[JaZZ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mastergill To see if something really change in a good direction. It's a gradual process. They won't magicaly and suddenly change at 300 hours!

Maybe, maybe not. I for one wasn't prepared for the HD 650's erratic break-in behavior. You can never be sure. Again, why not just trust other people, for once?
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[applebook]

Thank you for a balanced review of the 701.

P.S. A few here developed a dislike for the 701 AFTER breaking them in for a 100 hours.

 

[Mastergill]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JaZZ Maybe, maybe not. I for one wasn't prepared for the HD 650's erratic break-in behavior. You can never be sure. Again, why not just trust other people, for once? .

I trust more my ears. And they are in pretty good shape you can trust me!

I think you romanticize break'in too much.

Never had erratic behavior with my HD-650.

 

[JaZZ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mastergill I think you romanticize break'in too much.

I don't know what you mean with that. I would rather renounce the need for break-in. It's a necessary evil. Nothing romantic about it.
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[Rhydon]

Wow. Shows how much opinion differs. Everything you said about the HD-650's i felt the EXACT oposite.

 

[Gradino]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mastergill That's very cool i received my K701 from Dr Jan Meier this morning. It took only 2 days, very good service, thank you again Jan. Let me go straight to the most important thing. No, to my ears and in my setup they are not HD-650 killer. They sound very very nice, very neutral, they are great headphones but so far they are not as transparent and the soundstage is not as wide as with HD-650. The comparison remind me how the 650 is close to very good speaker setup in fact. The K701's soundstage, while very precise, stay between the ears. With the 650 i got 1 to 2 inch more extension left and right. About transparency the 650 brings me closer to the original sound, the window is wide open. With the K701 the glass is crystal clear, but the window is still closed. They are not visceral like HD-650. With the 650 you can feel the air hitting the mic with some voices, the K701 can't do that. They are very clean and neutral but too much polite to my ears. The bass is very good with K701, highly articulate, but it don't go as deep as the HD-650 and again with an amazing transparency and punch down to the lowest octave (with the 650) I don't think burnin' will change things a lot, these are strong characters. For an honest comparison i put back the stock cable on the HD-650, and surprisingly they still sound very clean and transparent...I must be crazy to spend all that money on replacement cable! ha ha ha I will wait one week and try to post more impressions, but i feel that i'll send them back to Meier Audio next week. They are very good phones, you can be very happy with only K701, but IMO they lack the last bit of refinement HD-650 have. The 650 are still a tad more neutral to my ears too.

Do you have you drunk champagne?????????????

The 650 is to the 701 as a mouse it is to a KING...

s.

 

[cheechoz]

I must admit, and please take no offense, but I just don't agree with any of your findings!! The main reason that you might see things this way, is that they are no where near their full potential yet. This particular set of cans, has one of the best imaging, and placement of instruments, that I have ever heard!

I also love the HD650, and am going to be getting one shortly, but there is no way that it surpasses the K701 in soundstage!

 

[Andrea]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gradino Do you have you drunk champagne????????????? The 650 is to the 701 as a mouse it is to a KING... s.

I see you eventually dropped the tomato and caviar analogy. (for a not that better one)

Seriously, you're THE fanboy. (more so than anyone else I've seen including me)

 

[NotJeffBuckley]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gradino Do you have you drunk champagne????????????? The 650 is to the 701 as a mouse it is to a KING... s.

You're a silly man, aren't you?

Attach ego to headphones... now!

Quote:

Originally Posted by fewtch Given a choice between tomato and caviar for daily eating, I'd take the tomato myself... I actually find the 'fanboyism' around here entertaining and amusing . I think it was Gradino though who said the low street prices of the K701 discussed recently was 'scandalous' and he was writing to AKG to ask them to raise the price. Now that's just overboard, man...

But fewtch! If it isn't expensive, it won't do anything for appearances, and when you're investing your ego and identity in a posession you've got to keep up appearances!

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrea I see you eventually dropped the tomato and caviar analogy. (for a not that better one) Seriously, you're THE fanboy. (more so than anyone else I've seen including me)

Given a choice between tomato and caviar for daily eating, I'd take the tomato myself...

I actually find the 'fanboyism' around here entertaining and amusing

. I think it was Gradino though who said the low street prices of the K701 discussed recently was 'scandalous' and he was writing to AKG to ask them to raise the price. Now that's just overboard, man...

Quote:

Originally Posted by NotJeffBuckley But fewtch! If it isn't expensive, it won't do anything for appearances, and when you're investing your ego and identity in a posession you've got to keep up appearances!

True... very perceptive observation.

 

[Andrea]

And JaZZ,

I've the feeling that you're being over-anxious about burn in somehow.


Mind you, it was after the very first minutes of listening to the K701, that our friend Gradino labeled the thing "STRATOSPHERIC" (yup, in italics like that) in the www.videohifi.com Italian forum.

I say, it's more like it were these Italian or German forums to be... erratic.

 

[Andrea]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NotJeffBuckley But fewtch! If it isn't expensive, it won't do anything for appearances, and when you're investing your ego and identity in a posession you've got to keep up appearances!

Keen observation.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fewtch Given a choice between tomato and caviar for daily eating, I'd take the tomato myself...

Me, too. Actually, eh, I'd take ketchup.

 

[Mastergill]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JaZZ I don't know what you mean with that. I would rather renounce the need for break-in. It's a necessary evil. Nothing romantic about it. .

I meant: "described in an idealized or unrealistic fashion". You gave too much importance in burn'in, but you're not alone. This is not evil. Enjoy your gear since the beginning. You guys crack me up with your burn'in process. Look, with speakers do you think i'll blast the thing for 300 hours without listenning!?

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheechoz I must admit, and please take no offense, but I just don't agree with any of your findings!! The main reason that you might see things this way, is that they are no where near their full potential yet. This particular set of cans, has one of the best imaging, and placement of instruments, that I have ever heard!.

I agree the soundstage is very good and placement very precise, but it's a little 'compressed'. There's lot of information in the middle of the soundstage but extreme left or right are a little recessed. With the HD-650 i find the soundstage more homogeneous from left to right, everything 'breath' with ease, really speaker like.

 

[spike33]

I suggest you burn it in for 200-300 hrs for our sake. Report your impressions each day so we know how it has changed. It'd be really helpful to the community

Seems like everyone who has returned K701 did it prematurely and everyone who kept it actually gave it a chance.

 

[mariowar]

I also agree with Mastergill. If you already like the headphones, after the burn in period, you might like them even more!!!, but if you are not satisfied with that particular sound siganture do not expect miracles from the burn-in period. In my humble opinion, those 300 hours burn in period are not burning -in your headphones, you ears are just adjusting to the new sound......

Think about this, I still read posts stating that the Etymotic earphones provide excellent bass !!!!!. I'd die to see these posters trying ANY of the new wave of dual and triple drivers units to realize what a bass to die for is.