[Chefano]

Hi guys!! Sorry to bother you again...
I dont know if Im doing somenthing wrong.. or not doing at all but my k701 really sound so weak.. so muddy. Its the last chance. Im about to retire then..dont know what to do to sound better

I've tried to read as much as can about it.. but I couldnt find anything specific about a proper way of burning It.. ( pink noise, white noise, freq sweep.. ) the only thing I know it really needs long time of burn in.
Can you help how to proper adjust my k701?
BTW: Onkyo SE-150PCI <--> "The Hornet" <--> K701

Thanks!

 

[Kees]

I'm afraid the K701 need a proper amp. I found it not easy to find a good amp for them and sold them in the end.

 

[DarKu]

you NEED A GOOD AND POWERFULL HOME AMPLIFIER!
without that it is just a waste of money.
Your hornet doesnt have enought juice at all driving those k701, and burning in should be around 200-300 hours, just be patient, and don't forget about proper amping!

 

[Uncle Erik]

Kees is right, you need a more powerful amp for the K-701. I didn't like them much either until I amped them correctly. Now they're pretty good. I'd recommend looking into a desktop amp - one that plugs into the wall. If you want to save some money, look at vintage receivers, used amps and, if you're up for a challenge (and some fun) you could try building your own.

 

[Keithpgdrb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chefano /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi guys!! Sorry to bother you again... I dont know if Im doing somenthing wrong.. or not doing at all but my k701 really sound so weak.. so muddy. Its the last chance. Im about to retire then..dont know what to do to sound better I've tried to read as much as can about it.. but I couldnt find anything specific about a proper way of burning It.. ( pink noise, white noise, freq sweep.. ) the only thing I know it really needs long time of burn in. Can you help how to proper adjust my k701? BTW: Onkyo SE-150PCI <--> "The Hornet" <--> K701 Thanks!

hey bud,

I've done a lot of research on the 701 because I am considering picking it up myself. so.. 1st, being muddy is NOT a typical trait of the 701. so how long have you actually burned them in? There is no "right way" of burning in a pair of hp's. Just put some music on, medium volume, and put them in a closet for a while. I choose music with a wide variety of strong fat bass, and serious high guitars, that way you cover most frequencies. 2nd, and most important for these cans, what amp are you using? the 701 is power hungry, and it said to play well with tube amps. thats about what I can tell you from your note. good luck, and let us know what you did, and how it turned out.

 

[olblueyez]

A new source may be improvement as well, not sure though, the Onkyo looks very interesting. The 701s seem to need a rare and or expensive amp. Something with tubes that has a lot of grunt with low impedance headphones. Some AT's or Grado's would work better with your setup. Even Senn's would be an improvement but IMO not as much as the other two.

 

[SleepyOne]

I think it takes around a month to burn in....then the deep bass appears. It definately should not sound muddy for sure. If you can, take your 701 to the shops and tries out some new amps. Whether tube or SS, the amp need to have muscle to deal with 701.

 

[olblueyez]

Burn in will make the 701s a tad bit smoother but the bass impact will always be light as compared to the mids and highs. Also, dont expect burn in to make a huge difference.

 

[TheMarchingMule]

Muddy? No way, even when I first tried them on straight through an iPod, they sounded airy and light.

The problem is that you bought a headphone that requires a proper home source with a proper home amp, both of which will require way more money than the headphone cost alone.

 

[PWilson]

The only 'burn in' my 701's have had is sitting on my head, playing me music, for 30 odd hours (if that). Muddy is far from the term I'd use.

I don't think I'd describe the bass impact as 'light', either.

They're just very demanding of amplification. Perhaps fully burned in (after a brazilian hours, heh) they might be loosened and drive with something less...? But for now, get an amp that can drive them and I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy them straight away. While I don't know your Onkyo, but if you get an amp that can deliver full dynamics and you still find the bass light, perhaps investigate sources? I was surprised how much extra bass information came out of a dedicated CD player vs a DVD player. And if the low bass is there, and the amp can drive them, I don't think the 701's should disappoint anyone but a basshead on the bass front.

 

[wfranklin]

If they sound muddy when new, it isn't the fault of the K701's. If anything, the main benefit from burn-in is a smoother (less bright) high end and improved bass definition. If you've got muddy now, you'll have muddy after burn-in as well. As other posters have indicated, get a good amp for best results with these 'phones. Sorry about that, but it's like trying to mate high quality speakers with sub-par electronics; they won't sound their best until you support them with good source material and amplification. BTW, a good quality portable amp (like the iQube) does pretty well with the K701, but again, not as well as a good tube amp.

 

[larry.said]

The K701s cannot sound muddy, even if you wanted them to. Even with a bad amplifier, you will get a clear sound, just very soft. I used them with a power amp designed to drive speakers with a terrible dedicated phone stage and they still sounded good. Try going to an audio store and test them on a better amp...maybe the problem will dissapear.

 

[Chefano]

Wowwwww!!
Thank you so much for the quick reply!

When I bought the k701 I was looking for a dedicate tube headphone amp like Darkvoice 337 but the shipping costs + taxes to Brazil got expensive then the AMP itself

Now I see that there is no exit! I need a Tube AMP

to get all the juice from my k701.
Now.. Tree more questions

First: What amp do you guys recomend to drive my AKG 701?
Second: Is there any tube amp kit with a really good sound quality to drive k701?
Third: An integrated amp, like NAD can bring the same results as a dedicated headphone amp?

I have to thank you again!!!! Awesome !!

 

[sikki-six]

Even though it sometimes gets a bit of criticism for it's construction, Heed Canamp is an awesome pair with K701s. It is not a tube-amp, but it has some similar aspects to it - warm, big and wide sound... Those are just the aspects the K701 needs, in my opinion.

 

[Max Dread]

Sorry for a slight tangent, but any comments about if the Creek OBH-21SE has enough welly to power the 701s?

Cheers

Max