[xD4rkFire]

I have a pair of AKG Q701's but I don't have any sound equipment yet. Right now I'm using these pair of headphones on my onboard. My motherboard is a MSI Z77A-GD65 which the Realtek ALC898 audio codec. My question is: should I stick with my Phillips pair of headphones for now until I get an amp for the Q701 or should I just use the Q701 with the onboard? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Brooko]

Best sound improvement you're will get is always going to be the transducers (headphones) - so if it was me, I'd get the Q701s (I owned them up until a few weeks ago).  Whilst they really do need a decent amplifier to get the best out of them - they can surprisingly be driven (and still sound decent) out of even an iPhone4 (I know - I've tried).
 
You will notice differences (particularly in bass response) as you give them more power though.
 
So - my recommendation would be to get the Qs, use your mobo, and upgrade to a better source/amp set-up as you can afford it.

 

[xD4rkFire]

Oh, I already have the Q701's. The only problem I'm having with them right now is that I can't get them as loud as I'd like. I don't know though, using my Phillips compared to the Q701 right now, I find that the Phillips sounds better.

 

[Brooko]

I can't comment on the Philips - I haven't heard them.  If you can't get loud enough on the Q's - then you're really under-powering them, so adding an amplifier is really your only choice.
 
If you want a relatively budget option (dac and amp) - then I'd suggest the Audio-gd NFB 15.32 (http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/Headphoneamp/NFB15.32/NFB15.32EN.htm).  I loved the set-up with my Q701s when I had them.

 

[cel4145]

My question is: should I stick with my Phillips pair of headphones for now until I get an amp for the Q701 or should I just use the Q701 with the onboard? Any help would be appreciated.

Since you already have both, you should do whatever sounds best to you and ignore what anyone else says

 

[xD4rkFire]

Would the amp on the Sound Blaster Z be sufficient to power the Q701? 

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Oh, I already have the Q701's. The only problem I'm having with them right now is that I can't get them as loud as I'd like. I don't know though, using my Phillips compared to the Q701 right now, I find that the Phillips sounds better.

The Asus Xonar DG sound card comes with a basic headphone amplifier, so i would assume it would make the Q701s louder, but not sure on how much.
But the Xonar DG is $30 and there is a $10 mail in rebate this month.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Would the amp on the Sound Blaster Z be sufficient to power the Q701? 

I would assume the Sound Blaster Z can drive the 62-Ohm Q701s,
but you might want ask on this thread about what works well at driving the Q701s.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/582276/q701-appreciation-thread

 

[Brooko]

@xD4rkFire
 
Not sure if this will help - but it might assist understanding the difference between loud enough and 'driven well' (http://lsirui.wordpress.com/2009/04/15/k701-vs-hd650-electrical-measurement/).  It's comparing to an HD650 - but it's a perfect example of why the Q701/K701/K702 are considered pretty difficult to drive.