hello and AKG 712 question

[midlifeaudio]

Hi All
 
Just following protocol as this is my first post, and taking the opportunity to ask a question about my newly acquired set of 712s. I am awaiting a schiit valhalla 2 amp but in the meantime, they seem to sound "hollow" and very metallic in the low treble-mid region, like an AM radio. I also have Beyer 880's , DT 1350, Senhheiser Momentums and ATH50x. Clearly, The 712s are meant to be an upgrade. I am fully aware that hooking the 712s to my laptop, integrated amp or Fiio kilimanjaro is not adequate, but the 712s just dont sound "normal" compared to the others. I will wait for the Schiit amp (which also realize that might not be the best match) and for some break in . I am just wondering if it's just me adapting to the sound of open air headsets. I really don;t like the colorations I hear, especially in classical orchestra music. Should I just go with upper echelon Beyers or Sennheissers?
 
THanks

 

[Ventace]

  Hi All
 
Just following protocol as this is my first post, and taking the opportunity to ask a question about my newly acquired set of 712s. I am awaiting a schiit valhalla 2 amp but in the meantime, they seem to sound "hollow" and very metallic in the low treble-mid region, like an AM radio. I also have Beyer 880's , DT 1350, Senhheiser Momentums and ATH50x. Clearly, The 712s are meant to be an upgrade. I am fully aware that hooking the 712s to my laptop, integrated amp or Fiio kilimanjaro is not adequate, but the 712s just dont sound "normal" compared to the others. I will wait for the Schiit amp (which also realize that might not be the best match) and for some break in . I am just wondering if it's just me adapting to the sound of open air headsets. I really don;t like the colorations I hear, especially in classical orchestra music. Should I just go with upper echelon Beyers or Sennheissers?
 
THanks

Well if you want to change headphones, I recommend Sennheiser HD600 as the all-arounder, or the K701 for anything Classical.
I think the problem may be the burn in time. If you haven't given it time to burn in, they may not sound right just yet.
 
AKG's K7 series are notoriously well known for having burn in times recommended from 150 to even 300 hours.
After letting your headphones run burn in tracks (you can find some on YouTube) day and night for about a week, your headphones should sound considerably better. If not, then I really do recommend the HD600 with all my heart. If not those, I'd recommend the DT880 600 ohm next.

When it comes to tube amps, Sennheiser's headphones are the ones to use among all other brands, in my opinion.
Especially with the HD600, which sound extremely natural and are very, VERY well known as the best pair of headphones for it's price.
Same thing with the Valhalla, which I think you made a great choice with. 
Pairing those two are probably one of the best combinations that would exist for its price.

 

[Me x3]

I don't think K712 can be labelled as an upgrade over DT880. 
Both have their strengths and weak points.
 
It takes quite a lot of time to get used to a different sound-signature.
 
DT880 was my main headphone when I got the K702 (similar to K712 but a bit drier).
I was expecting the K702 to be sort of a DT880 with DT990 openness, but that wasn't exactly the case.
The soundstage was great at first listen, even better than DT990, but the sound was less hi-fi to my ears at that time.
 
Three months later I considered selling DT880 because of K702. 
 
I kept both in the end, and I've come to appreciate their specific strengths.
 
The AKG offer a more layered and spatially distributed sound that let you hear more. The more you listen to them, the more you'll hear.
 
On the other hand, DT880 is more of a silent king because of its very even frequency response (not that far from the HD800 if you look carefully). DT880 won't sound as open, delineated or focused as the AKG, but it will sound right most of the times.
 
The Valhalla 2 will favour the Beyer more than the AKG, but anyway give your mind enough time to become comfortable with the new sound signature. Your mind will be asking for the Beyer sound for a while before getting used to the AKG.

 

[midlifeaudio]

Thanks for the prompt reply
 
Amazon has a decent price on the 600s right now. I am aware that they are highly regarded, but I used to own 595s and I would get some jaw discomfort from the large pads. If you don't mid, how would you describe them compared to 650 and 700s? I listen to everything, 70s progressive rock, pop, jazz and also lots of orchestral. 

 

[Me x3]

HD650 is probably a tad more resolving and clear than HD600, but also warmer (less neutral)
HD600 can be quite raw in the upper midrange next to DT880 or HD650 (subtle difference in the big scheme of things)
 
Both HD600 and HD650 sound fuller and significantly less bright / less airy than DT880
 
HD700 is a tricky love or hate headphone on the bright side of things.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Just following protocol as this is my first post, and taking the opportunity to ask a question about my newly acquired set of 712s. I am awaiting a Schiit Valhalla 2 amp but in the meantime, they seem to sound "hollow" and very metallic in the low treble-mid region, like an AM radio. I also have Beyer 880's , DT 1350, Sennheiser Momentum's and ATH50x. Clearly, The 712s are meant to be an upgrade. I am fully aware that hooking the 712s to my laptop, integrated amp or FiiO Kilimanjaro is not adequate, but the 712s just don't sound "normal" compared to the others. I will wait for the Schiit amp (which also realize that might not be the best match) and for some break in . I am just wondering if it's just me adapting to the sound of open air headsets. I really don;t like the coloration's I hear, especially in classical orchestra music. Should I just go with upper echelon Beyer or Sennheiser?

 
You might try leaving the K712 Pro hooked up over night, for several nights, with music running threw them, see if that helps.
Might also try reading up and asking questions about the K712 Pro on this thread.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/659251/the-akg-k712-pro-support-and-impressions-thread
AKG's seem to be somewhat power demanding, so hopefully the Valhalla 2 will help in that matter.

 

[midlifeaudio]

I don't think K712 can be labelled as an upgrade over DT880. 

Both have their strengths and weak points.

It takes quite a lot of time to get used to a different sound-signature.

DT880 was my main headphone when I got the K702 (similar to K712 but a bit drier).

I was expecting the K702 to be sort of a DT880 with DT990 openness, but that wasn't exactly the case.
The soundstage was great at first listen, even better than DT990, but the sound was less hi-fi to my ears at that time.

Three months later I considered selling DT880 because of K702. 

I kept both in the end, and I've come to appreciate their specific strengths.

The AKG offer a more layered and spatially distributed sound that let you hear more. The more you listen to them, the more you'll hear.

On the other hand, DT880 is more of a silent king because of its very even frequency response (not that far from the HD800 if you look carefully). DT880 won't sound as open, delineated or focused as the AKG, but it will sound right most of the times.

The Valhalla 2 will favour the Beyer more than the AKG, but anyway give your mind enough time to become comfortable with the new sound signature. Your mind will be asking for the Beyer sound for a while before getting used to the AKG.

Thanks for the detailed reply. My 880s are first generation. They are well broken in but do seem constricted. Granted, the Valhalla mk 2 will be the very first dedicated amp I own, so that should step up the game. I am going to give it a good month or two to the new setup. Many thanks for your time.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by midlifeaudio /img/forum/go_quote.gif

 

 

Just following protocol as this is my first post, and taking the opportunity to ask a question about my newly acquired set of 712s. I am awaiting a schiit valhalla 2 amp but in the meantime, they seem to sound "hollow" and very metallic in the low treble-mid region, like an AM radio. I also have Beyer 880's , DT 1350, Senhheiser Momentums and ATH50x. Clearly, The 712s are meant to be an upgrade. I am fully aware that hooking the 712s to my laptop, integrated amp or Fiio kilimanjaro is not adequate, but the 712s just dont sound "normal" compared to the others. I will wait for the Schiit amp (which also realize that might not be the best match) and for some break in . I am just wondering if it's just me adapting to the sound of open air headsets. I really don;t like the colorations I hear, especially in classical orchestra music. Should I just go with upper echelon Beyers or Sennheissers?

 

Going by this graph, the AKG K712 has a very different curve than the DT880, HD600, and K701 - it has the most frequent and more severe deviations from 1khz. If anything, its imaging could be a little better than all of them except for the K701.

 

 

[midlifeaudio]

Dear All

Many thanks for your input. After receiving the Valhalla mk 2, I had also ordered the senheissers 650 and I fell in love with them. My beyerdynamic 880 also sound amazing with the new amp and the akgs are now my least favorite. That's not to say that they don't have great qualities, I just couldn't get over a certain treble peak that made them sound unnatural to me. They went back today.

 

[midlifeaudio]

Update! I received the Massdrop 7xxx red edition yesterday and not really broken in, they already compete for attention with 650s due to the fact that they are much more comfortable and have a great soundstage.