TeePee
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2009
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I have been reading the board for a while and just registered. Thanks to all of the very knowledgable folks who share their thoughts. Your insights are greatly appreciated.
I have a few years old pair of Senn HD650s and picked up the AKG k701s recently. I burned in the 701s for about 100 hours before listening (I know they supposedly need more time), but I thought I would add a few impressions. I performed with several amatuer vocal groups for about 15 years, and I used several recordings from those experiences to form some initial impressions of the 701s. I use a newer Marantz DVD player as a transport running through coax to my Benchmark Dac1.
First, the HD650s are wonderful cans and I always enjoys them with all varieties of music. I have not recabled them or gone balanced, but I may in the future. On vocal recordings I know quite well, the HD650s always provide an excellent presentation and are eminently listenable.
That said, even with only 100 hours, the K701s bring me closer to the original event with these same vocal recordings. I think Wes Phillips' review of the 701s in Stereophile is about spot on. The K701s just add a little bit more sparkle to the top end which yields a more true-to-life presentation. They also seem to untangle complex choral passages in a way that is slightly beyond the ken of HD650s.
After forming this initial impression with known vocal music, I switched to some jazz. Using several Oscar Peterson recordings, I again preferred the 701s. With the jazz, however, I did prefer the bass presentation (added warmth) of the HD650s, but missed the sparkle of the 701s on the top end when I listened through the HD650s.
Next I tried a Chesky disk of some Wagner orchestral music. Again I preferred the 701s. The violins just sounded more true to life, as did the brass - never hard, but true.
Finally, I tossed in Lenny Kravitz. Here I clearly preferred the bass of the HD650s, but for the rest of the musical spectrum it was a tough call. I enjoyed the presentation of both sets of cans.
It's been interesting so far to compare these excellent phones. I'm sure my impressions will evolve as the 701s get more time. I like both sets of cans, and I will keep and use both. To me, however, the 701s offer something on simply recorded acoustic music that the HD650s cannot match.
Happy Listening
I have a few years old pair of Senn HD650s and picked up the AKG k701s recently. I burned in the 701s for about 100 hours before listening (I know they supposedly need more time), but I thought I would add a few impressions. I performed with several amatuer vocal groups for about 15 years, and I used several recordings from those experiences to form some initial impressions of the 701s. I use a newer Marantz DVD player as a transport running through coax to my Benchmark Dac1.
First, the HD650s are wonderful cans and I always enjoys them with all varieties of music. I have not recabled them or gone balanced, but I may in the future. On vocal recordings I know quite well, the HD650s always provide an excellent presentation and are eminently listenable.
That said, even with only 100 hours, the K701s bring me closer to the original event with these same vocal recordings. I think Wes Phillips' review of the 701s in Stereophile is about spot on. The K701s just add a little bit more sparkle to the top end which yields a more true-to-life presentation. They also seem to untangle complex choral passages in a way that is slightly beyond the ken of HD650s.
After forming this initial impression with known vocal music, I switched to some jazz. Using several Oscar Peterson recordings, I again preferred the 701s. With the jazz, however, I did prefer the bass presentation (added warmth) of the HD650s, but missed the sparkle of the 701s on the top end when I listened through the HD650s.
Next I tried a Chesky disk of some Wagner orchestral music. Again I preferred the 701s. The violins just sounded more true to life, as did the brass - never hard, but true.
Finally, I tossed in Lenny Kravitz. Here I clearly preferred the bass of the HD650s, but for the rest of the musical spectrum it was a tough call. I enjoyed the presentation of both sets of cans.
It's been interesting so far to compare these excellent phones. I'm sure my impressions will evolve as the 701s get more time. I like both sets of cans, and I will keep and use both. To me, however, the 701s offer something on simply recorded acoustic music that the HD650s cannot match.
Happy Listening
