[babyoh]

Looking for something with the classic vintage tube sound (lush, seductive and musical sounding with thick midrange). Any suggestions? Can EarMax drive them well?

 

[paulllaser]

RSA B52 with good NOS tubes.

 

[Gu Sensei]

I loved the K701s with my Leben CS300. It really breathed life into those headphones. That combo has been well-reviewed elsewhere too.

 

[Uncle Erik]

How much are you looking to spend on an amp?

If you want the classic tube sound, look for an amp with DHT (directly heated triode) tubes. Some popular examples are the 300B, 2A3 and 45. Those will give you a lot of what you're looking for. If those don't interest you or fall outside your budget, look for an amp with output transformers. Those also tend to deliver the sound you want. Tube amps either have capacitors connected to the output (OTL, output transformerless) or transformers. Another factor is having a rectifier tube in the power supply. Those are for changing AC power into DC. You can use diodes (solid state) or tubes to do it. A tube rectifier helps give an amp the classic tube sound, too.

There are a number of amps that fit the bill, but it's hard to recommend one without knowing your budget.

 

[babyoh]

My budget is under $2k. Looking for something with exposed tubes. Thanks!

 

[Borat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by babyoh /img/forum/go_quote.gif Looking for something with the classic vintage tube sound (lush, seductive and musical sounding with thick midrange). Any suggestions? Can EarMax drive them well?

If you're looking for that kind of sound, my suggestion is to use different headphones. I tried the K701 with a powerful tube amp (Singlepower PPX3 SLAM) and it never sounded like you described.

Try the Grado RS-1, Sennheiser HD650, or AKG K340.

 

[babyoh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Borat /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you're looking for that kind of sound, my suggestion is to use different headphones. I tried the K701 with a powerful tube amp (Singlepower PPX3 SLAM) and it never sounded like you described. Try the Grado RS-1, Sennheiser HD650, or AKG K340.

Tried HD650 and didn't like it. Too warm, dark and rolled off sounding compared to Baby O for my taste as if it was made to tame bright sounding SS electronics.

 

[pyramid6]

I just ordered a WA6 w/ PDPS from Woo Audio for my AKG K701s. From reading the forums, if you are looking for a specific sound, your going to want to roll tubes.

I can not comment on the specific sound just yet, but I have read you can roll tubes with this amp until you get the sound you want.

 

[runnin17]

Not trying to steal the guys thread or anything, but are there any budget minded tube amps that are decent for the 701's? Or will tube rolling really be the key into getting the right sound?

 

[pyramid6]

From what I read, tube rolling gives you more options, some like the sounds of one tube, others hate it. All of it is subjective. A good tube amp with the right power gives you the option to find the perfect sound for you and your cans. I have not seen any tube amps universally panned, not sure what you can make of that.

Edit: The K701s need a lot of power from what I read, and output transformer coupled [whatever that means, I think more power] are better for these.

 

[Redcarmoose]

I do not use my k701s because I have not really found an amp to drive them correct. I would try and demo some amps at a show or friends house till you get there. What happens is they sound thin and do not have authority. I have tried with a lot of combos but somehow did not get it right. They are known for super mid-range and great image of space outside of your ears. There just not a rock headphone unless maybe you get everything right. I have a Woo 5 le in the mail that will get here in 4 days, so I will let you know. Everyone seems to think the Sennheiser 650s are a pair to get things sounding right with more amps. I will try that next.

 

[viscosity]

I use AKG k701s with a darkvoice 336i.. very nice sound with a good source

have also tried an older NAD solidstate amp and it doesn't sound half bad, bass is more pronounced

 

[jrhill]

You can easily rewire the k701s for a better sound, but for a headbanger sound, the AKGs aren't best suited for the job - I'd suggest the Grados.

The big Caiyin (H500?) does a pretty good job, but the amp for really excellent results is a diy design from "diyaudio" called the "taylored DOA amp" - a current gain, not voltage gain amp.

The 701s also benefit from the use of the Xfeed cct for a lot of source material, particularly with much of the current material that seems to suffer from high dynamic compression - not nice!!

 

[theBigD]

Head-Direct EF-1 does a good job. First amp that makes 701s sound great with rock. Couldnt believe the difference between the go-vibe I used before (even with 24 volt elpac) and ef-1. havent had a chance to tube roll yet but i think I could get a tubier sound with mullard tube.

 

[tintin47]

No experience with it, but I have heard and read that thCayin HA-1A is an amazing amp for the 701.