[sp70]

Now that i've got a decent amp, the Maverick D1 - will this have enough power to give the K701 decent bass? I'm used to the Grado sound (SR80s are my current phones.)

From what I hear the K701s are a bit weak on bass unless they are matched to the right amp, and that they are picky about that. I've had my eye on the K701s for awhile now (really like the look and build quality) and have heard them called one of the hoiy trinity of headphones, I just wonder if its right for me.

Would I be better off going for a higher model Grado, or in an entirely different direction like the K601 or something else? I like the bass of the Grados but sometimes find their highs a bit fatiguing, not to mention their build isn't so good for long listening sessions. Main listening material will be Rock, Jazz, and Metal mostly.

 

[MomijiTMO]

Look nothing is going to fundamentally change the sound of the K701. Warm amps like the Canamp add a little more bass but we aren't talking significant quantities of bass. For example, the HD650 from a STX still has more bass than the K701 out of a Canamp.

There are a lot of people who don't like the 'phone so the best thing you could do is to go to a meet and audition it.

 

[AmanGeorge]

The K701 will sound excellent with jazz, but not great with rock or metal. I don't know that they are the best match for your tastes.

 

[Acix]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MomijiTMO /img/forum/go_quote.gif Look nothing is going to fundamentally change the sound of the K701. Warm amps like the Canamp add a little more bass but we aren't talking significant quantities of bass. For example, the HD650 from a STX still has more bass than the K701 out of a Canamp. There are a lot of people who don't like the 'phone so the best thing you could do is to go to a meet and audition it.

Did you try the K701 out of the STX?

 

[brokensound]

If you enjoy the Grado line, but find the high end fatiguing, then it sounds like you'll love the Grado HF-2. Has the house sound, improving on almost all areas compared to the sr80.

Give the K701 a try first though. Who knows, you may love them.


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[Sasahara]

The 701s do indeed sound fantastic with jazz but a bit lacking when I listen to rock. I just plug in a basic pair of RP-21s for that lol.

 

[MomijiTMO]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acix /img/forum/go_quote.gif Did you try the K701 out of the STX?

Hi,

Yes I did try it out of the STX. The bass was somewhat sloppy compared to the Canamp. Didn't really look for other things because that was the obvious one to me [and one I can't really live with]. What I was trying to point out in my post was that even with a 'matched' amp, the K701 just doesn't have a pleasing level of bass. Sure it has more bass than some amps but it's not like they significantly change. I find the HD650 to be just right for my ears. With that said, I still regard the K701s as my primary can for their other qualities.

 

[Happy Camper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AmanGeorge /img/forum/go_quote.gif The K701 will sound excellent with jazz, but not great with rock or metal. I don't know that they are the best match for your tastes.

Acoustic rock they do good with. They also do well with progressive rock as I prefer the 701s to the RS-1s for the soundstage. Electric rock, on the other hand, are what the RS-1s were made for.

 

[baka1969]

The 701 is certainly one of my headphone trinity. I think they work with many genres and with jazz they are terrific. I do enjoy them with rock. I feel that even though they don't extend as low with bass as my Grado HF-2, the bass with the AKG is far more detailed and controlled which balances it out as far as I'm concerned. Even when compared to the Senn, I find the bass defenition of the 701 more than compensates. I primarily have been using the Headroom Micro Amp with my headphones with the iBasso DAC. I only yesterday received the DacMagic and will have the Gilmore Lite soon.

I'm a big fan of the AKG K-701 and haven't found it lacking in much of anything.

Ross

 

[midoo1990]

Baka is the headroom micro amp powerful enough for the 701?is the match good?can you comment on highs and especially mids?I do think that my micro amp can drive any headphones because it has alot of power.thx in advance

 

[baka1969]

Quote:

Originally Posted by midoo1990 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Baka is the headroom micro amp powerful enough for the 701?is the match good?can you comment on highs and especially mids?I do think that my micro amp can drive any headphones because it has alot of power.thx in advance

The Micro Amp not only handles the 701 with ease, it has no problem with the Senn. Overall the Micro Amp is excellent. It's a tad warm. It's more of a portable/desktop hybrid. The only, and I mean only quibble I have with the amp is it's ability to extract the micro details from a given recording. Believe it or not, the iBasso D2+ Boa was better at that. But, the Headroom is better at everything else. Where the iBasso is very noisy (it's even battery operated), the Micro is relatively quiet. The only reason I ordered the Gilmore Lite is because I'm a detail freak and want that last bit of detail.

I'm listening to Steely Dan's Aja album now with the Headroom and 701 and it's a great pairing.

Ross

 

[midoo1990]

and i thought that my micro amp is a detail freak

..when i use my micro amp with my ie8,i notice that the mids are pushed very forward which i dont like,i like big airy soundstage with relaxed mids and instruments are spaciouly seperated at the back of my head with strong clear vocals,does the micro amp push the k701 mids very forward or is it still very spacious and well seperated?thank you very much for your assistance>

 

[baka1969]

Quote:

Originally Posted by midoo1990 /img/forum/go_quote.gif and i thought that my micro amp is a detail freak ..when i use my micro amp with my ie8,i notice that the mids are pushed very forward which i dont like,i like big airy soundstage with relaxed mids and instruments are spaciouly seperated at the back of my head with strong clear vocals,does the micro amp push the k701 mids very forward or is it still very spacious and well seperated?thank you very much for your assistance>

Given that I think the Micro amp is able to bring out the lower mids and bass from the 701, I don't feel the Headroom is overly aggressive. I only noticed the difference in detail retrevial when using the iBasso and doin an A/B with it.

I've noticed a few recordings are sibilant and the 701 tames that a bit. The Grado accentuates it and the Senn almost completely mutes it. I use the Senn for sibilant songs or albums. Nirvana's In Utero is an example.

Back to the 701 and the Headroom, it has plenty of ceiling. When there are wide dynamic swings, the iBasso loses it's composure. The iBasso can also be a bit harsh with treble at times. The Headroom handles dynamics well with the 701 and the highs are crisp and clean without edge. All of the reasons I've mentioned is the reason I said the Headroom is a tad warm.

EDIT: I forgot to mention soundstage and imaging with the Micro Amp. I think of all the amps I've had, the Micro Amp, so far, sounds the most "right". What I mean is, it sounds more like it's supposed to than I've heard with the others. Some recordings themselves are better at imaging than others. So. I hope that makes sense.

 

[midoo1990]

Thank you for your impressions,I appreciate it.