[Leslie Dorner]

It seems the AKG K 701 and K 702 along with the AKG Quincy Jones K 701 are giant killers that compete with the likes of the Sennheiser HD-800. I just saved several hundreds of dollars. Yipee!

 

[liamstrain]

Glad you are enjoying them. I don't know about "giant killers" but they are really great cans. Even better when you realize what price point they sit at. 

 

[HeadFiend]

I don't think he got delivered already, he's just speculating...

 

[Leslie Dorner]

I'm a she. Why does everyone here think that everybody is a guy?
 
I think that I'll enjoy them a lot. I'm focused on clarity and tonal balance and I think the AKG K 702 will deliver in spades. My research leads me to believe that they have very good resolution and detail retrieval with a pure mid range and a silky smooth overall presentation. I'm a bit dubious about the amount of time it will take to burn in. Inner Fidelity reported that there wasn't that much of a difference during the burn in process according to their test measurements.
 
I'm an analyst at work so I tend to bring those qualities to my play time. I dissect the music and I require accuracy and neutrality in my audio rig. I abhor coloration and I've resigned myself to paying higher prices from specialty brands and authorized dealers to get exactly what I want.
 
They're coming this Friday via UPS. I'm so psyched! It'll be another new pair of headphones to play with. I'm listening to my Etymotic ER-4PT/S right now and it's exactly what I wanted. I'm listening to extreme accuracy, neutrality, resolution, detail retrieval, and clarity along with tonal balance. This is what the music is supposed to sound like to my ears. I'm expecting the AKG K 702 to deliver much of the same sonic goodness. I'll give them 300 hours of burn in time before I make any serious conclusions.
 
What other things should I expect to keep in mind when I get them?

 

[liamstrain]

If you are a fan of the Ety's, you will love the 702's. Sounds like a good choice for your criteria (the Beyer 880's fit in there too). 
 
Nothing else I can think to keep in mind. Burn in is bunk, enjoy the hell outta them.

 

[Leslie Dorner]

This is good to know ahead of time. I'll enjoy them a lot. I love the Etymotic and I will love the AKG house sound. Clean. Neutral. Accurate. High resolution. High detail retrieval. Correct tonal balance. Sparkling clarity. Smooth sound. Pricey, yet affordable compared to current generation of top of the line headphones and IEMs. Truly reference grade caliber.
 
Yes, I am definitely looking forward to the AKG K 702. I think that I will keep them for at least two years before I decide to upgrade to something better.
 
I am still thinking about getting the Sennheiser HD-800, but I think the AKG K 702 will satisfy me more than enough so I don't spend more money to get the HD-800s for a couple of months. We'll see.
 
Now, I need a portable USB DAC with 24 bit 96 kHz resolution and a headphone amplifier built into one convenient and discreet product. I'm thinking that the Meridian Explorer is a good choice since I already have a Meridian 808v5 CD player. They put Resolution Enhancement Technology into the Meridian Explorer. I'm also thinking about the CEntrance DACport which is the same price from HeadRoom Corporation. I can get either one in late March. I'll have to do my research carefully to see which one it shall be for me. I don't have a portable USB DAC and headphone amplifier for my System76 Lemur Ultra Thin (lemu4) laptop PC.
 
If my owner's experience with my Meridian 808v5 is correlated with the Explorer, then I will definitely get it. I want a neutral, accurate, and transparent listening experience that is buttery smooth and it is replete with extreme clarity, resolution, and detail retrieval. I've got demanding IEMs and headphones in my stable.

 

[Leslie Dorner]

I got mine earlier this afternoon. They sound a bit dark and muffled upon my first listening session, but I'm burning them in slowly by playing Spotify tracks at moderate listening volume. They sound accurate, neutral, transparent, good resolution, good detail retrieval, tonally balanced and polite. I have the regular AKG K 702 version not the 65th anniversary edition. I have the stock cable. I like them a lot and they are very comfortable to wear for long periods of time especially with long hair. They are very handsome and stylish. These are truly reference grade headphones. I could live with mine for another two years or more with satisfaction unless AKG releases another top of the line model to supersede the K 701/702. I think that these will open up over time as I continue to play music through them. Most of my music sounds wonderful with these headphones.
 
My next task is to get the AKG K3003i. I am a collector at heart. I want the top of the line universal AKG IEM. I'm definitely going to work, save up, scrimp, and get them. I think that they will compliment the AKG K 702 quite nicely in my high end audio rig.

 

[Leslie Dorner]

I'll get the Cardas 10' Fat Pipe headphone cable from HeadRoom on Black Friday later this year. I am a Cardas Audio customer and enthusiast. I'll be looking forward to trying these premium headphone cables with my new favorite pair of headphones.

 

[Leslie Dorner]

These are uncomfortable after one hour of listening. The bumps dig into the top of my head. I can't wear them for more than 80 minutes or else the pain is too unbearable.
 
I still prefer my Etymotic ER-4PT with the 4S adapter. They're more accurate and neutral than the AKG K 702.
 
They're nice looking headphones. However, I think that they need a modest amount of burn in time. HeadRoom told me they need 300 hours, but I think 50 hours should be sufficient. I don't think that I can listen to them for 300 hours or my head will be sore.
 
They're quite similar in sound. I give the ER-4S the edge. They're more involving than the K 702.
 
I'll let them burn in gradually and I'll see how they sound.

 

[liamstrain]

Many people have replaced the headband with ones from the 601, which did not have the bumps. 

 

[Leslie Dorner]

Is it a certain fact that 300 hours of burn in time will improve the sound?
 
I'm not hearing any differences in sound as I continue to play music through mine.
 
I think that changing cables from the stock to the Moon Audio Silver Dragon produce immediate improvements. Still, the Silver Dragon is too bright and energetic for my tastes. I can't stand the sound of this combination. There's too much of a glossy sheen over the music.
 
Overall, I like the AKG K 702. It's got a few minor flaws, but it's not additive in nature. For classical and opera, this is really the headphone to beat in its price range.
 
I compared them to the Grado GS-1000i and PS-1000 and I thought the Grado cans sounded wrong to my ears. There's this weird sound that emanates from them that isn't found in the natural environment. The AKG K 702 sounded much more accurate and neutral. The GS-1000i in particular has this weird wooden house sound that makes violins and violas sound very vivid, but perhaps too much so. There's too much treble energy spike and the bass is too warm and full bodied. This is particularly true for the PS-1000. The metal on wood combination is just too much. They don't sound true to life and they're a lot more expensive.
 
I also compared the K 702 to the Sennheiser HD 580, 600, and 650 and 700. The HD 700 is particularly interesting because it's got the nice place holder status between the HD 650 and the HD 800. It strikes the right compromises between the gap. I thought that the HD 700 was more closely competitive with the AKG K 702, but it's pretty much a toss up coming down to personal preferences.
 
HeadRoom is correct in writing that the AKG K 701, AKG Quincy Jones Q 701, and K 702 are the best cans that directly compete against $1,000 dollar headphones for a fraction of the price.
 
The only downside to the K 702 is the top octaves in the treble region are slightly rolled off and there's a bit of warmth that is not strictly accurate or flat sounding. The bass is cavernous and textured, but it lacks the impact of other cans with more prominent bass power. Reference headphones exhibit this tendency. Bass quality defined by timbre accuracy, texture, PRAT, and tightness is featured at the expense of bass impact power. I don't like bass heavy headphones.

 

[Acix]

Quote:

Is it a certain fact that 300 hours of burn in time will improve the sound?
 
I'm not hearing any differences in sound as I continue to play music through mine.
 
I think that changing cables from the stock to the Moon Audio Silver Dragon produce immediate improvements. Still, the Silver Dragon is too bright and energetic for my tastes. I can't stand the sound of this combination. There's too much of a glossy sheen over the music.
 
Overall, I like the AKG K 702. It's got a few minor flaws, but it's not additive in nature. For classical and opera, this is really the headphone to beat in its price range.
 
I compared them to the Grado GS-1000i and PS-1000 and I thought the Grado cans sounded wrong to my ears. There's this weird sound that emanates from them that isn't found in the natural environment. The AKG K 702 sounded much more accurate and neutral. The GS-1000i in particular has this weird wooden house sound that makes violins and violas sound very vivid, but perhaps too much so. There's too much treble energy spike and the bass is too warm and full bodied. This is particularly true for the PS-1000. The metal on wood combination is just too much. They don't sound true to life and they're a lot more expensive.
 
I also compared the K 702 to the Sennheiser HD 580, 600, and 650 and 700. The HD 700 is particularly interesting because it's got the nice place holder status between the HD 650 and the HD 800. It strikes the right compromises between the gap. I thought that the HD 700 was more closely competitive with the AKG K 702, but it's pretty much a toss up coming down to personal preferences.
 
HeadRoom is correct in writing that the AKG K 701, AKG Quincy Jones Q 701, and K 702 are the best cans that directly compete against $1,000 dollar headphones for a fraction of the price.
 
The only downside to the K 702 is the top octaves in the treble region are slightly rolled off and there's a bit of warmth that is not strictly accurate or flat sounding. The bass is cavernous and textured, but it lacks the impact of other cans with more prominent bass power. Reference headphones exhibit this tendency. Bass quality defined by timbre accuracy, texture, PRAT, and tightness is featured at the expense of bass impact power. I don't like bass heavy headphones.

 
 
Maybe if is possible for you to replace the Silver Dragon to some other copper cable like the Mogami W2534. The top octave of the K702 are slightly rolled off in the region where they should be rolled off, and they coming back up around 20Khz to smooth out the treble experience. In some point in time I had the same thought as you have now.... why they rolled off the treble? I got my question answered when I had the chance to check out the HD-800 for the first and the second time on number of high end hp systems.  
 
The HD-800 treble spike just sounds to me unnatural, and unbalanced compare to the K702 treble. Maybe for you this will work better.
 

 

[Leslie Dorner]

I'm am thinking to try out the Russ Andrews K702 replacement cable from the United Kingdom. They're made of Kimber Kable GQ-24Cu as the conductor. These are copper cables. I can get a 2 meter long cable with 1/4" headphone jack termination and mini XLR connection for less than $100. I think that I am going to return the Moon Audio Silver Dragon for a full refund. I can't believe that Drew would make them available for the AKG K 701, K 702, or Q 701 as these are already pretty bright headphones. Silver conductor cable is not a good match with the AKG K 702. I'm still debating whether to get the Cardas Fat Pipe or regular Cardas cable as it's quite expensive compared to the premium that I paid for my K 702. It's $250.
 
What I need right now is a portable USB DAC and headphone amplifier for my System76 Lemur Ultra Thin notebook PC. I don't have one and the headphone jack sounds terrible especially with 320 Kbps MP3s.
 
I think that I'll hold off on the headphone replacement cable for now. I'd rather see if this burn in process is the real deal or if it's total bunk. I think it's bunk.

 

[liamstrain]

Quote:

Is it a certain fact that 300 hours of burn in time will improve the sound?
 
I'm not hearing any differences in sound as I continue to play music through mine.
 
No. Not certain at all. And certainly not supported by objective evidence.
 
 
 
I think that changing cables from the stock to the Moon Audio Silver Dragon produce immediate improvements. Still, the Silver Dragon is too bright and energetic for my tastes. I can't stand the sound of this combination. There's too much of a glossy sheen over the music.
 
This was not my experience. Cables (I tried a variety of materials and makes) made zero difference in the sound signature of the headphones for me. 
 
 
 
Overall, I like the AKG K 702. It's got a few minor flaws, but it's not additive in nature. For classical and opera, this is really the headphone to beat in its price range.
 
I compared them to the Grado GS-1000i and PS-1000 and I thought the Grado cans sounded wrong to my ears. There's this weird sound that emanates from them that isn't found in the natural environment.
 
I agree, these are my LEAST favorite Grados. The RS-1 trounce them on just about every level of listenability and enjoyment. I still think you should give a listen to the Beyer DT880 for another data point in this class. 

 

[Leslie Dorner]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/360508777168
 
I'm thinking about getting this Mogami Hi Definition Mini Quad Microphone Cable with Neutrik Gold Series NP3X-B and premium Neutrik REAN connectors cable. It's based on this Mogami cable: http://www.mogamicable.com/category/bulk/microphone/quad/. I think the price is average, but it's much lower than Cardas. I have the money to buy a Cardas Fat Pipe, but I am not sure if I want to spend $250 on a headphone replacement cable when the headphones are $263 on Amazon.
 
Should I try this out?