[Dr. Strangelove]

*Info about the insides are on page 2 (Bottom).

So a quick first impressions...

Just got these in today's mail (from ice class).
They are electret phones from the 70s.
I am using my Mits DA-A10DC amp with the provided energizer (Hehe, vintage Japanese setup eh?).
I am coming from K701s.

-Funny enough... these have WAY more bass vs. the 701s. I cannot really hear volume change all the way down to 20hz.
-I cannot comment much on the non extremes of the sound (Mids and such) as they sound very much transparent. I ran a sweep from 20 to 15k, no peaks, no valleys... everything sounded the same volume.
-Another large improvement over 701s is the highs... they are so smooth, and go ALL THE WAY with no roll-off.
-The sound-stage is, while closer vs the K701, just as wide. I would rather it be a little farther back, but nothing to complain about. Plus crossfeed helps in this regard.
-On the sound-stage... it is not quite as big as the 701s. Not really the right words, but basically I think it is because the drivers are not super large in size. This is very much a fair trade though when one considers the pluses.
-They are quite comfy. The pads rest on your ears and do not hurt at all (Very soft actually). Headband could use a little more padding but coming from the damned bumpy headband on the 701 this feels nice.
-They get quite loud... I do not hear distortion at my usual high volume levels.
-Been testing them with every type of music I have... sounds great with everything (trance, classical, metal, pop, soundtrack, etc etc).

Mind you these are first impressions and I have not listened to many other cans... but from were I am standing, these are the best thing I have ever heard... they are SO blistering fast (detailed), go sooo low (vs 701s), and are quite neutral. Anyway take what you have read here with a good amount of salt.

This however needs no salt: dynamics no longer have a place in my home setup.


PS: IceClass, you made a large mistake selling these I think : P

 

[sachu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Strangelove /img/forum/go_quote.gif So a quick first impressions... Just got these in today's mail (from ice class). They are electret phones from the 70s. I am coming from K701s. Funny enough... these have WAY more bass vs. the 701s. I cannot really hear volume change all the way down to 20hz. I cannot comment much on the non extremes of the sound (Mids and such) as they sound very much transparent. I ran a sweep from 20 to 15k, no peaks, no valleys... everything sounded the same volume. Another large improvement over 701s is the highs... they are so smooth, and go ALL THE WAY with no roll-off. The sound-stage is, while closer vs the K701, just as wide. I would rather it be a little farther back, but nothing to complain about. Plus crossfeed helps in this regard. They are quite comfy. The pads rest on your ears and do not hurt at all (Very soft actually). Headband could use a little more padding but coming from the damned bumpy headband on the 701 this feel nice. They get quite loud... I do not hear distortion at my usual high volume levels. I am using my Mits DA-A10DC amp with the provided energizer (Hehe, vintage Japanese setup eh?). Mind you these are first impressions and I have not listened to many other cans... but from were I am standing, these are the best thing I have ever heard... they are SO blistering fast (detailed), go sooo low (vs 701s), are are quite neutral. Anyway take what you have read here with a good amount of salt. This however needs no salt: dynamics no longer have a place in my home setup.

Hahahah..welcome to the world of planar..pretty much the same experience I had too but with the ortho YH-100 pitted against the HD580.

The 580 didn't stand a chance

 

[j2kei]

ooo so you got them in the end? very nice.

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

I CANNOT get over the amount of bass from these little things!
It's not rolled off or boomy... just the right amount. This is rather strange since I have read that electrets and even some statics are not the best performers when it comes to bass.

The extremely fast response is amazing. So much more to the music then what I was hearing with the 701... and that phone has a quick driver.

 

[smeggy]

Pics or we don't believe you!

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

Probably have some by tomorrow... have a engagement later today that will take up the rest of the evening... an I am having too much fun with mah new cans atm to get the camera : P

 

[smeggy]

pfft, slacker!

 

[Kabeer]

haha good thing i never got them. Or I would have ruined it by ripping out those smelly electret drivers

. Congrats on enjoying your new headphone btw.
Its always nice when you enjoy a new can.

For me the move into the planar world meant less bass and less treble, but the timbre jumped light years ahead to my ears. And that was worth it alone.
Some people like planar, and some dont.

 

[Fido2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by smeggy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Pics or we don't believe you!

LOL...I was thinking the same thing! Pics pics pics!!

 

[dcpoor]

just wondering, what source and amp were you using with the k701's?

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

I am using computer -> SPDIF -> Yamaha HT Receiver (in Direct mode) -> Mits A10DC

With the K701 I usually used a DarkVoice 336i, though I have tested it with my Mits.

 

[mypasswordis]

Next step is to upgrade to some good orthos and full-blown electrostatics. You won't regret it.

The problem some people have with electrostatic bass is not amount, but lack of tactile impact when compared to dynamics. But electrostatic bass is tuneful and textured and not one note-y like dynamic bass.

 

[wualta]

Just so you know what you're dealing with...

I don't know whose AT-706 this is, but you'll note the similarity to Stax's SR-X and SR-5.

 

[smeggy]

Oh yeah, seen them on ebay a few times. Retrosexy!

 

[mypasswordis]

Are they really that similar? I thought the SR-X basically has no earcup volume and flat supraaural pads, and the SR-5 has angled drivers and more earcup volume, with thicker fairly circumaural pads. Also, the cups on the AT-70x are made out of thin aluminum or something, whereas they're plastic on the Stax, and the way the drivers are secured to the frame are different as well.

The 705 and my 702 are IMO sexier because they don't have the ugly brown plastic color.

Edit: Oh, you just meant looks. I think I've gotten too obsessed by working out every acoustic property of each and every headphone I'm interested in and why and how they sound different. Maybe I should just go back to listening and enjoying the music...