[dcfis]

I hope your right the 650 is abysmal at imaging with all but the best amps

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

I hope your right the 650 is abysmal at imaging with all but the best amps

I've found that this depends more on the DAC than the amp. I would actually say the HD-650's imaging is up (with ODAC) there with the Sextett, K601 and Koss DJ100. It's soundstage is also quite large, but nowhere near as large as the AKGs, but we all knew that.
 
No clue why the K601 has better imaging than the Q701. Maybe it has to do with it's pads and having less treble. I know this makes no sense. I'll never figure out some things like this.
 
BTW my Q701's imaging seems to improve too with the ODAC, but I figured my brain was playing tricks on me.

 

[Blackmore]

There are 5 ( 4 already closed ) sale threads with Anniversary edition so far, where this one of them. The cheapest was USD 375 shipped, which I believe was your idea of their price to get.
 
Anyway, you may get good deal with that one to, if you like of course.
 
The very best HD650 I ever tried, were recabled with RAL cable and used with my Zana Deux, back at the time I owned. There were no way veil or boring sounding HD650, with deep and wide soundstaging, really realistic and great low end, but, even then, they were not my thing, its just the matter of taste, as always, but like I wrote, very system depending to. I would never judge HD650 with stock cable, cos its simply bad, while AKG does a better job with it. Not that they look fancy, no, but they dont sound terrible either.
 
THX
 
added: just see another one on sale
Quote:

Than the Q701? I don't have the 65th (yet or anytime soon unfortunately) yet.
K400 is certainly "interesting" and I like it, but I don't think it's better than the Q701 or K601.
 
It's soundstage is very large, but that treble is kind of elevated and annoying..
 
I hope the 65th doesn't sound like an open TBSE/DJ100 with Pearstone pads in it's tonality or else i'm really screwed and will have to buy it.
 
I'm guessing the 65th isn't as warm as the HD-650, but maybe only slightly less so. My favorite headphone sounds like a closed HD-650 with more treble and better lower sub-bass. Both have very controlled bass.
 
I'm probably wrong, but I imagine the 65th to sound like an HD-650 with less mid-bass, sightly less warmth and more treble. Overall clearer sounding and maybe more detailed. Perhaps slightly less forgiving. Oh and a much larger soundstage and slightly more forward upper mids.
 
I think if it's close to that then the 65th would be a must have for me.
 
The earliest I'd be able to get a pair is in early summer, but by then it might be too late..who knows. It's not a high priority.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

The seller states that it's unopened, and that the Annies are sold out. What? And at almost MSRP.

There 3 on Amazon right now.

 

[Blackmore]

Thats why he is trying to sell around MSRP, cos he thinks they are sold out, but I dont know, to be honest.
 
THX
Quote:

The seller states that it's unopened, and that the Annies are sold out. What? And at almost MSRP.

 

[intec94]

...just purchased a pair, although I have no idea about the K 702, i can tell you these headphones really are for critical listening / mastering and after 50 -60 hours of burn in they reaallly come in to their own. They are a huge upgrade to my venerable Sennheiser HD 560 (on which i recently replaced the cables, ear pads and head band). K 702's require a lot of juice from your component / head amps (strictly not for the ipod variety... however i was pleasently surprised, my 25 year old Sony WM DC2 walkman could actually drive these monsters and how!!?. Overall a great pair of headphones to own if you are critical about your music (just don't be disappointed if some of your favourate cd's sound bad on these, as these headphones can be  "brutally frank" about the quality of recording/mastering. So these headphones will serve you well if all your cd's/ tapes have top quality mastering. I must add, they are very comfortable to use for long durations and look decent. I use it mainly for mastering Vinyl / CD's on to tape (still have a Teac Esoteric V 9000).
 
Hope this information helps, all potential buyers. 

 

[Blackmore]

Good one, thanks.
 
 
Quote:

...just purchased a pair, although I have no idea about the K 702, i can tell you these headphones really are for critical listening / mastering and after 50 -60 hours of burn in they reaallly come in to their own. They are a huge upgrade to my venerable Sennheiser HD 560 (on which i recently replaced the cables, ear pads and head band). K 702's require a lot of juice from your component / head amps (strictly not for the ipod variety... however i was pleasently surprised, my 25 year old Sony WM DC2 walkman could actually drive these monsters and how!!?. Overall a great pair of headphones to own if you are critical about your music (just don't be disappointed if some of your favourate cd's sound bad on these, as these headphones can be  "brutally frank" about the quality of recording/mastering. So these headphones will serve you well if all your cd's/ tapes have top quality mastering. I must add, they are very comfortable to use for long durations and look decent. I use it mainly for mastering Vinyl / CD's on to tape (still have a Teac Esoteric V 9000).
 
Hope this information helps, all potential buyers. 

 

[plakat]

Quote:

Thats why he is trying to sell around MSRP, cos he thinks they are sold out, but I dont know, to be honest.
 
THX

 
Maybe no more sets are being produced (though the german distributor told me they were promised another batch mid-march), but there must be stock somewhere: Thomann listed their availability as March, 15. after I bought my set, now its down to 'available in 2-5 days'.
 
Even if the AE series were not produced any more I'd imagine that the changes either trickle down into the normal K702 model or there will be another model as the modifications seem to be quite well received overall.
 
Interestingly my K702 AE currently gets more head-time than my T5p... they are simple a joy to listen to. Looking forward to connecting them to my new Lake People G109...

 

[Blackmore]

I believe that they still have them in stock, AKG I mean, especially in Europe, cos they dont sell that good here as in US, I guess...
 
Well, T5p must be differ kind of sound, arent they? They are closed back and cost a "little" more to I found T1 overpriced for what they did, however they were not bad either.
 
THX
Quote:

 
Maybe no more sets are being produced (though the german distributor told me they were promised another batch mid-march), but there must be stock somewhere: Thomann listed their availability as March, 15. after I bought my set, now its down to 'available in 2-5 days'.
 
Even if the AE series were not produced any more I'd imagine that the changes either trickle down into the normal K702 model or there will be another model as the modifications seem to be quite well received overall.
 
Interestingly my K702 AE currently gets more head-time than my T5p... they are simple a joy to listen to. Looking forward to connecting them to my new Lake People G109...

 

[Sophonax]

Been listening to the K702.65 a lot over the past couple of weeks -- still on my Yamaha receiver.  The more I listen, the more I like.
 
Personally, I had always admired the bass of the K701.  What it lacked it quantity, it seemed to make up for with quality and dynamics -- very tight and controlled, with crisp attack and decay and a solid punch.  With the K702.65, AKG seems to have managed to up the ante, maintaining the bass quality and dynamics of the K701 but increasing the quantity to a level that I would call just above of neutral.  Definitely adds some fun factor to these headphones without making them sound overly colored in any way.
 
The mids are nice and forward in the mix, open and transparent and grain-free.  The treble is also very nice and clean, with good quantity, but I still think the K701 had a bit more sparkle if memory serves.  I was afraid I'd miss the K701's sparkle, but it turns out that I really don't.
 
If there's one "flaw" for me with these headphones, it would be that I still think they're a bit forward in the upper mids / lower treble region (like the K701, but probably not as prominent).  This can make some rock music sound a bit strident.  It's still listenable with rock music, but it gets a little fatiguing to me after a while.  At that point, it's time to switch to a different genre of music!
 
Comparing the K702.65 to my current reference, the DT880/600, I would say that the K702.65 has somewhat stronger bass with better dynamics.  The K702.65 also has more prominent mids -- I'd say the two headphones straddle the neutral mark in this regard, with the K702.65's mids a little more forward than neutral, and the DT880's a little less than neutral.  In terms of treble, the K702.65 is more prominent in the low treble region, whereas the DT880 is more prominent in the mid to upper treble area.  The best way I can describe it is that the K702.65 is louder in what I would call the "glare" region, and the DT880 is louder in the "sibilance" region.  Both can be a little bit fatiguing in their own regard, but I think which one is more tolerable is entirely up to the listener.  Personally, I'm more sensitive to the "glare" frequencies than the "sibilance" frequencies, so I find the DT880 a little bit easier to listen to.
 
If I were asked to recommend a headphone in the sub-$500 range, the K702.65 and DT880/600 would be my definitive recommendations.  However, neither is perfect.  When someone makes a headphone with the comfort of the HD800, bass of the K702.65, mids and treble of the R10, and spatial characteristics of the T1, let me know... 

 
I just recently ordered a solid state headphone amp for the K702.65...looking forward to hearing what these headphones can do with proper amplification!

 

[Salvatore]

Quote:

If there's one "flaw" for me with these headphones, it would be that I still think they're a bit forward in the upper mids / lower treble region (like the K701, but probably not as prominent).

 
I have actually observed something similar myself. Especially now that I've been rolling tubes. Oh and thanks for your post, great read.

 

[Acix]

Quote:

I just recently ordered a solid state headphone amp for the K702.65...looking forward to hearing what these headphones can do with proper amplification!

 
Congratulations! what SS amp did you order for the K702? About the DT880, my main problem was the peak in the treble area and the soundstage depth. With the T1 they fix the depth, but the peak stay. I had a chance to compare the K702, to the T1, here is more info: http://www.head-fi.org/t/595522/akg-k702-vs-beyerdynamic-t1-in-the-studio
 
You can see in the Headroom graph, the Beyer peaks is around 5-6 db's over the K702 in the same FR area. For me this was very noticeable especially with electronic music that have a lot of energy treble, like running hi hats.
 

 

[Blackmore]

Good post, also because you pointed some new things, or, did it in differ way than some users before.
 
THX
Quote:

Been listening to the K702.65 a lot over the past couple of weeks -- still on my Yamaha receiver.  The more I listen, the more I like.
 
Personally, I had always admired the bass of the K701.  What it lacked it quantity, it seemed to make up for with quality and dynamics -- very tight and controlled, with crisp attack and decay and a solid punch.  With the K702.65, AKG seems to have managed to up the ante, maintaining the bass quality and dynamics of the K701 but increasing the quantity to a level that I would call just above of neutral.  Definitely adds some fun factor to these headphones without making them sound overly colored in any way.
 
The mids are nice and forward in the mix, open and transparent and grain-free.  The treble is also very nice and clean, with good quantity, but I still think the K701 had a bit more sparkle if memory serves.  I was afraid I'd miss the K701's sparkle, but it turns out that I really don't.
 
If there's one "flaw" for me with these headphones, it would be that I still think they're a bit forward in the upper mids / lower treble region (like the K701, but probably not as prominent).  This can make some rock music sound a bit strident.  It's still listenable with rock music, but it gets a little fatiguing to me after a while.  At that point, it's time to switch to a different genre of music!
 
Comparing the K702.65 to my current reference, the DT880/600, I would say that the K702.65 has somewhat stronger bass with better dynamics.  The K702.65 also has more prominent mids -- I'd say the two headphones straddle the neutral mark in this regard, with the K702.65's mids a little more forward than neutral, and the DT880's a little less than neutral.  In terms of treble, the K702.65 is more prominent in the low treble region, whereas the DT880 is more prominent in the mid to upper treble area.  The best way I can describe it is that the K702.65 is louder in what I would call the "glare" region, and the DT880 is louder in the "sibilance" region.  Both can be a little bit fatiguing in their own regard, but I think which one is more tolerable is entirely up to the listener.  Personally, I'm more sensitive to the "glare" frequencies than the "sibilance" frequencies, so I find the DT880 a little bit easier to listen to.
 
If I were asked to recommend a headphone in the sub-$500 range, the K702.65 and DT880/600 would be my definitive recommendations.  However, neither is perfect.  When someone makes a headphone with the comfort of the HD800, bass of the K702.65, mids and treble of the R10, and spatial characteristics of the T1, let me know... 

 
I just recently ordered a solid state headphone amp for the K702.65...looking forward to hearing what these headphones can do with proper amplification!

 

[Sophonax]

Quote:

 
Congratulations! what SS amp did you order for the K702? About the DT880, my main problem was the peak in the treble area and the soundstage depth. With the T1 they fix the depth, but the peak stay. I had a chance to compare the K702, to the T1, here is more info: http://www.head-fi.org/t/595522/akg-k702-vs-beyerdynamic-t1-in-the-studio
 
You can see in the Headroom graph, the Beyer peaks is around 5-6 db's over the K702 in the same FR area. For me this was very noticeable especially with electronic music that have a lot of energy treble, like running hi hats.

 
I ordered a Schiit Asgard 2.  I'm sure there are better options, but probably not for the price.  I had the original Asgard on a couple different occasions in the past, and I liked how it paired with the K701 -- so I figured it would be a pretty safe, low-cost option for the K702.65 as well.  If there was an easy way to take the K702.65 balanced while keeping a single-sided entry, I probably would have gone for the Bryston BHA-1 instead.  I heard that amp with a balanced K701 at CanJam and was very impressed.
 
And I agree regarding the DT880 and T1 -- with these headphones, there's a lot of sssss going on, whereas the K702.65 doesn't have this problem.  I can get used to the extra sssss pretty easily though, so it doesn't bother me too much with the DT880.  I personally really liked the T1's spatial presentation -- the soundstage sounded "spherical" in shape to me, with roughly equal width and depth, and a good size.  Imaging on the T1 was really sharp too.  The DT880 is a bit "flat" or "2D" by comparison.  The K702.65, by comparison, has a wider soundstage than either of the Beyer headphones, and I think it has more depth than the DT880 but less than the T1.

 

[intec94]

...from what I could gather there are only 3000 of these which were made by AKG in Austria  (no wonder they label it "numbered limited edition" ) . btw mine has a number 0729 clearly stated.