[elbrickodaviso]

What exactly ARE the differences? They are constantly compared to one another, but only about how similar they are. I have K701 but am not satisfied with certain aspects. If the HD600s are at least a little warmer and have some more bass presence without a massive home amp (my amp is the Hornet) I'd be so on board. Input is greatly appreciated!

 

[cotdt]

tonally they are about the same, along with the Beyer DT880. HD600 has sharper transients and is "faster" sounding than the K701, but the soundstage is not as huge or diffuse. The K701 has more sparkle and detail over the HD600 and DT880 in terms of treble. If you want a slightly warmer and faster K701, the ATH AD2000 is the answer. Of course using a better amp would also add body to the K701. I recommend the Beta22 for these headphones because it is very warm, fast, and full-bodied.

 

[Asr]

ooooh the memories of when I had these at the same time!

The HD600 has a warmer mid-range that makes it sound more involving. More audible bass. The single most noteworthy difference for me though was that the HD600 had a lot more "realism" than the K701, with palpable texture and weight. And everything just sounded more realistic - orchestral specifically, it pulls down violins so they sound anchored instead of flitty and the more emphasized mid-bass gives stuff a nice "big" sound.

The HD600 is a great can all-around - in retrospect it's probably something I should've kept. But I felt like I had too many headphones at the time so I picked one of my headphones at random to sell.

Amp-hungry though, at 300 Ohms.

 

[elbrickodaviso]

Asr, that sounds friggen perfect. Is the
$26x price new at amazon a good idea?

 

[Duggeh]

When I heard the two of them side by side I was at a loss to ascertain almost any sonic difference between the two. I've never heard any other headphones that sound so similar.

I preferred the HD600 though, more comfortable, marginally easier to drive.

 

[nelamvr6]

It's funny you guys should mention it, I'm right this minute listening to my new (well, new to me, but less than 100 hours) pair of K701's and I am enjoying them immensely!


Unfortunately, I never had a chance to audition to th HD-600's, I went straight from the HD-585 to the HD-650's. But I can say that I really like these a lot more than my HD-650's! In fact, I'm now seriously considering selling my HD-650's.

Still not as much fun as my RS-1's though...

 

[Redo]

Hmm, these headphones sound entirely different to me. The HD600's have alot of bottom weight, and have a tighter soundstage. The bass on the HD600's sound more like two subwoofers close to each ear (in terms of impact), and the high end sounds naturally rolled off. Great midrange detail.

The K701's have full, deep bass that fills a huge airspace without having slamming impact. The midrange is textured, but not overly apparent. The treble has much detail, sparkle, and you can feel the the treble reaching for the stars. Not the warmest, but it just throws out lots of detail and a HUGE soundstage.

I didn't think they sounded anything alike, but if you don't like the 701's too much, the HD600's may be perfect. The thing that eats at me over the 701's is it's all in the amp synergy. They are completely different headphones on different amps.

 

[nelamvr6]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redo /img/forum/go_quote.gif I didn't think they sounded anything alike, but if you don't like the 701's too much, the HD600's may be perfect. The thing that eats at me over the 701's is it's all in the amp synergy. They are completely different headphones on different amps.

Which amps have you tried?

I haven't tried these with my portable amps yet, but they sound great with my HR-2.

 

[Tyleroni]

I had both at the same time and I preferred the hd600 in almost every way. Bass, treble, midrange, and comfort were all better with the hd600. Soundstage was the 701s strong point. I moved on to the hd650 and I love them, but I still miss something about the hd600. All three headphones are sonically fairly similar. I'd say the biggest difference is the quality and quantity of bass. To the OP: you are right down the road from me!

 

[Redo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nelamvr6 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Which amps have you tried? I haven't tried these with my portable amps yet, but they sound great with my HR-2.

Eddie Current Zana Duex w/ Absorbine_sr's wonderful selection in tubes, and my MicroAMP. K701's with tubes is simply wonderful. My MicroAMP brought the sound far forward and flattened the sound out a bit, but what would you expect from a source 10 times cheaper than the Eddie Current?

 

[Gradofan2]

I think if I were getting new HD600's, I'd get the HD580's for $170 on eBay, and upgrade the screens to the HD600 screens. The upgraded HD580's are identical to the HD600's - and sound identical, but at a much better price.

And... they look "a hell of a lot better."

 

[kramer5150]

K701... speed, details, resolution, smooth response overall, deep bass, no recession around 3500Hz. Airy extended treble thats spatious and a joy.

K701 has center stage as well as far right/left.
the decay of notes on the K701 is so rich and detailed.

With the right source and amp the 701 can be groovy, warm, musical and an absolute joy. IMHO flatly accurate sources and wire with gain amps don't sound too good with the 701.

I don't really have anything nice to say about the other one so I'll end here.

 

[nelamvr6]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kramer5150 /img/forum/go_quote.gif With the right source and amp the 701 can be groovy, warm, musical and an absolute joy. IMHO flatly accurate sources and wire with gain amps don't sound too good with the 701.

Really?

Because they sound great with my HR-2, and I will fight anyone who says it's not a "wire with gain" amp!

JK

(I don't want to fight large guys, thank you very much!)

It's prolly that we both have different ideas of what sounds "good", though I was with you right up until you said that.

Maybe you've just never heard them through an HR-2?

 

[Redo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nelamvr6 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Really? Because they sound great with my HR-2, and I will fight anyone who says it's not a "wire with gain" amp! JK (I don't want to fight large guys, thank you very much!) It's prolly that we both have different ideas of what sounds "good", though I was with you right up until you said that. Maybe you've just never heard them through an HR-2?

Have you ever been to a meet before? Talk to Absorbine_sr, see if you and him can hook up at a meet. That man has one helluva setup for K701's, best I've heard in my life.

 

[nelamvr6]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Have you ever been to a meet before? Talk to Absorbine_sr, see if you and him can hook up at a meet. That man has one helluva setup for K701's, best I've heard in my life.

Yeah, I've been to the Boston meet last summer.


The trouble with meets is that, although you do get to try a lot of stuff, the conditions aren't really that good for critical listening.