[NickLong10029]

Hello all,
 
I have a set of AKG Q701 headphones. I love absolutely love sparkle in the highs and its massive sound stage, which I don't get out of my portable Sennheiser Momentum's. However, I find that the treble is quite fatiguing to my ears. I have used it over 100 hours. I am currently powering the Q701s with a Fiio E9 amp running out of mac book pros output jack into the Fiio's line in. I feel that the "energy" of the sound is there, but the highs are still fatiguing. I have been doing some forum investigating looking at peoples opinions with the E9 and thee headphones. Some suggest that these headphones should be well powered by this amp and some suggest the amps output impedance is too high to power them fully. I'm considering trying the O2 amp with these headphones (possibly with the ODAC) to see if I find the highs more tame. I have also considering pairing my E9 with an E17. 
 
I'd also like to use the O2  or any other option with my Iphone 4s and with my Wii U gaming console (using the analog out -> amp). It works really well with the Fiio E9 besides the harsh highs. 
 
Does anyone have any thoughts for me in hunting for superior sound out of of my Q701s?
 
Is it possible that the generic sound sig of the these headphones are jot just for me?
 
Any recommendations on the ratio for how much "work" my computer output does in comparison to the amp?
 
I listen to rock, metal, classical, acoustic, trance, and some other scattered types of music. The harsh highs seem consistent unless the music is naturally quite soft. 
 
 
Thanks for any advice,
Nick

 

[NA Blur]

The highs on the K701 and Q701 are quite troublesome. They tend to mellow out greatly after hundreds of hours of use. Typically poor quality amps roll off some of the highs so a better amp will not solve the problem unless you want to colour the sound further by going tube. I suggest another headphone or using the Q701 for specific non-fatiguing highs like acoustic, classical, and instrumental.

 

[cel4145]

The highs on the K701 and Q701 are quite troublesome. They tend to mellow out greatly after hundreds of hours of use. Typically poor quality amps roll off some of the highs so a better amp will not solve the problem unless you want to colour the sound further by going tube. I suggest another headphone or using the Q701 for specific non-fatiguing highs like acoustic, classical, and instrumental.

+1

K612 Pro is an alternative where the highs are reduced a bit.