[HelIish]

Just bit the bullet today for the full $499, I didn't feel like waiting anymore, cant wait for them to get here though

 

[talisman42]

Quote:

Would be interesting to know how. All I read is that AKG are smooth, warmish, very forgiving and good with many differ genres, so, I just wonder,  what is the meaning of Studio REFERENCE then?
 
Dont get me wrong, it's just that I don't feel that normal K702 are analytical and cold sounding headphones, at least in my system they are not. In my mind, if headphones cover some nasty stuff from the record, they are not reference studio level, also not transparent and neutral, so, I am really confused right now...

I see what you mean. Honestly, I was not expecting the K702 to share some of the sonic characteristics with the HD650 which are well know for their laid-back sound and full-body mids. But over several days and weeks, I'm hearing the similarities. Still far from identical , but seems like AKG bumped up the bass and mid range, and possily toned down the HF a bit to reduce sibilance. despite this, they do each have their own character and I don't feel like I'm missin out on anythwing major who knows about production change and change in strategy.lanyway, fading fast. good discussion.

 

[HiFiGuy528]

Quote:

Just bit the bullet today for the full $499, I didn't feel like waiting anymore, cant wait for them to get here though

 
You made a good choice.  Welcome to the club. 

 

[maguire]

Hey Hifiguy, how would you rate the differences are on these V the reg K702's.......
You have a great knowledge of the AKG's so how about a thorough review ....please.

 

[JWahl]

Just scanned through the past 30+ pages.  I'm now very curious to say the least.  I used to own the K701 for awhile and even kept them through the buying and selling of and LCD-2, T1, and HE-6, though I eventually had to sell it for the money.  I found it to be a very frustrating headphone in that it had a few flaws which kept it from being my all time favorite and an excellent value for the money.  
 
First is that I could never seem to get a proper seal as in my preferred position there would always be about a two finger gap below my ear/jaw area.  It seems softer memory foam pads of the anniversary edition may help to alleviate this.
 
Second, and what concerns me the most is I would find during strong dynamic peaks on certain tracks, mostly classical, the K701 would wildly distort/clip.  I know this was not a case of insufficient amp power because it did the same thing when driven with a Schiit Lyr.  It could have possibly been faulty but otherwise sounded flawless when not under high output demand.  I have always attributed this to the fact that the rated max power input as per the spec sheet is 200mw.  The new anniversary is rated as the same max input.  Perhaps the perceived efficiency increase would help alleviate this?  Assuming mine wasn't just faulty.  Has anyone experienced this same problem with any of the x70x series?
 
Also for the anniversary owners,
 
Has anyone tried removing the foam rings that rest on the drivers underneath the earpads?  I tried it before with my K701 and it made the midrange insanely transparent but the upper mids very aggressive and even less bass punch.  Perhaps with the new pads it could balance out quite nicely?
 
I'm now very tempted to pick these up when I get my tax refund later on but right now I'm fixated on the new AD2000X at the moment.  Maybe I should just get both and compare them?  Though then I probably couldn't afford better supporting gear and I'd be stuck comparing them on a Schiit Magni/Modi

 

[Salvatore]

Quote:

First is that I could never seem to get a proper seal as in my preferred position there would always be about a two finger gap below my ear/jaw area.  It seems softer memory foam pads of the anniversary edition may help to alleviate this.

 
They do seal better but we are talking about millimeters.
 
Quote:

Second, and what concerns me the most is I would find during strong dynamic peaks on certain tracks, mostly classical, the K701 would wildly distort/clip.  I know this was not a case of insufficient amp power because it did the same thing when driven with a Schiit Lyr.  It could have possibly been faulty but otherwise sounded flawless when not under high output demand.  I have always attributed this to the fact that the rated max power input as per the spec sheet is 200mw.  The new anniversary is rated as the same max input.  Perhaps the perceived efficiency increase would help alleviate this?  Assuming mine wasn't just faulty.  Has anyone experienced this same problem with any of the x70x series?

 
I've never had that kind of issues.
 
Quote:

Has anyone tried removing the foam rings that rest on the drivers underneath the earpads?  I tried it before with my K701 and it made the midrange insanely transparent but the upper mids very aggressive and even less bass punch.  Perhaps with the new pads it could balance out quite nicely?

 
No I haven't but that's interesting observation. Might try that someday.
 
Btw I did some comparison between the anniversaries and HD650s. I have to agree that there are some similarities between these cans but I guess it's easier to just tell you what differences I found. For me the HD650s sound warmer and more laid back than the anniversaries. With HD650s the warmness kind of extends further to the mid range and decreases the separation. With anniversaries the lows and mids are separated better and the cans just sound more refined and have wider sound stage. With good source material I prefer the anniversaries. The HD650s seem to be, however, more forgiving headphones.

 

[gtortorella]

This is a very informative thread.  I find the above comment about sibilance interesting.  
 
talisman42: do you find the K702 sibilant?  I own the Q701, and am considering buying the 702-65.

 

[talisman42]

Quote:

This is a very informative thread.  I find the above comment about sibilance interesting.  
 
talisman42: do you find the K702 sibilant?  I own the Q701, and am considering buying the 702-65.

 
There was a track I used to test for sibilance and from what I recall, the K702-65 produced less of the 'sss' compared to the Q. I don't have the Q to compare it with now, but I can try again with the HD650 and SR325is later. While the K702-65 specs are same as Q701, the anniversaries seem to be more efficient. That could be result of the new memory foam pads and the drivers sitting closer to the ear. However, someone did test with a sound meter and the K measured louder. AKG claims some tuning to improve bass response, but it's unclear what exactly they tuned.

 

[gtortorella]

I appreciate the response.  I ordered the 702-65 earlier today.  The "sss" issue is somewhat puzzling.  As far as I am aware, sibilance occurs when an "s" sound is rendered as a "sh" sound.  Thus, I am sometimes confused as to what is and what is not sibilance, as I often hear "sss," as you describe, but I rarely hear an "s" sound smeared into a "sh".  I welcome your input on this.

 

[JWahl]

Curiosity got the best of me.  Went ahead and pulled the trigger on the 65th.  I kind of missed my K701 anyways and this at very least looks better and should be more comfortable.  
 
Of course, I'm hoping it will sound better too 

 

[chicolom]

Quote:

  I ordered the 702-65 earlier today.

 
Feel free to post your impressions on the Q701 vs the K702/65 when it gets in.  Especially concerning swapping the memory pads back and forth.
 
Someone else already posted and said that the pads seems to contribute to most if not all the changes in the sound between them, but it wouldn't hurt to get a second opinion. 

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

If anyone here is interested in trading for the HE400 for a week or so, that'd be lovely. The Anniversary is calling to me, but I'd rather demo it first...

 

[gtortorella]

Can anyone confirm whether the 702-65 comes with a genuine 1/4" connector, or if it is one of those goofy adapter things?--the goofiest being the 1/8-to-1/4 toylike thing.

 

[electropop]

Quote:

Can anyone confirm whether the 702-65 comes with a genuine 1/4" connector, or if it is one of those goofy adapter things?--the goofiest being the 1/8-to-1/4 toylike thing.

 
It's terminated in 3,5mm, but the screw on adapter is pretty decent. I find nothing goofy with it. 

 

[gtortorella]

A top-of-the-line reference headphone should be supplied with a genuine 1/4" connector.  This is my only criticism of my Q701.