I have noticed the same type of distortion on my K701's when they are plugged into the headphone jacks of my NAD 302 integrated (around 25 wpc) and my Yamaha reciever (probably 50 wpc). Should be plenty of power.
If you drive any underpowered amp to max. volume, you'll get distortion. Your amp portion of the receiver is rated for speakers. The hp out is typically an opamp. I can make my Xin macro 4 distort with the 701s. I've never heard them distort with the SP amp. They're too loud to listen to well before clipping.
In case no one told you, the K series really need an audiophile amp and preferably a tube amp that gives tuberolling options. Tubes distort but sound much better doing so than an opamp.
Okay, so no more distortion, but recently I've run into a different problem ...
I am now running Sony SCD-CE595 > Little Dot I+ Hybrid > AKG 601 and every now and then I get some buzzing/rattling in the right can. I searched this site and found out about how a hair can get stuck in there and cause that kind of sound, so I took the pads off the right side and looked around ... no hair. But still, now and again (randomly and not even always at high volume levels), the right can will buzz. It definitely sound like there's something in there to me, but I just cannot find anything.
I also thought that it could have been oxidation on the tube pins, so I found a spot in the music where this happened and then switched the tubes ... But the sound still only came out of the right one. So it must be the headphones, right?
Moreover, it puzzles me that sometimes when I find a spot in the music where the sound occurs, I will rewind and listen again and it won't happen the second time (or maybe just not as much).
If you still have the foams between the pads and driver in, try repositioning those. I had a buzz in my left channel a while ago because the foams had shifted slightly and that seemed to fix it.
Im looking to get either the k601 or k701 in the near future, I currently have the HD280, PX100 and HD555, will I notice a major improvement over those? Ill be looking to guy an desktop amp in the near future as well.
Mookowz13 (or anyone else), is it ever advisable to use headphones without the foam inserts in place? It's very difficult to keep them where they're supposed to be when I'm screwing the pads back on.
Also, make sure that you don't have the bass EQed or a "bass boost" setting on. Those can make cans clip at less than moderate volumes.
For an amp, I would recommend the little dot I+ hybrid or something like a shanling ph100 that can deliver a lot of current to low impedance cans.
EDIT: @coolrelax
There will be a huge difference if you amp your 701s or 601s properly. Even if you don't they will still sound clearer and more refined than your other pairs.
Read around the forums for a good amp for either of those cans, though. They are very picky as I found out with my LD mk III k701 combo. They actually sounded great to me but it was nothing compared to how they sound with the HEED canamp.
Originally Posted by hawat /img/forum/go_quote.gif You might want to try and replace them that doesn't sound normal even for underpowered headphone if the sound isn't loud.
this is exactly what they do when underpowered.
No need for tubes, solid state amps work just fine, if you don't care for tube maintenance.
There are tons of amps around - make a post in the amp forum with your budget, or ideally read up on your options first.
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