Darn it...I may have sold my AKG K701's too quickly!

Aug 26, 2007 at 2:10 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 6

daltonlanny

Headphoneus Supremus
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I may have sold my AKG K701's prematurely!
I sold my 701's just before I bought a used Rega Apollo on Audiogon, and now I have a new Rega Saturn coming in Tuesday.
All of my current players, except for the Apollo, have the "Japanese Sound" to a certain degree...slightly strident, bright, lively, and forward sounding.
The Marantz SA8001 exhibits less of this than the others, but it is still there.
I can even hear this with the Sennheiser HD650's!
Nothing against this sound at all, but it may not sound that good on very detailed cans such as the 701's.
The Apollo sounds very airy, spacious, slightly warm and euphonic, detailed, and very smooth through the 600's and 650's with NO forwardness, brightness, or thinness at all. The Apollo sound has a sort of an "analog" feel to it. Is this the "British Sound"?
Now I wish I had the 701's so that I could see how they sound with the Rega players. I got the feeling there would have been a much better match there.
Thoughts or comments anyone?
 
Aug 26, 2007 at 2:24 AM Post #2 of 6
Thanks for the heads up lanny, as unfortunate as that maybe. Both with the k-701s and the 990s also, if I were to venture a logical extention of your thinking with regards to the signature of your previous CDPs and the Regas...

This is why I have in mind either the Apallo or Saturn CDP with the cans in my inventory vs a more forward, detailed and agressive CDPs...

Thanks again for confirming my estimation of the sound I would need in a CDP with my cans of choice.

Enjoy the Saturn Lanny, very nice choice
wink.gif
 
Aug 26, 2007 at 3:44 AM Post #3 of 6
When comparing the HD-650 and K-701 with my Rega, I found that the AKG was indeed something very special. The HD-650 was just a little *too* laid back and dark.

I can't recommend the combo in my sig enough!
 
Aug 26, 2007 at 7:30 AM Post #4 of 6
Yes! Good thought on laid-back British vs. forward Japanese CD players. I have an Arcam, and perhaps that's why I have trouble enjoying the HD650 as much as others do.

I'm just now listening to a K701 again, and it is smooth and DETAILED through the Arcam. It also has plenty of bass, perhaps deeper (although less pervasive) than the 650 bass.

I wonder if the 650 waa designed for the more common forward, Japanese CDP sound, or for the then-new computer/portable sound sources, rather than smoother sources?

Anyway, I want to know if you like the 701 better with the Apollo and Saturn. If so, you're really onto something. It could help explain the splits in the community over both the Sennheiser HD650 and the AKG K701.
 
Aug 26, 2007 at 11:05 AM Post #5 of 6
greggf,
You may be 100% correct!
The 650 may have indeed been designed more for brighter cd players, computer/portable, and brighter mainstream modern recordings.
I may have to purchase me another pair of 701's [used, this time!], and find out how they sound with the Rega Saturn. I just sold my Apollo, so I guess I will never know how they sound together.
But, according to reviews, the Saturn is even more refined, delicate, has better depth, more extension on both ends, and has a more solid bass, so it would probably be an even better match for the 701's than the Apollo was.
Thanks Bill!
I really think the Saturn is going to really be something special for me. I loved the sound of the Apollo, except that is was just slightly, and I mean slightly, too euphonic to me, lacked depth slightly, and sometimes it had trouble reading the beginnings of songs on cd-r's. Otherwise, this thing was simply AMAZING in certain perimeters such as lack of listening fatigue, air around & seperation of voices & instruments, soundstage width, smoothness, tight and very well defined bass, and midrange detail. The sound of the Apollo was indeed "analog like" compared to all other CD players I have ever heard, and I love a great analog set-up!
That is the main reason I decided to get the Saturn. If it improves on the Apollos weaknesses, and at the same time improves upon the Apollos strengths, then WOW, I can't wait!
Up until the Apollo, the Marantz SA8001 was the best CD playback I have had in my system. But, compared to the Apollo, it sounds slightly strident, more forward, not as refined, more congested, looser in the bass, less transparent, and doesn't quite have the air and excellent seperation of voices and instruments that the Apollo has.
Don't get me wrong, the 8001 is an excellent sounding CD player in its own right, and has some really strong suits such as a big, bold, deep sound, with excellent timbre of piano, violins, etc., but it is a more forward, edgy sound overall than the Rega, and at the same time lacks ultimate "air", openness, and transparency on the the top-end.
Japanese and British CD players do indeed seem to have different sonic signatures, overall.
After I get the Saturn, I will burn it in for a week then post my impressions of it. I will also compare it and the Marantz head-to-head.
 
Aug 27, 2007 at 8:26 AM Post #6 of 6
This my friend is why you need to audition as many different CDP brands from all over the world as possible. I've heard a lot of CDPs so far and can personally attest to how important synergy is - my CDPs have all been from NAD, Cambridge Audio, & Arcam (British), Audio Aero (French), Primare (Swedish), CEC (Japanese), and now Ayre (American). There may be some truth to a Japanese sound as your description of Marantz is pretty close to what I heard with the CEC CD3300, but I wouldn't write all British players off as the same. NAD does not sound the same as Arcam, and Arcam does not sound like Cambridge Audio, even if Arcam originally started out as CA (or is it the other way around?).

Anyway, it's a good thing you found out now how much of a difference source can make.
wink.gif
 

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