[lerio]

Check Grado headphone

 

[tbonner1]

The 701's may be a bit underpowered now so you may not be hearing them at their full potential.

With a proper amp, you may get a more full bass and better dynamics.

 

[ldj325]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoundCarrier /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi Everyone, Thanks for all your replies. Sorry I haven't replied sooner - I've been away from head-fi for a while. I've read all of your opinions with interest and appreciate the time you've taken to share your thoughts. Well, here's a quick update of my situation: I sold my k701s. I know that they are excellent headphones and also understand that I wasn't hearing them at their best due to lack good amplification. However, I came to the conclusion that they were just too far from the sound that I personally prefer. I've now bought a set of Sennheiser HD650s, and I'm much much happier with the sound. They obviously have a very different character from the k701s, and it's a character which is more to my personal taste. I can appreciate why the k701s appeal to many people, but I just don't think that the sound is right for my ears. Apart from the headphones, everything else in my system is the same as before, but the sound is pretty much perfect... I now understand why people advise finding the right headphones first, then choosing the other system components based on the sound of your preferred headphones (rather than building a system around, say, a specific amp). Now, if an amp will make these Sennheisers even better... well... I understand why your greeting is "sorry about your wallet" Thanks again everyone!

I agree with your pholosophy about finding a sound signature or house sound that works for you. Every headphone I've liked, I've at least liked for the most part from the get go. I have come to believe that burn in is a real phenomena as well as learning to aquaint your ears to a particular sound signature. My experience tells me that these factors do make a difference, but it is only one of refinement. I even found these principles true with the UIltrasone 750, one of the headphones that reportedly takes the longest time and has the widest swings in sound quality during burn in (and I experienced both of these factors twice on burning in 2 different sets of 750s.) That said, it is true that the 701s and Senn 650s have very different amp needs and the wrong amp can really put one or the other at a big disadvantage.

I figure that there are too many good headphones with enough sound variation, that I shouldn't have to work to hard to make myself like something.
I happen to share your experience of the 701 vs Sennheiser sound. I can appreciate a number of the qualities of the 701, but I doubt I would ever learn to truly love them. But I've made sure to listen to each on amps that should drive either with authority. And I understand how others can feel just the opposite on the AKG vs Senn debate.

 

[riceboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by piper78 /img/forum/go_quote.gif The 701's definitely need an amp. I noticed a world of difference when I added an amp to my setup, almost night and day comparison.

Yup an amp is important to drive the AKG 701s. Oh yeah, sorry about your wallet. I did notice a difference with burn in after 300s. Currently I have a Microstack driving them and I'm very happy

. Good luck on your amp search.

 

[Kevin Sinnott]

I've got AKG 501ks, which as previously mentioned, are apparently different from yours. I say apparently because I have found that my initial concerns were the same as you're reporting. I finally went to the DAC-Ah NOS dac and a tube amp, with a Mullard tube. Plenty of warmth and rich bass. If you asked me to describe the phones before these changes I'd have described them very differently. All were purchased used.

Headphones are synergistic with what's ahead in the chain. That said, there are certainly frequency tilts to various phones, but it's really not so simple. I'm sure impedance plays a role too, as I've found some Koss over-the-ear phones sound different from various CD players.

The simple answer is to change the amp. A tube amp will definitely help, as well as finding the right tube.

I really like the NOS DAC but that made less of a tonal difference. I just like the non-oversampling imaging and dynamic impact.

I haven't heard the solid state CANAMP, but it seems like it would be a good choice as well, given the posters' gear and experiences.

 

[tbonner1]

I had good luck with the M3 amp which had decent bass and a warm sound for a SS amp.

But tube amps allow you to voice the 701's to your preference and that is one of the reasons many here prefer tubes.