[MuseMan]

Hi, I am a 17 year old Australian who sadly, refuses to say G'day.

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I'm relatively new here, though I have been browsing for a few weeks.

During those weeks, I have bought both Sennheiser HD555, for home use, and Koss KSC75 for portable use.

While I am happy with both, I feel like upgrading my HD555 already.

I'm using my fathers Pioneer amp and cd player - they are both about 10-15 years old and I think that may have been mid-range back then, eg 700AUD and 300AUD respectively.

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My question is, would the bass of the K701 be any more prominent or less so than my HD555, and whether the upgrade of everything would be worth it after all.

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As my name implies, I am a fan of Muse and other similiar rock bands.

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Thanks again for your time and advice.

 

[cjeff2006]

HD555 has stronger bass impact; however, k701 has much much lower bass extension. HD555 seems to have a significant bass cut-off problem, if u check headroom's frequency response graphs, you'll understand. K701 is obviously a huge improvement in just about every aspect over the hd555, so the upgrade is definitely worth it given that your budget allows such upgrade. The K701 has higher treble extension, more details, larger soundstage, faster attack, etc. etc.. However, since you like rock music, I would recommend an upgrade to other similar priced cans such as grados. I think the K701 lacks the forward response of other good rock cans, and it is not really suitable for rock music. Personally, I don't really listen to rock music as much but I'm sure other head-fiers can give you suggestions on better rock cans.

 

[MuseMan]

Thanks,

Grados are WAY over priced in australia with the SR60 costing around $140 USD. I would ofcourse, love one and one day I may snag a bargain.

Would the Beyerdynamic DT880 be a significant improvement in all areas?

Thanks again.

 

[Dept_of_Alchemy]

DT880 would be better, but I'd recommend an amp upgrade first. Perhaps an amp would manage to pump out more bass from your 555 than a headphone upgrade would.

 

[Daryn Alexander]

I listen to Muse (one of my favorites) on K701's and love the sound I get. The drums on Absolution have always been a problem due to poor producing, but other than that I love the amount of detail they bring out in the recording. However, the bass isn't as powerful as I'd like on heavier songs.

It depends on if you want to listen to it or feel it. K701's are very analytical and will bring out everything in the recording, but the HD600's might be better at sucking you in. Since you already have Sennheisers, this might be better. Especially in the bass department.

 

[bowraboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MuseMan /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks, Grados are WAY over priced in australia with the SR60 costing around $140 USD.

Try Alessandro.

Less expensive in Australia.

 

[uraflit]

would an amp really push the hd555's bass significantly? O_O

 

[MuseMan]

It's not that I'm unhappy with the bass of the hd555's, I just feel that the other areas could be improved and that is why my 'upgrade-itus' has hit me. I also listen to electronica (Depeche Mode) and softer rock/pop (Death Cab for Cutie). Would the K701 be unsuitable for those genres aswell as rock?

As for for the Alessandro's, I have never tried a Grado, and proberly prefer a circumaural type phone.

I also have a PA2V2, this would not compare to my fathers pioneer setup even if the PA2V2 is a dedicated headphone amp?

Thanks again.

 

[nothing101]

i found the sr60 for 100aud in a hifi shop in melbourne. i dont know if you live there though.

seriously though i think the 701s or anything else is really cheap on ebay and it would be silly to not buy it from it.

the lowest prices for grado are probably on ttvj.

if you wanted to upgrade your amp and headphones you could start an electrostat system. stax headpone are by far the best ive heard. dollar for dollar they are hard to beat if you buy them from pricejapan. electrostats arent that punchy so you might not like them. they have a hell of a lot more bass than my akg 501s though..

 

[Elephas]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MuseMan /img/forum/go_quote.gif I also listen to electronica (Depeche Mode) and softer rock/pop (Death Cab for Cutie). Would the K701 be unsuitable for those genres aswell as rock? As for for the Alessandro's, I have never tried a Grado, and proberly prefer a circumaural type phone. I also have a PA2V2, this would not compare to my fathers pioneer setup even if the PA2V2 is a dedicated headphone amp?

The K701 has relatively lower bass impact compared to other headphones I consider in its class, such as the HD650, DT990-'05, RS-1 and AD2000. I think it sounds much better overall than the HD555 or HD595, though I'm unsure how bass quantity and quality compares.

Depeche Mode, pop and rock sounds good to me through the K701, but other headphones can be more satisfying and emotionally uplifting. The K701 has a neutral and accurate sound that can be somewhat boring or bland with some music.

I would pick the HD650 or DT990-'05 for more bass impact, or maybe the RS-1. The HD650 has a dark, warm, smooth bassy sound that's better at higher volume. The DT990-'05 has plenty of bass quantity and sparkly treble. The AD2000 would also be an excellent choice with electronica, pop and rock.

Headphile C-Pads are a great way to make Grados more comfortable. They are Beyer pads adapted to fit onto Grado headphones.

I'm not sure how the PA2V2 performs. The K701 is not easy to amp. It is not like the Grados or some Audio-Technicas which can be driven easily and sound good with most amps. It requires a higher volume setting than the HD650 in some amps I've tried to reach equivalent volume.