[shinndigg]

Hey all,
 
Right now I own a pair of Sennheiser HD 598. They sound great, but I despise the way they look, so I ordered a pair of AKG Q 701 which, from the pictures, look sexy as hell. If you want to comment on the sonic differences, be my guest. But this is about amping.
 
I know the 598s didn't need to be amped, but since I sometimes do audio work on my computer, I decided having a big, fat volume knob would be great for working with some lower volume recordings before I amp them up in the end. I originally bought the E7/E9 combo, and was so pleased with it I upgraded to an E17. Since then, I have also acquired an MF V-DAC II that I use for my serious DACing needs
 
Will the E9 be sufficient for amping the Q 701? I barely get the volume know to 10 o'clock before the 598s are too loud, so I imagine it will be OK, but just wanted to be sure. Also, I'll be attending a wedding in a few weeks. I'd like to be able to listen to music in my hotel room, but don't want to lug the E9 and V-DAC there. Will the E17 be sufficient to drive the Q 701s? My brother will be there and I'd like to impress him with the sound, since he thinks I'm crazy for spending so much money on headphones (he thinks his $50 Sonys are as good as it gets).
 
In the future, probably around Christmas, I will be looking to upgrade my headphone amp. I'd like to get a tube headphone amp, but am also considering the V-CAN to match with my V-DAC. Any other suggestions would be appreciated. 
 
Thanks!

 

[tdockweiler]

Yes, the E9 is perfectly OK with the Q701. I use that combination and prefer my other amp, but the E9 gets the job done and still sounds good.
The Q701 definitely does improve even further with amp upgrades.
 
The Q701 wouldn't need more than 45% volume on the E9. Of course this is when I use my HRT MSII dac.
 
BTW just make sure you use the large jack for the Q701.
 
note sure if the E17 is enough. Haven't tried it yet.

 

[shinndigg]

Thanks for the answer. Your sig indicates you also have an HD 598. Do you like them both, or do you prefer one to the other? 

 

[Zakir]

I would rather consider a dedicated desktop Amp, since the voltage of batteries in portable Amps certainly pose limitations to the power they can deliver. If money is an issue, I think I would go for the O2 or wait for the ODA (+ODAC); as a second and third more expensive options, I would either go for a Lake People G109P or a Violectric V90, which have more than sufficient power to drive the Q701s and are really fabulously well performing and well built Amps (the Violectric more so than the Studio oriented Lake People Amps). 

I personally own a pair of Q701s and a Violectric V100, and they perform great together. I also own a more demanding HD800, and the V100 has more than enough to drive them too.

If you are looking for tube Amps, I would go with Woo Audio's WA6, which - like everything Woo does -, is exquisitely well built, and is really a fantastic tube Amp at that price. I have heard a pair of K702s (pretty much the same cans as the Q701s) with the WA6, and they sounded gorgeous. The WA6 also features an Impedance toggle with optional low and high impedances to match different cans.

Hope to be of some help.
 
Cheers!