[Just The Doctor]

I am in the process of buying a pair of akg k702 headphones, and am wondering about amps.  I dont have much knowledge on this subject, but i know that these will sound alot better with an amp.  I spent all my money on the headphones, so dont really have much of a budget on amps, any suggestions would be awesome, thanks

 

[Blackmore]

I own K702 and can easy recommend this one. Bought one myself with battery power supply, also recommend, but even with normal PSU, which I also got, its just as good.

 

[boneysaudio]

I feel that the new IFI headphone amp is the best I have ever listened to-and if you use there IUSB and the the IDAC you will be in headphone heaven

 

[Just The Doctor]

Thanks for the help, ill be sure to start saving, would they sound okay without an amp while im waiting to get one, or is it absolutely required to have one?  Also i heard the sound was much better with an aftermarket cable, is that true or does it not really make a difference?

 

[Just The Doctor]

i also heard that for a budget, cmoy amps were pretty nice, would one of those be worth it to hold me over until i can get a nicer one, or would it be a waste of money?

 

[Blackmore]

I dont know nothing about cmoy, sorry. And, I wouldnt worry about the cable at this stage.

 

[obobskivich]

The FiiO E9 (or whatever the new one is called, E09K or something like that) is a very competent amplifier, and will do a good job with the K701. I'd also suggest the Musical Fidelity V-CAN-II as well; between the examples I've heard, the MF has a better pot and (much, as in inaudible) lower noise floor, but it costs about twice as much. Either is really appropriate though.

I hear good things about the Schiit Asgard as well, but haven't tried one myself.

As far as driving the AKGs - they're relatively stable and low impedance (this is good), but also relatively insensitive (this is bad); they need something that can provide a few mW continuously (which is beyond the reach of most portable or embedded devices), but otherwise are fairly easily driven. No comment on the cabling.

 

[Just The Doctor]

awesome, i looked at the FiiO E7 which looked like it was worth checking out

 

[KetchupNinja]

The Schiit Magni works pretty well too.  Using my Q701's with it.
 

 

[zazex]

Seems like you should be looking at an Asgard 2 for $249.00.
Money back guarantee.
 
The cMoy is not enough for the K702's IMO.

 

[tdockweiler]

Best amp I've ever heard for the K702 and all AKG headphones is the Headroom Micro.
It's normally $350, but not on sale for $250 or so.
 
I also like the E9 and Magni for it, but the Micro is still worth it.
 
BTW I preferred the E9 with the K702 over the Asgard1, not sure about the Magni.
Sometime i'l give it another chance now that the Asgard 2 is out..

 

[2enty3]

Though I can't tell you if it's better than the other amps recommended here, I can suggest the audio-gd NFB-15. It's also around $250 with shipping probably.
 
I'm using K701's with the older version, NFB-12, and they sound great.

 

[Aaron94]

+1 on Schiit

 

[Just The Doctor]

my problem is i have a really limited budget (blew all my money on the 702s) which is why i was looking at the cmoy or the FiiO

 

[thoughtcriminal]

my problem is i have a really limited budget (blew all my money on the 702s) which is why i was looking at the cmoy or the FiiO

If you're looking to build a cmoy build an objective2 instead. Gobs of power and can be built for around $50. Its pretty big but still semi-portable