RockStar2005
Headphoneus Supremus
After having owned the Grado RS2e (with upgraded "G Cushion" Over-Ear pads............when I mention the RS2e, just know that I am referring to them WITH these pads on, not the smaller On-Ear stock pads they are boxed with), I thought I had come to the conclusion that the incredible "neutral but fun" sound the RS2e offers is what I'd always wanted. Are they the best headphones I've owned yet? Yes, because after going through so many mostly closed-back and a few open-back headphones, these took things to the next level for me that even the open-back Sennheisers I'd owned (HD 598 & HD 598 SE) in the past couldn't match. But there was always something appealing about the AKG K702 to me (as I've had it on my headphone list for a while now), based on info & advice from others, pro reviews, and its looks as well.
You see, the first time I was ever really "blown away" by a pair of headphones was back when I listened to some songs in the Magnolia section of my local Best Buy on the closed-back AKG K550 they had on display there using a cheap portable amp (not even a DAC/amp really, just an amp). Besides a wide selection of rock songs, including some Meg Myers, one of the songs I listened to was Fleetwood Mac's "Crystal" (using my phone as the source), and the first chorus of that song, and even more so the outro part (3:15), just had a really "epic" sound to it. For the most part what I mean there is, the soundstage seemed really wide (especially for closed-back 'phones), but also, the drums had such a "punch" to them...........weighty, but very lively! Almost like they were being played on and amplified from outer space. It was so cool...........but over the years, I wanted to be open to other kinds of sound signatures, so after owning the K550 for months, I sold it, and went on to own many other headphones thereafter.
This leads me to now. For 6 months now, I've really enjoyed the Grado RS2e, but I wondered if maybe the also open-back K702 could somehow match or beat it, at least to me. I knew this wasn't all that likely given the RS2e runs for $495 (not including the $45 upgrade pads), while the K702 just recently went down in price from around $220 to $162 on Amazon. But seeing that price drop made me think "why not"? So I did.................and here is my short review:
Design/Layout/Comfort:
Where normally I would talk about the unboxing experience here, I'm just going to forego that. The experience for both was satisfying though. No complaints.
The RS2e's ear cups can be rotated to make the headphones lay flat, while the K702's can't (which means the K702 needs the bigger box). While I would prefer it that the K702 could lay flat, I'm really fine with how it is. The RS2e comes with beautiful wooden ear cups, and the standard on-ear pads, which are not all that comfortable really, especially for long periods, which is why I got the G Cushions. The G Cushions offer more treble and a wide soundstage, as well of course as added comfort.
The K702's ear pads are labeled as "comfortable, specially shaped 3D-foam ear pads", which feel like velour to me. They are super comfortable, definitely more than even the Grado G Cushions are, which are more like a regular upgraded styrofoam. The headbands on both are fine, but I prefer the K702's because it adjusts to your head, where the Grado's are manually adjustable, but don't lock into place like many of the Sennheiser ones do. They just kinda slide into place, but the problem is, they can easily slide out too sometimes. So I find myself constantly re-adjusting them. Many won't mind this, and I didn't really for the most part, but it's still something to note.
Sound Quality:
**Note: These headphones both have neutral enough sound signatures to where a custom EQ for either pair would be highly unnecessary. Therefore, please read on knowing that the EQ setting in my Poweramp app was turned off.
The amp/DAC used was my trusty iFi xDSD, which utilizes a semi-wireless setup. Also, this comparison was done over a period of 2 weeks, and was comprised of 4 separate listening sessions that lasted at least 1-2 hours each time.**
Bass - While the Grado and the AKG both render bass very well, they DO handle it differently. The AKG offers a more powerful and "present" bass sound than the Grado, yet it doesn't sound bloated or bleed out over the mids and treble at all as far as I could tell. Both have much bass detail though. For me, I preferred how the AKG rendered it, especially on "Crystal" during the outro section, which features that great sounding drum part.
Mids - Both headphones were fantastic with the mids. Hard to say which one was better. For me, I'd say it was equal. Every detail I heard regarding vocals etc on one headphone I could clearly hear on the other as well.
Highs - This is where I have a minor issue with the Grado. Using the G Cushion Over-Ear pads for the added (and for me, necessary) comfort, I noticed a slight spike in not only soundstage, but also treble too. This wasn't an issue when I first bought them really, but later on it slowly became so. At times, this would also add in a bit of unwelcome sibilance to the sound (aka, that high-pitched "sssss" sound), which can be somewhat fatiguing after a while. The AKG however didn't have this issue at all. Though both generally sound great and this is more of a minor issue which doesn't happen often at all really, I still prefer how the AKG rendered the highs in this case.
Soundstage - Both headphones offer an incredibly wide sounding soundstage. It's POSSIBLE the AKG's might be slightly wider, but honestly, to me, they were both equal here as well like with the mids.
Volume - Due to the K702's impedance/sensitivity rating vs. the RS2e's, I found that the K702 required a little more power to hit the same volume that the RS2e does at a lower power setting. But it wasn't much of a difference really.
Conclusion:
This had to have been one of the toughest of my MANY headphone comparisons that I've ever done. Where in the past I've had some real easy comparisons to judge, these two headphones really DON'T mess around! Based on the comfort, and more pleasing (to my ears anyway) sound signature of the AKG headphone, I have decided to keep the K702 and sell off my Grado RS2e and the upgrade pads as well. Maybe it's not all that surprising, given how much these remind me of the AKG K550, though these are definitely on a higher playing field!
Though this wasn't an easy decision, in the end, it made the most sense. The fact that the K702 is only a fraction of the cost of the RS2e + the G Cushion Over-Ear pads made it even more impossible to merit keeping the Grados. Again, I really believe though that if you generally prefer a more "fun" sound signature, that perhaps the Grados with those pads would be better suited to your musical taste actually. But if not so much, though you still want a very enjoyable and more "epic" sound signature like I apparently do lol, then the K702 is the one for you!
AKG K702:
Grado RS2e w/ G Cushion Over-Ear Pads:
You see, the first time I was ever really "blown away" by a pair of headphones was back when I listened to some songs in the Magnolia section of my local Best Buy on the closed-back AKG K550 they had on display there using a cheap portable amp (not even a DAC/amp really, just an amp). Besides a wide selection of rock songs, including some Meg Myers, one of the songs I listened to was Fleetwood Mac's "Crystal" (using my phone as the source), and the first chorus of that song, and even more so the outro part (3:15), just had a really "epic" sound to it. For the most part what I mean there is, the soundstage seemed really wide (especially for closed-back 'phones), but also, the drums had such a "punch" to them...........weighty, but very lively! Almost like they were being played on and amplified from outer space. It was so cool...........but over the years, I wanted to be open to other kinds of sound signatures, so after owning the K550 for months, I sold it, and went on to own many other headphones thereafter.
This leads me to now. For 6 months now, I've really enjoyed the Grado RS2e, but I wondered if maybe the also open-back K702 could somehow match or beat it, at least to me. I knew this wasn't all that likely given the RS2e runs for $495 (not including the $45 upgrade pads), while the K702 just recently went down in price from around $220 to $162 on Amazon. But seeing that price drop made me think "why not"? So I did.................and here is my short review:
Design/Layout/Comfort:
Where normally I would talk about the unboxing experience here, I'm just going to forego that. The experience for both was satisfying though. No complaints.
The RS2e's ear cups can be rotated to make the headphones lay flat, while the K702's can't (which means the K702 needs the bigger box). While I would prefer it that the K702 could lay flat, I'm really fine with how it is. The RS2e comes with beautiful wooden ear cups, and the standard on-ear pads, which are not all that comfortable really, especially for long periods, which is why I got the G Cushions. The G Cushions offer more treble and a wide soundstage, as well of course as added comfort.
The K702's ear pads are labeled as "comfortable, specially shaped 3D-foam ear pads", which feel like velour to me. They are super comfortable, definitely more than even the Grado G Cushions are, which are more like a regular upgraded styrofoam. The headbands on both are fine, but I prefer the K702's because it adjusts to your head, where the Grado's are manually adjustable, but don't lock into place like many of the Sennheiser ones do. They just kinda slide into place, but the problem is, they can easily slide out too sometimes. So I find myself constantly re-adjusting them. Many won't mind this, and I didn't really for the most part, but it's still something to note.
Sound Quality:
**Note: These headphones both have neutral enough sound signatures to where a custom EQ for either pair would be highly unnecessary. Therefore, please read on knowing that the EQ setting in my Poweramp app was turned off.
The amp/DAC used was my trusty iFi xDSD, which utilizes a semi-wireless setup. Also, this comparison was done over a period of 2 weeks, and was comprised of 4 separate listening sessions that lasted at least 1-2 hours each time.**
Bass - While the Grado and the AKG both render bass very well, they DO handle it differently. The AKG offers a more powerful and "present" bass sound than the Grado, yet it doesn't sound bloated or bleed out over the mids and treble at all as far as I could tell. Both have much bass detail though. For me, I preferred how the AKG rendered it, especially on "Crystal" during the outro section, which features that great sounding drum part.
Mids - Both headphones were fantastic with the mids. Hard to say which one was better. For me, I'd say it was equal. Every detail I heard regarding vocals etc on one headphone I could clearly hear on the other as well.
Highs - This is where I have a minor issue with the Grado. Using the G Cushion Over-Ear pads for the added (and for me, necessary) comfort, I noticed a slight spike in not only soundstage, but also treble too. This wasn't an issue when I first bought them really, but later on it slowly became so. At times, this would also add in a bit of unwelcome sibilance to the sound (aka, that high-pitched "sssss" sound), which can be somewhat fatiguing after a while. The AKG however didn't have this issue at all. Though both generally sound great and this is more of a minor issue which doesn't happen often at all really, I still prefer how the AKG rendered the highs in this case.
Soundstage - Both headphones offer an incredibly wide sounding soundstage. It's POSSIBLE the AKG's might be slightly wider, but honestly, to me, they were both equal here as well like with the mids.
Volume - Due to the K702's impedance/sensitivity rating vs. the RS2e's, I found that the K702 required a little more power to hit the same volume that the RS2e does at a lower power setting. But it wasn't much of a difference really.
Conclusion:
This had to have been one of the toughest of my MANY headphone comparisons that I've ever done. Where in the past I've had some real easy comparisons to judge, these two headphones really DON'T mess around! Based on the comfort, and more pleasing (to my ears anyway) sound signature of the AKG headphone, I have decided to keep the K702 and sell off my Grado RS2e and the upgrade pads as well. Maybe it's not all that surprising, given how much these remind me of the AKG K550, though these are definitely on a higher playing field!
Though this wasn't an easy decision, in the end, it made the most sense. The fact that the K702 is only a fraction of the cost of the RS2e + the G Cushion Over-Ear pads made it even more impossible to merit keeping the Grados. Again, I really believe though that if you generally prefer a more "fun" sound signature, that perhaps the Grados with those pads would be better suited to your musical taste actually. But if not so much, though you still want a very enjoyable and more "epic" sound signature like I apparently do lol, then the K702 is the one for you!
AKG K702:
Grado RS2e w/ G Cushion Over-Ear Pads:
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