[Epicfailman]

Hey guys. I currently am running a pair of AD700s off of a Little Dot I+ with some WE 408As (matched) and I was looking at possibly getting a pair of AKG K701s for my main headphones. I mostly listen to rock music and some instrumental. So here is my question, as much as they can be objectively compared, which of the two would fair better running off of a Little Dot I+ listening to the music I do? I know that personal preference will always come up in such a question, but I am talking about objective differences (i.e. soundstage, bass, mids, highs, etc.). Are the AD700s keepers or is the AKG K701 in a whole 'nuther league than the AD700s? Thanks!

 

[rds]

The k701 are definitely in another league, but the little dot I won't be able to drive them properly. In my experience, the k701 need a very nice DAC and amp to sound great.

 

[fraseyboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rds /img/forum/go_quote.gif The k701 are definitely in another league, but the little dot I won't be able to drive them properly. In my experience, the k701 need a very nice DAC and amp to sound great.

I disagree. They're more expensive, but this does not mean they're better.

I much preferred the AD700 for rock.

 

[lucky]

I recently owned both simultaneously, and ended up selling the K701. I started with the AD700, read opinions about how the K701 was an upgrade, and bought it to compare. I enjoyed certain characteristics of it, but in the end, didn't find it an upgrade, but a step sideways. I've since sold it, and am back to the AD700 as my singular open phone. My music tastes encompass (lots of stuff), and I listened to everything with both phones while forming my opinions. Regarding soundstage, I found the K701 had a wider near soundstage, but the AD700 had a wider far stage, which provided a larger stage overall. It was the more enveloping phone. It was also the more balanced phone; the K701 had an emphasis in the highs that never went away. It (the K701) also sounded crisper due to that brightness, and it seemed less sensitive than the AD700 in terms of picking up background ambience. Overall, the AD700 was the mellower phone, while the K701 was the more forward, crisp phone.

Comfortwise, the AD700 won hands down. I had to mod the K701 immediately out of the box, as they were too small to fit my head without dragging my ears up. The mod made them much more comfortable, but the AD700 were still on top there. Unamped, the K701 required four more notches on my Macbook to achieve the same volume as the AD700. Someday, I might pick up another pair, but they'd have to be much cheaper or I'd have to be much richer, as they weren't worth the price to me. I am on the lookout for other phones with that brightness, however, as it was an interesting experience. I'd advise you to keep in mind that almost none of the people who will automatically tell you the K701 is the better phone have owned both simultaneously and made extended comparisons on their own gear. At least one other member here has owned both simultaneously and ended up selling the K701, but there's at least one person who had both and went in the other direction, if I recall correctly. If you're looking for an upgrade to the AD700, you may wish to consider the AD900, which I may buy someday.

Here are some pictures of the two together, post-K701 mod:

 

[Epicfailman]

Thanks for the comparison Lucky. It is nice to get feedback from someone who has both. You have certainly gotten me thinking about it right now. I might just get the AKG K701s, burn 'em in for a few days and then compare and keep the headphone I like best. RDS, as far as the Little Dot I+ not being able to power the K701s...are you sure about that? The Little Dot I+ was designed for lower impedance headphones and gives them a higher power output than higher impedance phones. I have to look it up, but off of the top of my head, I want to say that the K701 have an impedance of 42. So in terms of power, shouldn't the LD I+ be just fine? I am not questioning your judgment at all; I am quite inexperienced in the world of headphone amps, so my thoughts are much more likely to be wrong than yours are. So are you saying the LD I+ can't provide enough power, or that the sound that it gives off is not optimal for the K701s? Thanks!

EDIT: I was off by 20 on the impedance; the K701s have an impedance of 62, but as far as headphones go, that is still pretty low.

 

[dcpoor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rds /img/forum/go_quote.gif The k701 are definitely in another league, but the little dot I won't be able to drive them properly. In my experience, the k701 need a very nice DAC and amp to sound great.

seconded. the k701's need a good source and amping to show their worth.
without those, the two phones sound like near equals to me.

 

[rds]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Epicfailman /img/forum/go_quote.gif RDS, as far as the Little Dot I+ not being able to power the K701s...are you sure about that?

No, actually I'm wrong about that. I forgot that the Little Dot I+ is a hybrid. The k701s are no good with a pure tube amp.

I think you should try the k701, but I'm a little partial because I really love the sound from the k701s.
But keep in mind too that I'm powering mine with some pretty nice equipment. In my experience the k701 can reveal nasty stuff that other headphones will gloss over. When I think of lucky powering his off a laptop I'm amazed he didn't absolutely hate them.

 

[lucky]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Epicfailman /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the comparison Lucky. It is nice to get feedback from someone who has both. You have certainly gotten me thinking about it right now. I might just get the AKG K701s, burn 'em in for a few days and then compare and keep the headphone I like best.

You're welcome, Epicfailman. Your approach is that which I took (bought the K701, compared for myself, kept the one I liked). I read lots of reviews, but eventually, what I found from actually listening with my ears was more valuable than the countless hours spent reading people who'd never owned both phones write about how much better the K701 was.

 

[Epicfailman]

I did notice the comparison was done unamped, which would favor the AD700s due to them being easy to drive, so I was wary about that. I think I will try a pair though, and if I do, I will post how they fair amped as compared to straight out of the source. Thanks for the help all!

 

[kool bubba ice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Epicfailman /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the comparison Lucky. It is nice to get feedback from someone who has both. You have certainly gotten me thinking about it right now. I might just get the AKG K701s, burn 'em in for a few days and then compare and keep the headphone I like best. RDS, as far as the Little Dot I+ not being able to power the K701s...are you sure about that? The Little Dot I+ was designed for lower impedance headphones and gives them a higher power output than higher impedance phones. I have to look it up, but off of the top of my head, I want to say that the K701 have an impedance of 42. So in terms of power, shouldn't the LD I+ be just fine? I am not questioning your judgment at all; I am quite inexperienced in the world of headphone amps, so my thoughts are much more likely to be wrong than yours are. So are you saying the LD I+ can't provide enough power, or that the sound that it gives off is not optimal for the K701s? Thanks! EDIT: I was off by 20 on the impedance; the K701s have an impedance of 62, but as far as headphones go, that is still pretty low.

Lucky severely under powered his 701. They need more amplification then a mac book. The AD700 sound good with anything. Volume wise, the LDI should make the 701s loud.

 

[kool bubba ice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rds /img/forum/go_quote.gif The k701 are definitely in another league, but the little dot I won't be able to drive them properly. In my experience, the k701 need a very nice DAC and amp to sound great.

With good gear and right synergy yes... Out of a ipod/PC No.

 

[AmanGeorge]

I've never heard the ATs, so I can't comment on that, but I can put in my $0.02 about amp synergy... When I had a LD I+, I actually wasn't that happy about the sound I got out of my K701s relative to my LD MKV - it was a little warmer, which was nice, but noticeably muddier to my ears. These days I'm running the K701s off a Head-Direct EF1 and loving every second of music this beautiful system sends my way.

 

[Epicfailman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kool bubba ice /img/forum/go_quote.gif With good gear and right synergy yes... Out of a ipod/PC No.

So are you saying that if I were to get a pair of K701s that an ASUS Xonar D2X wouldn't cut it and that I would need a good DAC? Cause if that is the case, that will definitely influence my decision on whether or not to acquire a pair of the headphones or not. If a DAC is needed, what kind would be optimal for running with a Little Dot I+ and the headphones?

 

[Epicfailman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AmanGeorge /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've never heard the ATs, so I can't comment on that, but I can put in my $0.02 about amp synergy... When I had a LD I+, I actually wasn't that happy about the sound I got out of my K701s relative to my LD MKV - it was a little warmer, which was nice, but noticeably muddier to my ears. These days I'm running the K701s off a Head-Direct EF1 and loving every second of music this beautiful system sends my way.

Do you think that was amp specific between the LD I+ and the LD MKV, or might it have been tube/op-amp specific? I am not looking for the best possible setup for the AKG K701s, but rather something that would be an improvement to my current setup. So I guess my question really gets down to did they sound good on the LD I+ apart from the other comparisons?

 

[rds]

At this point the Xonar d2x is definitely not the weakest link. The Xonar soundcards are a great value.
If you want to upgrade for the k701 definitely look at a better amp first.
I think you'll have to try the k701s yourself to see if you like them on your current setup. The nice thing is they will scale well with future upgrades.