AKG K701 unamplified, with cowon D2 player. Does it work?

[Gurra1980]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kataklystik /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just tried some lossless and IMO well recorded stuff with the Zen and then changed to the amp quickly. What a difference! However, the K701 is not as bad as DT770/250Ω directly from the Zen. Only tried this once but I had to turn the volume all the way up (quieter EU-version) to hear something and then it sounded like crap.

I can understand that, mine is also EU-version and to use it with D2000 the volume is up around 23-24 of 25 but the sound is almost the same as from Rotel rcd-06 - ra-06 i'm not sure that I could hear the difference in a blind test. I guess D2 is alot better for driving 701 because it's rated 37+37mW the zen is if I remember correctly 5-7mW per channel.

 

[Kataklystik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gurra1980 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I can understand that, mine is also EU-version and to use it with D2000 the volume is up around 23-24 of 25 but the sound is almost the same as from Rotel rcd-06 - ra-06 i'm not sure that I could hear the difference in a blind test. I guess D2 is alot better for driving 701 because it's rated 37+37mW the zen is if I remember correctly 5-7mW per channel.

Are you sure about that? I can't find any info about that in the Zen's manual or on the Creative website. Would be interesting to now if it really only has 5-7mW.

 

[Simon Sez]

I recently went through the same thing, and I must say spend a little money and get an amp. I actually have headphone amp stages built in to all my recording gear mixers etc, and what they lack in driving ability isn't volume its dynamics, and response. They can technically drive my Senn 650's, but they lack the ability to allow high and low frequency the air, and power they deserve, the more complicated the passage the more you can hear it. In short they take the emotion from the music. Buy a cheap amp, and the 701's. By the way I also own the shure 530's, and they are a madman and do sound better than my senn 650's powered by an output on my mixers and or DAP's. Hope this helps.

 

[Gurra1980]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kataklystik /img/forum/go_quote.gif Are you sure about that? I can't find any info about that in the Zen's manual or on the Creative website. Would be interesting to now if it really only has 5-7mW.

This is for creative zen v but they have exactly the same outputvolume to my ears and plays almost identicaly with my D2000. I am certain that I have seen it somewhere for the zen to.

This is on swedish, I can only get to the swedish site must be a cookie or something. here it is:

Anslutningsmöjligheter: Hörlursjack: 3.5 mm (1/8”) stereo minijack, 5 ~ 7 mW per kanal.

Creative ZEN V | MP3-Spelare

 

[MaloS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HardHeadCase /img/forum/go_quote.gif The point was, unamped K701s for me produced enough volume to listen, however, the sound was far from sounding good, much less great or amazing. The 701 is a 200mw headphone and the iaudio 7 is rated at 26mw per channel at 16 ohms, the 701s are 62 ohm. Most people with 701s are driving them with amplifiers rated at 250mw to 1000mw. Knowing all this, how can the iaudio 7 have enough current to make the music dynamic on a headphone like the 701s. I never heard the Shures but I was trying to say that something better matched (in my opinion) with the amp capabilities of the iaudio 7 should provide better results. This is not a new topic on Head-Fi and I just dont feel comfortable telling the guy to get a reference headphone designed for an amplifier to drive his with a DAP. It may sound cool but I SERIOUSLY doubt that the results will be gratifying and also how long will it take for the novelty of carrying full sized cans around with your DAP to diminish? I have listened to the Yuin PK-1 with a small amp and it was amazing. Thats why I mentioned the Yuin headphones.

Guy. Power rating of 200 mW means that if you go over that, you'll fry the headphone. Going close to that on K701 means your hearing is going to be gone in 2-3 days. A better example - my ESW9 handles up to 1 watt of power, which is what a pair of efficient speakers can be driven with, mp3 player outputs 11 mW max, which is already very very loud.

That and only electrostatics need over 100 mWs.

 

[JaZZ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ajsaxin /img/forum/go_quote.gif ...the performance of the k701 wiht out an amp and with an amp is distant light years ahead lol.

You can't drive the K 701 without an amp. Either you use the headphone out of a DAP or CDP (which has an amp behind it) or a dedicated headphone amp. It's pointless to make such generalizations without defining which amp you compare with which amp. In the case of the iAudio 7, this DAP has a very usable headphone amp built in, even a very good one by the standards of its category.
.

 

[D2K700]

This has been a very interesting debate. thanks everyone for your thoughts. Jazz, you convinced me to splash out today and buy the k701s. I have a cowon D2. I will get an amp later (maybe sooner) as you suggested. The k701s should arrive on friday!!!

 

[HardHeadCase]

Quote:

Guy. Power rating of 200 mW means that if you go over that, you'll fry the headphone.

So if I plug my 701s into a GS-1 amplifier I will fry them?

You sure you are on the correct website?

Do you use a Headphone amp?

 

[Gurra1980]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HardHeadCase /img/forum/go_quote.gif So if I plug my 701s into a GS-1 amplifier I will fry them? You sure you are on the correct website? Do you use a Headphone amp?

Yes probably, if you turn the volume up so that the amp puts 200mW on them.

 

[HardHeadCase]

Ok, now back to reality. Let us all know how the Dap and the 701s sound and if you get an amp id love to hear about it.

 

[HardHeadCase]

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f15/co...9/#post3662473

!

 

[majkel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HardHeadCase /img/forum/go_quote.gif So if I plug my 701s into a GS-1 amplifier I will fry them? You sure you are on the correct website? Do you use a Headphone amp?

MaloS is one of the best located guys in this forum. Read some of his reviews to assure yourself.

And, coming back to the point, it's true with this exception that you use the maximum power of your amp when messing around with the volume knob set near maximum. Otherwise, you just take advantage of very low output impedance thanks to the high output current active elements, and of the big voltage/charge reserve stocked in huge electrolytic capacitors which wouldn't ever fit to a DAP or even small portable amp. At normal volume levels you just use a very small fraction of the maximum output power. Ears react logarhytmically - twice the output power gives just 3dB gain.

 

[HardHeadCase]

When he says things like that he isn't helping anyone. He says things like that to mislead the thread and misguide people for his own twisted personal satisfaction. For him to make a statement like that he would have to assume one thing that I am not comfortable with. He would have to assume that the people he is communicating with are SO unintelligent as to turn up the volume high enough to damage hearing and blow a set of 300 dollar headphones. My question to Malos is this, Do you think the people in this thread are that unintelligent? He mentioned that to negate something I said and not to add something constructive to the thread. I think my poll speaks for its self. I will not argue with Malos again. Good day to you all.

 

[hardstyler]

It works, but it probably sounds bad.

 

[JaZZ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hardstyler /img/forum/go_quote.gif It works, but it probably sounds bad.

Well, that's the sort of «horse sense» that doesn't take notice of reality and the reports from people who have tried «it».

I thought I give double amplification a try and just tried the following combination: iAudio7 --> Corda Opera --> K 701. I'm puzzled about the result. Actually I didn't know what to expect. But I certainly didn't expect the i7 --> K 701 combo to downright outclass the i7 --> Opera --> K 701 combo. Yes, that's the clear verdict of my test. The amp, connected to the headphone out, offers not one single advantage compared to the direct connection; the K 701 on the i7's headphone out sounded clearer, fuller, rounder and cleaner. And actually very good.
.