[intoart]

Neither are as lifelike as AD900s.

 

[john53]

Olbluyez,if you don't like the k 701(that's what i understand from a post on the other similar thread you have started)then why do you ask other people?If you like the 650 better and you enjoy it,then that's fine.I think you shouldn't care what other people think.
Just enjoy your phones and don't care about what other people think

 

[Happy Camper]

Obsessed?

 

[squall343]

Same thread?
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/mos...-650-a-402183/

I have both HD650 and K702(which is similar to K701)

And i voted for K701

 

[bhanja_trinanjan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by olblueyez /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm sure this thread will become another where the 701 fans come out foaming at the mouth because some people told the truth about their precious headphones. If anyone wants to know how to eliminate the shortcomings of the 650, let me know, I will be happy to clue you in. I beleive the bass problem on the 701 can be fixed with tubes mainly and maybe a new cable but the tilted mids is another story, Im at a loss as to how to fix that one.

Well, nothing is neutral, nothing is uncoloured, friends.... The K701 does have a slight emphasis on the upper mids and lower treble, but then my other phones/speakers have different colourations of their own. So it is illogical to bash the K701 alone and forgive the other candidates. Of my phones, the K701, IMHO, is the least coloured and fairly well balanced. It more than makes up for that slight colouration by offering amazing timing, imaging and resolution.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cankin /img/forum/go_quote.gif Both headphones have their strengths over another, but let me tell you what are the strengths of K701 over HD650 from my experience. The shape of the soundstage/headstage: The overall presentation of the stage is better on K701 because it's more continuous, whereas on HD650, the three bulbs effect is so obvious, sound is coming from left, centre and right only as commented by others as well. Bass: yeah, I like bass on K701 more on HD650. Bass on K701 is tighter and fast, the better attack and decay. It reaches deeper. Strengths of HD650 over K701 It has better tone mainly because of its mid bass, it has more texture, and while bass does not go as deep as K701. Soundstage is smaller on HD650, but it seems to have more layers in front of me. Finally, here are my experience, both are fine headphones and they are more different than similar, one can easily pick a headphone based on his preference.

Exactly, when I listen to orchestral peaks with timpani, they sound real. My other speakers and cans present bolder timpani, but that's the result of tipped up upper bass... the K701 bass presents the fundamental frequency of most drum-rolls faithfully and therefore I prefer the K701's bass anyday.

My E4C and my Wharfedale standmounts just omit that fundamental frequency of a drum roll.

Quality over quantity... sue me!

Also, Bach's Toccata and Fugue goes deep, deep, deep on the K701 with jaw dropping resolution.

Piano is a delight on the K701, it could however do a little better with violins.

 

[olblueyez]

No one is bashing the 701's and people are defending it. Why is that?

 

[doping panda]

Quote:

Originally Posted by estreeter /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would very much like to hear both the HD600 and the K501, simply on the basis of the descriptions that I have read here and elsewhere of both headphones. I expect that they are almost polar opposites, particularly in terms of bass response, so it will be interesting to hear your feedback.

I'm basing this off my K500 and the HD580 I used to have, but the HD580 is supposedly like 99% of the HD600 while the K500 is supposedly very, very similar to the K501 so my opinion likely does carry over to the K501 and the HD600 fairly accurately. I don't feel that the HD580 and the K500 are polar opposites. They're distinct, but apart from bass response and heft in tonality the two aren't that dissimilar. The bass response is the most telling difference, but in certain types of music it doesn't matter as much. With most acoustic and unamplified music, the bass response of the two are fairly close. However, the difference in bass response in music containing a strong piano low end, organ, larger drums, a modern full size orchestra, and amplified bass is readily apparent. The biggest difference in bass response between the two isn't even an issue of impact, but extension: the HD580 reaches lower than the K501 by a good amount. With the quality of the bass, the two share a similar type of bass that is tight and punchy; however, the K500 bass is tighter and punchier in quality, but the HD580 bass is anywhere from a little to a lot more impactful. Besides bass impact, I feel the other big difference between the two is in the heft of their tone. The HD580 has more weight in its presentation than the K500. Despite these two differences, I find that the HD580 and the K500 aren't that dissimilar. I find them to be more different takes on the same thing rather than completely different things.

 

[bhanja_trinanjan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by olblueyez /img/forum/go_quote.gif No one is bashing the 701's and people are defending it. Why is that?

Survival of the fittest!

 

[SemiAudiophile]

i'm more interested in how they compare when they are both balanced.

 

[tdogzthmn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by doping panda /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm basing this off my K500 and the HD580 I used to have, but the HD580 is supposedly like 99% of the HD600 while the K500 is supposedly very, very similar to the K501 so my opinion likely does carry over to the K501 and the HD600 fairly accurately. I don't feel that the HD580 and the K500 are polar opposites. They're distinct, but apart from bass response and heft in tonality the two aren't that dissimilar. The bass response is the most telling difference, but in certain types of music it doesn't matter as much. With most acoustic and unamplified music, the bass response of the two are fairly close. However, the difference in bass response in music containing a strong piano low end, organ, larger drums, a modern full size orchestra, and amplified bass is readily apparent. The biggest difference in bass response between the two isn't even an issue of impact, but extension: the HD580 reaches lower than the K501 by a good amount. With the quality of the bass, the two share a similar type of bass that is tight and punchy; however, the K500 bass is tighter and punchier in quality, but the HD580 bass is anywhere from a little to a lot more impactful. Besides bass impact, I feel the other big difference between the two is in the heft of their tone. The HD580 has more weight in its presentation than the K500. Despite these two differences, I find that the HD580 and the K500 aren't that dissimilar. I find them to be more different takes on the same thing rather than completely different things.

Interesting take, I will have to see if get similar results to what you have described. I believe the K501 has a different driver from K500 so the two are likely to sound different. I hope me gets here soon so I can report my findings!

 

[jsaliga]

My experience is rather limited with amps. But I have owned both headphones twice and then sold them twice. And I did like them both...but for different reasons.

The amps I have used are the DarkVoice 332 and Woo Audio WA2. I think the WA2 is a reasonably good fit for both phones, but it drives the HD650s a bit easier. It should be noted that my WA2 is a few years old, and Jack has made some changes to the design like using the power tube output to drive the headphone circuit. So those with new units might be of a different opinion.

I found the midrange and treble response of the K701 to be more open and dynamic than the HD650s, and for that reason I enjoyed the K701s more with jazz. The HD650s, in my experience on my gear, sounded (and I know it bugs you to read this Frank) veiled to my ears. It just did, and the midrange was affected by this most of all. That said, I did enjoy the HD650s with rock music much more than the K701s. The HD650s have more bass presence.

But I have since moved on and right now I am very pleased with the two pair of headphones that I own right now. For jazz and classical I absolutely love the sound of my recently acquired AKG K1000s powered by my Woo Audio MB300B mono blocks. Properly adjusted, the headstage is huge and the sound is so alluring and seductive that I have decided to buy a dedicated WA5 just for the K1000s. For rock, I have the Grado GS-1000s and while their sound is quite colored, it just plain works for me for rock music.

If I had to choose between the HD650 and the K701 as the only headphone I could own, then I would choose the K701. I would pick it not because I believe the K701 is a better headphone than the HD650. Rather, I listen to way more jazz than I do rock or classical, and on my amp with my sources the K701 performs better with the music I listen to the most. If I listened mostly to rock music then I would choose the HD650 over the K701.

--Jerome

 

[doping panda]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tdogzthmn /img/forum/go_quote.gif Interesting take, I will have to see if get similar results to what you have described. I believe the K501 has a different driver from K500 so the two are likely to sound different. I hope me gets here soon so I can report my findings!

It'll be nice to see what you think. My position on the two may be a bit unorthodox so another opinion on them should be interesting. At any rate, I don't believe them to be different enough to be "polar opposites."

From what I read, the K500 and the K501 sound surprisingly very similar despite having different drivers. There's supposed to be some minute differences, but they're more or less identical according to some members. They're bound to be more difference than the HD580 and the HD600 though since those two are practically the same headphone.

 

[bhanja_trinanjan]

Let me add here.... Steve Hoffman regards the ALO recabled K701 driven a WooAudio 6 to be his reference. In his words, the HD600 is too romantic and bassy. Now, HD650 is regarded as darker than the HD600

 

[triode12]

Quote:

Originally Posted by olblueyez /img/forum/go_quote.gif No one is bashing the 701's and people are defending it. Why is that?

Ha! This is rich! Especially from someone who takes every opportunity to tell others that the 701/702s "suck"!

 

[kool bubba ice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bhanja_trinanjan /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well, nothing is neutral, nothing is uncoloured, friends.... The K701 does have a slight emphasis on the upper mids and lower treble, but then my other phones/speakers have different colourations of their own. So it is illogical to bash the K701 alone and forgive the other candidates. Of my phones, the K701, IMHO, is the least coloured and fairly well balanced. It more than makes up for that slight colouration by offering amazing timing, imaging and resolution. Exactly, when I listen to orchestral peaks with timpani, they sound real. My other speakers and cans present bolder timpani, but that's the result of tipped up upper bass... the K701 bass presents the fundamental frequency of most drum-rolls faithfully and therefore I prefer the K701's bass anyday. My E4C and my Wharfedale standmounts just omit that fundamental frequency of a drum roll. Quality over quantity... sue me! Also, Bach's Toccata and Fugue goes deep, deep, deep on the K701 with jaw dropping resolution. Piano is a delight on the K701, it could however do a little better with violins.

All headphones are colored? Serioulsy?