[Chokalait]

Hey there everyone, im pretty new to this forum, so hello! I actually have some questions regarding a pair of K702s that i own. I've had them for a couple of months now, and over all, im quite pleased with the way they sound! However, I feel like im not getting the full potential from my headphones. I mostly run them through my ipod/desktop and I feel like cheaper headphones from Audio Technica have stronger bass sounds. The overall sound is very balanced, and considering the type of music i generally listen to (indie, hip hip, rock, etc) I sometimes wish the sound was stronger on the bass rather than being so balanced. I've considering picking up an amp, specifically this one
http://www.headphone.com/headphone-amps/amplifiers/headroom-total-bithead.php in hopes that it will improve the sound quality! I'm very new in this audiophile world and i want to learn as much as possible so any sort of suggestions are welcome! I've also considered buying a Cards wire but its really expensive! Would it be worth it to have both the wire and the amp or is that just overkill? Also, is there anything else i can do to improve the sound quality?
 
One quick note, i noticed that when i use the bass booster EQ on my K702s, the bass gets distorted....Is this a problem with m headphones, or the actual mp3s?

 

[dcpoor]

imho, skip the cable upgrade and save up for a better amp and dac(source).

 

[DemonicLemming]

K702s can be decently hard to drive, so a good amp will help out a lot with the anemic sound.  I love my K702s with the LD MKIII, but that's a bit more expensive than the Total Bithead.  Travagan's is also another nice line of amps to look at, and I know the White drives the K702s just fine.
 
Bass boost is really just a way of fattening up the EQ curve on the low end, so I wouldn't worry about what the cans sound like with the bass boost on - once you get an amp, you shouldn't need it at all.  With good headphones and a good amp, you shouldn't need to touch an EQ except for minimal tweaking here and there, or even not at all.

 

[Chokalait]

Quote:

imho, skip the cable upgrade and save up for a better amp and dac(source).

What kind of amp would you suggest?

 

[DjAmTraX]

I have a Lehmann Audio BCL and the volume level was almost half way to get the K702 at normal listening levels. That amp has enough power to drive two Sennheiser HD800 at the press event.

 

[Chokalait]

Quote:

K702s can be decently hard to drive, so a good amp will help out a lot with the anemic sound.  I love my K702s with the LD MKIII, but that's a bit more expensive than the Total Bithead.  Travagan's is also another nice line of amps to look at, and I know the White drives the K702s just fine.
 
Bass boost is really just a way of fattening up the EQ curve on the low end, so I wouldn't worry about what the cans sound like with the bass boost on - once you get an amp, you shouldn't need it at all.  With good headphones and a good amp, you shouldn't need to touch an EQ except for minimal tweaking here and there, or even not at all.

Thanks so much for the suggestions! I looked around and it seems like there aren't very many places that carry it..It's reassuring to hear that a good amp will help remedy the anemic sound. I guess the main thing i was concerned with in choosing an amp was portability, quality, and of course price. DemonicLemming, have you tried out the Total Bithead before?

 

[Chokalait]

Quote:

I have a Lehmann Audio BCL and the volume level was almost half way to get the K702 at normal listening levels. That amp has enough power to drive two Sennheiser HD800 at the press event.

The Lehmann Audio BCL seems like an awesome amp, but whats the average price on those things? I did a little bit of research and what i gathered was that they can run anywhere from $500-$600...which is really steep for me at the moment!

 

[dcpoor]

I enjoy the k701/2 out of a M^3 or Dynalo, from memory the CTH and Millet Starving Student were good as well.

 

[Digital-Pride]

How about Fiio's excellent budget desktop amp the E9 along with the E7 DAC?  It has the power and finesse to match more expensive desktop amps, plus you can pair the E9 with the E7 and your K702 will sing like they never have before!  Welcome to Head-Fi by the way and sorry about your wallet!

 

[DemonicLemming]

I haven't tried the Bithead...budget keeps me fairly constrained to one or two setups without "backup" amps, unfortunately.
 
I did use my White/780 combo as a "traveling" setup, though - I picked up a hard case designed for airline pilot headsets, and it allowed me to just fit the headphones, amp, power supply, and source cable in without moving around.  If you're just concerned about transportation from one place to another, you may be surprised at how portable you can make a setup with a nice case.
Quote:

Thanks so much for the suggestions! I looked around and it seems like there aren't very many places that carry it..It's reassuring to hear that a good amp will help remedy the anemic sound. I guess the main thing i was concerned with in choosing an amp was portability, quality, and of course price. DemonicLemming, have you tried out the Total Bithead before?

 

 

[earerror]

Quote:

How about Fiio's excellent budget desktop amp the E9 along with the E7 DAC?  It has the power and finesse to match more expensive desktop amps, plus you can pair the E9 with the E7 and your K702 will sing like they never have before!

 
If you're on a tight budget, consider this option. ^
 
 

 

[Chokalait]

Thanks so much for the suggestions, the E9 looks amazing (price-wise and portability-wise) Just out of curiosity, do either of you two know how this amp stacks up with the Total BitHead?
 
Also...this questions might sound a little ignorant so please bear with me....im still trying to grasp some of this knowledge! What exactly is a DAC used for, do you need a DAC in order to use the amp or are they separate elements? Do i need one to run the other?
 
Quote:

How about Fiio's excellent budget desktop amp the E9 along with the E7 DAC?  It has the power and finesse to match more expensive desktop amps, plus you can pair the E9 with the E7 and your K702 will sing like they never have before!  Welcome to Head-Fi by the way and sorry about your wallet!

 


Quote:

 
If you're on a tight budget, consider this option. ^
 
 

 

 

[Chokalait]

What kind of cases would you recommend?
 
Quote:

I haven't tried the Bithead...budget keeps me fairly constrained to one or two setups without "backup" amps, unfortunately.
 
I did use my White/780 combo as a "traveling" setup, though - I picked up a hard case designed for airline pilot headsets, and it allowed me to just fit the headphones, amp, power supply, and source cable in without moving around.  If you're just concerned about transportation from one place to another, you may be surprised at how portable you can make a setup with a nice case.


 

 

 

[zdkaiser]

i have the K702s and use a Maverick Audio D1 Tube Magic Desktop AMP/DAC. If you are looking for a desktop amp, that one can drive the K702s considerably well, imo. They sell new for about $200 plus shipping.
 
Look up:
 
http://www.mav-audio.com/
 
The D1 Tube magic has gotten pretty good reviews online and on this forum. Sort of a nice bang for your buck amp/dac combo.
 
 

 

[colmustard]

+2 for the e9+e7.
 
I use that combo to drive my k701 which is very similar to your k702. I think that you will find that with the amplification there is a significant improvement and the anemic quality does dissapear... however do not expect any miracles or for the bass to become any stronger or have much more impact than it already does. The k702 is not a headphone that handles genres such as hip-hop well, don't let people fool you into thinking that an amp will alter the sound by that much of an extent. The bass on these headphones are very analytical and lack serious impact which is part of why I love them so much.
 
Overall though I think that you would not regret spending money on the e9+e7, you will find that it more than satisfies your needs (power, transparency, portability, value). But I do think that if you shell out a couple hundred more for a higher end amp you will be feeling buyers regret and trying to convince yourself that it makes more of a difference than it really does.