[jujulio]

hi everyone i am new to this forum
I already saw threds related but it didnt answer my questions
i bought a k 701 for 260 dollars here: Kaanza.com: Open-Back Studio Headphones with Flat-Wire Voice Coil Akg K701: Headphones

and i am aware of the need for an amp, so here i am anxiously waiting for your insights

i read that its not exactly about power otuput (62 ohms impendence is not that high) but more about a sinergy between the hp and the amp...still sounds mysterious to me :s
i am willing to go as high as around 250 dollars
for now i took a look at the XM5 (confused with the upgrade parts )
Practical Devices Corporation

the C&C products look gorgeous but i don't know what to expect from them
waiting for your replies, cheers folks

 

[jujulio]

I looked a bit more and i found two promising portables: minibox-e MiniBox-E Hi-Fi Headphone Amplifier [audiojunkies] (even + if i am correct) which is rather well known and the spirit amp
Spirit AMP Portable Headphone Amplifier with Blackgate and Class A Biasing
One more thing: id like this portable amp to be good enough for home usage, which means for me too a switch to stop charging when connected to AC.
by the way are the links i posted ok with the rules of the forum???

 

[Rednamalas1]

go with home amps if you're not looking to use it outdoors.

 

[jujulio]

thanks for the reply but i definitely want to use it outdoors, maybe at the end of this summer after i have made a little money i will look more precisely at home amps maybe tube ones (by the way what about care for these types of amps? Do you need to replace the tubes at some point?)
though i could use my ultimate ears extended bass when i am out....but you know

ho what's the deal with the PK1 minibox-e combo i read somewhere? Once again sry but i am so new to this :s

 

[jujulio]

sry didnt know PK1 was actually an earbud, thought it was for preamp or something like that

 

[dgm]

Right now I'm waiting for a Triad Audio Lisa III XP to arrive (to pair with my K701s). The Lisa amp is the only portable amp said to be able to power the K701s. I used to use a HeadRoom Micro amp with my K701s, and it worked pretty well... I'll tell you how it compares to the Lisa.

 

[jujulio]

given the price it'd better work fine with you...i wish i had this budget right now lol...micro is a desktop amp right?

 

[omegaman]

If I were you I would use your UE's for outdoor and buy a home amp for the 701's.

You may think they sound OK with a portable but when you get to listen to them through a homeamp you will be in for a shock.

 

[jujulio]

Thanks for your reply.....ok now you did it i m getting more and more convinced

reagarding the UE extended bass they really sound great for techno trance etc... but when it comes to classical acoustic etc... the spectrum is clearly unbalanced well i guess i can go around it with my zen'EQ, they even made a 5 band EQ, rather funny. But now what for an amp? First things first: i am french but i study in Canada for 4 more months...so if i was to buy an amp, it would have to be rather compact...and i don't know about tube amps, looks rather fragile to me even though i could carry them with me during the flight..

So what do you think the greatest combination is for a home amp and k701: with or without tube? and since i am new to it; do i have to replace the tubes at times?

 

[jujulio]

While i am at it.....couldnt i use some portable amp as some kind of preamp and then buy me a home amp, which shall justify the buy of the first one....though i don't know anything about this kind of setup lol it has always been for me: source-hp ^^

 

[jujulio]

Ok i have made up my mind, i will still go with a portable amp first, and then upgrade with a future setup using it as a preamp...so which portable amp/DAC would suit me do you think? As i am still a true beginner i dont know much about DAC for instance, what puprose does it serve? why analog or digital, is it crucial?
waiting for your responses
the Pico i saw looks gorgeous though with the DAC option it amounts to 500 dollars...but who knows....

 

[jujulio]

ok now i m pretty seduced by pico's traits, does someone has it with the k 701 and provide me useful feedback about it? (later i would use the DAC section with a desktop amp)

 

[Ash]

DONT DO IT!
I did the exact same thing... and have repented it.
701s seriously lack in bass, and I am no BASS HEAD.
The clarity is there... the details are superb, but the lower end is grossly anemic.
I have run it off a Govibe 5 - no good.
I have run it off a ZERO desktop amp... nothing impressive(stock opamps).

Right now it just sits on my table.
Swap it or get a good tube amp.

 

[Cheule]

Ash, or get a PPAv2 or Lisa III with bass boost knobs. I know the PPAv2 isn't portable, and the Lisa III is "sorta" portable... but hey you're using K701s. It's not like you're going jogging.

 

[Ash]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cheule /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ash, or get a PPAv2 or Lisa III with bass boost knobs. I know the PPAv2 isn't portable, and the Lisa III is "sorta" portable... but hey you're using K701s. It's not like you're going jogging.

"SORTA PORTABLE" INDEED!!