[Ze_Blitzkrieg]

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Can you spot any physical differences between the pads? Thickness/density of mesh, thickness/density/springiness of pads, shape of pads; location of mounting holes on backs of pads; color differences; textural differences of mesh or pads; etc.

Surprisingly no.  I spent probably about an hour analyzing the original set of ear pads to see if there was a different.  It is definitely not due to the thickness of the cushions at all, and must reside in the mesh screen itself.  Even holding it directly over a bright light reveals no differences in the pads. . .very confusing as to how they could be so different in sound.
 

 

[Ikarios]

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It's not a case of it being bright that it "seems" to pick up more detail.  It does resolve more, even versus my modded T50RP.  It's a small difference.
I do like plenty of treble extension.  K701 after dampening is quite non-fatiguing for me, so I've no issue with it even when compared to T50RP.  I wish the Fostex was brighter, honestly.  I find K701 to comfortably fall short of being too bright for my tastes.  Less treble forwardness than my SR325is and AD700.
My SR325is also has dynamat Xtreme on the back of its drivers, by the way.  =D

I had the same sentiment about the K701; it has an emphasized treble, for sure, but not so much that it bothers me. My guess at the reason behind this is if you look at Tyll's or Headroom's graphs, you'll notice the K701 has a pretty high treble decibel rating, then drops off sharply at around 10kHz. I've noticed in other headphones (like Sennheisers and Beyers) that if there's no drop-off beyond this point, treble (especially cymbals) can sound strident. The K701's treble drops off just before the stridency point for me, which kind of "smooths out" treble spikes. The K501 does the same thing, to a lesser degree. It's one of the main reasons I picked the K701 and K501 over the DT880 and HD650 (several times, as well - first it was K701 vs HD650, then K701 vs HD580, then K701 vs DT880/600, then K501 vs K701, then K501 vs DT880/32. Each time the AKG set won.)
 

 

[bsaac]

I also agree I much prefer my 701's to my DT 880.
 
Love the air of the 701's

 

[Moonwalker]

Hi!
 
Could somebody specify more precisely, at which frequencies these resonances occur?
 
This would greatly help me to isloate what is the sound of the driver itself and what are reflections and resonances from the outer shell.
I suppose nobody measured bare K701 driver capsule to isolate raw driver THD and peaks...
 
Moonwalker

 

[fdhfdy]

They are nice!

 

[smaugem]

 
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Could somebody specify more precisely, at which frequencies these resonances occur?
 

The resonances in mine  were at 450Hz:
AKG K701 resonance problem
 

 

[Mad Max]

 
Quote:

Hi!
 
Could somebody specify more precisely, at which frequencies these resonances occur?
 
This would greatly help me to isloate what is the sound of the driver itself and what are reflections and resonances from the outer shell.
I suppose nobody measured bare K701 driver capsule to isolate raw driver THD and peaks...
 
Moonwalker

I never noticed much of a change in the lower mids and bass, so I assume in the upper mids and treble, where the changes occurred from dampening.  The dampening on the back of the driver kills vibration and cuts down on back waves(?) as they return to the driver from the surrounding materials.  The dynamat I added to the rings themselves further reduce resonances from those parts, though I think I could try adding more, however, when adding the putty, it must face away from the driver as in my pictures posted or it could affect the sound negatively.  You certainly won't get a flat FR or anything, but it largely cuts down on the coloration added by the resonances/vibrations/whatever.  They occur at many frequencies, to partly answer your question, if they shape the sound so much.
Smaugem's issue might be something else, though I wouldn't know.
Correct me if I'm wrong, I just calling it as I observe it based on the changes and what the placement of Dynamat does.

 

[jaeming]

Cheapest I've seen them online is for $279:
http://www.turntablelab.com/dj_equipment/0/0/83368.html
But then add shipping and it'll come closer to $300.
I still believe it's a good value for money at $300, especially with a nice amp.
BTW, I've seen them for as much as $800 USD in at least in one retail store in New Zealand. Ouch.
 
 
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Where are you guys picking up your K701's? I remember they used to sell for around $200 USD new, but lately, I can't find any for under $260. Has the price simply gone up, or am I just looking in the wrong places?
 

 

 

[realmassy]

I'm having the opportunity to listen to a friend's K702, with some after market cable... we basically swapped the headphones for a few days (I own a recabled DT880 600ohm).
Amp is a WA3, dac a Havana.
I owned a K701 (with a LD MKV) and a double-entry balanced K702 in the past, using a full-balanced chain, Audio-GD Ref5 Audio-GD Roc.
 
I'm kinda surprised about the sound coming from the WA3, better than expected and absolutely enjoyable.
Different from the previous setup, with less diffuse stage and mids a bit more forward, while keeping the same resolution and analytical way to present the music.
 
Compared to the DT880 I miss some warmth but instrument separation is very nice. I probably prefer the beyers with complex symphonic music, but the AKG are wonderful with chamber.
Vocals are forward on the K702, which make sound sacred works very different: with the Beyers they sound distant and "ethereal", if you see what I mean, and to me that fits well the sound of a Mass. But the K702 have better separation between soloists and choir.
 
Comfort is way better than my old K702, the headband now has 8 "bumps", and they don't hurt my scalp in the same way.

 

[WoahReQQuiem]

Has anyone tried to replace the parts that may break easily (housing, joints, gimbals)? 
I'm trying to save up for a K 701 but seems like durability is real issue. Is there is any company / anyone who could do a metal / tougher plastic housing for these?

 

[fishski13]

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Has anyone tried to replace the parts that may break easily (housing, joints, gimbals)? 
I'm trying to save up for a K 701 but seems like durability is real issue. Is there is any company / anyone who could do a metal / tougher plastic housing for these?

i'm not sure why people believe they have a durability issue.  in my book, they are as well built or better than any HP i've owned.  my K702 are over 2 years old and i don't feel that headband and elastics are even broken in yet

.  sure, the elastics will stretch over time and need to be replaced, but that's price to pay to self-adjusting.  the plastic is tough as well.  i don't have a single scratch on mine.
 

 

[WoahReQQuiem]

I believe most problems occur in the drivers, wiring (K 701) and the part where the headband joins the gimbals.

 

[Ikarios]

I've never heard of any K701s having durability issues, and they've been around for a pretty long time (relatively, anyway). Regardless you can probably purchase any piece of the headphone in the exploded view directly through AKG, so that should assuage your fears.

 

[WoahReQQuiem]

 
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I've never heard of any K701s having durability issues, and they've been around for a pretty long time (relatively, anyway). Regardless you can probably purchase any piece of the headphone in the exploded view directly through AKG, so that should assuage your fears.

In the AKG forums there are quite a few who posted issues - most common seems to be the "driver goes out in the x side".

 

[realmassy]

I now have my third K702/1 and I never had issues with them in the past, build quality is good, actually better than HD650 and DT 880, though the K702 look cheaper than the K701.