[adgaps]

So I just got a pre-owned C&C X02 from a fellow member of a local audiophile community. He used to own a K701 too.
 
The most significant change I noticed is the sound became warmer and fuller. Bass is thumpy, and soundstage is a tad wider.
Detail retrieval is still the same, though I've noticed some instruments I never hear before in one or two tracks.
 
Source is Cowon J3 with mostly 320kbps MP3 files of varying genre (rock, jazz, jpop, metal)
 
By the way, my K701 doesn't have the doughnut foams inside the pads anymore (I got it pre-owned, previous owner says he lost the foams). Serial number 14639
 
 
I'll try to post a more detailed review in a few days.

 

[pack21]

Loving my new K702. At this moment, burning, I don't know exactly wich i love more Sony MA900 or K702.....I think they complement each other.

Time will tell.

 

[miceblue]

I'm using the K 701 with the Light Harmonic Geek Out 450 (beta firmware) and I am really enjoying some Mandopop with them. I forgot how awesome the upper-mids are with the k 701s.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyTBtW7T5g0[/video]

 

[Straz]

How much do the K701 differ in terms of positional audio to the Q701? I have read they are fairly similar but the K701 edges it slightly. Anyone with first hand experience on this?

 

[HaVoC-28]

Quote:

  How much do the K701 differ in terms of positional audio to the Q701? I have read they are fairly similar but the K701 edges it slightly. Anyone with first hand experience on this?

 
Present Q701 = K70X . 
 
Their could be slight differences with olders austrian made K701 ( older K701/K702 pads were almost flat , the current ones have the same angled pad as Q701, and all are made in PRC , also their could be some driver variations due to manufacturing process etc) .

 

[spookygonk]

Does anyone know how to safely wash the earpads for the K 701? I hate velour pads because they collect random smells from people's heads...

I bought a new pair of pads from www.thomann.de (link: http://www.thomann.de/gb/akg_k701_ohrpolster.htm) as the K701 I got cheap off ebay stank of smoke & sweat (which the seller didn't mention). They were also recabled with a Blackdragon cable and still sound wonderful. Going to try the bass mod though.
 
 
Serial: 4359

 

[cdma2k]

  Quote:

  How much do the K701 differ in terms of positional audio to the Q701? I have read they are fairly similar but the K701 edges it slightly. Anyone with first hand experience on this?

 
Present Q701 = K70X . 
 
Their could be slight differences with olders austrian made K701 ( older K701/K702 pads were almost flat , the current ones have the same angled pad as Q701, and all are made in PRC , also their could be some driver variations due to manufacturing process etc) .

Not quite true.
K601~K612~K701~k702
Q701~ K702 65th ~ K712
~:  are close to with slight difference

 

[HaVoC-28]

 
Not quite true.
K601~K612~K701~k702
Q701~ K702 65th ~ K712
~:  are close to with slight difference

 
No sorry .
 
I stick with actual K70X and Q701 are identical  or almost ,due manufacturing process etc ,they share the same angled pad now .
 
K702 65th , K712 this two are different sounding due to use of memory foam pad .

 

[cdma2k]

my guess are as followed:

1. categorized by drivers
   1. K601, K612: 120 ohm, 101 dB SPL/V
   2. Q701, K701, K702, K712, maybe K702 65th: 62 ohm, 105 dB SPL/V
   3. K812: 36 ohm, 110 dB SPL/V
2. categorized by freq. response, thus characteristic of sound
   1. hi-fi oriented: K601, K612, K701, K702
   2. bass enhanced: K712, maybe K702 65th, K812
   3. Q701: lies between hi-fi oriented and bass enhanced

 
 

 

[HaVoC-28]

I don't know why you use this scale and not the default one ...
 

 
What pictures headroom it's the evolution of the serie , the K701 is the first to be measured then  the K702 and after the Q701 , how many time beetwen this bunch of mesaurements ?  . Would it be the same if you take , fresh from factory K701/K702/Q701 ? i highly doubt , their graphs will all be much more similar that what we see their ...
 
 
Or let's see at innerfidelity
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/AKGK701.pdf
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/AKGQuincyJonesQ701.pdf
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/AKGK701SampleB.pdf
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/AKGK712.pdf
 
Difference beetwen K701 and Q701 is much less obvious than in headroom (or at least with the scalle that you choose) .
 
Their process manufactring and slight evolutions in line , as i said in past K701 pads were FLAT . With K702 they introduced a slighty angled pad , and with Q701 even further angle . Now all K701/K702/Q701 use the same very angled pad , they sound the same or at least very similar .
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

[QBoQBo]

I really like the sound signature of my K701 which I have been using for 3 years>. I like the beautiful white finish and classy brown leather band. Just wondering why they put out so many later models which don't look quite as good like the green Q -.- I tried the Q, and it really isn't as good in terms of impact. I don't like too much marketing on a good product. It seems to ruin the model which I love so much.

 

[cdma2k]

  I really like the sound signature of my K701 which I have been using for 3 years>. I like the beautiful white finish and classy brown leather band. Just wondering why they put out so many later models which don't look quite as good like the green Q -.- I tried the Q, and it really isn't as good in terms of impact. I don't like too much marketing on a good product. It seems to ruin the model which I love so much.

If you like K701, I guess you probably would like K601, K612 and K702 as well, a little bit different from each other but not much.
If you look at freq. resp. curves of some high price models such as Sennheiser 650 700 and 800, Audeze LCD-2, Beyerdynamic T1, you  will understand why AKG make Q701, and Kx12. They need to generate revenue to survive. It is much easier to please/impress the listener with stronger hi-bass and low-mid, but it further distorts the waveforms, period.

 

[cdma2k]

  I don't know why you use this scale and not the default one ...
 

 
What pictures headroom it's the evolution of the serie , the K701 is the first to be measured then  the K702 and after the Q701 , how many time beetwen this bunch of mesaurements ?  . Would it be the same if you take , fresh from factory K701/K702/Q701 ? i highly doubt , their graphs will all be much more similar that what we see their ...
 
 
Or let's see at innerfidelity
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/AKGK701.pdf
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/AKGQuincyJonesQ701.pdf
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/AKGK701SampleB.pdf
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/AKGK712.pdf
 
Difference beetwen K701 and Q701 is much less obvious than in headroom (or at least with the scalle that you choose) .
 
Their process manufactring and slight evolutions in line , as i said in past K701 pads were FLAT . With K702 they introduced a slighty angled pad , and with Q701 even further angle . Now all K701/K702/Q701 use the same very angled pad , they sound the same or at least very similar .
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The finer granularity is to show the difference among the models..
 
As you can see there are 2 dBs gap as shown in my attached plots in the upper-bass between K701 and Q701. I believe you can hear the difference. At far as I know there is evident difference between K612 and Q701.
 
Maybe you are right due to the slight evolution in line that now all K701/K702/Q701 use the same very angled pad.

 

[AudioEndeavor]

[size=large]I got my new AKG K702 (made in china bump-less ones)  headphones the other day! :3[/size]
[size=large]Quick first Impressions on sound. (Unmapped, plugged into my desktop computer. Keep in mind I am no expert X3): [/size]
[size=large]I listen mostly to Symphonic Metal, Metal, Electronica, Alternative, and some Punk now and then.[/size]
 
[size=large] Bass: Definitely not bass shy It's there, not boomy and I can even "feel it" sometimes.[/size]
[size=large]Mids: Again, just there making me smile, not forward. [/size]
[size=large] [/size][size=large]Treble/highs: Piercing/shrill/bright in some tracks (D.A.N.C.E From Justice and Lux Triumphans From Rhapsody Come to mind) but pleasant on others. [/size]
[size=large]Soundstage is wide and sound image is better than what I have heard before. [/size]
 
[size=large]It seems that these "shine" with every music I throw at them ^-^ I just wonder if this is how "neutral" is supposed to sound since I have never owned any other "cans" (Using head-fi talk from lurking around the Forums for years hahaha XD). Mine have peaks at ~2khz, ~5khz, ~7,500khz and ~11khz from using Sine Gen. Thank you for reading! ^-^ FIRST POST EVER![/size]
[size=large]-Eric[/size]

 

[Oktyabr]

  [size=large]I got my new AKG K702 (made in china bump-less ones)  headphones the other day! :3[/size]
[size=large]Quick first Impressions on sound. (Unmapped, plugged into my desktop computer. Keep in mind I am no expert X3): [/size]
[size=large]I listen mostly to Symphonic Metal, Metal, Electronica, Alternative, and some Punk now and then.[/size]
 
[size=large] Bass: Definitely not bass shy It's there, not boomy and I can even "feel it" sometimes.[/size]
[size=large]Mids: Again, just there making me smile, not forward. [/size]
[size=large] [/size][size=large]Treble/highs: Piercing/shrill/bright in some tracks (D.A.N.C.E From Justice and Lux Triumphans From Rhapsody Come to mind) but pleasant on others. [/size]
[size=large]Soundstage is wide and sound image is better than what I have heard before. [/size]
 
[size=large]It seems that these "shine" with every music I throw at them ^-^ I just wonder if this is how "neutral" is supposed to sound since I have never owned any other "cans" (Using head-fi talk from lurking around the Forums for years hahaha XD). Mine have peaks at ~2khz, ~5khz, ~7,500khz and ~11khz from using Sine Gen. Thank you for reading! ^-^ FIRST POST EVER![/size]
[size=large]-Eric[/size]

Nice!  Another lurker starts posting

I think I'm going to buy a pair of K702, once I can find a dealer that will promise to only ship me the flat headband version (several emails sent).  

If you've been reading here a long time you know that these are likely to see sound improvement from being "burned in" (aka "run in", "broken in") for at least 100-200 hours.  I know I heard a difference with my old K701 and my new K712 has developed nicely with around 150 hours on them.  Bass seems tighter and a bit of that edge on the very highs should tame down just a bit.

"Neutral" should be that an overlay showing the original source material and a recording of the speaker/headphone that reproduces it are a very close match.  This is difficult for any chain to actually accomplish and extremely tough with testing headphones in particular.  Me?  I look at frequency response graphs like those from innerfidelity and headroom...  If the highest bass peak is higher than the treble peaks then it can be considered to have a bass emphasis and vice versa. 

I've included a graph comparing the K702 and the K712 (that I recently got).  If you look closely you can see that on the K712 the highest level on the left side of the spectrum is nearly +3db higher than the highest level on the right side and approximately +9db higher than the very far right peak.  The K702 has mid/bass that peaks only +1db higher than the highest on the right and +5db higher than the highest treble shown...  it will probably provide the "flatter", more "neutral" listening experience and the K712 definitely sounds like the more bass heavy of the two.  Just my US$0.02 worth!