[AlexRoma]

I can share my budget solution.
 
Pegasus II HP (~300$) + AKG K712 (~300$) .
 
In my opinion, it is the best bang-for-the-buck , price/performance/happiness headphone setup. Yes, 600$ is not cheap, but it's not expensive either. This is pure budget HiFi balance. 
 
Pegasus DAC is warm and a little darker then usual Sabre32 stuff, it delivers incredible detail in low register and exceptional texture and macrodynamics, very entertaining and life-like. The musicality of the unit is unmatched for most cheaper device I had heard. It sounds like a much bigger, weightier unit.
 
The internal amp is powerful enough for most dynamic headphones, even those 600ohm bayers. 
 
For Sennheiser HD650 i've used 35% of amp power, for AKG K712 it's 50% and very low distortion. 
 
The synergy and performance of the combo was so good that my Sennheiser HD650 went on sale.
 
AKG K712 a the new reference in my home audio setup. No need to pay more, grab the AKG K712, find it a good (warm sounding SS amp) match, and live happy without spending 1000+$ for heavy planar monsters.
 
 
PreStory/PreWoned :
 
DAC/AMP combos :

1. Audinst HUD-MX1 (150$),
2. AudioGD FUN (350$),  
3. AudioGD NFB11.32 (250$),
4. Yulong U100(150$),

 
DACs :

1. Asus Essence STX (150$),
2. Stereolink DAC 1610 (250$), 

 
AMPs: 

1. AMB M3 (450$) , 
2. LittleDot MKIV Mod (320$ + 60$)
3. SMSL VMV2 Mod (140$+20$)

 

[akshaysehgal12]

Guys i am hoping to get one open back headphones for serious music listnening. Clear flat open and wide soundstage. Did some research and i felt i could afford k712 pro. Haven't heared them yet. There are few more in the list beyerdynamics 880 premium or pro's shure 1440. I had tried s1840 at hongkong airport they were just amazing but it is above my budget for now. I need to know few things before i could buy are they serious worth of this money. I have been listening through ath m50x and ckx9is since 1 year. I really enjoy both except the bass in ckx9.
How good are they against hd 598 or beyer 880's in terms of soundstage and flatness.
As it is termed refrence grade is it not good just listnening music if not mixing or recording.

 

[AlexRoma]

AKG k712 are the kind of an unique reference grade studio headphone that is very audiophile friendly in particular.
 
The tonal ballance of K712 is not bright, or warm, not even Neutral -> it's NATURAL, and it's super fast, undistorted, clean. You hear the timber of any vocal or instrument as it is in nature, on stage (yes , I am a musician), no distortion at all. If the DAC/AMP is bright, the headphones sound bright . If it's warm, the headphones sound warm, if it's natural -> AKG sound natural.
 
The extension in both directions is great, the airness and detail is better then both HD600/650. The dynamics, attack, decay are faster than on my 600ohm DT880's, the soundstage is the most holographic and 3D like I had ever found anywhere.
 
The only think you could possibly complain about K712 sound - not the most euphonic headphones (these are studio headphones after all).
 
They won't make you smile like HD600 on vocal jazz, or won't make you shake your had on rock and metall like HD650/DT990 on.
But who cares, as long as AKG sound is exaclty the same I hear on life performance. No other headphones could give me that natural timber the K712 deliver , and my headphone list is over 50+ models
 
 I am a big fan of this headphones in particular. I've sold all my collection, including DT880, HD600, HD650, DT990, AKG Q701 as soon as I got these AKG K712. They simply put a shame on all the rest headphones. May be it's a sinergy case, but my DAc/AMp is good enough for all kind of headphones and none of them could achieve AKG K712 refinement and naturalness.
 
The only problem with AKG K712 is that they actualy requre mode amp power then an HD650.. A good amplifier is a must.
 

How good are they against hd 598 or beyer 880's in terms of soundstage and flatness.

 
Not sure about HD598 , but I had HD595 and DT880's . AKG soundstage is much bigger and more 3D then HD595 stage. However, DT880 soundstage is wider , but it lacks the depth and 3D effect of AKG, so in this regards, I also find AKG K712 better.
 
Regards Flatness, no contest, AKG wins . Forget about beyerdynamic sibilance, forget Sennheiser slowness and thin bass. Grab the AKG and be happy until you get a better deal for a 1000$ + pair of headphones.

 

[Meeotch]

AlexRoma, thanks for the great write-up on the K712 Pro. I've owned a pair of Grado SR80's for almost 8 years and they are literally falling apart. I want to replace them with something a level up, and I've narrowed it down to the K712 Pro or the Sennheiser HD600 (still kind of considering the ATH-M50x but it seems to be more in the same category as my old Grados, would you agree?) . I listen to mostly hard rock and metal, would you still stand by your recommendation of the K712 Pro?
 
And back on topic, I appreciate your recommendation for the Pegasus II HP, but I'm afraid it is out of my budget. If I went with the M50x I could afford a better amp, but is this logic ass-backwards? Instead, I'm thinking about spending more money on the headphones and trying a Fiio Q1 or E10K. I want a portable amp/dac that has a line out for my powered computer speakers. Thanks a ton!

 

[AlexRoma]

My friend. AudioTechnica M50x is an upgrade over SR80's . Not a big but good enough.
Besides, M50x signature is particular good for Rock and Metal.
Besides, you can always use M50x as a portable headphone beating any In-ears up to UltimateEars TripleFi. 
Besides, M50x offer great isolation and built. They are gonna last longer then Grado, and you can always use them as your office main headphones.
Besides, M50x don't need a powerful amp.A good smartphone amp like the one in OnePlus or Iphone smartphones is enough for them.
Besides, AKG K712 Pro deliver great bass, treble, they beat M50x in most case, most, but not Metal music, shaking head, euphonic factor (I also love Gothic/Symhonic metal). M50x can't beat K712 technhicaly but they compensate it by musicality and punch (Metal only).
 
Meanwhile, in a year or two you gather the needed budget (600$) for a good high-Fi home setup. AKG woun't release another reference headphone the next few years, but Chinese manufacturers like HiFiMan and Oppo shall move the price/performance balance lower and lower, so AKG headphones would get lower in price. Even now it is possible to get K712 Pro for 270$ shipped. Don't waste your money on AKG now if you can't afford a good Dac/AMP. 
 
Get M50x now and gather resource for the next year purchase of AKG K712Pro + Pegasus II HP (or something similar, warm sounding, avoid Sabre32 stuff, bad, bad synery) 

 

[Meeotch]

AlexRoma, thanks for the thoughtful reply! I am going to take your advice and go with the M50x for now. Cheers!

 

[Keiltime]

O2 or Vali 2 for K712?

 

[AlexRoma]

I'd go for Magni 2 instead . Why ?
* O2 has almost no musicality. It sounds dry and harsh.
* Vali 2 is a budget tube amp - my advice - kip away from budget tube amps. Distortion-distortion and distortion, not to mention the time you spend tube rolling with minimal results
* Magni 2 is the cheapest of the batch. It drives AKG K712 well enough (same as O2) and is also a schiit made product (high quality guaranteed).
 
Going for Magni you save money for a better amp in the future, like a Gustard H10 (400$), that's gonna help you drive any kind of headphones to full potential, with no distortion, especially AKG K712 (and more expensive stuff luke HiFiman HE650, HE1000 , Audeze headphones etc)
Save money for Gustard H10, my friend.

 

[MtnMan307]

I'd go for Magni 2 instead . Why ?
* Vali 2 is a budget tube amp - my advice - kip away from budget tube amps. Distortion-distortion and distortion, not to mention the time you spend tube rolling with minimal results
* Magni 2 is the cheapest of the batch. It drives AKG K712 well enough (same as O2) and is also a schiit made product (high quality guaranteed).

I have the Vali 2 and it doesn't sound distorted or colored to me. Some guitar riffs notably sound a little different but the overall sound is really good. This is with AKG K7XX so a closely related headphone. Stock tube is pretty good but you can find lots of rolling options for under $30.

 

[AlexRoma]

Yep, in time, you'll end up selling a budget amp with a huge collection of tubes you've bought just for fun, instead of forgetting you have an amp, a dac, relax and enjoy your music... 
That was my experience using LittleDot MK IV tube-amp, a better, more expensive and sophisticated one... 
In the end I always regret spending so much time & dollars on a tube-amp, I wish I had bought my AMB M3 earlyer...
That sayd, Gustard H10 amp is even better at half the price .

 

[Keiltime]

I'd go for Magni 2 instead . Why ?
* O2 has almost no musicality. It sounds dry and harsh.
* Vali 2 is a budget tube amp - my advice - kip away from budget tube amps. Distortion-distortion and distortion, not to mention the time you spend tube rolling with minimal results
* Magni 2 is the cheapest of the batch. It drives AKG K712 well enough (same as O2) and is also a schiit made product (high quality guaranteed).

Going for Magni you save money for a better amp in the future, like a Gustard H10 (400$), that's gonna help you drive any kind of headphones to full potential, with no distortion, especially AKG K712 (and more expensive stuff luke HiFiman HE650, HE1000 , Audeze headphones etc)
Save money for Gustard H10, my friend.

O2 sounds bright and harsh? I thought O2 was about as natural and transparent as you could get in the price range.

 

[MtnMan307]

I don't think the Vali 2 is really a "budget" amp though.  The build quality and sound quality are very solid for $170.  Although, it is my first headphone amp and first tube amp so take that for what it's worth.  

 

[willycps]

@AlexRoma: did you tested the AKG K701? I have doubts between these two models of headphones from AKG (having a pair of K280 since 25 years or so).
 
I'm planning to upgrade to K701 or K712, and get a Fiio Q1 (and maybe in some months a pair of Magni 2 Uber (amp) + Modi 2 Uber (DAC)). What do you think about all that? What are your recommendations? Thank you very much in advance.

 

[Champ HkGt]

I use my K712 pro with Schiit Asgard + Audio-GD NFB12.1 (As DAC) and it work well.
Asgard have good warm tone, it add thickness, warmness and deep bass to K712 much more than Vali can do. (But Vali also worth it.s price)

 

[StewartL]

This is my first post so please bear with me.
I recently received a pair of k712 pro's and an o2odac combo dac amp. These are my first open phones as I have a space to get the most out of them. I am in the process of switching from a fiio x3ii dap to using my mobile phone as their Sq has improved out of sight along with their usb audio compatabilities. I also usually listen to shure 535 iems.
My first impressions of the k712 o2odac combination were a bit of a let down, like the op.The bass wasn't interesting so I gave it some real subjective auditing. I realized that the bass is there and loud however it is presented unusually to me. The kick of a bass drum is loud, precise, and faster than I've experienced leaving more of a gap between thuds. As the highest frequencies provide presence this effect mirrored that feeling. The kick drum doesn't come across as deep and I felt let down until the strum of a bass guitar came through at a mind blowing low frequency to my ears. That's how I felt after the first song. I've had the phones burning in when I can and it's a pleasure how well the bass end of the frequency has been coming together each time I've checked. The mids and high end were awesome from the start.
The sound quality has lived up to the reputation with clear precise response and no dominating frequencies. What got me most was the sound stage and separation. I felt immersed but not the focal point, kinda like I was standing 5 meters back from a band. I'm yet to feel the annoyance of having the two halves of a drum kit in either ear as previously experienced with lesser setups . For the most part everything is where it should be in my mind. The separation is perfect to my ears,,, I can clearly hear each instrument and easily follow it throughout a song. The greatest surprise for me is the vocals. I have low grade industrial deafness which means I struggle distinguishing voices from surrounding noise. With the k712 pro's I can hear and understand all of the lyrics and most of the backup vocals too. For me thats an absolute rarity, that kind of separation and clarity blows my mind.
The headphone, amp, dac combo I have is perfect for me and I highly recommend it. But if it doesn't blow your mind, remember that I was born with a different set of ears and musical taste than you.