[Ikon]

Introductory stuff ...

Since I have the pleasure of welcoming all these headphones to my home for several days and I know how needy one feels for information when trying to decide for a pair-o-cans, I want to share some impressions with you. Sure, much has been said about K701 vs. K601, but I feel that a threeway is much more interesting

 I hear that the K530 is hard to get in the US, but they are almost identical to the K301 Xtra.

I typed most of this while listening or shortly after, so this is fresh from my ears.


K601 compared to K701

Build quality/wearing comfort:
On closer inspection, it appears to share some elements with the "old" K501. It's a bit lighter and lacks the slightly annoying "bumps" on the downside of the K701's headband. There is really very little difference in comfort and if I had to pick a winner, I'd choose the K601. Though the K701 is heavier, it doesn't appear to be more sturdy.

Sound:
Slightly thinner soundstage, but perhaps a bit more depth. Slightly more in your face, although still not at all "in your face" in the absolute sense. More mid-bass. Slightly harsher highs. Definitely more musical/involving, "rocks" better. The amount of presented detail is not that different from what the K701 gives me, but it lacks the K701's way of precisely separating each and every instrument with a scalpell and position it individually on the stage. You get about 80% of a K701 for two thirds of the price, and I'm pretty sure that the differences could get lost with a bad source/amp.



K530 compared to K601/K701 (comparing them individually makes little sense, as the differences are much more obvious than between the latter two)

Build quality/wearing comfort: The K530 uses pleather pads, which will get a bit hot after longer listening periods. Still, it doesn't squeeze my ears or anything. Quite a step down from its big brothers, but not unbearable. There is little difference in sturdyness and build, even though most parts are made of plastic here (the K530 is a Chinaphone

).

Sound:
The largest difference is, believe it or not: the soundstage, it's not really thinner, but much less refined (meaning I can place individual instruments not nearly as well). It sounds also more "in your face". Detail-loss mostly restricted to the highs (they're not recessed, just more ... um ... muddy). Generally thinner sound, lacks body. Even more mid-bass, slightly less controlled. Isolates less. As I said above, it's quite a step down from the K601/K701 in every aspect. I'd be interested how it compares to the Senn HD555/HD595, though, it might be an interesting contender.



My verdict

I am amazed how well each headphone fits its price tag and a hypothetical target group.

There is a lot of perfection in the K701, as its box says. You will have to hear it for yourself to see if it's to your liking.

For a third of the price less, the K601 shows lot of similarities, yet doesn't quite reach the K701 - instead of nearly perfect, it's "just" very good. I suspect its target buyers are more interested in musicality than the last bit of analytical neutrality.

The K530 can be had for less than half the price of the K601 and naturally, it can't stand up to its big brothers. It's target group is likely more interested in a bargain and I wouldn't know any other headphone below 100 EUR that marks the entrance to Hi-Fi in a better way. Seriously, it's incredible for the money.



----
 All headphones were burned in at least 20 hours and compared using my Behringer Firewire DAC (FCA-202) and a custom DIY headphone amp that is very similar to a PIMETA.

 

[Zorander]

You need to burn-in the phones much longer than just 20 hours.

 

[Chris_Himself]

the K701 especially, typical burn in is considered at 300 hours. the K701 sounds like crap out of the box apparently. im considering getting a K601 or a K701 so im kind of counting on this review.

 

[tbonner1]

How do you think the bass on the 601 compares to the 701?

 

[Ikon]

Still burning 'em day and night but, honestly, so far I don't see much change.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris_Himself /img/forum/go_quote.gif the K701 sounds like crap out of the box apparently.

Ouch - that's like saying Pamela Anderson looks like crap without implants (then again, ...).

My first impressions of the K701 were more in the direction of "impressive", "awe-inspiring" and "diva" rather than "like crap"

 

[Ikon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tbonner1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif How do you think the bass on the 601 compares to the 701?

The 601 sure has an emphasis on midbass, it's really more a question of presence than quality - the 601 gives me "more" bass but the 701's might extend a little deeper. Accurency-wise, they should be more or less on par.

 

[DJShadow]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ikon /img/forum/go_quote.gif I suspect its target buyers are more interested in musicality than the last bit of analytical neutrality.

Spot on

Thanks for the comparisons, they reinforce why the K601 instead of the K701 is my next intended purchase. Concisely written thoughts, well done.

 

[Chris_Himself]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ikon /img/forum/go_quote.gif My first impressions of the K701 were more in the direction of "impressive", "awe-inspiring" and "diva" rather than "like crap"

judging from every review ive read, they sound very lifeless compared to what they sound like when burned in. trust me, youll hear it if what everyone else says is true. i just really need to know if the 601 or the 701 are better for me than the HD600 and HD650

 

[Ikon]

Well, I've made up my mind: the K701 is going to stay, the rests goes back.

The K601 doesn't quite cut it, I could just as well keep my HD580. The K701's soundstage is just so much lovelier (especially for movies) and the K601 simply lacks the K701's "perfection" in detail and positioning. The K601 is, comparatively, a very good headphone, BUT the experience of listening is a completely different one with the K701. The K701 has a way of communicating "truth" in sound - as if it simply presented all detail there is to hear and the way it is supposed to sound.

I said in my first posting that the K601 offers 80% of the K701 for only about two thirds of the price. You get 80% of the soundstage, the detail and the positioning, but it completely lacks the K701's "the sum is more than than just the parts" feeling, which is truly a shame. Thus, in a weird sense, the K601 is the worse deal of both, even though it is cheaper.

Mind you, I really wanted to like the K601 - it's cheaper, a bit more comfy and it looks waaaayy better (the K701 reminds of the toilet stalls in public restrooms - thanks a lot to AKG for the choice of colors), but sonically, the K701 is simply superior in pretty much every way.

Even the K601's "musical" coloration proved to be a hit-and-miss in the end, it can be more involving than the K701 but in the other half of samples it sounds, in fact, more boring than its big brother. After listening to many different genres, I suppose that the K601 suits rock fans a little better, but it's nothing I'd call a selling point. Even Electronica/House is more a domain of the K701. The K601 does classics reasonably well, but again is easily beaten by the K701.

What really freaks me out is that Joe Average probably wouldn't even recognize the slightest sonical difference between these two. We're all doomed.

-------------

As for the K530: I'd love it as a second headphone, to use in hotels and the likes, but I already have my trusty Philips SHP805 for that kind of mobile use.

Enough late night ramblings, I'll go to bed now.

 

[tbonner1]

Thanks for the great follow up detail. Good choice.

 

[Blasyrkh]

the k701 sounds crap out of the box, but sure does still sound crap after 500hrs or more...

please stop saying ridicolous things about magic burn-in...it does NOT change much after many hours...they sound just slightly, REALLY slightly better...

but the lack of the bass still remains, the thin sound still remains, the mid/high hardness still remains...

if you want the k701 to sound right, you only have to buy the right amp...no burn-in ******** please

 

[pfloding]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blasyrkh /img/forum/go_quote.gif the k701 sounds crap out of the box, but sure does still sound crap after 500hrs or more... please stop saying ridicolous things about magic burn-in...it does NOT change much after many hours...they sound just slightly, REALLY slightly better... but the lack of the bass still remains, the thin sound still remains, the mid/high hardness still remains... if you want the k701 to sound right, you only have to buy the right amp...no burn-in ******** please

I find this hard to believe, since my K701 keep getting better.
And I was very unimpressed by them out of the box. More impressed after a week. Now I'm delighted.

The mid is not as recessed any more, and bass is much more prominent and deeper. Dynamics are less compressed.

Only way to find out is to get a second new pair of K701s. Anyone care to send me one?

BTW, if it is true that the K701 is an acquired taste, then I think it is a taste worth acquiring!

 

[mike1127]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blasyrkh /img/forum/go_quote.gif the k701 sounds crap out of the box, but sure does still sound crap after 500hrs or more... please stop saying ridicolous things about magic burn-in...it does NOT change much after many hours...they sound just slightly, REALLY slightly better... but the lack of the bass still remains, the thin sound still remains, the mid/high hardness still remains... if you want the k701 to sound right, you only have to buy the right amp...no burn-in ******** please

Burn-in is not bs. It's an objectively verifiable fact that the resonance frequency of a speaker changes through the burn-in period, and since a headphone is simply a smaller speaker, I'm sure the same is true. In fact, it's more ridiculous to think that the properties of a material wouldn't change after vibrating it for hundreds of hours. Fortunately airplane designers don't subscribe to that theory.