[akg702]

Hi

I just ordered the AKG 702 and looking into an amp for it. I prefer tube amp but any amp that will power the 702 will be nice....

I read a lot about the 702 is a love or hate phone and need good amp .... I want to keep the amp price low but much be enough to power and bring out the sound of the 702.

I'm using it for a cd player, MD, ipod or my computer with a Sound Blaster X-Fi sound card.

Any advice and link where I can get the amp will be a great help..

Thanks in advance

Fin

 

[KCChiefsfan]

I'm interested in the answer to this as well. I ordered a pair of K701's (essentially the same thing as the K702's I'm told), thinking that it would run just fine off of my soundcard, which has its own mediocre headphone amp. I based this on the very low OHM rating, and a comparison to my old headphones (Sennheiser HD555's) which ran to ear shattering levels with an OHM rating that wasn't that far off from the K701's. Now I'm reading too late that the K701's run like 300 OHM headphones, and that they can't be driven by anything short of an excellent (not Cmoy, which I had planned on buying) amplifier.

I've heard that the Total Airhead/Bithead can run the K701 to decent levels. Can anyone with experience say if this is true one way or the other? I'm not looking for music coloring, just to be able to hear my new headphones at acceptable levels (They are in transit. I'm so afraid that I'll plug them in and hear....nothing). Not to thread jack, but I think Airhead/Bithead could answer both of our questions, if they really can drive the K701's (I have no idea if they can or not)

Thanks

 

[johnwmclean]

You haven't stipulated a budget. If you've got deep pockets, then the Beta 22 is well worth a look at. Even if your preference is tube, this solid state amp has a beautiful, captivating sound. The Beta 22 is a DIY amp, from AMB Laboratories. There are several builders Rockhopper Audio, Mister X etc. that may be able to make one to your exact needs. I haven't heard a K702 with a Beta 22, but by all accounts it would be an interesting combo, but always try and audition first. The Beta 22 will have no problems driving them, as they can also drive speakers..

Edit: sorry just seen you want to keep budget low, the above is a no compromise SOTA headphone amp.

 

[anadin]

Heed CanAmp.

 

[KCChiefsfan]

Assuming the budget is 100-200, what would you suggest? Or assuming that you've got to make a choice at every 100 dollar interval, what would be some options at certain price points?


The more I think about this, the more I regret my choice of the K701 over the much easier to drive DT880's (or so I hear). I've just read an article that states that the Bithead/Airhead clips like crazy when running off of anything but batteries (with the K701/2), which kills my enthusiasm for a device I figured I could run off of USB (and makes me consider the Airhead over the Bithead, if the USB functionality is going to be useless anyway)

I know they say that Head-Fi will murder your wallet, and I've already spent 200 on headphones (great deal, which put me off the DT880's completely). If I have to spend that much or more on an amp to drive said headphones, I'm going to cry.

 

[anadin]

"Your journey has only just begun".

You will buy and sell stuff over a period of time and try and convince yourself that your latest headphone or amp sounds better than your previous one.

Your then try and pick out any little fault you think you can hear, until one day your say i've had enough of this, I just want to listen to music and not worry about how it sounds.

 

[akg702]

Sorry about the regrets but let see what others here can help....

I read about the 701/702 need a full amp to power it and still decided to go with it. It' going to cost a bit on amp which I think I can stretch a bit but will also like to start with a good enough amp first.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KCChiefsfan /img/forum/go_quote.gif Assuming the budget is 100-200, what would you suggest? Or assuming that you've got to make a choice at every 100 dollar interval, what would be some options at certain price points? The more I think about this, the more I regret my choice of the K701 over the much easier to drive DT880's (or so I hear). I've just read an article that states that the Bithead/Airhead clips like crazy when running off of anything but batteries (with the K701/2), which kills my enthusiasm for a device I figured I could run off of USB (and makes me consider the Airhead over the Bithead, if the USB functionality is going to be useless anyway) I know they say that Head-Fi will murder your wallet, and I've already spent 200 on headphones (great deal, which put me off the DT880's completely). If I have to spend that much or more on an amp to drive said headphones, I'm going to cry.

 

[akg702]

My budget is around $500 to $700 on amp for the start for the 702 mainly use at home and later a portable amp for my ipod.

I 'm not familiar with DIY and will avoid that for now.
What about the little dot mark IV tubes and V, which is better for the akg702?

The HeadRoom Micro and WooAudio 3 Amp any good for 702?

Thanks again,
Fin


Quote:

Originally Posted by johnwmclean /img/forum/go_quote.gif You haven't stipulated a budget. If you've got deep pockets, then the Beta 22 is well worth a look at. Even if your preference is tube, this solid state amp has a beautiful, captivating sound. The Beta 22 is a DIY amp, from AMB Laboratories. There are several builders Rockhopper Audio, Mister X etc. that may be able to make one to your exact needs. I haven't heard a K702 with a Beta 22, but by all accounts it would be an interesting combo, but always try and audition first. The Beta 22 will have no problems driving them, as they can also drive speakers.. Edit: sorry just seen you want to keep budget low, the above is a no compromise SOTA headphone amp.

 

[KCChiefsfan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by akg702 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sorry about the regrets but let see what others here can help.... I read about the 701/702 need a full amp to power it and still decided to go with it. It' going to cost a bit on amp which I think I can stretch a bit but will also like to start with a good enough amp first.

I don't regret the purchase as much as I regret the things I could have bought instead of the amp that I'm going to have to buy now. I realize that sounds ridiculous, but it is the truth. We've both purchased a Ferarri, and now we need to search the far corners of the Earth for the petrol with which to make that Ferarri go. I guess the difference between us is that you knew this ahead of time, and I didn't

Well, that, and your willingness to stomach a huge amp purchase and a headphone purchase all in one go (I'm sorry wallet....)

I'm dying for someone with real experience using the Total Airhead/Bithead with the K701's. I'm wondering if they'd even be sufficient to drive the K701's using battery power. A 100 dollar Airhead plus the cost of batteries is still cheaper than a 200+ dollar amp that has to be ordered from China off of Ebay (which is where a lot of the models I've been researching seem to be sourced from in this price range)

By no means am I limiting my search to portable amps though. If there is a desktop (full-size) headphone amp that would be better in this price range, I'm all for it. I've heard great things about the Headroom Micro Amp, at 300ish dollars, but the thought of paying more for an amp than I paid for headphones is a real mind****

Out of curiosity, how much did you pay for the K702's that you are willing to spend 500-700 for an amp to go with them?

Edit: I've heard that the K701/2's are awful with a tube amp because they need the high...err...current? That tube amps can't provide. I probably shouldn't mention info I've gathered from sources that may or may not be awful, but there it is. I'm sure someone can correct me.

 

[akg702]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KCChiefsfan /img/forum/go_quote.gif Out of curiosity, how much did you pay for the K702's that you are willing to spend 500-700 for an amp to go with them?

I paid $264 for the AKG 702. From what know before deciding to get the 702 is it need a good amp. So I think $500 to $700 might get me a ok amp for the 702.

I rather get a OK amp since I decide to go for the 702. I'm thinking of a Sennheiser HD650 or a Grado SR325i later and hope the amp I get can power them too. But first the 702 and a amp. It doesn't have to be a tube amp but I always want to try out a tube.

I'm new to these and only done a weeks of research to get a good headphones and I was first into the Sennheiser 650 but the more I read about the 701/702 as a love or hate headphone .... just get me more interested in audiophile.

and the price are not too bad for the 702.

 

[KCChiefsfan]

About the only reason I'm not returning the K701's is that I've got other headphones that could benefit from a good amp (Not the aforementioned 555's, but some higher impedence DT770 Pro's. I bought the 555's after being told they'd be good for classical music compared to the DT770's....what I was told was wrong)

I've found the headroom micro amp for 200, and I think I'm going to jump on the deal and call it a day. It's much more than I was ever going to spend, but what is the point in having top of the line headphones (though the HD800's seem to be poised to destroy that notion..) if you can't power them properly? I'll probably pick up the Airhead as well, since I've found it for 40 used. If nothing else, I'll be able to see if the micro amp was worth it.

If anyone has any better suggestions at 200 dollars, I'd love to hear them. Otherwise, I hope you guys can help him out with his 500-700 dollar needs.

 

[akg702]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KCChiefsfan /img/forum/go_quote.gif About the only reason I'm not returning the K701's is that I've got other headphones that could benefit from a good amp (Not the aforementioned 555's, but some higher impedence DT770 Pro's. I bought the 555's after being told they'd be good for classical music compared to the DT770's....what I was told was wrong) I've found the headroom micro amp for 200, and I think I'm going to jump on the deal and call it a day. It's much more than I was ever going to spend, but what is the point in having top of the line headphones (though the HD800's seem to be poised to destroy that notion..) if you can't power them properly? I'll probably pick up the Airhead as well, since I've found it for 40 used. If nothing else, I'll be able to see if the micro amp was worth it. If anyone has any better suggestions at 200 dollars, I'd love to hear them. Otherwise, I hope you guys can help him out with his 500-700 dollar needs.

Good luck, and let me know how it goes on the micro amp with the 701.

 

[K_19]

I've got experience with Total Bithead and the K701.

I have no idea where the clipping thing comes from, because when I use it as a DAC through USB I experience none of that whatsoever. I certainly don't hear any, and the indicator does not light up either, unless its broken or something. It drives all the FLAC files from my Eee 1000HE perfectly. It does not benefit crazily with SQ as you may get from some of the other amps, but the volume will get to more than adequate levels and you'll get a decent sound overall (but one's gotta make sure that the gain is already set to high). Crossfeed you won't notice as much, but it does help with bass extention and body. It's actually the amp part I am less than impressed with... I feel that the DAC is much better by a mile, which is the reason why I've springed for the EF-1. If you are just going for the Airhead, I'm not sure if I can recommend that...

But overall, Bithead is a decent DAC that will drive K701 just fine. Nowhere near 100%, but for sure to pleasureable levels. If you do a search for others with K701 and Bithead you will find that most people thought that the synergy is good for the most part also.

 

[QQQ]

Shanling ph100

 

[K_19]

Quote:

Originally Posted by QQQ /img/forum/go_quote.gif Shanling ph100

This is what my friend has, and I have to say that the synergy is definitely great between those two. If going for just a stand alone amp this could be the best budget choice.