[ityk212]

Hello everyone, 
As the above states, I'm looking for an amp setup to drive the K/Q701 to a decent potential. As my budget is only USD250 max, I've been considering the E7+E9 combination as well as the TinyTube V2 amp/dac. I'll be using a MacbookPro/iphone as my sources, with an LOD for the iphone. Any recommendations from you guys?Btw I know I can't drive it to its full potential due to my budget. 
Thanks

 

[Snag1e]

The m-stage is widely recommended for the 701s around that price range....

 

[PanamaRed]

Used Schiit Valhalla is right in that price range and a great combination

 

[Ellipsis]

q701 and k701 are quite different in driving...
q701 may sound decent without an amp, while k 701 can't

 

[Head Injury]

Quote:

q701 and k701 are quite different in driving...
q701 may sound decent without an amp, while k 701 can't

Pretty sure they use the exact same driver.
 
OP, you want something with low output impedance (at least under 6-8 ohms, preferably 1 ohm), that can manage around 3 Vrms into 60ish ohms. That's not an especially tall order for a dedicated desktop amp. The E9 can do over 5 Vrms, problem being its 10 ohm output impedance.
 
The Matrix m-stage already recommended looks decent. 5 ohm output impedance, which is high but good enough for the K701. It has plenty of power, 400 mW into 60 ohms (about 5 Vrms). Its quoted distortion on the eBay page is 0.001% which is great, but misleading because it was measured with a much higher impedance (300 ohms) and at only about 1.5 Vrms. Distortion (generally) increases with low impedance loads and higher voltage.
 
I'd avoid tube amps like the Valhalla, but I like an accurate amp 

 

[HaVoC-28]

Used a M-Stage + Opa Moon and it was really nice with my K702 , my currently C2.1 is better no doubt but M-stage + K702 was a great match . 
 
(i am not found of tube amp , tested only 2 briefly but i gess it's not on my tastes ...)

 

[ityk212]

Thanks for your replies. How does the M-stage's performance differ from the Fiio e7+E9 combo?(not just a standalone E9)

 

[Head Injury]

Hard to say for sure, the Fiios have been measured by a third party so there's more information on them. The E7+E9 has a DAC, the m-stage doesn't, so if you need one (and it seems like you do) you'll be going over budget with the m-stage. You could always pick up something cheap like the Behringer UCA202 for a DAC, which performs very well for $30.
 
The E9 has a higher output impedance, not a good thing but won't change the headphones much. Just taking a guess based on the quoted specs for the m-stage, distortion levels will be similar and maybe slightly worse for the Fiios (still very quiet or inaudible). Power output with the E9 is going to be about the same at 60 ohms, maybe a little less at 300 ohms but still more than enough for every headphone with that impedance. The E9 is a slightly noisy amp, but that shouldn't be a concern with the K701. Just don't plug any IEMs into it, the output impedance (which is even higher on the small jack) could play havoc with their frequency response if they're balanced armature IEMs, and the noise may be clearly audible.
 
The Fiios have an advantage in functionality as well, because the E7 can break off and act as a pretty potent portable amp. It may not be enough to drive the K701 to ear-splitting levels, but it should work perfectly well at regular listening volumes.

 

[LizardKing1]

Although I have not tried it, the DIY amp O2, created by NwAvGuy is reported to work very well with the K701. If I'm correct, it was actually designed to work with it, and people who have reviewed it using the K701 and Q702 all said it was very good. And the price is 99£ fully built. If you're a decent DIYer you can also try building one, the parts + PCB + case should be only slightly over 100$.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/568705/review-nwavguys-o2-diy-amplifier

 

[pinkfloydfan]

The 02 is cheap enough to give a try but I think something more powerful would be better, not battery powered, I dont actually see the point of the 02, its portable but not going to easily fit in a pocket, it claims to drive 600ohm headphones but I dont know of anyone that would wear those on the move so indoors you would be better off having a desktop amp that is nicer looking & more of a hifi piece, but that is just my view.

 

[LizardKing1]

I agree. I don't even understand much the idea of a portable amp. IEMs give you better isolation and are exponentially less bulky, and rarely need an amp (although sound quality improves of course, but they don't need one to reach high volumes from most DAPs). Seeing Jude's "portable" rig made me wonder if this is going too far...

 

[ityk212]

Alright, thanks for the advice, but how does the TinyTube V2 compare to the O2? By the way the TTV2 is a portable tube amp/DAC capable of driving the K70x models well. 
Or should I just scrap the idea of portable amps and just get a desktop amp?

 

[fabio-fi]

Quote:

you would be better off having a desktop amp that is nicer looking & more of a hifi piece, but that is just my view.

X2 on this, specially with Akg. 
.2 cents.