[Happy Camper]

Falling asleep with the K701s I do a lot. I dropped north of $2k for my amp though. Not saying you need that much but you do need a strong power supply that provides enough juice to handle the Ks. I use the worst option for them, an OTL design. I like the sound of OTL amps. Your best value is a SS amp. If you want tube sound, you can get a tube output dac to use with a SS amp. The couple hundred dollar hybrids don't have the power to do what the Ks are capable of. Yes they will sound nice, but won't grab the little f'ers and make them scream.

As far as bass, I do like the Ks bass but have rolled many a tube to find it. I don't like boomy bass but accurate, defined bass. The Ks will give you that. You will need to put use on the pads for the bass to finally start to shape up. New, they sound like crap. Part of the long break in of these headphones are getting the pads to compress and form to your head.

(looks around for olblueyez)

You really should try and attend a meet or two to hear what amps can provide. As hard times have hit, many are getting a lot less for resale. You can get amps for 30-40 cents on the dollar used. Not a good investment for return so get a good one that you can live with. That's what I've done and not regretted it two and a half years later.

Oh, if you are going to use a pdp/ipod, get a LOD for the best sound. While you can use the headphone out to feed your amp, it won't sound as good as the line out signal with a good amp.

Good luck with your quest.

 

[R Giskard]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Happy Camper /img/forum/go_quote.gif Falling asleep with the K701s I do a lot. I dropped north of $2k for my amp though. Not saying you need that much but you do need a strong power supply that provides enough juice to handle the Ks. I use the worst option for them, an OTL design. I like the sound of OTL amps. Your best value is a SS amp. If you want tube sound, you can get a tube output dac to use with a SS amp. The couple hundred dollar hybrids don't have the power to do what the Ks are capable of. Yes they will sound nice, but won't grab the little f'ers and make them scream.

Hi! Very interesting that you have an OTL amp. Just yesterday I listened to some K701s and HD650s in a store. I was really impressed with the 701s. The soundstage was really big and the resolution and timber were just what I expected. For couple of months now I have been working on a OTL tube amp. The results so far are spectacular... the measurments are perfect. No distortion and no hiss whatsoever. I guess the handwound transformers and 10 caps per channel did that. But anyway, it is not quite finished yet so I can't use it to test the headphones in a store. I read several posts regarding 701s+tubes and was a little disappointed. Many people prefer SS rather than tubes. So, can you please tell me a bit more about your amp and your experiences with 701s?

Because I spent so much time on this amp and I do like the 701s... I have always been fon of AKG headphones though 701s are not by any means typical AKG imo.

Also, I wonder if there are people on his forum who would be willing to learn more about this amplifier. I think OTL design is very rare today. The benefits are obvious and if done properly, the results are spectacular. Only handful of small manufacturers produce them today at very high prices.

 

[K_19]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Berlioz /img/forum/go_quote.gif 3) If you were using the Bithead, then it wouldn't be much of a competition. Keep in mind that the Bithead would probably do a horrible job with the K702's, but having never heard the combination, I can't say that definitively.

The Total Bithead was my first "real" DAC/Amp and I actually found that they were a decent match with my K701's, at least tonally. It has bit of that warmish sounds which mates well with it, and adds decent amount of bass as well. It does fail in ultra detailing and soundstaging, though. But at that price level, it's not a bad choice (although the OP should still look towards north of $250/300 at least).

 

[dukja]

Since I had K702, I have been trying various DAC + AMP. As it went through the burn-in process and my gear went through upgrading path, I am pretty happy the the current combo and just try to share some of my experience here.

The initial K702+ Arietta/LD MKIII +V-DAC sounded somewhat thin. The low freq. had very little amount. Later I had Caliente+V-DAC, which made K702 much smoother and warmer, but the soundstage depth was limited and the focus left something to be desired.

When I got GCHA+Stello DA100, K702 started to really shine. The clarity and deails was amazing and the soundstage was deep and wide. However, it still asks for some weight at mid and mid-hight, which was especially apparent for classical music.

Then came PS Audio GCHA+DL III combo, clarity/details/soundstage and focus were improved even further. The resonance of sound in the space was just amazing, but K702 started to sound a little edgey comparing to my previous combo for some music. And still, the sound can use some more weight.

Finally I mates it with Stello HP100 + DA100. Initially I was not impressed since I just switch it from PSA combo. The soundstage becomes narrower and the airy feeling is reduced. However, I gradualy start to be impressed by the solid feeling over the whole spectrum: mid and high sound very smooth with proper amount of warmth. And the low freq becomes very solid and firm with authority. This Stello combo totally changes my previous impression of K702, which has never occured to me. With some sacrifice of width of soundstage (depth is still good), I am a happy camper with this Stello combo at this moment.

K702/1 does has great potential that takes some good DAC/AMP combo to shine. Therefore, I'll say K702/1 is a worthy keeper that will bring lots of fun along your upgrading path. Don't make you judgement too hasty.