[donunus]

I rate k701s in between my hd600s and former stax 202s for movies. Staxes were more immersive IMO. The hd600s are too dark with movies for me.

 

[AsTimeGoesBy]

I pair my K701 (APS V3 recabled 1/4" neutrik) with Headroom Microamp deaktop module (1/8" output). I have tried my system with three 1/4" to 1/8" adapter : Sennheiser (6" cable), Grados (6" cable), Radioshack (no cable). The Sennheiser one provide a warmer sound, the Grados one provide a very bright and thin sound, and the Radioshack one gives something in between.

 

[Beagle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stephen Murphy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Oddly, recordings that are dull or have too much bass on other equipment suddenly sound "correct" with the K701. If it's faithful to the original then a bass-heavy recording should sound that way on them. But it doesn't.

How do you know if a recording is bass-heavy to begin with? What yardstick would you use to determine that?

I've listened to a number recordings on the 701. Some sound bright and bass-shy. Some sound bass-heavy and slightly dull. Some sound bright and bassy. Some sound just right. They don't all come out with an AKG K701 "flavour". To me, this is what the audio term 'transparency' refers to.

 

[Stephen Murphy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beagle /img/forum/go_quote.gif How do you know if a recording is bass-heavy to begin with? What yardstick would you use to determine that?

Your ears. You need to set up your system using a wide variety of recordings. Classical music is the best because it is usually recorded flat without mucking with the EQ. Once you have an orchestra sounding natural (when instruments sound like themselves) and the piccolos aren't piercing your ears and the double basses are not taking over the presentation then you know you are getting close to an even frequency response.

Using that as a yardstick you will most likely find that your favourite solo harpsichord album is not bass-heavy and your favourite reggae album probably is bass-heavy. Once you have listened to a few thousand albums and you trust your system, you will know if a recording is bass-heavy or bass-shy.

 

[Beagle]

Fair enough. Good response. And you have some great gear to back up your conjecture. If you have determined what are balanced recordings and the common grain running through them, and you know your equipment, I guess you can decide what is an abbheration.

I used to do recording and live sound for a band and used an old pair of Yamaha YH-2 headphones, which I determined were a bit bottom heavy. As long as I made the headphones sound like what they are, I was OK and stuff came out balanced.