[RealX777]

I'm running them through foobar> modi 2/magni 2. changing 16/24 bit doesn't help. First of all they are clearer than my hd598's but that isn't saying much. I notice a lot of coloration in the treble, the resolution is poor....is it really cause I haven't burned them in yet? not sure whats wrong with my setup.

 

[Currawong]

What kind of music are you listening to? The K70X series tended to better with acoustic music and vocals and less so with other genres. A lot of that had to do with the upper mids/lower treble that you've noticed.

 

[RealX777]

  What kind of music are you listening to? The K70X series tended to better with acoustic music and vocals and less so with other genres. A lot of that had to do with the upper mids/lower treble that you've noticed.

Mostly electronic music that is complex and layered. The clarity just isn't there.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RealX777 /img/forum/go_quote.gif

changing 16/24 bit doesn't help.

 

It's not really supposed to - you either upsample a 16bit file, or play a 24bit file natively but even then recording procedures are more important than the resolution of the post-mastering copy or the sampling algorithms of the playback equipment. The key is that it shouldn't add artifacts or noise, and in some cases, too much sampling gimmickry can become counter intuitive.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by RealX777 /img/forum/go_quote.gif

First of all they are clearer than my hd598's but that isn't saying much. I notice a lot of coloration in the treble, the resolution is poor....is it really cause I haven't burned them in yet? not sure whats wrong with my setup.

 

All it takes is one look at the graphs, and look at how everything is relative to 1khz. The K702 below 1khz is very similar to the HD598  and HD600 (and also included in the graph), but above that, it basically does the opposite of the Sennheisers. It's got a much louder response than how weak the Sennheisers are (relative to 1khz) at around 2khz, above that it's weaker while the Sennheisers are (slightly) stronger, then they switch again, and then once more, all before 10khz. My point is that, first of all, personally neither the K702 nor the HD600 (and the HD598) can be deemed "more accurate" than the other, although for dynamic drivers at their price points they're hard to beat. One caveat though - that plateau with the edges at 6khz and 8khz will likely be perceived as sharp treble.
 

 

[RealX777]

The issue that I'm having is that things sound smeary and out of focus.

 

 

It's not really supposed to - you either upsample a 16bit file, or play a 24bit file natively but even then recording procedures are more important than the resolution of the post-mastering copy or the sampling algorithms of the playback equipment. The key is that it shouldn't add artifacts or noise, and in some cases, too much sampling gimmickry can become counter intuitive.

 

 

All it takes is one look at the graphs, and look at how everything is relative to 1khz. The K702 below 1khz is very similar to the HD598  and HD600 (and also included in the graph), but above that, it basically does the opposite of the Sennheisers. It's got a much louder response than how weak the Sennheisers are (relative to 1khz) at around 2khz, above that it's weaker while the Sennheisers are (slightly) stronger, then they switch again, and then once more, all before 10khz. My point is that, first of all, personally neither the K702 nor the HD600 (and the HD598) can be deemed "more accurate" than the other, although for dynamic drivers at their price points they're hard to beat. One caveat though - that plateau with the edges at 6khz and 8khz will likely be perceived as sharp treble.
 

 
The issue I'm having is that things sound smeary and out of focus. The separation is poor also. I'm not sure what could be causing this.

 

[Currawong]

 

  What kind of music are you listening to? The K70X series tended to better with acoustic music and vocals and less so with other genres. A lot of that had to do with the upper mids/lower treble that you've noticed.

Mostly electronic music that is complex and layered. The clarity just isn't there.

I'd have to give my K7XX a run again in a few amps to be sure it is the culprit, but generally you don't get the speed coming through with very inexpensive amps and DACs and headphones like the K70X series. 

 

[RealX777]

 
I'd have to give my K7XX a run again in a few amps to be sure it is the culprit, but generally you don't get the speed coming through with very inexpensive amps and DACs and headphones like the K70X series. 

It's happening with other genres and slow music also, lack of clarity. I'm wondering what could be the weak link in my chain. I might have usb noise right, I'm using cheap usb/rca cables. Is my equipment just not up to task to run these headphones well?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RealX777 /img/forum/go_quote.gif

 

The issue I'm having is that things sound smeary and out of focus. The separation is poor also. I'm not sure what could be causing this.

 

Lack of focus isn't really a lack on the K7-- headphones but that most people aren't used to a headphone that doesn't jam everything in-skull. 

 

The smear effect can be due to the boost in response from 1khz to 2khz; if you're referring to bass that sounds more like molasses than hard thumping, that might be the amp but it's hard to make sure unless you can compare it for example to an amp that doesn't.

 

Also check if the earpads were installed right - are the fat sides towards the rear of your skull when worn?

 

[Shaffer]

The K702 is a very revealing and transparent headphone. I own it. It does and will reflect what's fed into it. If the resolution is poor, it's due to what lies upstream. The better the source material and the associated equipment, the better the K702 will sound. It's as simple as that. FWIW, I own a Modi that's used in a non-critical application. The word resolution is one of the last things to come to mind when describing its performance envelope. Your options are either a more colored, less resolving headphone or upgrading the rest of your system and source material. Hate to sound like the neighborhood Grinch, but that's the reality of it. Good luck.

 

[RealX777]

The K702 is a very revealing and transparent headphone. I own it. It does and will reflect what's fed into it. If the resolution is poor, it's due to what lies upstream. The better the source material and the associated equipment, the better the K702 will sound. It's as simple as that. FWIW, I own a Modi that's used in a non-critical application. The word resolution is one of the last things to come to mind when describing its performance envelope. Your options are either a more colored, less resolving headphone or upgrading the rest of your system and source material. Hate to sound like the neighborhood Grinch, but that's the reality of it. Good luck.

Kind of makes me want to give up on any product I can afford. At this point I've tried fiio x1, cayan c5, xonar stx with rolling, modi/magni, ad700, hd598, and now k702 but everything has sounded mediocre. Maybe my expectations are too high but it would be nice if anything I'd tried sounded at least decent.
 
Edit: Better if I explain the issues I've had. I tend to encounter too much bass/mids mudiness that obscures the treble region but even if I eq it out the treble still isn't very crisp or clear and seems weak or recessed. Lack of clarity would kind of sum it up actually or a smeariness, out of focus sound. Maybe what I want doesn't exist in my price range.

 

[tomb]

 

The K702 is a very revealing and transparent headphone. I own it. It does and will reflect what's fed into it. If the resolution is poor, it's due to what lies upstream. The better the source material and the associated equipment, the better the K702 will sound. It's as simple as that. FWIW, I own a Modi that's used in a non-critical application. The word resolution is one of the last things to come to mind when describing its performance envelope. Your options are either a more colored, less resolving headphone or upgrading the rest of your system and source material. Hate to sound like the neighborhood Grinch, but that's the reality of it. Good luck.

Kind of makes me want to give up on any product I can afford. At this point I've tried fiio x1, cayan c5, xonar stx with rolling, modi/magni, ad700, hd598, and now k702 but everything has sounded mediocre. Maybe my expectations are too high but it would be nice if anything I'd tried sounded at least decent.

 
If you tried AD700 and HD598 and those and everything else sounds mediocre, then it's not the headphones or the K702.  Typically, something this pervasive is either your source or source music files.

 

[RealX777]

   
If you tried AD700 and HD598 and those and everything else sounds mediocre, then it's not the headphones or the K702.  Typically, something this pervasive is either your source or source music files.

Pretty much all of them were working from my computer. Could it be an internal issue like noise, motherboard, psu, etc?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RealX777 /img/forum/go_quote.gif

Pretty much all of them were working from my computer. Could it be an internal issue like noise, motherboard, psu, etc?

 

Noise should be easily audible as something that isn't supposed to be there, like static, or a hum or buzz.

 

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by RealX777 /img/forum/go_quote.gif

Kind of makes me want to give up on any product I can afford. At this point I've tried fiio x1, cayan c5, xonar stx with rolling, modi/magni, ad700, hd598, and now k702 but everything has sounded mediocre. Maybe my expectations are too high but it would be nice if anything I'd tried sounded at least decent.

 

Edit: Better if I explain the issues I've had. I tend to encounter too much bass/mids mudiness that obscures the treble region but even if I eq it out the treble still isn't very crisp or clear and seems weak or recessed. Lack of clarity would kind of sum it up actually or a smeariness, out of focus sound. Maybe what I want doesn't exist in my price range.

 

What EQ settings are you applying? Instead of boosting in the treble just try cutting the upper bass. I use NeutronMusicPlayer on my Android (which outputs digital via USB-OTG, pretty much like a full-size computer) and I have a very wideband -2dB cut centered at 100hz to trim the top off of its bass plateau. The bass overall seems softer in terms of loudness but qualitatively the bass drum hits sound more "solid," fuller, as the added upper bass doesn't have as much auditory masking over the low bass. Your headphones aren't any different (see the graph I posted in a prior reply).

 

-------------

 

Also, regarding the imaging focus, have you checked if the earpads are properly installed on the AKGs?

 

[RealX777]

 

 

Noise should be easily audible as something that isn't supposed to be there, like static, or a hum or buzz.

 

 

 

What EQ settings are you applying? Instead of boosting in the treble just try cutting the upper bass. I use NeutronMusicPlayer on my Android (which outputs digital via USB-OTG, pretty much like a full-size computer) and I have a very wideband -2dB cut centered at 100hz to trim the top off of its bass plateau. The bass overall seems softer in terms of loudness but qualitatively the bass drum hits sound more "solid," fuller, as the added upper bass doesn't have as much auditory masking over the low bass. Your headphones aren't any different (see the graph I posted in a prior reply).

 

-------------

 

Also, regarding the imaging focus, have you checked if the earpads are properly installed on the AKGs?

These are the one's made in china. The earpads are as they came, it looks like the fatter part is toward the rear when they're on. There is noise when the volume is raised 'a lot' but not normally.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RealX777 /img/forum/go_quote.gif

These are the one's made in china. The earpads are as they came, it looks like the fatter part is toward the rear when they're on.

 

So these check out. I had to ask because even the dealer here (along with at least two posts I encountered before) had the fat parts anywhere but the rear. Did you try the simpler EQ setting? (although that's easier on a parametric EQ since you can just widen the effect by lowering the Q-Factor setting)

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by RealX777 /img/forum/go_quote.gif

There is noise when the volume is raised 'a lot' but not normally.

 

Noise could be coming through (and amplified by) the active components in your system. My Meier Cantate.2 was a dead silent amp and it was neutral enough to actually have several CDPs one after another (earpads being alternated so as to reduce their effects) sound substantially different from each other (surprisingly the cheapest and the most expensive I was testing at the time were the worst). Or at least it was dead silent before something in it broke. I would doubt that the Magni would be that far behind the Cantate in terms of noise though (it could be your computer - this is why I prefer my smartphone, but on Airplane Mode) nor that any of your bass and treble issues are attributable to noise anyway.

 

----

 

I just remembered though - and don't take this the wrong way - but there were previous instances before with similar observations to yours, but everything cleared up after one tweak that many audio hobbyists for some reason tend to ignore...cleaning out earwax. Just make sure you don't end up pushing it in, because that happened to me twice and my doctor just told me to not use anything but my finger wrapped in cloth (ie, never reach into the ear canal), and leave the inner ear for my annual check-ups.