[nsx280ps]

The foam pads are under the small grille on the Q701, which are not on the K701
 
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I think there is something under the Q701 small (middle) grill since it's hard for light to pass through. The K701 seems to be open.
 
 
Also how to open K701 grill here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/225819/guide-to-the-balanced-akg-k701-recabling.
 

 

 

[chicolom]

 
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Don't forget the K701 and Q701 also use different part numbers for the foam behind the pads.
The K702 and Q701 share the same foam pieces.
Can anyone check your foam on the Q701 and tell me what it looks like? Are they both very sparkly and rough?
 
I checked the foam and they appeared very similar.  I don't remember if they were identical, but they were close enough that I couldn't really tell them apart and sound differences should be very minor.
 
 
I know someone tried it, but try the K702 cable on the Q701. It may require listening to an entire album and then switching back. Probably a huge placebo effect, but maybe someone with golden ears can tell the difference more easily. Even though the K702 and Q701 cables are the same thickness they could be slightly different.
 
Again, from my testing if there is a difference, it's extremely minor IMO.  The cables sounded (and felt) identical to me. 
 
 
The changes could be a combination of the button, cable and two foam pieces. There's also the internal wires going to the drivers that could be slightly different or maybe a higher gauge of wire is used. Probably unlikely and wouldn't change much.
 
So far, none of those things have accounted for the differences I've heard.  I swapped everything except the two foam pieces behind the pads (they look close enough to me between the K702 and Q701 I couldn't really tell the foam apart between them). 
 

 
Someone who knows how to safely take apart a x70x should explore the innards of the Q's and see what the heck is going on

  I don't know what else could be changing them.
 
I'm stumped.
 
 
 
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There isn't on the Q701 (outer grill)) since you can see through it if you take off the pads. Never realized this before. I imagine the K702/K701 is see-through also. I know the K601 is.

Both the K702 and Q701 you can through the outer grill/ring to the plastic on other side.  I don't think they differ there...
 

 

[tdockweiler]

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As i stated earlier in the post, I myself was not able to hear the differences between the K701 and the Q701.... I had some issues with build on the Q701 and returned them to get the K701... The K701 seems to be a very recent batch with serial No. 728xx..... Im not sure if its the case, just a theory, could they have made changes to the K701 throughout the production runs to make it sound like the Q701 today that we couldnt see easily?  Seeing how they also changed the headband from 7 to 8 bumps over time..

Hahah, maybe AKG was sneaky and silently updated the drivers of ALL K701, K702 headphones manufactured in the last 6 months to match those of the Q701.
So maybe the older K702s an K701 sound different than newer versions. Highly unlikely since I bought a K702 in summer of 2011. Could have just been older stock.
I don't think any of this is possible, but you never know..
 
It's not that I don't believe it when people say they both sound the same for THEM. It's just that the difference isn't even subtle. No golden ears required. Something really funny going on here..
Maybe someone can contact AKG. It's probably something so simple.
 
I think Zombie_X said he had a Guitar Center flyer once where AKG mentioned the improvements of the Q701. Something like it had smoother treble etc. Don't remember the exact wording.

 

[chicolom]

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Hahah, maybe AKG was sneaky and silently updated the drivers of ALL K701, K702 headphones manufactured in the last 6 months to match those of the Q701.
 
The K702s I tested were almost the same age as my Q701s.  The K702s were bought new in October 2011.  The Q701s were bought open-box in November.
 
 
It's not that I don't believe it when people say they both sound the same for THEM. It's just that the difference isn't even subtle. No golden ears required. Something really funny going on here..
Maybe someone can contact AKG. It's probably something so simple.
 
It would be nice to contact/hear from someone at AKG who actually knows the nitty gritty on them.

 
 

 

[megamagic]

Not sure why, but I can't seem to remove the grill on my K701 

. So I went back to the tissue mod and will probably listen to it like that for a few days or until something better comes up.

 

[megamagic]

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Put the Q701 covers and foam inserts on the K702 and tested them.  Not much difference. 
 
So you can NOT convert the K70x to the Q701 by swapping the covers and foam inserts.  Something else is making them sound different  (Quincy Jones may have sprinkled magical dust on them).
 

Wow. I really did miss some posts here >< Maybe I should try testing stuff another time when I'm actually awake.
 
edit:It does still seem to sound different with the tissue. Unfortunately I don't have another K701 to AB with directly.

 

[Chris J]

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One thing I noticed is that the every single copper cable (other than stock) I've tried with the Q701 makes it sound thinner than it should be. Still sounds good, but a tiny bit different than the stock cable. The Q701 stock cables sounds almost like Canare and it could be that the Q701 cable uses a higher capacitance making it sound warmer (lower should technically sound brighter and not as warm). It just seems that when I use an alternative cable on the Q701, it loses some of the things I like about it. It took me many, many hours to realize this. It's especially noticeable in games like Skyrim. The Q701 is just not it's old self with any other wire than stock.
 

More cable capaticance would probably make the headphone amp go unstable before it started to roll the treble off.
If the cable construction is similar, then the capacitance will be similar.
 
 

 

[Magik32]

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I'm just annoyed that the price on amazon recently jumped up (last couple of days). They were just around $230 a couple days ago and now they're $265. According to The Tracktor, they haven't been that high since November. I hope it drops back down by the time I get the money for them. Does anyone else know a reliable place with a good price on these? Amazon had been the best price I'd seen.

 


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They're usually around 235 or less.  I would wait a a couple days/a week or them to drop again.

 


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Don't forget to also look in the used section there. Often you can find open box like new pairs for much cheaper. Sometimes directly from Amazon. Back when they were a little more expensive I got mine for $235. This was when the white pair I wanted was nearly $280.
It was listed as like new but still sealed.

It's funny how Amazon's prices fluctuate.  I guess it's based on their supply.  When I initially tried to order my white Q701s from Amazon a month and a half ago, they were ate $235.  I went through the whole order process only to find out the seller wouldn't ship to Hawaii.  I was so sad.  I then checked out their used selection and got one that was returned in sealed box for $230 and free shipping.  Upon arrival, it looked brand new as stated in the description.  Based on shipping, I saved about $11 by getting them "used."
 
On a side note, the white Q701 is currently at $235.  The price isn't shown unless you put them in your cart.
 
EDIT - Oops.  Sorry just checked again, and they are back up to $250 again.  Weird.  They were at $235 for the past couple of days.  Some used ones for $230 though.

 

[Magik32]

I have no problems using my E9 with either my Q701 or HD650.  I think it's a great amp for the amount I paid paired with the E7.  Of course, I'm a NOOB and have no experiences with other amps at this time.  I'm not sue if this is the impression everyone else gets, but I think the E9 is relatively colorless for the most part.

 

[Magik32]

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Sennheiser claims that there are no sound changes with the upgraded acoustic material in the HD600/650 over the older mesh material.  That has been proven to be not the case as many have reported hearing a brighter slightly more dynamic sound with the upgraded driver material.  It makes sense for AKG, Sennheiser or other companies to not admit to sound changes lest they undermine sales of existing models.

I totally agree with this reasoning.  As a consumer, I probably wouldn't have wanted to buy the older HD650 based on speculation that the HD650 with the newer material sounded a little brighter.. My HD 650 has the newer material, and even though I never heard the difference between the two or even if there is a difference, I'm glad I got the newer one.  Yeah, I can be kinda weird that way, but I bet I'm not the only one.
 

 

[Dubstep Girl]

ive heard both versions of the hd 650, the newer silver driver version vs the old black driver version.
 
the black driver has the same sound signature. however, its  darker and thicker sounding, very colored. its not veiled per say, just very heavy sounding. it wasn't as good sounding as the newer one because this seemed to take away from the soundstage and some of the detail.
 
still a good headphones however, the newer version is better.

 

[megamagic]

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ive heard both versions of the hd 650, the newer silver driver version vs the old black driver version.
 
the black driver has the same sound signature. however, its  darker and thicker sounding, very colored. its not veiled per say, just very heavy sounding. it wasn't as good sounding as the newer one because this seemed to take away from the soundstage and some of the detail.
 
still a good headphones however, the newer version is better.

I found the same thing. The black driver version seemed more relaxed sounding, which was okay for most songs, but maybe a bit too "laid back" for some faster pace/upbeat ones.

 

[Dubstep Girl]

it was definitely more laid back. its not necessarily a bad thing though. it can make some types of music like slow jazz alot better sounding. It would also be even more forgiving of poorly recorded tracks and the like.Also, it would add warmth to cold sounding systems. You just have to match the headphones up with the right system. I'm sure a bright amp with these headphones would sound good whereas a slow otl tube amp might make the sound way too sluggish and syrupy sounding.

 

[derbigpr]

Glad I went with Q701's. I was leaning towards K701's, but Q701 seem more fun.  They should arrive tomorrow, can't wait! Will go nicely with my HD650's.

 

[Acix]

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Hahah, maybe AKG was sneaky and silently updated the drivers of ALL K701, K702 headphones manufactured in the last 6 months to match those of the Q701.
So maybe the older K702s an K701 sound different than newer versions. Highly unlikely since I bought a K702 in summer of 2011. Could have just been older stock.
I don't think any of this is possible, but you never know..
 

 
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