DIY.)

IMBO, however, the easiest way to vary treble and bass is to see if you can find a Xenos 3HA headphone amp, which has bass, treble, and volume controls. They went out of business a few months ago.

 

[nick20]

Quote:

Originally Posted by marillion64 /img/forum/go_quote.gif my advice is sell the 701 and buy a gs1000 ..same soundstage but the bass is much better..

LMAO! You have GOT to be kidding me..

$250 headphone and "upgrade" to a similiar headphone with just more bass for $750? Ahh.. no.




That's like saying sell your 2-door Honda, and buy a Ferrari. Next time, I'll stay away from your "advice".

 

[feifan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ericj /img/forum/go_quote.gif That's the first time i've seen the K701 referred to as 'neutral'.

I'm of the same mind as ndskyz. Among my cans, the K701 comes closest to what I'd consider "neutral" in the sense that it doesn't "color" the sound as much as the others.

Re equalizers and other switch-activated range boosters -- I don't like them. I either removed them from the lineup or keep them in the off position. They seem to be, in my experience, a shotgun solution for sniper-shot situations. Assuming that the recording is of good quality, I'd rather go with an amp (and power supply) that's responsive, accurately recreating the intended sound. In this effort, other factors also come into play, as other posters have noted: quality after-market HP cables and interconnects, quality sources, etc.

 

[SergioRZ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spinali /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've done some extensive testing of the foam sound "do-nuts" in the K701. These polyethylene pads, 2-1/2" x 1", modulate the bass and treble. If you take out the pads, you end up with an incredibly clean, almost metallic sound. However, if you DIY your own sound do-nuts, you can modulate the treble and bass until it's closer to your taste. DO NOT CUT OR ALTER THE FOAM DO-NUTS THAT CAME WITH YOUR HEADPHONES. Instead, you'd do best to construct your own after buying the materials from McMaster-Carr. Look under Rubber and Foam, and the following will fit your requirements: You cut your own sheets to vary the bass. Vary the inside diameter of the do-nut to change the sound, or punch holes into the do-nuts you've constructed. I've ordered several sheets of the stuff. It's about $5 for a BIG sheet. (You asked for DIY.) IMBO, however, the easiest way to vary treble and bass is to see if you can find a Xenos 3HA headphone amp, which has bass, treble, and volume controls. They went out of business a few months ago.

Thanks for the idea. I was suspicious about the pads

How can I remove the original pads? Any how-to available online? Actually I'd really like to find information oabout how to "dismantle" the 701's and how to recable them... I was thinking about asking a professional to recable the 701's, but I'd like to have some idea on how it is done before I ask him to do it (If I do ask him eventually).

Also... What type of cable should I look for? What cable gauge would be apropriate for headphones?


By the way, about the cheap amps with bass boost option, I've seen one that not only boosts bass, but also cross feeds the channels to, supposedly create a more realistic speaker-like frontal layout effect. Look at this:

Headstage.eu - Headstage Lyrix Pro total

It's a shame it doesn't have RCA inputs...

 

[dcstep]

This isn't exactly scientific, but using the Stereophile Test CD I listened to warble-tones from 1kHz down to 20Hz. I was pleased that the "apparent response" on my head was pretty flat down to the 31.5Hz tone, which was a little softer than the 40Hz tone. The 25Hz tone was dramatically softer and I could hear the 20Hz tone only by pushing in on the phones and compressing the pads. (My phones only have a little more than 100-hours).

I was driving the AKGs with my Woo Audio WA6.

Even with the ear cushions compressed, this experience was contrary to the flat-to-20Hz response shown in some popular graphs. (I wonder how they get that result).

BTW, when the same tones are played back through my Vienna Acoustic Beethoven Baby Grands, the roll off is at about the same point, but much, much less dramatic. I still hear plenty of volume at 20Hz, just about like the 30Hz volume was cut in half. On the AKGs, it's like a 95% cut. My guess is that you'd need about 20dB of boost to flatten that 20Hz, with a very steep curve starting at 30Hz. I'm wondering how the 701s would handle that much boost. (Equalizers were banned fromt he house about 30-years ago).

I don't think wear-in will resolve this issue. Burn-in may help. I'll let you know when I reach the 300-hour mark, but I'm pessimistic.

I'd be curious to hear of other's experience in a similar test of their AKGs.

Hmm, I'm thinking of repeating that 20Hz tone for a few hours to see if that loosens things up.

Dave

 

[Acoustic Chef]

I'd definitely recommended trying different cables....

 

[dcstep]

I'm a great believer in cables impacting midrange clarity and removing electronic hardness, but I don't see them doing much to offset a 20dB rolloff. How does that work?

Dave

 

[number1sixerfan]

AKG has always had this type of sound signature. My personal belief is that they roll off the bass to maintain a nuetral and transparent sound so that the bass does not overtake the rest of the spectrum. The k501, k340, and even the k1000 suffer from the same problem(or advantage for some). I don't think you can fix the problem at all. It is either get used to them or get rid of them.

Good Luck!