[fpang99]

btw, if you are getting audio out from your mobo, what digital audio out capability does it have? I assume USB here, but just checking. Also, are you listening to lossless music or ... ?

 

[muad]

No, usb out is raw data, which is pre dac, same as optical and coax. His motherboard is acting as the dac and is ouputting analogue.
 
EDIT: oops I misread the above comment... sorry I realize now you were asking what he was using as a transport.
 
A dac may make a difference, the K701 are very receptive to any system changes. I can easily tell the difference between opamps, dac's, buffer's in my audio-gd fun. If you were willing to increase your budget and wanted a dac you should've let us know before you bought your amp. The audio-gd Fun is a nice dac with a very nice amp (lots of power and voltage swing) and would have been in your budget. Im using it right now to drive the K701's and love it. But now that you already have a nice amp finding a dac to match might be kind of tricky...
 
Here's the thing with getting a dac. If you get a cheap dac you may not notice much of a difference between your motherboard and the dac. If you spend just a little bit more is where you will see the biggest difference. The 300+/- dollar range is the sweet spot. After that I think is where diminishing returns start. Usually at this price range is where they have built in power supplies instead of wall warts etc and the extra budget can give audio engineers more room to play (quality parts etc). IMO not all dacs in that price range will fit the bill. It's more where I think high quality sound can be achieved with a lower budget.

 

[rinthe]

I'm not too sure, I think i see SPDIF and optical. I'm listening to mostly V0 MP3s
 
Quote:

btw, if you are getting audio out from your mobo, what digital audio out capability does it have? I assume USB here, but just checking. Also, are you listening to lossless music or ... ?

Yea, at this point, I'm willing to up my budget for a good DAC. Just going to take sometime and patience
 
Quote:

No, usb out is raw data, which is pre dac, same as optical and coax. His motherboard is acting as the dac and is ouputting analogue.
 
EDIT: oops I misread the above comment... sorry I realize now you were asking what he was using as a transport.
 
A dac may make a difference, the K701 are very receptive to any system changes. I can easily tell the difference between opamps, dac's, buffer's in my audio-gd fun. If you were willing to increase your budget and wanted a dac you should've let us know before you bought your amp. The audio-gd Fun is a nice dac with a very nice amp (lots of power and voltage swing) and would have been in your budget. Im using it right now to drive the K701's and love it. But now that you already have a nice amp finding a dac to match might be kind of tricky...
 
Here's the thing with getting a dac. If you get a cheap dac you may not notice much of a difference between your motherboard and the dac. If you spend just a little bit more is where you will see the biggest difference. The 300+/- dollar range is the sweet spot. After that I think is where diminishing returns start. Usually at this price range is where they have built in power supplies instead of wall warts etc and the extra budget can give audio engineers more room to play (quality parts etc). IMO not all dacs in that price range will fit the bill. It's more where I think high quality sound can be achieved with a lower budget.

 

[neptius]

This is not easy to answer. With budget at around 200 dolars says that you need do in some way strong compromise and you accept portable device for you, expect some very attractive second hand. I think Rudistor Linearossa models are good idea for you.

 

[USAudio]

Quote:

Amp first definately. Why don't you want tubes? I think a tube amp would be a ideal compliment to a headphone that is called somewhat analytical like the 701's. This is exactly what I have done. I've got the 702's and I bought a tube amp with lots of power. I'll post my findings when it's broken in. I went with the new Bellari HA540. Tons of juice for only $300. Though I haven't yet tried too many reference quality headphone amps, the Bellari is pretty sweet for the money. 

Hi AudioGlow,
How's that Bellari HA540 breaking in?  Got any impressions or comparisons for us?
Thanks!
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/518165/bellari-ha540
 

 

[El Pino]

Hi people,
 
does anyone used AMB Mini3 to drive K701? What gain? Does it have enough bass base? Thnx

 

[acetylmine]

How about the W4S uDac Hd? $$499
 
WIll the akg k702s sound great in response to the W4S u Dac Hd?

 

[buson160man]

 I know this is an old thread but I would like to add a suitable amp for driving the akg 701. I have been reading about vintage receivers form the late 70s and early 80s. I went shopping for one myself and was fortunate to land a concept 16.5 a monster receiver from that period. I was told the unit had been recapped by the store who was selling it. Well I was satisfied with its performance at the store the unit showing some promise.
     I was buying the unit primarily to drive my lcd2 v2s. I tried the unit at home with the lcd2s and found the unit to be a decent amp for the lcd2s. But yesterday I tried it with my akg 701s. Wow this combination really surprised me the concept amp just provides the 701s with a grip and drive that I had not heard from them before. There is a natural quality to the sound with very good clarity while not being bright in fact it seems to be perfectly balanced in a fashion that I have not heard with the 701s. I have always found the akg 701s to be very good sounding and have a respect for the design. The sound stage they produce is easily the best of my three headphones which includes the lcd2 v2. Frankly I find that the sound stage that my lcd 2s produce is not really that good . I have found from experience that the akg 701 creams the lcd2 v2 in that department and very noticeably so.
   But getting back to the concept 16.5 it works really great with the akg 701.It is my recommended amp for driving the akg 701.

 

[Hansotek]

I've been running the following setup recently and I love it:
Macbook Pro> Aune T1 (line out (DAC only))> JDS Labs CMoyBB> K701

You will need to get the 2x 9v version of the JDS Labs CMoyBB and specify that it's for a K701 when you order, as it's a little different version than the stock setup.

I think this sounds fantastic both with and without the bass boost. The K701 is so finickey about power, and a proper CMoy can be cusomized to give it just what it needs. Also, the headphone is so bass-light to begin with, flipping on the bass boost actually makes it sound more transparent and lifelike (IMO) without bloating and bogging down the mids at all.

In combination with the Aune's tube DAC section, the CMoyBB turns the K701 into a lovely, warm, spacious and impactful listening experience. This is one of my new favorite setups.

 

[lakiozoon]

Would this combo be suited for AKG K/Q 701?
 
Amp: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Matrix-m-stage-Headphone-Amplifier-Amp-class-A-NEW-/131189281484?pt=US_Home_Audio_Amplifiers_Preamps&hash=item1e8b7d92cc
DAC: http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p2047675.m570.l1313.TR5.TRC1.A0.H0.Xm+stage+dac&_nkw=m+stage+dac&_sacat=0&_from=R40
 
I am planning to buy amp first.
 
Is this a reasonable setup for the cans?