[AmanGeorge]

Just to clarify, I was listening to the GS1K on a proper amp (although I must admit I don't remember what it was - this was a little while ago, maybe it was something that just has god-awful synergy with these 'phones), and when I say unlistenable, I really mean unlistenable to my ears. The treble was genuinely unpleasant, at least in that rig.

 

[robm321]

I owned both at the same time, so I've been able to go back and forth for over a year. I sold the K701 with no regrets. I still own the GS-1000s.

The GS-1000s are very musical and engaging the K701s are not to me.

 

[rds]

I owned both at the same time too and sold the GS-1000i with no regrets. I do think they are very nice headphones, but I don't really get the comparison with k701s. I think have a similar over-sized kind of look, but beyond that they are very different.

 

[DC5Zilla]

Had both and I don't think they were similar at all...

 

[nabcs]

I have K701 since Sept 2008, but always prefer to listen my loudspeakers and the K701 was boxed until my 2nd child born.

Now is more difficult to listen at high levels in my lovely system, and started again to listen the K701 paired with a modified XCAN v3.

The sound is good, but is a little cold and don't me connect to the music...and started to think in change to other headphones.

I am from Portugal and here is not to easy to listen every phones you want, but my dealer loan me a Grado GS1000i and a Senn HD800.

With the XCAN v3 the best by a good margin is the HD800...the K701 is 2nd, and big disappointment is the GS1000i...colored and the bass is fake IMO.

The HD800 have fantastic sound and I know the XCAN v3 is not the ideal amp, and I am going to try the Lehmann Linear.

Hope this helps,

Nuno

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nigeljames /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just need the right tube amp. My K701 sound excellent with the W6se.

Have you tried them with a similar quality SS amp...if you haven`t, don`t! That`s what I did and then I realized just how much better they get.

Again, they did sound great out of the tube amp`s I`ve used them with, just better on SS amps. Being relatively lower impedance headphones, they require current (not voltage) to properly drive them. That`s the advantage SS amps have over tubes.

I do prefer the warmer sounds of tube amps, just not with these headphones. Funny, my 32 ohm RS1s have never sounded better then out of my MAD Ear+HD tube amp!

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nabcs /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have K701 since Sept 2008, but always prefer to listen my loudspeakers and the K701 was boxed until my 2nd child born. Now is more difficult to listen at high levels in my lovely system, and started again to listen the K701 paired with a modified XCAN v3. The sound is good, but is a little cold and don't me connect to the music...and started to think in change to other headphones. I am from Portugal and here is not to easy to listen every phones you want, but my dealer loan me a Grado GS1000i and a Senn HD800. With the XCAN v3 the best by a good margin is the HD800...the K701 is 2nd, and big disappointment is the GS1000i...colored and the bass is fake IMO. The HD800 have fantastic sound and I now the XCAN v3 is not the ideal amp, and I am going to try the Lehmann Linear. Hope this helps, Nuno

Sorry for the tangent...

Based on your description of the K701s being a little too analytical (kind of like the HD800s IMO), I would recommend you check out the beyerdynamic T1s as well.

The HD800s are wonderful headphones, but I did find many similarities with the K701s...great sound stage, excellent micro detail retrieval and slightly light on the bass. Although the HD800s did pretty much everything better than the K701s.

 

[kool bubba ice]

If Jazz, classical, vocals are your main musical genres you might want to try the DT48e. The sound stage will sound smaller then the 702/1000i by a good margin, but the SQ will be there.. They are closed, & can he had cheap used..Mate well with tubes. They were also designed for aural acoustics investigations, so they excel in that area.. They are neutral & flat, so if that is a problem, I wouldn't even bother..

 

[Prog Rock Man]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rds /img/forum/go_quote.gif I owned both at the same time too and sold the GS-1000i with no regrets. I do think they are very nice headphones, but I don't really get the comparison with k701s. I think have a similar over-sized kind of look, but beyond that they are very different.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DC5Zilla /img/forum/go_quote.gif Had both and I don't think they were similar at all...

Can you give us more detail than that, primarily, what were the differences?

 

[OutdoorXplorer]

I would prefer GS1K which is much easier to be driven and more clarity with bigger soundstage. But there are still many that prefer neutral sounds.

 

[V-DiV]

K701s are all about acoustic music - classical, jazz, delta blue, buegrass, etc. They are not so hot for a lot of guitar-centric rock - too bright. I'm happy with my Channel Islands VHP-2 amp. The bass on the K701s goes very deep, is tight and textured, and has great presence if not overwhelmed by by a wall of high frequency sound from guitars and cymbals. Stuff like Sting, Sade, James Taylor (recent albums) are great. Even Blues Traveller sounds good because it is recorded with a nice punchy bass and is not dominated by rhythm guitar and cymbals.

 

[aimlink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by V-DiV /img/forum/go_quote.gif K701s are all about acoustic music - classical, jazz, delta blue, buegrass, etc. They are not so hot for a lot of guitar-centric rock - too bright. I'm happy with my Channel Islands VHP-2 amp. The bass on the K701s goes very deep, is tight and textured, and has great presence if not overwhelmed by by a wall of high frequency sound from guitars and cymbals. Stuff like Sting, Sade, James Taylor (recent albums) are great. Even Blues Traveller sounds good because it is recorded with a nice punchy bass and is not dominated by rhythm guitar and cymbals.

I fully agree with you here. I couldn't have better it said.

For guitar-centric rock I don't even like my Grado's. I now reach for my Ed8's, or would have reached for my D5000's when I had them.

However, for the right genres, these ALO K702's are really spot on for me. Non-fatguing and just about right in tonality and balance.

 

[Bilavideo]

I also prefer the GS1k to the K-701s, but not because there's anything wrong with the 701s. In their own way, each is doing much the same thing - presenting a spacious soundstage on an already open can. Each is also vulnerable to the same thing: bass loss because of the open backs aggravated by the spacious sound stage. Both need the same thing: quality bass boost from a warm amp. I've owned both. I've run both through a modest M^3 with STEPs and variable bass boost. Crank up the bass boost and you get a wall of warmth that keeps you from having to crank up the general volume. It balances out the presentation. You get all that wonderful clarity, with bass that doesn't overwhelm the presentation with resonance.

If there's an architectural weakness to the 701s, it's similar to that of the GS1000s. Both cans are built for amps. They gladly give up bass in order to give the listener the maximum HF soundstage. That bass loss is accepted because it's going to be compensated for through amping. If you want a large soundstage without being so amp dependent, you'll want a tighter ear/driver distance, one far enough to keep a wide soundstage but not so far that the bass is lost so readily. The HD800 goes wide but doesn't go as far. If you look at how it uses its cushions and disks, you'll see that there's less ear/driver distance.

The GS1000 works better without an amp than the K701 but with an amp, you can get wondrous music from either can.

 

[Prog Rock Man]

Bilavideo, when you say bass loss, do you actually mean a frequency loss or do you mean loss of emphasis? I find the bass is chrystal clear on the K702s, but it more to the background. I do not feel as if I am missing any frequency compared to my Grado SR80s.

 

[robm321]

They both have different approaches to the bass. The K701 remains flat but not impactful for the most part. So, neutral but not a lot of weight to it.

The GS-1000s midbass is bumped to make you feel the weight or significance of bass. Two different approaches. One to bring more of the feeling to you. The other for accuracy.