[Zafsk]

I know, I know.

Anyway, thinking about picking up the K702's tonight, but I'm not sure what I want to do as far as amps go. I'm getting the K702's because of the prospect of the longevity it holds. Looking forward to the clean and non-colored sound that these pair of cans have as a reputation as well.

My question is, what am I looking at to drive this pair. I'd like to keep it ~$100. Throw in your suggestions. This doesn't need to be mobile, just needs to sit on my desk. I'm a journalist for an international news wire and I work 12 hour days so I spend a good amount of time sitting and listening to music while writing, so this is a decent investment for me.

A friend of mine recommended this: Biosciencegeek Headphone Amplifier cMOY Premium Amp - eBay (item 130361252117 end time Jan-30-10 07:16:32 PST)

He said that it will drive some higher-quality Senns, but I wasn't sure. Probably not what I'm looking for.

Here are some of the bands I've been listening to recently, if it helps:
Galaxie 500
Grizzly Bear
Spoon
Nirvana
Manic Street Preachers
Sentridoh
Lou Barlow's solo stuff
Sebadoh
The Folk Implosion
Dinosaur Jr.
Animal Collective
Modest Mouse
Neil Young
Nick Drake
Pavement
R.E.M.
Radiohead
Sonic Youth
The Flaming Lips
so many more, I think I'm just going through the list now.

But that should be a general idea. A lot of acoustic, slowcore, dream pop/underground pop (and all relevant sub-genres, bleh), jazz, blues, and otherwise lo-fi. I'd like to hear the complexities that I'm missing sonically, regardless of the recording quality. I'd like to hear the music the way it was intended.

Anyway, back on topic. Amps. Thoughts?

 

[MomijiTMO]

Save more money

.

A cmoy will not drive a high end Senn either so you were right.

 

[Zafsk]

Hah, thanks.

Any ideas as far as amps that would be well-suited to the K702's though?

 

[MomijiTMO]

Hmm well I guess it all comes down to your budget but out of the low-fi amps, the favourite here at Head-Fi appears to be the Heed Canamp. Other popular amps include the Audio GD C2C and the Little Dot Mk V. Used will get you more value for your coin.

 

[Zafsk]

Ah, yeah. These all go for at least $200.

Any low(er) budget amps? I realize I'm on an audiophile site, but what will power the 702's and get sound quality that isn't necessarily the best on a standard of someone who's heard better -- but rather someone who is already making a significant upgrade from crap speakers and IEMs.

Is there anything that's considered a budget or entry-level amp?

EDIT: I realize now that those are probably entry level, but anyway, more so. lol.

 

[MomijiTMO]

Well none of the top of my head. Sure you can get cheaper amps but they might not cut it. The thing about the k70x is that they aren't easy to drive. If you aren't set on the k702, you could consider another headphone which would be efficient and wouldn't require an amp to not sound terrible [ie, Audio Technica AD700/AD900, Grados etc]. However, if you are looking at 'building' your audio rig, then get the k702. A $100 amp might not make it sound much better than no amp but I can't say that with any certainty as I haven't tried many $100 amps.

Wait for others to comment

 

[Zafsk]

What do I have to expect with the k702 sans an amp? I'm walking into this somewhat blind, but I'm curious to find out what they will sound like without an amp.

EDIT:

Also, is DIY a possibility at that price or near there?

 

[MomijiTMO]

Well they don't sound very good - sloppy bass [others would say no bass], murky sound stage etc.

 

[Zafsk]

When you move up to the $200 range I found the Shanling PH100's for about $250 new which is reported to be a good match. Anything in that range that is up-to-par? I really don't want to do this without doing it right, but I'm curious if anything other than a $300 amp is going to cut it.

Sorry for all the redundant questions, I'm just a bit new when it comes to all this. I realize it takes a significant amount of money, I don't want to cut corners, just operate on somewhat of a budget.

 

[MomijiTMO]

Mate, ask all the questions you want.

The PH100 has had some good feedback at Head-Fi although some have had issues. Still for the $$$ it seems to viewed in a good light.

 

[dcpoor]

good DIY options for the k701 start at around 150, a Dynalo or a CKKIII. or one of the millet hybrid models.

 

[Junliang]

Oh gosh, who the heck recommended a cmoy for a k702 ?

Anyway, personally using the AudioTrak imAmp.
Due to space constraint, I had to cancel the Heedcan Amp off my list in the past.
Then I heard a friend of mine using this AudioTrak imAmp to drive his akg k701 and hd800.
What more was a local distributor in Singapore giving a 2010 special offer at $170SGD, which was simply a steal.

A great recommendation from me.
Its has a protection system at its 3.5mm input for high sensitivity and low impedance iems, earbud

Its very powerful, seriously.
Was previously using my k702 with the rsa predator, but simply can't listen to it for even a minute, almost sold it, but thankfully none of the sales was successful.
This mobile desktop amp has rca and 3.5mm input, 3.5mm and 6.3mm output(concurrent), powered by either internal lithum battery(8hrs) or via AC Supply, quad opamp system.

More info here:

 

[MomijiTMO]

I wonder if that Asian girl pulls sales

 

[RASeymour]

I know this maybe out of the OP price range, but any thought of tube vs. solid state for the 702's?

 

[Redo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RASeymour /img/forum/go_quote.gif I know this maybe out of the OP price range, but any thought of tube vs. solid state for the 702's?

The tube hybrids out there generally fine with the K702's (such as one of the Little Dot hybrids, my Shanling PH3000 works great too), but amps with a tube output stage have a hard time driving the K70x's until you get into some much pricier designs.