[mappy]

Hi everyone. I'm going to buy either a K601 or K701.

Unfortunately, I don't have any shops nearby to try either of them out, so I have to buy it online.
I've read many great reviews on the past threads: e.g. Three-way Review: K501 vs K601 vs K701, and I've gathered that their differences are significant, but not necessarily one is a direct upgrade of the other.

Anyway, it's difficult to compare those reviews to "my" personal preference of the sounds I like, so I thought it may be interesting to ask you experts to help me decide which one to buy,
based on what I felt about the headphones I currently own.

Some of you might also find it an interesting read of my personal reviews of some budget cans.

Basic facts:
I saved enough money for a K701 so the price difference is not much of an issue. I just want to avoid regretting choosing one and end up buying both...

(at least for a while..)

I use Rega Apollo CD player with Rega Ear headphone amp. I'll never use these cans for portable use, so the impedance is not an issue.
In fact, I prefer quieter high impedance cans because I can use wider range of the volume knob.

I listen only to classical music CD's. Anything from old 1950's recordings to latest SACD DSD recordings. Big label big orchestral symphonies to small label solo and chamber recordings.

Here are my personal impressions of the cans I regularly use. They're all burnt in and used for at least 200 hours with identical setup, identical music.

AKG K12P
The best earphones ever!!! ... for the price.

Mid-highs (violins) are superb and makes me want to smile (I seriously take the "smile factor" as a valid score in evaluation).
The sound is actually totally dirty and noisy but who cares. I love it!

AKG K24P
A close tie with K12P!

Really clear and open sound that I like, so I use it for TV watching and general junk (like youtube). Never get tired and it feels like listening in an open space. I want THIS sound with more resolution and sound staging. Its bad points are similar to K12P.

AKG K26P
Terrible...I hate it!

Really boomy bass and has an annoying cabinet resonance.
This one I can truly say a "boxy" sound. It has excellent noise isolation but that doesn't tempt me into using it when I go outside.
Sounds like my dad singing in the bathroom!

AKG K240 Studio
I don't like this.

I find this too warm and woody, especially the low-mids are accentuated (cello and horn region) and lower bass feels over-done. I can describe the sound to be "eating chocolate without any coffee" or "makes me feel warm and sweaty even on a cold day".
The mids (viola, violin) sounds great. Very alive and rich. Really an emotional experience.
But the biggest problem is that i noticed some high-frequency percussions and instruments (e.g. snares, harpsichord) totally "missing" and I struggle to even hear them out.
Also, the sound staging is too limited (although not "close") and can't feel any depth. It feels like everyone is locked up in a cage and playing 10 meters from me.

AKG K240DF
This is my all-time favorite headphone so far.

The sound staging and depth is EXCELLENT, and sometimes i get a sensation that the sound is coming from somewhere else (like I forgot to turn off my speakers etc.) then I take off my K240DF and realize that it was actually coming from the headphones! amazing!
Bad points are it has terrible bass reproduction (almost can't hear contrabass sounds) and a bit harsh and rough overall. Still, ALL the cans I own that has more bass than this makes them sound boomy or boxy, so I guess this is not a bad compromise.

AKG K271 Studio
This sounds very close to my K240DF, but a little too dry for me.

I prefer using this for my music practice etc, because I feel that it sounds more flat and balanced without much flavoring. (e.g. piano sounds really tinny and thin on a K240DF but not on K271)
I don't like this cans musically because the low-mids (baritone, tenor) sounds damped (the sound doesn't flow and decay naturally). It feels like they wanted to add more bass but then damped it as an afterthought. It's almost like playing music in a silent practice room with no audience!

Sennheiser HD595
You might have noticed that I am an AKG supporter...

I tried several Senn's but HD600 and HD650 did nothing to me. I felt they sound too square and rigid (sorry if I offend anyone).
I bought HD595 just to see if I can learn to enjoy the Senn sound, but I didn't. Sounded too rigid and stiff, and had some sort of absolute brick-wall cutoffs on highs and lows. (can hear upto certain keys well, but then nothing higher)
I think it sounds similar to many JBL speakers I listened to.

Grado SR125
I bought this and used it for about one year, just to see what the fuss was all about, because every magazine seems to rave about it.

I initially liked it, because everything sounded up-front and personal, with boosted high freq reproduction (made all my AKG sound like "lame" in comparison).
However, I later realized that the "up close" meant "no depth", and high frequency was too harsh and accentuated hiss and noise on older recordings.
It's good to use this Grado to listen to a solo performer or a band, but I found it too confusing and "loud" to listen to say Mahler's 8th (~1000 performers!). You don't want all of them standing next to you!.
Basically, good cans but not suited to me.


That's about it! I got bunch of others (sony, etymotic, audio-technica, etc) but I don't enjoy them as much as my AKG's, full stop.
I guess my ideal dream can would be a K240DF with bit more finer details and enough bass to reproduce a contrabass..

Thanks if you read this far... So, should I get a K601 or K701??

 

[violeta88]

I have owned the Sennheiser HD595's, HD580's and the AKG K601's. I too noticed the glaring flaws of the HD595's. I was in a similar place when I wanted to upgrade from my 580's and 595's, and I finally chose the K601's, that time due to price. I loved them. They were very neutral headphones, but not cold. They have just enough warmth to sound natural, but they are much more open sounding than both the HD595's and the HD580's and take the "speaker-like" imaging of the 595's to a whole new level. They were the first headphones I have owned that sounded like I was listening to speakers. Extremely expensive speakers at that. Unfortunately for me, mine developed an intermittent connection, and I stupidly tried fixing them and ended up breaking them beyond repair. But, I have now learned my lesson and will be buying another pair of K601's soon because they were such a great headphone. I recently asked the dealer where I got the headphones, Todd the Vinyl Junkie, what the differences are between the K601's and K701's and he told me that the K601's are warmer sounding, but the K701's have more detail and a wider sounding presentation. I decided to go with the K601's, again. They outclass both the HD595's and the HD580's by a pretty large margin, and have a wonderful sounding midrange that I really can't wait to hear again. The bass and treble aren't too shabby either. Hope this helps.

Eric

 

[spinali]

The K701 is a the AKG pick-to-click. The sound can be "polite," with special affection for classical. But well-recorded tunes of all types, pop to punk and beyond, profit from its clean sound and surprising power.

The biggest detractor for many is the bass; don't look even a touch of flab in the sound signature. Precision can be a joy to behold, especially with richly recorded and a nice stereo mix. In these cases, the sound can be surprisingly realistic.

 

[mappy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by violeta88 /img/forum/go_quote.gif K601's are warmer sounding, but the K701's have more detail and a wider sounding presentation.... I decided to go with the K601's, again.

Quote:

Originally Posted by spinali /img/forum/go_quote.gif The K701 is a the AKG pick-to-click.... The biggest detractor for many is the bass; don't look even a touch of flab in the sound signature

Thanks for great replies!!
Arrr.. I wanted "help decide" which one to buy! Not confuse me even more!!

Yeah, I noticed general impression of most people is K601 has more warmth, but I didn't know whether it was more warmth than, say my K240 studio (that will be BAD). I listen to large orchestras so maybe bigger soundstaging of K701 is better...?

The lack of bass is actually really great for me, since I found I can tolerate minimal bass but I can't stand boomy bass.
It's amazing after so many decades of headphone development they still can't get a decent bass reproduction (like on good speakers) on cheap headphones..

So far K601 and K701 one vote each.

 

[arterius2]

k701 all the way, no turning back.

dont settle for second best.

 

[kiwibass]

It's a while since I had both 6 & 701s here together, but I thought the 7s were worth the extra money. More sophisticated SQ, better soundstage presentation, extra extention at top and bottom ends.. need I go on? They sound pretty decent through my modest Little Dot II. I can only imagine how they would sound with better amplification. As you have noted from reviews the bass is no-flab tight, but if there is deep bass present in the music you'll hear it. The 601s are good but not in the same league as the 701s IMO.

 

[dste6]

dont forget that many people mistake inarticulation and veil in sound for 'warmth', this is particularly true in warm ss amplification, but is also true for transducers (speakers and phones alike).
I wouldnt base a purchase the perceptions of others of the tone/signiture of the phone, everyone perceives this differently depending on their own rig and taste.
Bottom line, 'warm' is a nice buzz word, but not always accurate or a good thing, its not a transfucers role...in the long run you may be happier with a neutral phone and adjusting your rig's tone using source/cables/amp...this is 701's main virtue i think

edit: if its not obvious, my vote is with the 701, it is best decribed as more 'accurate', both tonally and in detail to whatever is feeding

 

[nickchen]

Bet you end up with the K701 - a real nice fon BTW, whereas I found the K601 "only" nice.

 

[Mulo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mappy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sennheiser HD595 You might have noticed that I am an AKG supporter... I tried several Senn's but HD600 and HD650 did nothing to me. I felt they sound too square and rigid (sorry if I offend anyone). I bought HD595 just to see if I can learn to enjoy the Senn sound, but I didn't. Sounded too rigid and stiff, and had some sort of absolute brick-wall cutoffs on highs and lows. (can hear upto certain keys well, but then nothing higher) I think it sounds similar to many JBL speakers I listened to.

From a former AKG affectionate (now pure Sennheiser affectionate):

 

[mappy]

Thanks everyone!! Seems like K701's outright victory so far..

Quote:

Originally Posted by dste6 /img/forum/go_quote.gif be happier with a neutral phone and adjusting your rig's tone using source/cables/amp...

This is exactly my issue, really.
I found out that all my mid-class headphones sounds SO DIFFERENT eventhough what people claim to be "neutral" and "balanced", so I was doubting my personal preferences were not really in-line with the common "flatness". (besides, magazine reviewers tend to listen mostly to pop-rock and electro)

I thought maybe someone could give me more insight with simpler reference on how it relates to my headphones. (e.g. ...if you don't like K240s then don't get K701 because... etc..)

So are there anyone with good persuasive statements to make me buy K601 instead???
I'm sure I've seen many forum threads saying K601 IS GOD! etc..

 

[majkel]

Buy Beyerdynamic DT880 Pro, Grado SR325i or Alessandro MS2i, and forget the crappy AKG K701. Why not stop tumbling around AKGs? Good AKGs I heard were old K141's, Monitor probably. I don't like K701 at all, they sound artificial on trebles, producing artifacts and placing highs in another dimension than the rest of the spectrum.

 

[hempcamp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mappy /img/forum/go_quote.gif The lack of bass is actually really great for me, since I found I can tolerate minimal bass but I can't stand boomy bass. It's amazing after so many decades of headphone development they still can't get a decent bass reproduction (like on good speakers) on cheap headphones..

What I particularly like about the K701 is how well it handles bass. Shocking amounts of it (which makes it enjoyable for more than just jazz and classical a la the K501), but so well-behaved it leaves me with no pounding headaches or distortion.

Quote:

Originally Posted by majkel /img/forum/go_quote.gif ...forget the crappy AKG K701... I don't like K701 at all, they sound artificial on trebles, producing artifacts and placing highs in another dimension than the rest of the spectrum.

Useless comment, best kept to yourself.

--Chris

 

[nickchen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by majkel /img/forum/go_quote.gif Buy Beyerdynamic DT880 Pro, Grado SR325i or Alessandro MS2i, and forget the crappy AKG K701.

A Dodge Viper and a grilled tomato are missing on this profound list.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Please reconsider buying the K-701. I have not heard the K-601, but I do own the K-701, as well as the K-501 and K-1000.

I've listened to all three extensively, and the K-701 clearly lacks detail the other two have. I've put quite a bit of classical through all three, and I'm very much a fan of SACD and listen to a lot of vinyl, as well. I don't know quite how to put it, but the K-701 sounds like the notes are wrapped in plastic. Bad analogy, perhaps, but there's something artifical and non-natural about its sounds. The K-501 and K-1000 are far more realistic. To qualify, I'm a musician and have played in a few school and community orchestras. Pro material I am not, but I've listened to classical up close and personal for years.

If I were you, I'd take a very long look at the K-501 and the Beyerdynamic DT-880. The Beyer has a little boost in the higher registers, but it is mostly neutral overall and excellent with classical. I love mine. But from what you wrote, I think you'd be happier with one of them.

 

[mappy]

Thanks everyone! Now I'm starting to get more esoteric comments

Quote:

Originally Posted by majkel /img/forum/go_quote.gif Buy Beyerdynamic DT880 Pro, Grado SR325i or Alessandro MS2i ...Why not stop tumbling around AKGs?

I did try SR225 and it had very similar sound to my SR125, so I thought any upper model Grado would be another pair of "great!, but not really for me" headphones.
Beyer is something i never really came across my mind. Thanks for suggesting. I'll see if I can find a dealer in my town.

I think this time I'll definitely get K601 or K701, since I think that will finally put an end to my AKG "tumbling around" affair, so if I own the best AKG and still not satisfied then I can confidently move on to another brand

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif Please reconsider buying the K-701. I have not heard the K-601, but I do own the K-701, as well as the K-501 and K-1000.

Let's forget about K-1000

I heard that K-501 would be the perfect cans for classical. (but a very old model).
Then I heard that K-601 is the new improved (more bass?) version of K-501.
Then I heard that K-701 is a bit more expensive model but completely different to K-501 or 601..
So you see, that's where I am standing now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif Pro material I am not, but I've listened to classical up close and personal for years.

I'm not a performer but I do sit in the audience side very often, so in my brain I have an ideal target which is that slightly diffused "rear upstairs concert hall seating" sound, and I try to aim for that for my speaker setup in my lounge.

Do you think as a performer, your listening expectations are different (more interactive and personal) compared to an average audience like me? (more coherent and diffused)

Come to think of it, I think the reason why I didn't like the Grado was that it didn't give me a large concert hall audience experience, whereas my K240DF sort of came close to it.