[mrravioli]

Remember the good old days of HD600/650, DT880, K701 Trio. But it's time to look ahead. Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic and AKG all have their new flagship now (HD800, T1, K812), but they are not for someone with a limited budget on HP and also amps. So I always keep an eye on the 'quasi-flagships'. Here Sennheiser has HD700 and BD has T90 (which I found to be a great leap from the old trio and use now). But what about AKG? From the terminology, K702 and K712 should be the upgrade from the 701's, but by searching the Internet, I got the impression that they are more of modifications than upgrades? Did I miss something, or Just that AKG has a different market strategy than it's opponents?

 

[Thenewguy007]

The k712 was their previous flagship, before the 812.
They have unique drivers not used in the 701/702 camp.

 

[Me x3]

From my perspective K702 and K712 are in the same class as the current 'quasi-flagships'
But besides the range, you need to find the headphone that suits your preferences the best.
 
K702/HD800 are neutralish
K712/T1/K812 are a tiny bit on the warm side
HD700/T90 are slightly u-shaped

 

[mrravioli]

  From my perspective K702 and K712 are in the same class as the current 'quasi-flagships'
But besides the range, you need to find the headphone that suits your preferences the best.
 
K702/HD800 are neutralish
K712/T1/K812 are a tiny bit on the warm side
HD700/T90 are slightly u-shaped

 
Thx for the clarification. Do you mean T1 is actually warmer than T90? I like my T90 a lot. A bit intrigued by her bigger sibling (T1 Gen 1 is currently a great deal compared to other flagships), but always scared by its 600 ohm impedance.

 

[Me x3]

   
Thx for the clarification. Do you mean T1 is actually warmer than T90? I like my T90 a lot. A bit intrigued by her bigger sibling (T1 Gen 1 is currently a great deal compared to other flagships), but always scared by its 600 ohm impedance.

Yes, T1.1 has more of a warm tilt next to the more u-shaped T90.
Don't get this wrong, some people confuse warmer with more bass and this is not the case.

T1.1 has softer treble response and the bass is more linear. A flatter presentation overall, which sits on the warm side of neutral.
T90 is more punchy in the bass and also brighter, so it's more u-shaped.
 
Don't worry too much about the 600 Ohm impedance. Teslas are pretty sensitive.
It's just a little bit harder to drive than the T90, nothing more.
 
What's your amp?

 

[mrravioli]

 
Yes, T1.1 has more of a warm tilt next to the more u-shaped T90.
Don't get this wrong, some people confuse warmer with more bass and this is not the case.

T1.1 has softer treble response and the bass is more linear. A flatter presentation overall, which sits on the warm side of neutral.
T90 is more punchy in the bass and also brighter, so it's more u-shaped.
 
Don't worry too much about the 600 Ohm impedance. Teslas are pretty sensitive.
It's just a little bit harder to drive than the T90, nothing more.
 
What's your amp?

 
That sounds great to me. I listen to classical music 90% of my time and my valuation of HP's is always based on 'how close it sounds to what I heard in the concert', so 'neutral' is actually the most aspired quality from a HP for me.
 
I'm now using a JDS LABS ODAC/O2 combo. I've tried a few luxury amps in hifi stores which truly sounds great, but those would be way out of my budget currently, and the relatively "cheaper" ones just didn't make such a big improvement (if any) to my blunt ears to justify the switch. If I were to step into the flagship territory (which is already luxury for me), I might consider upgrading my dac & amp when my wallet gets thick again. But for now, if I decide to change my system, I would definitely begin with the HP.

 

[Me x3]

   
That sounds great to me. I listen to classical music 90% of my time and my valuation of HP's is always based on 'how close it sounds to what I heard in the concert', so 'neutral' is actually the most aspired quality from a HP for me.
 
I'm now using a JDS LABS ODAC/O2 combo. I've tried a few luxury amps in hifi stores which truly sounds great, but those would be way out of my budget currently, and the relatively "cheaper" ones just didn't make such a big improvement (if any) to my blunt ears to justify the switch. If I were to step into the flagship territory (which is already luxury for me), I might consider upgrading my dac & amp when my wallet gets thick again. But for now, if I decide to change my system, I would definitely begin with the HP.

ODAC/O2 will work just fine for most headphones, except maybe the Hifiman HE-4 and HE-6.
As you've said you can find better gear but diminishing returs strikes hard once you've reach ODAC/O2 level.
 
I listen mostly to classical and opera. What I like most about my T1 is its organic and vibrant presentation.
My Sennheiser HD800's sound is cooler, cleaner and roomier but more often than not, less realistic than the T1.
You can hear more with the HD800, but it has a less palpable kind of quality.
 
My K702 is almost there with the big boys. It's very light on its feet and boast great soundstage and instrument separation.
It's a tad more mid centric than both T1 and HD800. It's like a cooler T1, just a tad more forward in the upper mids, and just a tad less sharp (main difference between AKG and Beyer)
 
HD800 and K702 don't add any warmth to the recording, while the T1 adds a hint of warmth. These are all neutralish headphones so they are all relatively true to the source. The mastering plays a role in the end, clinical recordings won't match great with HD800/K702, and overly warm recordings won't match the T1 perfectly, you know...

 

[mrravioli]

ODAC/O2 will work just fine for most headphones, except maybe the Hifiman HE-4 and HE-6.
As you've said you can find better gear but diminishing returs strikes hard once you've reach ODAC/O2 level.

I listen mostly to classical and opera. What I like most about my T1 is its organic and vibrant presentation.
My Sennheiser HD800's sound is cooler, cleaner and roomier but more often than not, less realistic than the T1.
You can hear more with the HD800, but it has a less palpable kind of quality.

My K702 is almost there with the big boys. It's very light on its feet and boast great soundstage and instrument separation.
It's a tad more mid centric than both T1 and HD800. It's like a cooler T1, just a tad more forward in the upper mids, and just a tad less sharp (main difference between AKG and Beyer)

HD800 and K702 don't add any warmth to the recording, while the T1 adds a hint of warmth. These are all neutralish headphones so they are all relatively true to the source. The mastering plays a role in the end, clinical recordings won't match great with HD800/K702, and overly warm recordings won't match the T1 perfectly, you know...

It might sound funny, but when I first listened to HD800, I thought 'well, this must be the ultimate sound from a headphone. But this is nothing like music in real life'. I'm not trying to bash it, coz it is really crazy good (not to mention the pillow like comfort), just not my cup of tea. I can even imagine people who prefer the sound to the Live one in concert but for me it's maybe 'too good to be true'.