[estreeter]

It wouldnt be a K70* thread without Uncle Erik and Duggeh, but I miss OlBlueEyez in this thread. Uncle Erik, what is your opinion of the K501 ? I know you like the 601, but with a hundred hours on my 501s I am surprised by how good these cans are, particularly when the retail price of the 601 was over double what I paid for the (NOS) 501 - undeniably plastic construction, but good balance and great VFM.

 

[AdamWysokinski]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sun_x /img/forum/go_quote.gif AKG701 really needs a very decent amp to bring out its full potential.

And the amp doesn't have to be decent in terms of price, but rather in terms of power

 

[pbarach]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif Which is the same reason I sold my K-701. The vocals were always "off" and the K-701 had a strong whiff of plastic about their tonality.

Are you sure the "plastic" wasn't in the recording? With naturally recorded vocals, e.g. Roberta Alexander vocals on Etcetera, the voice is clear, no overemphasis of sibilance, and the ambience of the recording site. However, on recordings with added EQ and reverb (such as Tony Bennett's Sony CD of Frank Sinatra songs), all of that manipulation makes that "plastic" effect. I hear the same traits on HD650's, but they are less obvious.

 

[AdamWysokinski]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pbarach /img/forum/go_quote.gif Are you sure the "plastic" wasn't in the recording? With naturally recorded vocals, e.g. Roberta Alexander vocals on Etcetera, the voice is clear, no overemphasis of sibilance, and the ambience of the recording site. However, on recordings with added EQ and reverb (such as Tony Bennett's Sony CD of Frank Sinatra songs), all of that manipulation makes that "plastic" effect. I hear the same traits on HD650's, but they are less obvious.

To me vocal reproduction (particularly female soloists) is one of the strongest points of K701s - they posses that magic Harbeth-like clarity in mids, which make listening to well-recorded vocals really addicting

 

[AP3X]

Quote:

Originally Posted by estreeter /img/forum/go_quote.gif AP3X, I'd like you to look up the specs on your 'Marantz receiver'. I think you will find that there is an amp in there, and very likely a quite powerful amp at that. My CA integrated drives my headphones better than either of my dedicated DAC/amps.

Yes, there is an amp in the Marantz but my decision was based off of listening from my Macbook Pro. Where we talking about no dedicated amp or no amp at all? The receiver was just mentioned because that is one of the devices I plugged some of headsets into. The HD595's and the HD600's did not even get plugged into the receiver. Hated the 595's and loved the 600's just off the Macbook pro. Apparently the Macbooks have pretty good soundcards in them because they sound really good even with the AKG. Now I look forward more than ever to getting my amp.

 

[AP3X]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MacedonianHero /img/forum/go_quote.gif Honestly it's like driving a Ferrari and staying under 100 km/h. Why bother? These babies can sound great properly amp'd and why not push them to their limit?

One word..... Budget. Invest in quality now, drive to full potential later. Worked for me.

 

[estreeter]

ap3x, can you tell me what year your MBP was manufactured, pls ? Mine is from 2007 and it would struggle to drive the 701s.

 

[pbarach]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Happy Camper /img/forum/go_quote.gif Marantz does pay attention to their headphone service. I was quite impressed with my friend's output on his receiver. Now the hp out of my pre is pretty bad. Once the OP hears what tubes do, there will be no escape. He will be assimilated.

Certainly, headphone outputs do vary. I have a Denon 3805 receiver, and good headphones (e.g, HD650's) sound very thin indeed there. OTOH I have a couple of older Carver preamps (C-1 and CT-7), and their headphone outputs sound pretty darn good.

 

[AP3X]

Quote:

Originally Posted by estreeter /img/forum/go_quote.gif ap3x, can you tell me what year your MBP was manufactured, pls ? Mine is from 2007 and it would struggle to drive the 701s.

I bought mine September of 2007 so it may very well be a 08 model. Not sure though.

 

[denydog]

I started reading this thread and got curious. So I got the adapter out and plugged the AKG 701's into my current generation ipod Nano and started listening to some apple lossless blues-rock (not hard) type music. Guitarist Johnny A. in particular.

First thing I noticed was that I had the volume at max, which brought the loudness to the middle/lower range of what I normally listen at. Otherwise it sounded pretty good! Even had bass.

Then I plugged into the Grace m902 and played the same song (but Wav file from a PC) and I could readily tell the highs had more sparkle, and the bass was tighter. A touch more refined all around I think. And of course I could go a lot louder if needed.

The 701's out of the Nano were pleasant, but if you compare with a decent amped source, you can hear you are missing something.

At least now I know for myself

 

[Germancub]

Ive listened to my K601s and K701s out of the best amps in the industry and listen usually through just my mac laptop or iPod nano... full volume is literally tinnitus-inducing. I dont know how loud you guys listen but jeez! lol. As far as sound quality, there is a difference in listening unamped but it is, in NO way shape or form, night and day. Its very slight to me honestly. I cant justify the price... but could justify the price of the K701s in the first place as they, in their own right, are the biggest upgrade.

 

[estreeter]

Germancub, I could listen to my DAP from the 501s (granted, I'm still getting used to these cans, but so far they are much easier to drive), but the 601s are largely a waste of time - the little Sony X1060 just doesnt push enough mojo into these large cans for mine, and that is a DAP with one of the best digital amps in its class. Its not about volume,as you know, its about how close they can get to their potential best - if I had known just how hard the 601s are to drive properly, I would have bought another pair of cans. If I didnt have my little CA integrated, they would be on their way to a new home now.

 

[cfdrumr]

I am pretty new to the headphone scene but have been into high quality audio for a while.
I bought a pair of 701's last month and it have changed my world... here are my experiences.

When they showed up, i hated them. I had no amp, and my macbook pro just couldnt power them. I let them break in for close to 100 hours just on pink noise, then i just started using them, throwing in pink noise when i wasnt around. I also picked up a Little Dot MKIII which really showed the beauty of these cans... now here is the weird part.

Now that they have about 200 hours of break in... when I play them through my iphone or macbook pro, like I am right now, they sound great! A little quiet, but just fantastic. I am not sure if the loosening of the coils made them more efficient or what... but they sound great. They do sound much better with the amp though...

 

[Sherwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Germancub /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ive listened to my K601s and K701s out of the best amps in the industry and listen usually through just my mac laptop or iPod nano... full volume is literally tinnitus-inducing. I dont know how loud you guys listen but jeez!

Volume has very little to do with the effect a proper amp has. You don't put a huge engine in a car just to go faster.

I'm curious to hear what the "best amps in the industry" are, cub.

 

[AP3X]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sherwood /img/forum/go_quote.gif Volume has very little to do with the effect a proper amp has. You don't put a huge engine in a car just to go faster. I'm curious to hear what the "best amps in the industry" are, cub.

HUH? You don't? No offense but you don't put a big engine in a car for fuel economy either.

Your point is understood though