[Change is Good]

You know, I hear baby powder is good to help prevent getting a wedgie
Jk, love ya dude. Also, I think you originally pitched the idea to me of sending both (like back in October or something?) and when the cat was outta the bag, Mad and others were much more excited to hear the K612, while the K712 had a much more lukewarm "well you can send it if you really want..."

But anyway, there's nothing to fret about. We've seen like three people go "OOOH, New hotness, THIS is the affordable 'best' headphone," but tons of people lurk this thread and make up their own budget/mind. See my paragraph above about how I recommend headphones to others... The K612 is one of several very good options, pretty upscale, and I haven't heard it yet to know if I'd prefer it BUT it is a generally very strong headphone on paper since it is balanced and neutral, maybe not the loudest off of an iPod but should be very clean and well-dampened while also encouraging users to explore the other benefits of amping... maybe they occasionally want a bit more volume and then OH WAIT I HEAR BONUS BENEFITS! And the learning lightbulb comes on.

So yeah, I'd say the K612 fills the void in the $150-199 price spot created when the MA900 was discontinued and the price hiked up, and a satisfying second or even first headphone upgrade. I'm still stoked to hear it! But don't take it personally if others prefer something else o_O

I was constipated, sorry

And, that wasn't my issue. The review of the K612, itself, is great. My issue was with how he ended it, at first. It killed the whole point of me sending then in (to put them on the map). His heavy bias towards the end, whether he realized or not, did the exact opposite.

It's fixed, now, so you wont be able to see what I was referring to.

Thanks for taking our opinions into consideration, Mad. It may seem as if I was defending the K612, and in part I was, but not because you prefer the K712, personally. I was basically just defending the purpose of me sending them in for review.

If I wasn't, and still don't, make any sense on what I'm trying to say... then I may just have to take a break from trying to contribute.

 

[Zombie_X]

MLE, indeed the K712 and Anniversary are good headphones, but they all come prom the same mold as you know. They all retain the K701 signature but are voiced slightly different. The K701 being neutral, the K702 being Neutral, the Q701 being warmer (slightly), the K712 being warmer yet, and the Anniversary which sounded like a repackaged K712 to me. To me I hear no difference at all between the Anniversary and K712, even on all my amps they sounded the same. 
 
That being said it all comes down to one preference in tone. The only thing I am arguing is that the K712 and K702 Anniversary are the same thing and I recommend the cheaper option since the Q701 in $178 less than both of the models right now. That's why me and Change (I think) are arguing about them. $200 is a lot of money, especially when these four variations all sound similar. Surely you can understand my stance.
 
How can the Q701 be a one trick pony? It's pretty good with all genres minus rap or dub-step.. The same could then be said of the other variations.
 
I'll stand by my statement Head-Fiers, the Q701 is currently the best value out of all those variations currently. Heck the K612 is $143 on Amazon right now, so that's a better value yet. But if you guys are looking for a more refined sound, get the Q701. If you want a warmer and more forgiving tone, get the K612. Both are great choices, and I own both.
 
If you got agitated or offended I am sorry, but I wanted to voice how they are the same.
 
Change, I know exactly what you mean. It was basically "The K612 is good but get the K712 instead". It undermines the whole reviews and just tells you to ignore the K612. The K612 may not be as good as the K712, but it's performance is darned close IMO. The sonic tone is also more pleasing to me, but to each their own.

 

[AxelCloris]

I'm still a fan, you're a great guy regardless of the fact that you happen to have a relevant qualification. Were you my mystery follower on the stream?

 
Old quote! I was not your mystery follower. Once I got some writing done after work I crashed immediately. As for my degree, I specialized in ADR and audio for broadcasting. I spend less time working with speakers and headphones than I do mics and mixers. Then again, I don't currently use my degree.

 

[blinkstar]

So ... no one here has heard the ATH-A900x?

 

[Evshrug]

Crashing happens, hopefully you're enjoying your Easter! After a buoyant Saturday, I'm pretty immobile/lame today, because I feel like I HAVE to ... [edit out Tri-family politics].

Do you happen to know a way to order a Geek Pulse? If not, I'm probably still getting a future Schiit DAC or something with optical input, just so I can try out an upgraded DAC.

 

[AxelCloris]

Crashing happens, hopefully you're enjoying your Easter! After a buoyant Saturday, I'm pretty immobile/lame today, because I feel like I HAVE to ... [edit out Tri-family politics].

Do you happen to know a way to order a Geek Pulse? If not, I'm probably still getting a future Schiit DAC or something with optical input, just so I can try out an upgraded DAC.

 
No method of ordering the Pulse just yet. But I would imagine as it gets closer to delivery that they'll open up pre-orders like they did with the Out.

 

[AvroArrow]

Avro,
In addition to why I said earlier the K712 would end up being my long-term keeper (I agree with you on most points), I'd still say the Q701 is a huge value compared to the very good K712 (which is priced on the level of the HD650 and DT990) because even at ~$200, it sounds like it's within that caliber. Especially when you scale up the performance with a desktop amp.

Both pads feel very similar on my ears (slight nod to the K712 long-term, but putting on cool Q701s after wearing the warmed-up K712 after playing for 4 hours feels like a relief, so mostly it's a heat thing, whichever isn't already warm), also I bought a pair of very nice/cushy baby seatbelt wraps for like $10 which made the Q701 headband more comfy than a bare K712 headband, and finally the Q701 also comes with a second cable (it's like 20' long or something equally ridiculous, if I had soldering skills I'd cut it up into 3 shorter spares). I do think the K712 is a bit smoother even if not plugged into a dedicated desktop-class amp (the E12 is basically a portable desktop amp), but really both k712 and Q701 unlock their full dynamic potential when a desktop-class amp is used.

I do love my K712, but it's a luxury upgrade rather than something that makes a lot of practical money sense when the Q701 (or I guess K702?) is considered. The K612 looks like it may hit a sweet spot in value too, looking forward to demoing that!

 
I agree with you and others that have mentioned that the Q701 is good value compared to the Annie/K712 from a sound/bang-for-buck perspective but for some of us with non-standard sized heads the value is different.  It doesn't matter if the Q701 sounds like unicorns and rainbows or whatever, if I can't wear the headphones for more than 1 minute without it causing major headache inducing discomfort from the bumps and stiff earpads pressing against the upper jaw, they have little to no value for me.  I also tried the very well regarded/reviewed Sennheiser HD650 at the same store... and promptly took them off because of the vice-grip like clamp on my head and upper jaw area that was causing major discomfort.  For me, the Annies felt like soft fluffy clouds compared to the Q701/HD650 torture devices.  The Beyerdynamic  DT880 Premiums were also super comfortable, but I didn't like the V-shaped sound signature.  I can wear my Annies for 4-6 hours continuously with absolutely no discomfort.  They may get a tiny bit warm after 2-3 hours but still super comfortable.
 
To the others that are arguing about the value of the Q701 (+pads and/or +headband) versus the Annies/K712, not all of us who paid the extra $150 for the Annies/K712 did it for the sound alone.  I did it for the comfort factor.  For me, comfort takes priority over sound.  If I can't wear the headphones for a reasonable amount of time, it doesn't matter if it sounds like liquid rainbow because I won't be wearing them, period.  And after reading the K612 review, looks like those won't be on my radar either because of the comfort factor.  Of course this is a YMMV for those with standard sized heads that can wear the Q701 for extended periods without discomfort.  Just my $0.02 CAD, which is worth like $0.0181 USD at the moment.

 

[warrenpchi]

Leeeeeeeeeeerooooy Jenkinnnnns!

 

[Change is Good]

Gott damnit, Leeroy!

 

[Evshrug]

Leeeeeeeeeeerooooy Jenkinnnnns!

Bold move.
I still don't understand the matts involved, lol.

(Did something happen while I wasn't looking, or are you just stopping by to say hi/Happy Easter?)

 

[warrenpchi]

Just been away for a little while. 

 

[Edge4o7]

I'm currently using Audio Technica AD700s but my cable is messed up I think because only 1 side has been working for a bit. The cord getting messed up is a problem I run in to often for whatever reason (I guess I'm not as careful as I think? :\ I do roll over the cord in my computer chair, or yank it on accident on occasion).
 
So now I'm looking for a new pair of headphones. Here's some info on what I'm looking for.
 
My budget is around $170. This is a little flexible but I'd rather not go higher than that unless it's really worth it.
 
I don't care if they're open or closed. A little isolation is nice to drown out some yelling kids but it's not usually an issue. I don't mind any sound bleed either, these are for use in my room only. I just want good sound, so they'll probably be open.
 
Detachable cable is a must. As I said before, I tend to screw mine up.
 
I want them to be over the ear, comfort is a big priority. These are for long gaming sessions. My AD700s kind of hurt my ears after a while because the padding between the drivers and my ear was pretty thin. A headphone with more padding there would be nice.
 
These headphones will primarily be used for gaming so something that brings out the most in ambient, immersive sounds would be really cool. I rarely play FPS and not competitively, more RPG style games.
 
 
Any suggestions based on the above info would be greatly appreciated!

 

[AxelCloris]

ATH-M50

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I'm currently using Audio Technica AD700s but my cable is messed up I think because only 1 side has been working for a bit. The cord getting messed up is a problem I run in to often for whatever reason (I guess I'm not as careful as I think? :\ I do roll over the cord in my computer chair, or yank it on accident on occasion).

So now I'm looking for a new pair of headphones. Here's some info on what I'm looking for.

My budget is around $170. This is a little flexible but I'd rather not go higher than that unless it's really worth it.

I don't care if they're open or closed. A little isolation is nice to drown out some yelling kids but it's not usually an issue. I don't mind any sound bleed either, these are for use in my room only. I just want good sound, so they'll probably be open.

Detachable cable is a must. As I said before, I tend to screw mine up.

I want them to be over the ear, comfort is a big priority. These are for long gaming sessions. My AD700s kind of hurt my ears after a while because the padding between the drivers and my ear was pretty thin. A headphone with more padding there would be nice.

These headphones will primarily be used for gaming so something that brings out the most in ambient, immersive sounds would be really cool. I rarely play FPS and not competitively, more RPG style games.


Any suggestions based on the above info would be greatly appreciated!

For that price? Maybe an HD558... A detachable cable is what's stopping me from considering more.

I also really like the Skullcandy SLYR. Very immersive, and super comfy once you figure out how to slip your ears inside.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

ATH-M50

The M50X actually improved on the M50. Coinsidering he's not a hardcore FPS player, it actually makes a good choice, and the cable is detachable.

I know people like to mock the M50 hype, but it really is a good performer.