[Mannymax]

Hi All

First post for me here, so here goes, have an unusul question for you expert head fiers, after many happy listening years owning several pairs of beyer cans, last pair being some DT 770's, stumbled accross this site and had a peruse at some of the threads to discover how much of a following AKG headphones had with a lot of people on here.

After owning a quite a few semi hi end hi-fi systems, the likes of Naim, Cyrus etc. etc. and after spending thousands of pounds seaching for the holy grail via the speaker route, I did not find it, so, down graded to a NAD C372 intergrated amp and have been really happy with it for about for about two and a half years for some reason, however the only music i really enjoyed was "through my headphones"!

So here is my situation, on a whim I purchased a pair of AKG 702 cans on relying some of the posts recomending them, recieved them 3 days ago and as some of the other forum members have discribed them, the have a very dry sound compared to the beyers, I plugged them in to the phono socket of the amp and they sounded ok, I realise they need a long break in period, so patience is a virtue.

Now for my main question, most of the amps that i have had in the past that have have a dedicated headphone output and have sounded pretty poor, however, i had a Rega amp some time ago that did not have anything i could plug my cans in to, so went back to the hi-fi shop that sold me the amp to see if there was any alternative for listening to my headphones with this particular amp and they supplied me with a QED MA30 for approx. £50.00

http://www.superfi.co.uk/images/MA30sm.jpg

this improved the sound quite a bit, basically with this little unit, it hijacks the speaker wire out of the back of the amp, so you get a direct feed to your phones as if it was going to a both speakers, loads of juice! in my case 150 watts, dunno why my ears have been bleeding lately lol

Has anyone had any experience with this unit and more importantly how much better would a dedicated headphone amp sound with these cans, sorry to be so long winded with this post.

look forward to you views

Manny

 

[apatN]

A dedicated headphone amp will surely help in giving you better sound. The K70Xs are a beast to drive properly!

 

[Mannymax]

Thanks for your reply ap, anybody else have any comments on my existing setup? have had about 10 hrs break in for the 702's up to now, think they have loosened up a little soundwise, however, being totaly bald, have a few comfort issues with the ribs on the headband, pretty uncomfortable actually.

 

[Frank I]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mannymax /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for your reply ap, anybody else have any comments on my existing setup? have had about 10 hrs break in for the 702's up to now, think they have loosened up a little soundwise, however, being totaly bald, have a few comfort issues with the ribs on the headband, pretty uncomfortable actually.

I have the 701. They sound great through my Outlaw 2150RR headphone amp on the receiver. They really shine on a Litlle Dot MK11 I own and paid 146.00 for through David ZHEZHE. If you want the best sound go for the tube amps. Litlle Dot is well regarded here and sound great and you can tweek the sound by changing tubes. The 702 need 300 hrs of burn in and you will be very happy with them if you are into Classical and Jazz and they shine with female vocals as well.

 

[Mannymax]

Hi frank

Thanks for your imput, will check out your recomendations, however, you mention classical and jazz for the 701/702's, i'm more into rock genres of music, the 702's sound good playing this through them at their present burn time, however, the nature of the sound of rock, I would need head phones that are dynamic in their sound, in your face if you like, have i made the wrong choice of headphone for my musical tastes? Also you mention a tube amps, have never heard one before, but am led to believe they have a very warm and smooth sound, how do they sound with complicated passages of music-Anyone?

 

[InFn-0]

They should not have any problems in getting out the detail stuff, but you might find that the headphone is somewhat lacking in punch for rock. For rock, most people recommend the Grado or Allesandro headphones, you might want to take a look at them, and also the Sony MDR SA5000. The SA5000 is more picky about what equipment you use with them, but you seem to have more than adequate equipment, with only the headphone amp lacking. Before you jump in to better/more expensive headphones, you should check out some good amplifiers in shops around you, because im pretty sure the amp you are currently using is inadequate for the K701's.

 

[Mannymax]

Quote:

Originally Posted by InFn-0 /img/forum/go_quote.gif They should not have any problems in getting out the detail stuff, but you might find that the headphone is somewhat lacking in punch for rock. For rock, most people recommend the Grado or Allesandro headphones, you might want to take a look at them, and also the Sony MDR SA5000. The SA5000 is more picky about what equipment you use with them, but you seem to have more than adequate equipment, with only the headphone amp lacking. Before you jump in to better/more expensive headphones, you should check out some good amplifiers in shops around you, because im pretty sure the amp you are currently using is inadequate for the K701's.

Thanks for your imput on headphones and amps, will have to do some homework within this sites threads and see if i can reach audio nervana-headphone style

 

[Frank I]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mannymax /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi frank Thanks for your imput, will check out your recomendations, however, you mention classical and jazz for the 701/702's, i'm more into rock genres of music, the 702's sound good playing this through them at their present burn time, however, the nature of the sound of rock, I would need head phones that are dynamic in their sound, in your face if you like, have i made the wrong choice of headphone for my musical tastes? Also you mention a tube amps, have never heard one before, but am led to believe they have a very warm and smooth sound, how do they sound with complicated passages of music-Anyone?

The 701 have a huge soundstage and it out me about 10 rows off the stage. My Shure SRH840 puts me in the pit so to speak. More up fron very dynamic and great bass. They dont have the soundstage of the 701 but are very good for Rock aand Jazz and Vocals. But they are closed. You may want to try them also work well with my Little Dot MK11 sound good. The tube amps are the way to do. You email David at Little dot and he will tell you what amp for your choice of cans. The Shure are easier to drive than the 701 but work well on my amp. Once you go tubes you wont go back.

 

[Mannymax]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frank I /img/forum/go_quote.gif The 701 have a huge soundstage and it out me about 10 rows off the stage. My Shure SRH840 puts me in the pit so to speak. More up fron very dynamic and great bass. They dont have the soundstage of the 701 but are very good for Rock aand Jazz and Vocals. But they are closed. You may want to try them also work well with my Little Dot MK11 sound good. The tube amps are the way to do. You email David at Little dot and he will tell you what amp for your choice of cans. The Shure are easier to drive than the 701 but work well on my amp. Once you go tubes you wont go back.

Thanks for the advice on the valve amps, may just give one a whirl, however, do not really understand how they connect, is it simply CD to headphone amp or is it CD to main amp to headphone amp?

 

[Happy Camper]

Your headphone amp needs a line out from a source. You can use your receiver or a dedicated source. Many here use their ipods through a line out dock to an amp.

If you are going to go for a full tube amp, I'd recommend doing some homework. Less expensive amps are priced according to compromises. The 70x will be a tough can to drive unless the amp is specifically tuned to them. When you get into the top end headphones, the resolution and accuracy of your chain will be heard in your headphones. A bad source or insufficient amp will have an impact on SQ.

 

[eucariote]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mannymax /img/forum/go_quote.gif Has anyone had any experience with this unit and more importantly how much better would a dedicated headphone amp sound with these cans,

Seems like there are not many people who have tried your particular unit. If you live in a larger city, you should see if there is a meetup being arranged so that you can directly compare your amp with (what will likely be a well-reviewed, ergo more popular) headphone amp with your headphones and your ears.

edit- and in case you do decide to purchase a new headphone amplifier, you could also test they synergy of your headphones with people's other amps at a meetup and potentially save yourself another boatload of money trying to find the right amp.

 

[Cankin]

Other than above suggestions, do not compare K701 to Beyer DT770

 

[roker]

[size=medium]STOP THE PRESSES!
[/size]
[size=xx-small](sorry, I just thought I'd be dramatic about this revelation)[/size]

 

[Frank I]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mannymax /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the advice on the valve amps, may just give one a whirl, however, do not really understand how they connect, is it simply CD to headphone amp or is it CD to main amp to headphone amp?

Connect CD directly to the headamp

 

[Mannymax]

Thanks for all your input, very much appreciated, looking forward to hearing a stand alone headphone amp.