[Koroush]

Hi i'm new to high-end headphones, I have been looking at the AKG k701 headphones and the Beyerdynamic DT990 with the Fiio E9 & E7 combo, first of all i wanted to know if the amp & dac combo would be good enough for the headphones and also if they are the right type of headphones for me, i listen to folk, acoustic, rock, indie and hip hop music.
 
thanks for the help 

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

Hi i'm new to high-end headphones, I have been looking at the AKG k701 headphones and the Beyerdynamic DT990 with the Fiio E9 & E7 combo, first of all i wanted to know if the amp & dac combo would be good enough for the headphones and also if they are the right type of headphones for me, i listen to folk, acoustic, rock, indie and hip hop music.
 
thanks for the help 

Heya,
 
I think the DT990 would likely suit you a little more. But they're pretty opposite headphones. The K701 is an analytical, detailed, bass-lite headphone by comparison to the DT990, which is very bassy, some recessed mids and bright treble. Both have good sound stages, but the K701's sound stage is synthetically large sounding and unnatural to me. The E9 & E7 is good enough for both of them.
 
I'd probably put you more on the Beyer Dynamic DT880, Sennheiser HD600, Hifiman HE-300, Fischer Audio FA-002 or AudioTechnica AD900.
 
Very best,
 

 

[Koroush]

hey thanks for the reply, i like the idea of the high detail headphones as a lot more of my music is acoustic but I don't know how little the bass is in the k701's as i don't mind loosing bass but i do like a little and this is what is making want the AKG's a lot lol 
 
I will take a look at the hifiman HE-300 as they do seem quite tempting thanks for the help

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

hey thanks for the reply, i like the idea of the high detail headphones as a lot more of my music is acoustic but I don't know how little the bass is in the k701's as i don't mind loosing bass but i do like a little and this is what is making want the AKG's a lot lol 
 
I will take a look at the hifiman HE-300 as they do seem quite tempting thanks for the help

Well, get the K702's or Q70...whatevers. Try them out. People on the internet say they're supposedly a wee bit more bassy. I can't tell you for certain though as I have the K701's. Good for acoustic. But not my taste, personally (I much more enjoyed the SRH940 for that). But I guess what I would stress is that a headphone that is good at everything is a better deal and a better step into higher end audio rather than getting a specialized or limited headphone (I often call these crippled, because why would you get a headphone that is pretty bad for a few genres but good at others? Example, K701 is terrible for electronic dance music (EDM) or anything that calls for serious sub bass drops; it's so not satisfying when you hear a butterfly fart in your ear instead of a boomy drop). Again, great for acoustic and some classical. And of course, this is merely my opinion. Based on what you're after, I would put you more on headphones listed above, as they do the acoustic stuff great, but also are more capable of doing all genres as they all have more bass than the K701's.
 
Very best,

 

[mosshorn]

I own both (well, the 702's) and I'm literally torn between the two. My 990s offer great beat, and actually have good detail for most music. The 702's have good bass, but it is natural bass, which is great and not great at the same time. It is also a very airy can. Think of the 702s as a feather pillow, and the the 990s as memory foam in terms of sound density/weight lol

 

[NinjaSquirt]

Based on the E7+E9 combo, I'd say the DT990 but if you're REALLY into folk and acoustic, get the K701s.

 

[Il Mercante]

After a long debate and a lot of research, I'm on the fence for this two models. I'm looking for a great companion to my Darkvoice mostly for classical. I want outstanding soundstage, with great detail. I am not a fan of the 600s, I don't know about the 6XX Massdrop edition, but when I tried the 600s, I was not blown away by them, maybe it was the music that the store used to test them. The Dt 990 looks like a tank, built to last. The non-removable cable is not a deal breaker. Impressions?

 

[Monsterzero]

After a long debate and a lot of research, I'm on the fence for this two models. I'm looking for a great companion to my Darkvoice mostly for classical. I want outstanding soundstage, with great detail. I am not a fan of the 600s, I don't know about the 6XX Massdrop edition, but when I tried the 600s, I was not blown away by them, maybe it was the music that the store used to test them. The Dt 990 looks like a tank, built to last. The non-removable cable is not a deal breaker. Impressions?

I own and like both headphones but the DT990 will be a much better match for your Darkvoice. Typically high ohm headphones(250+) perform better driven by OTL amps than low ohm headphones,like the K701s

 

[Il Mercante]

I own and like both headphones but the DT990 will be a much better match for your Darkvoice. Typically high ohm headphones(250+) perform better driven by OTL amps than low ohm headphones,like the K701s

Yes, that's why I'm interested in the 600 ohm, the darkvoice must have plenty of juice to drive them.

 

[Monsterzero]

Yes, that's why I'm interested in the 600 ohm, the darkvoice must have plenty of juice to drive them.

I would think so,yes.

 

[thesebastian]

I'm in the same situation, currently I have some AKGs K701s

And I'd like to have some different headphones for different kind of music (old Rock suits me a lot). I can get the DT 990 Premium 600ohm for 186€. (My amp is a Lyr 2, so I think I'd go for the 600 Ohm version).

Let me know if you have another recommendation below 200€

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I'm in the same situation, currently I have some AKGs K701s

And I'd like to have some different headphones for different kind of music (old Rock suits me a lot). I can get the DT 990 Premium 600ohm for 186€. (My amp is a Lyr 2, so I think I'd go for the 600 Ohm version).

Let me know if you have another recommendation below 200€

Maybe a Grado SR225e as long as you don't really care about the little imaging differences, which would only really be huge if you're comparing it to a K701/702 or HD800/700 and such.

 

[thesebastian]

Maybe a Grado SR225e as long as you don't really care about the little imaging differences, which would only really be huge if you're comparing it to a K701/702 or HD800/700 and such.

Yeah I think I should be aiming at something like Grados or Grado's style, to have a different headphone to match other kind of music. (Because with DT 880 I'm going to have something similar and DT 990 I'don't know).

I also was thinking about building some "Nhoord" DIY headphones (with over the ear Earpads). But I see it's not a very straightforward solution, you need to research a lot. (I'm still with this).

SR225e costs like 220€ (importing with Amazon.com to Europe). All the grados are easy to drive or there are some that required more amp?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

SR225e costs like 220€ (importing with Amazon.com to Europe). All the grados are easy to drive or there are some that required more amp?

The eSeries are at 99dB/1mW and only a 32ohm load (ie right where most amp circuits would peak at power delivery). You'll practically need nothing more than a basic, decent portable DAC-HPamp. E9 should have no problem.

 

[Me x3]

I'm in the same situation, currently I have some AKGs K701s

And I'd like to have some different headphones for different kind of music (old Rock suits me a lot). I can get the DT 990 Premium 600ohm for 186€. (My amp is a Lyr 2, so I think I'd go for the 600 Ohm version).

Let me know if you have another recommendation below 200€

You can always buy original AKG K712 pads to make an AKG K711
(K711 is considerably warmer than K701 with slightly different treble presentation as well)

Original AKG foam earpads aren't cheap (around 96EUR/pair) but still much cheaper than buying K712 or other similar performer.