[chamix]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nik My impression is that this can needs a muscolar amp ... very similar to the Qualia in this regard. Best! Nicola

Agree, and additional request to know the real character and potential of this can is enough speed from the amp. Most negative impressions from the K701 seems to causes from wrong amplification to me.

 

[Nik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chamix Agree, and additional request to know the real character and potential of this can is enough speed from the amp. Most negative impressions from the K701 seems to causes from wrong amplification to me.

My opinion is (NOW) that the K 701 needs a tubey or hybrid amp and my mind come back to one... just one: RP 5.1 !

If the K 701/RP5 arrive to the same intimacy/musicality of the W5000/PS Audio... I'll also arrive to my decision about the first lady...

Best!
Nicola

 

[chamix]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nik My opinion is (NOW) that the K 701 needs a tubey or hybrid amp and my mind come back to one... just one: RP 5.1 ! If the K 701/RP5 arrive to the same intimacy/musicality of the W5000/PS Audio... I'll also arrive to my decision about the first lady... Best! Nicola

Let us know the details about this setup when it is in your house, Nik.

It is subtle to know exactly what you mean with high volume. I would say, that I prefer mid volume for the K701. At lower volume all the details are there but it wasn't really involving. At very high volumes the K701 lose a bit its authenticity and tonal balance in comparision to high-class closed cans like W5000 and L3000. The closed AT's can play very loud without losing their dry attack and solidity in sound imaging especially in the lower frequencies.

For the musicality of the K701 could help to emphasize the mids, which seems to be a little bit recessed sometimes.

 

[Nik]

Probably my hi volume is your mid... because I generally listen to low volume.

Best!
Nicola

 

[Gradino]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sean-xenos Oh Gradino, your post makes me believe that you did not understand what I have written. I said (in plain words) that the K701s are better in soundstage and positioning than the HD650s, so what makes you believe I'm a HD650s fanboy ?? Maybe you should take a break, you don't seem to be able to react in a sensible way.

You are not fanboy senn but i am not fanboy akg.
Take you a break.

S.

 

[NotJeffBuckley]

Hrm. JaZZ, I prefer a natural, head-based headphone break-in (not burn-in for the driver, but break-in for comfort - you know what I mean) precisely for the reason that any time I've tried to stretch out headphones using non-head things (excepting really tight clampers like the HD280), it's gotten too loose and scared me into letting it sit for a few days to get back to its normal shape before I use it. I'd rather have a little to tight than a little too loose, precisely for the reason you stated - I like my HD650 bass response and don't want to lose any

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gradino You are not fanboy senn but i am not fanboy akg. Take you a break. S.

Oh, Gradino!

 

[JaZZ]

I wouldn't recommend my headband-stretching method to nobody, in its radical form, which has resulted in massive peeling-off of lacquer. After all the ideal sonic balance and clamping force are missed by just 15.5 p.
.

 

[Mastergill]

Jazz, what have you done with your phone!

I find the little grip you have with the Senns very nice. I think it's important for the sound too. There's less pressure with the K701, and you know i don't like that much having a 'loose' feeling with the phone.

About the sound, Jazz, don't you think K701 sound like electrostatic headphones? There's a nice clarity and transparency but a lack of body and flesh to the sound. Well you have the 'sound' but not the life-like texture HD-650 have. Check with some good voices. That makes also the bass lighter than with 650, lacking punch, while bass are very clear with K701. You hear it but you don't feel it...à la electrostat...

This is what i meant by the window analogy in my first post. The difference between listening to the sound and really feeling the sound, almost touching it.

Not a lot of change at 20 hours. Maybe a little brighter. As i said you have 95% of the sound at the beginning. I don't expect miracle. I think i know how to identify a sound signature. With the 300B tubes they are like 'naked' you know. They won't hide a lot of thing for a long time.

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mastergill About the sound, Jazz, don't you think K701 sound like electrostatic headphones? There's a nice clarity and transparency but a lack of body and flesh to the sound. Well you have the 'sound' but not the life-like texture HD-650 have. Check with some good voices. That makes also the bass lighter than with 650, lacking punch, while bass are very clear with K701. You hear it but you don't feel it...à la electrostat...

Isn't that the way bass is supposed to be? You can't feel bass with headphones after all, they're on your head. To me, all the talk of bass punch, emotion, feeling it, etc. often can be summed up by one term: Boosted.

It's the same with DT880 bass, it's very neutral and "electrostat-like" without a lot of punch (unless the music itself is punchy). This is the way bass should be, in my opinion. But some people seem to hang a huge amount of emotional baggage on bass frequencies, which I suppose has something to do with the musical genre(s) they listen to.

 

[NotJeffBuckley]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fewtch Isn't that the way bass is supposed to be? You can't feel bass with headphones after all, they're on your head. To me, all the talk of bass punch, emotion, feeling it, etc. basically can be summed up by one term: Boosted.

I disagree. Accurate reproduction doesn't imply weak anymore than weak implies accurate reproduction.

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NotJeffBuckley I disagree. Accurate reproduction doesn't imply weak anymore than weak implies accurate reproduction.

Not weak, neutral. Neither boosted nor recessed. If it's punching/slamming noticeably, most likely it's standing out from the rest of the mix, right?

 

[NotJeffBuckley]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fewtch Not weak, neutral. Neither boosted nor recessed. If it's punching/slamming noticeably, most likely it's standing out from the rest of the mix, right?

Key phrase being "the mix." With some of my music, accurate reproduction requires punch and slam, and you know as well as I that some headphones are incapable of reproducing "the mix" correctly, usually due to recessed or lacking bass extension.

By way of comparison, the Grado SR-225 handles what's there well but doesn't extend quite as far as I like, the HD280 does an adequate job at extension but severely lacks impact, the HD650 does very well, the A900 is a little overbearing at times but generally sounds great, and the HD202 has way too much bass.

In my opinion, a headphone has to be good at everything before it can be considered the best at anything, and that means a full frequency reproduction and a quick response (kind of hard to play a waveform when it's quicker than the driver's capabilities, after all). If it can do metal well but suffers when trying to play classical, I'm going to be disappointed with it, and vice versa. Of course, some might find my tastes peculiar.

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NotJeffBuckley If it can do metal well but suffers when trying to play classical, I'm going to be disappointed with it, and vice versa. Of course, some might find my tastes peculiar.

If you've actually managed to find a headphone that does both metal and classical well, you're either much more tolerant or luckier/smarter than I am. The requirements for the two genres are nearly polar opposites IMO. It's like trying to find an oven that freezes food well. Why not get both an oven and a freezer instead?

 

[NotJeffBuckley]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fewtch If you've actually managed to find a headphone that does both metal and classical well, you're either much more tolerant or luckier/smarter than I am. The requirements for the two genres are nearly polar opposites IMO. It's like trying to find an oven that freezes food well. Why not get both an oven and a freezer instead?

The HD650 is great with metal and classical, to answer the unasked question. I don't know why it's great with metal, but it is. Opeth has never sounded so good. You'd think otherwise, wouldn't you? Well, Grado, little rock beasts that they are, are screechingly sibilant with metal (especially with thrash, death, prog, and power - not so much with black or doom).

The requirements aren't "nearly polar opposites." Fast enough to handle quick passages, very wide frequency response without leaving anything out, capable of doing lows, mids, and highs with equal esteem, and clean - metal recordings vary so much in mixing methodology that a colored headphone may sound great with some but will sound awful with others; the HD650 has a slightly humped midbass and midrange, but it handles that sound very well and deftly (and frankly I don't really trust Headroom's measurements, as they're averaged and taken in noisy conditions as posted recently and I don't know how well they reflect headphones coupled to a fleshy head instead of their neat-o binaural mic). In fact, "metal" covers so much ground - almost as much ground as classical, which includes such variations in style and aim that I'm surprised anyone considers it a cohesive genre.

You just said that you value neutrality, so why would a colored presentation ever be desirable under that mindset? Just curious - myself, I enjoy color as much as neutrality on occasion.

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NotJeffBuckley You just said that you value neutrality, so why would a colored presentation ever be desirable under that mindset?

Because so many recordings out there sound like crap... thin/bright or otherwise poor.

I actually don't listen to metal at all, and very little rock these days either. Not only because I don't like those genres much (anymore), but because the generally poor sound quality makes it an unpleasant experience a lot of the time.