[WickedChicken]

The man in the brown truck handed them to me about 30 minutes ago.  
 
I have them plugged into my Geek Out 720 now and am groovin' to a bit of Digable Planets.  There is definitely a bit of a bass boost over my Q701s and the smooth leather headband is an instant improvement in the comfort department.  The ear pads appear to be identical to those of the Q701 so no Annie pads here.
 
I don't have enough time with them to go into too much detail in regards to sound quality but the initial impression is that they are a very familiar sound in that they sound quite similar to the Q701s but with a bit more impact in the low end.  And for me that's a good thing because overall I rather like the Q701s but like others feel they could use a bit more sumpin-sumpin in the low end.
 
Here are a couple of quick pics.
 
The Box:

 
Definitely Black

 
Massdrop badge:

 
Ebony and Ivory

 

[WickedChicken]

My eldest approves.

 

[DaemonSire]

Interesting.  If it is the same pads as a the Q701's, I wonder if these come with the 'bass-port' mod already applied?  That would account for the increase in bass.
 
Hopefully someone opens theirs up to see if the port is covered or not!

 

[WickedChicken]

  Interesting.  If it is the same pads as a the Q701's, I wonder if these come with the 'bass-port' mod already applied?  That would account for the increase in bass.
 
Hopefully someone opens theirs up to see if the port is covered or not!

It's quite possible.  I have gone so far as to take a pad off of each pair to verify that they are indeed identical.  
 
I find the build  quality and the mid and treble presentation to be very similar to the Q701s and given that you can easily find those for $185-200 on Amazon I'd say the $200 Mass Drop price is fair but not exactly the deal of the century.
 
Personally I've always liked my Q701s so having what seems pretty much to be a 2nd pair with smooth headband and more bass isn't a bad thing.  For a lot of acoustic stuff i actually prefer the very laid back bass of the Q701s so I won't be retiring them in favor of the K7XXX.

 

[Colgin]

 
It's quite possible.  I have gone so far as to take a pad off of each pair to verify that they are indeed identical.  
 
I find the build  quality and the mid and treble presentation to be very similar to the Q701s and given that you can easily find those for $185-200 on Amazon I'd say the $200 Mass Drop price is fair but not exactly the deal of the century.
 
Personally I've always liked my Q701s so having what seems pretty much to be a 2nd pair with smooth headband and more bass isn't a bad thing.  For a lot of acoustic stuff i actually prefer the very laid back bass of the Q701s so I won't be retiring them in favor of the K7XXX.

Are you sure the K7xx is not memory foam a la the Annies on which the K7xx are purportedly based.  I was expecting at least that much differential from my non-memory foam padded Q701. If these are the same cans with a new headband possibly a bass-port mod I am not sure whether I will be keeping. I am sure they are great but I was hoping for a significant change from my Q701 and at least different pads (which I can buy separately in any event).
 
Edit: I just checked the original Massdrop description and they expressly state "memory foam" pads in the description.

 

[WickedChicken]

 
Are you sure the K7xx is not memory foam a la the Annies on which the K7xx are purportedly based.  I was expecting at least that much differential from my non-memory foam padded Q701. If these are the same cans with a new headband possibly a bass-port mod I am not sure whether I will be keeping. I am sure they are great but I was hoping for a significant change from my Q701 and at least different pads (which I can buy separately in any event).

Ahh, you are correct, I was simply looking at size/thickness but a quick press of each and the K7XX is indeed memory foam.  Is that the only difference between Annie and Q701 pads?  I had just assumed the dimensions were different as well but since I've never seen the Annie's in person it's all just conjecture on my end.
 
 
I'm hesitant to make any claims comparing and contrasting the 2 because honestly I feel my audio memory simply isn't good enough to be trusted.  The Bass is definitely more present and it seems the soundstage is perhaps a bit less wide (which can be a good thing since the Q701s border on being too wide a sound stage) but I'm not positive about that.
 
At the moment I'm finding that I actually  prefer the Q701 headband to that of the K7XXX but that could simple be because I have a lot of hours with the Qs and only a couple with the new ones.  

 

[Colgin]

 
Ahh, you are correct, I was simply looking at size/thickness but a quick press of each and the K7XX is indeed memory foam.  Is that the only difference between Annie and Q701 pads?  I had just assumed the dimensions were different as well but since I've never seen the Annie's in person it's all just conjecture on my end.
 
 
I'm hesitant to make any claims comparing and contrasting the 2 because honestly I feel my audio memory simply isn't good enough to be trusted.  The Bass is definitely more present and it seems the soundstage is perhaps a bit less wide (which can be a good thing since the Q701s border on being too wide a sound stage) but I'm positive about that.
 
At the moment I'm finding that I actually  prefer the Q701 headband to that of the K7XXX but that could simple be because I have a lot of hours with the Qs and only a couple with the new ones.  

Thanks for clarifying. Will be interested in your comparisons between the two after you have had more time.

 

[WickedChicken]

I'm very curious to read the opinions of others as they start trickling in.  It's quite possible that someone will open them up and find that these are indeed simply re-branded Q701s with the bass port mod, memory foam ear pads, and a new headband.
 
But at the end of the day I don't really care about any of that.  I'm finding them to be a very enjoyable listen with pretty much all genres.
The Rival Son's "Jordan" has all the clarity and sweetness that it deserves while the drums and bass guitar have are nice and thick and really help to set the mood of the song.  

 

[Colgin]

  I'm very curious to read the opinions of others as they start trickling in.  It's quite possible that someone will open them up and find that these are indeed simply re-branded Q701s with the bass port mod, memory foam ear pads, and a new headband.
 
But at the end of the day I don't really care about any of that.  I'm finding them to be a very enjoyable listen with pretty much all genres.
The Rival Son's "Jordan" has all the clarity and sweetness that it deserves while the drums and bass guitar have are nice and thick and really help to set the mood of the song.  

Now that you have confirmed memory foam pads, it sounds like rebranded Annies with possibly other tweaks (mostly aesthetics though), as had been speculated in the other main thread before. At the end of the day, what matters most is the sound. I have personally struggled with whether a pad improvement over my Q701 would justify buying this pair but the price seemed too sweet to pass up, particularly since I could then sell my Q701 and recoup some of the cost. But I do really like the Q701 as is and wonder whether this was a good purchase for me. Should find out soon enough.

 

[preproman]

Why start a new thread when there is already one to contribute to?  Your findings and photos would be much more appricated in the first thread.

 

[Stereodude]

  Why start a new thread when there is already one to contribute to?  Your findings and photos would be much more appricated in the first thread.

 
C'mon now, this thread is about #588, not the other thousands of units.

 

[Oktyabr]

I want some but missed on the first drop.  Maybe in a month or two I can get in on another.  I bought a b-stock set of 712 for not much more to tide me over until then. 

I love the black color.  The headband is what got me going in the first place.  What is it with AKG and those crazy bumps (I have a big head and my K701s were tough to wear for more than an hour at a time)?!?!?!  Memory foam earpads +1!  Not just for comfort but because many have said they are a good bit in that bass extension formulation.  Hand matched drivers?!?!  For $199???  

No matter what, these are a steal at that price.  Ebay seems to suggest what they might normally sell for, in an alternate universe ($350+ NIB)....

 

[donunus]

I may be in the minority here but I prefer the bumps vs no bumps. I am saying this based on a comparison between my k240s and Q701. The K240 becomes itchy after a while under the headband matbe due to heat. The Q701 bumps help in getting some air in there.