DAC/amp to drive K701 suggestions

[DomieMic65]

Quote:

Ahh whoops haha it totally slipped my mind that it was a preorder and it's not actually shipping yet. Well I suppose it's all for the better. The way things are looking now I'm going to be increasing my budget anyway so I might as well keep my options open!
 
 

Yes I think you should...
For now I am just saying that the Bifrost has very good specs and price... personally I would consider it to be a safer blind buy than the amps... we should wait for some reviews though!!
 

 

[DomieMic65]

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Lyr is $450 msrp and I believe the E9 is $130. As with anything try before you buy if you can. I've heard a lot of people say they like the K701 with the Lyr. I definitely heard a difference over the E9. Whether that's worth $320 is a personal choice though.
 

For sure I will try to hear first... I hope it will be possible because for now I don't know anyone who has the Lyr
Any way with the 701s I am done for now and for a quite long time so ... time will tell!!

 

[grmnasasin0227]

Another thing to note, the comment about my wallet is absolutely right. I'm looking to get a pair of HD650s to complement my AKGs. Is there a happy medium for an amp that would work with both of them? I ask because the Senns are very high impedance while the AKG is lower (not to mention that the 650s have what some call a darker sound). I'm going to assume that the DAC decision doesn't really factor into it, but is there an amp that will place nice with both cans, like the Woo 6, Lyr, or others?

 

[Mad Max]

The M-Stage is one of those amplifiers that will do well with both.

 

[Twinster]

As per my first recommendation the M-Stage will play nice with both HD650 & K701 (I had both with it). You can also change the opamp to customize the sound to your taste.

If you want something more refine, I'm using a MAD EAR+ HD Purist with my HD650 and Grado. I used it with K701 before and will be using it soon with Q701 (just bought today). This is an transformer couple tube amplifier to worked very well with a wide variety of headphones. Proudly made in Canada by an amazing men. Dr. Lloyd.

 

[DomieMic65]

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A question: From the moment that those cans are 62ohm, 105db, why are they (supposed to be) so hard to drive???

An answer?? Or a link with an answer?

 

[Mad Max]

 
Quote:

An answer?? Or a link with an answer?

105dB? Presumably per 1mw?  We wish, but AKG puts it at 105dB/V so it does not seem inefficient to most people.  On an M-Stage, with the gain set to 10, you will turn the volume knob almost as much as with HD6x0 to get to moderate listening volume.
 
Edit: it is ~99 dB/mw: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/168037/db-per-milliwhat-efficiency-vs-sensitivity-vs-how-loud-do-they-really-go/15#post_6431953
I remember seeing somewhere that it is 96dB/mw, but I cannot find the place.
 
Edit2: This place says 93dB/mw: http://stereo.50webs.com/
Too many different answers.  =\

 

[DomieMic65]

Thx very much!!
So they are among the least sensitive cans with 93db/mW!
That means they require a lot of mW!
What about the impendance? Is it like speakers? The lower the impendance the more current they need? So we have an insensitive h/p with the demand for a lot of current so they are VERY difficult to drive... or the h/p case is different than the speakers??

 

[grmnasasin0227]

Quote:

As per my first recommendation the M-Stage will play nice with both HD650 & K701 (I had both with it). You can also change the opamp to customize the sound to your taste.

If you want something more refine, I'm using a MAD EAR+ HD Purist with my HD650 and Grado. I used it with K701 before and will be using it soon with Q701 (just bought today). This is an transformer couple tube amplifier to worked very well with a wide variety of headphones. Proudly made in Canada by an amazing men. Dr. Lloyd.

I've read there's not much of a difference between the K701/702 except for the detachable cable, but I haven't seen much on the Q701. It appears to also have a detachable cable like the K702, but is there a character or color difference in the family? I'm usually skeptical of gear named for a person, but coming from AKG it might be worth a look...any insight?
 
 

 

[2enty3]

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I've read there's not much of a difference between the K701/702 except for the detachable cable, but I haven't seen much on the Q701. It appears to also have a detachable cable like the K702, but is there a character or color difference in the family? I'm usually skeptical of gear named for a person, but coming from AKG it might be worth a look...any insight?
 
 

There's been mixed reviews on the Q701. Some say it's the same as K70X, and some say that it is an "improved" version with slightly more bass.
 
I like to think that they're all the same, because there is a high chance of the "placebo effect".
 
 

 

[magiester]

I'm another K701 user and I also want my K701 perform better. How about BIFROST + M-STAGE? The price may be over 700$, but both are recommanded above.

 

[Acix]

The first option will be the Apogee Duet, as DAC + hp amp, or the Mini DAC for PC users.
 
1. For studio level, the Phonitor will be great, the Auditor as well.
2. If you want to go audiophile style, the Violectric V100 will be the choice, boost on the bass, cut off on the treble.

 

[grmnasasin0227]

Quote:

I'm another K701 user and I also want my K701 perform better. How about BIFROST + M-STAGE? The price may be over 700$, but both are recommanded above.

I'm leery of the Bifrost as it hasn't been released yet and is thus wholly unproven aside from Schiit's name. I think from the recommendations in this thread I'm going to roll with the FUN and m-stage.
 
 
PS: Does anybody else have any comments as to the differences between the K701/K702/Q701?

Much appreciated!
 
 

 

[Mad Max]

Quote:

There's been mixed reviews on the Q701. Some say it's the same as K70X, and some say that it is an "improved" version with slightly more bass.
 
I like to think that they're all the same, because there is a high chance of the "placebo effect".

 
x2
HeadRoom's graphs are probably the cause of the placebo.  However, it is also possible that Q701 may have extra bass because of the Q button on the grill, making the headphone slightly less open as well.  The difference should be negligible, perhaps slightly less treble extension if anything.

 

[magiester]

Quote:

I'm leery of the Bifrost as it hasn't been released yet and is thus wholly unproven aside from Schiit's name. I think from the recommendations in this thread I'm going to roll with the FUN and m-stage.
 
 
PS: Does anybody else have any comments as to the differences between the K701/K702/Q701?

Much appreciated!
 
 

The FUN has an amp built in, right? I don't want to pay for two amps and never use one of them. I'm seeking a better plan to make the most of my budget