[bpandbass]

I purchased the AKG K240, and I found with my current amp and DAC setup (Fiio E09k and E07K), the K240's spiky treble in the 10K htz region has been giving me inner ear pain, and the same has been happening with my Beyer DT880s. I have not had this issue with my Sennheiser HD518s. 
 
I was considering getting the AKG Q701 Quincy Jones instead. But does it have treble spikes or sibilance compared to the DT880s or K240s on an E09K?

 

[Lorspeaker]

u might want to look at the sein hd600 or 650 instead,
i find the Q701 a pain too, esp when i listen to vocals,
at some mid to hi freq...i squirm alittle,
am no techqie, if its called a "spike" 

 
But the Q701 is great with broader bigger orchestra music, 
the separation on this can is superb.

 

[bpandbass]

Thanks. So either the HD650 or HD600. Do you know of any good affordable amps that will drive them well and won't be sibilant? I'm not too sure if my E09K is up to par.

 

[Happy Camper]

Try an inexpensive tube amp as low budget gear has this impact on a lot of cans. I like the 600s better between the two HD's but again amping is a factor. If you want to try taming your existing gear, the 650s may be the best option of the two given.

 

[bpandbass]

Quote:

Try an inexpensive tube amp as low budget gear has this impact on a lot of cans. I like the 600s better between the two HD's but again amping is a factor. If you want to try taming your existing gear, the 650s may be the best option of the two given.

Which tube amp do you recommend? I eventually want to get the Woo Audio WA6. But is there any fairly dark tube amp that will work well with the DT880 Pros (it can be an OTL amp)? 

 

[Kevin Brown]

Senn 650's not 600.  I think the 600's are brighter than the 650's.
 
I had and got rid of the MAD Ear HD+ because it was too dark. 
 
The Q701's are on the brighter side, so I don't think they'd be what you're looking for.

 

[bpandbass]

I see. I have been fiddling with the EQ settings on iTunes and I noticed by turning down the decibels in the 8K, 2K and 16K region definitely takes the edge off the K240s, and makes them much more tolerable for EDM. I have been told that I would be better off with the HD650 than the HD600.