[jhenderson010759]

Got the 701s, listened for 15 minutes driven with Grace 901. I am going to return them next week.

Nowhere near as detailed as my K1000s (SAC amp). Not even in the same league as K1000 + sub (but then, what is?); Detail is slightly better than my HD650's, but more boxy and enclosed. Less comfortable than 650's, for me. Less bass than the 650's.

What's the point?



.

 

[Kraegorn]

Just got them from TTVJ today. Boy, do the ear cushions need breaking in.

 

[discord]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhenderson010759 Got the 701s, listened for 15 minutes driven with Grace 901. I am going to return them next week. Nowhere near as detailed as my K1000s (SAC amp). Not even in the same league as K1000 + sub (but then, what is?); Detail is slightly better than my HD650's, but more boxy and enclosed. Less comfortable than 650's, for me. Less bass than the 650's. What's the point? .

Well, that was quick.

 

[blessingx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhenderson010759 Detail is slightly better than my HD650's, but more boxy and enclosed.

If this is true that's quite a bit different than the K501s & K1000s. No offense, but I hope your 15 minute trial turns out to be very wrong.

 

[Beach123456]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhenderson010759 Got the 701s, listened for 15 minutes driven with Grace 901. I am going to return them next week. Nowhere near as detailed as my K1000s (SAC amp). Not even in the same league as K1000 + sub (but then, what is?); Detail is slightly better than my HD650's, but more boxy and enclosed. Less comfortable than 650's, for me. Less bass than the 650's. What's the point? .

You could try burning them in first, that makes a big difference with some headphones.

 

[Kwisatz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhenderson010759 ... Detail is slightly better than my HD650's, but more boxy and enclosed. Less comfortable than 650's, for me. Less bass than the 650's.

Interesting as I find that the 650's slightly more boxed in than the 701's... Not that I find either bad in that regard. I agree on the comfort, but the 650s have had a long time to shape themselves to my head, and likewise the feel of the 650s on my head is second nature to me. Currently I prefer the 650's bass to the 701s, but this is the area I'm least comfortable on commenting on as this tends to be one of the traits that changes the most with use (be it physical or psychological). Guess it just goes to show how differently people hear things.

 

[xand1x]

Quote:

Originally Posted by skullguise Mine are here, and mine are on my head. And there is music. I have to say, out of the box, they are SOOOO smooth yet detailed. They are a little soft in the highs, and a little fat - believe it or not - in the bass/midbass. I expect burn-in (yes, that) will improve them, but even so, I know these will be my primary 'phones. I have a Dynahi with 2 outputs, and switched between the 701's and my Sony SA-5K's. Realized quickly that the Sony's are more in your face in the mids, but are slightly congested and have a litle glasre compared to the beautiful neutrality of the 701's! The Sony's right now reach farther into the high frequencies, and are extended without harshness on the Dynahi. The AKG's, as mentioned, are a little softer there, but it still seems there is the basis of fine detail. Bass, it's otugh to say right now. The AKG's seem to reach deeper, but the Sony's are tighter. This is a very premature comparison, since I have a couple hours in. Comfort-wise, I will need a little time for the AKG's to adjust to my head, and vice-versa. I find myself desiring to adjust them a bit here and there. That will also come in time. But based on this initial listening, I think the 701's will replace the SA-5K's as my reference. It's only been about 2 hours, though, so it remains to be seen in the long run. All in all, a very musical product!

Amazing, great to hear!!! I need to order a pair of these ASAP!! I just got k340's though (pretty happy with them too!)

Congrats on the purchase and post more impressions after burn in

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhenderson010759 Got the 701s, listened for 15 minutes driven with Grace 901. I am going to return them next week.

*Fifteen minutes* is enough for you to form a strong opinion on a set of cans? I admit to being puzzled by this.

Fwiw, I generally give a new piece of gear at least two weeks (constant use) before coming to any conclusions.

 

[jhenderson010759]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fewtch *Fifteen minutes* is enough for you to form a strong opinion on a set of cans? I admit to being puzzled by this. ...

It didn't take me fifteen minutes to form the strong opinion. That only took a couple of pieces with familiar music; a few minutes.

The other twelve were spent in attempted denial of the first three.

 

[blessingx]

Okay, we're down to three minutes. Anyone able to judge in two (LTUCCI1924 exempted)?

 

[CSMR]

That sounds very reasonable. Can't one tell basically how a headphone sounds in a few seconds?

 

[Kwisatz]

What, you need to listen to a headphone to tell how it sounds? I thought we did that by looks 'round here.

 

[Jap]

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Even if members burn the K701 in properly, you'll probably still find an inordinate number of people returning the phones. It comes down to the fact that many people are still searching for what they want sonically out of equipment.

I learned early that many of the members at this forum do not share my sonic tastes. Therefore, flavor of the month interests only has a very mild effect on me. I continue to use meets and equipment auditions to refine my sonic druthers.

The K701 sound appealing to me since it comes from a company which is somewhat legendary for innovation in headphones (e.g., the K340---a hybrid dynamic/electrostatic phone, the K1000---portable speakers in essence, etc.) and which is famous for its glorious midrange sound. Get the mids right, and one can usually tweak the treble or bass to get a well balanced sound. To hear a few members reporting that no single sonic feature appears to stand out only adds to the appeal.

Still, from what I see on this forum, a phone like that is not going to appeal to a lot of members. Many prefer a bass-heavy presentation; a few even like bright presentations.

I love high clarity (that is, details!, details!

) with great frequency balance and transparency. Soundstage, or as Darthnut more accurately says, headstage, with three dimensional characteristics is a growing interest of mine now that I am starting to focus more on home phones rather than portable ones. When phone manufacturers can correct for most of these features fairly well within the same phone, it will result in a reasonably accurate phone (e.g., the Joe Grado HP1/2, although their headstage is not nearly as impressive as other phones).

The K701 may be one of the few special phones which come close to scoring high on my criteria.
[/size]

 

[KZEE]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kwisatz What, you need to listen to a headphone to tell how it sounds? I thought we did that by looks 'round here.

There are some around here that don't even need to see the headphones in order to form an opinion on how they're going to sound

.

 

[ReDVsion]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhenderson010759 Got the 701s, listened for 15 minutes driven with Grace 901. I am going to return them next week.

I know you're going to recieve a lot more negative input regarding this statement, but I have to add my piece.

I don't buy into the whole "headphone driver burn-in" thing; I've never personally experienced such a thing. I've experienced earpad burn-in (for example: as my AKG K271 pads got used, they became more compressed and placed the driver closer to my ear as a result; I now place cotton behind the earpads to reduce this effect), and I've experienced psychological burn-in as well. I think the latter is most important; if I auditioned a new headphone as quickly as you have with the K701, I would have immediately sold my previously-owned DT880 immediately after purchasing it. It sounded extremely bright and thin to my ears with very little (if any) bass, basically like a set of really, REALLY cheap headphones. I was supremely disappointed at the time, and these were used already, so they were most certainly "burned-in". But my ears were what hadn't adjusted. The more I listened, the more immersed I became with the DT880's sound; they are now one of my favorite headphones. I experienced something very similar with my DT531s. When I was A-B'ing them with my other headphones, they simply didn't match up. When I gave them an extensive listen on their own, I found they struck a nice balance between by other two cans. The human ear is an amazing thing, and it can change and adjust and even form a sort-of memory based upon what it's used to.

Now, none of this is to say that ultimately you won't like the K701 as much as the K1000 (having heard the K1000s at a meet I understand completely how GOOD something would have to be to compete), but I would certainly give the K701 a more extensive listen, without actively trying to compare it to your other headphones.