[tdockweiler]

Quote:

I agree with what ur hearing except on hd650 mids>>>>>>q701's. the soundstage of the hd650 is way better in height and depth to the q701 except width but it isn't small but nothing like the monsters of 70X's.  and of course the bass is way better in quantity and quality. 

Well, i'm not picking one I like most. That's not going to happen until i've had either for at least a few years.
The mids on the 650 definitely sound "thicker", but this doesn't mean much to me at all. The mids on the Q701 are addicting and perfect. The HD-650 is just another flavor or headphone to have around.
Despite the 650 being $500 retail, the Q701 is certainly no downgrade. Side-grade. Of course I think two years ago the HD-650 I previously had (bass heavy) was a major downgrade

 
The 650 I have now sure doesn't sound all that much bassier than the Q701. A tiny bit of more extension perhaps. Doesn't sound bass heavy at all.
 
Obviously the 650 is much more forgiving of treble/happy harsh songs. Doesn't seem really dark to me, but maybe close.
 
It's funny to think that I once hated the 650. I actually went out and upgraded my amp just for it and the K702 long ago. If only I had upgraded my DAC for the 650 instead. The K702 seemed to do better with an amp upgrade for whatever reason.
 
I'm not going to compare these two that much. Just kind of ruins the fun of listening to them.
 
 
Of course I do agree that both really need a good desktop amp and DAC to be at their best.
 
Right now I do prefer this 650 to the 598/580/600. Maybe that'll change in a month

 
I think I said this, but the Q701 does sound smoother to my ears than the HD-650. Assuming you're listening to very good recordings.

 

[jasonb]

I used to have an HD650, that was a little more than a year ago. They arent worlds apart but the Q701 is definitely clearer, has more treble, and is airier. 

 

[MLee]

I was thinking about trying a pair of HD650s then opted to get the K702 anniversary edition. Some of the comments saying the Q701 and HD650 are close are interesting. But this is the Q701 appreciation thread so let me get back to those. At a current Amazon price of $225 these are a steal. Could be the most bang for your buck headphone out there if you have an amp to match them. If you're on the fence about trying them go for it.

 

[jasonb]

Totally agree! I got mine for $240, which was the best price I was aware of 3 weeks ago. Paired with the $140 Fiio E17 they really are a steal. This kind of sound for $380 is a great bargain. 
Quote:

I was thinking about trying a pair of HD650s then opted to get the K702 anniversary edition. Some of the comments saying the Q701 and HD650 are close are interesting. But this is the Q701 appreciation thread so let me get back to those. At a current Amazon price of $225 these are a steal. Could be the most bang for your buck headphone out there if you have an amp to match them. If you're on the fence about trying them go for it.

 
On another note, I had my dad try the Q701 along with my E17 and he thought they sounded good, but he expected more bass. He is not an audiophile like me, but he knows what kind of sound he likes. Once we boosted the bass with the E17 he said he really liked the sound. I like them with a mild +2 bass boost, he liked them with a +6 bass boost. His hearing is also quite bad, he is in his mid 50's and is a drummer who never wears ear protection while drumming. I play my Q701 with the E17 on medium gain and still listen at just under half volume, he was cranking it into the mid 40's out of 60. All those years as a kid he was always telling me to take care of my hearing and now he is the one in his mid 50's with moderate hearing damage.

 

[Zombie_X]

Hi,
 
I got some Black Q701's coming from Amazon late next week. They were $214 and that was a good deal. We'll see when they arrive if they still sound the same as a K701 to me.

 

[wazzupi]

Quote:

I used to have an HD650, that was a little more than a year ago. They arent worlds apart but the Q701 is definitely clearer, has more treble, and is airier. 

I have to disagree on the clearer part... I hear things that I never would of conceived was there, until I heard it on the hd650's. I also notice height on the hd650's which pretty much do not exist on the q701. 

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

I have to disagree on the clearer part... I hear things that I never would of conceived was there, until I heard it on the hd650's. I also notice height on the hd650's which pretty much do not exist on the q701. 

 
Get out! This is the Q701 appreciation thread! Just kidding

 
With my old 650, it could sound like muffled crap on the wrong setup. Right now it's sounding pretty crystal clear despite all that warmth. Ok, actually it's not that much warmer than my Q701, which is just weird to even say. Depends on the recordings. The Q701 does sound a bit clearer for me, but it's not worth comparing them since they both have such different amounts of treble and bass.
 
I don't find the HD-600/580 competes with the Q701 (IMO). The 580 comes close, but it's a close one with the 650. I imagine most will either love the 650 or the Q701 and rarely both. Actually, I don't even know anymore.
 
Well at least now I have an actual 650 that's better than the 598. The HD-650 just needed a DAC upgrade.
 
I think my brain is playing tricks on me tonight. I switched USB ports and it felt like the 650 gained even more treble. I guess that's placebo or maybe they're burning in on my head

I've got like 8 hours on it now already! Seems my like of them keeps going up.
 
Never doing a HD-650 vs Q701 review. I did that with the 598 and HD-600 and then the K601 vs K702 and it just makes me hate headphones.

 

[Hooster]

Quote:

I think my brain is playing tricks on me tonight. I switched USB ports and it felt like the 650 gained even more treble. I guess that's placebo or maybe they're burning in on my head

I've got like 8 hours on it now already! Seems my like of them keeps going up.
 
 

 
Sorry for the OT, but USB ports are not all built alike. I have a Music Streamer II and connecting it to a powered USB hub opens up a whole world of SQ vs just connecting it straight into a USB port on my PC. It is not subtle. More like a night and day difference. One USB port on a PC may be different from another...
 
http://www.audioenz.co.nz/forums/showthread.php/14222-Tip-for-HRT-Music-Streamer-owners.-Probably-also-valid-for-other-USB-audio-devices.

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

 
Sorry for the OT, but USB ports are not all built alike. I have a Music Streamer II and connecting it to a powered USB hub opens up a whole world of SQ vs just connecting it straight into a USB port on my PC. It is not subtle. More like a night and day difference. One USB port on a PC may be different from another...
 
http://www.audioenz.co.nz/forums/showthread.php/14222-Tip-for-HRT-Music-Streamer-owners.-Probably-also-valid-for-other-USB-audio-devices.

 
Oh I definitely agree with that. What makes my comment even more ridiculous is that I was even using a powered hub and the hub was switched to a different port on my laptop!
 
I had major issues with my old HRT MSII on my laptop. One day I took my setup to my desktop and it sounded way better. I couldn't figure out why. Turns out my USB port on my laptop was degrading the sound of my DAC slightly. This made everything seem to be slightly more fatiguing and less full sounding. I recreated the desktop experience when using a power hub on my laptop. Now both sound identical.
 
When I got my ODAC it was kind of harsh straight from my desktop, yet the MSII was OK. This ODAC was attached to the back of my PC and I only had a printer, keyboard and mouse attached. Maybe that was why. A powered hub fixed it all and I also try to limit USB cable lengths. I guess under 7-10 feet is best.
 
BTW another weird thing I noticed is that I have a Belkin home theater surge protector with noise filtering that actually DEGRADES the sound of my amp/dac/headphone. Makes the bass on my DJ100 kind of bloated. I think it's due to the power supply on my amp or something. It sounds best straight from the wall. This actually isn't placebo, but you'd imagine it would be! On my Q701 this issue was barely noticeable. Just made the Q701 sound even warmer

The soundstage is actually even more closed in too.
 
Also..often without a usb hub my HRT would crackle or pop when browsing the web. Other times it'd screech at me until I yanked it out of it's power. With a powered hub this doesn't occur.
 
Amazing how much fuller sounding the Q701 was when the HRT MSII was connected to a powered hub. I guess most laptops (and some desktops) have terrible USB ports.

 

[Hooster]

Thanks, very interesting. I hope this helps more people with USB audio devices.

 

[jasonb]

I've had my Q701 and E17 for 2 and a half weeks and I have been listening to them on average about 3-4 hours a day, and I am still just as happy with them as I was when I first plugged them in. They sound so nice. I know I've said it already, but this is just the sound I've been after. Almost as warm as I remember the HD650 being, but with more clarity, detail, and treble energy. So much detail. I am just really liking what I am hearing with these and can't get enough. When I am at work all I want to do is go home and listen to them more. On good recordings they sound great, on great recordings they sound amazing.      

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

I've had my Q701 and E17 for 2 and a half weeks and I have been listening to them on average about 3-4 hours a day, and I am still just as happy with them as I was when I first plugged them in. They sound so nice. I know I've said it already, but this is just the sound I've been after. Almost as warm as I remember the HD650 being, but with more clarity, detail, and treble energy. So much detail. I am just really liking what I am hearing with these and can't get enough. When I am at work all I want to do is go home and listen to them more. On good recordings they sound great, on great recordings they sound amazing.      

 
I've had mine now since Oct 25th 2011. Hard to believe! This whole time I haven't had a single complaint with it's sound. At one point it was a bit harsh, but it turns out it was my DAC being underpowered somehow. That was the old HRT MSII.
Of course, flat pads and no bumps are what I'd prefer, but they're fine the way it is.
 
They're also my primary gaming headphone. I spent at least 100 hours in Skyrim with them and finished Uncharted 2 about a dozen times.
 
It's funny to think I built a whole setup around the HD-650 and K702 about 2 years ago and then got rid of those. Now I have the HD-650 and Q701

I keep going back and forth. Luckily I don't have any money to keep doing this again.
I'm glad to be done with the addiction of trying new amps and DACs. Maybe i'll give those Schiit-heads another chance and get the Lyr next year. I was never a fan of the Asgard on anything other than the HD-600 and D2000.
Actually I'd love to try my $80 DJ100 with the Lyr

 
Oh and to think that when I was new to all this my first "expensive" headphone was the K701 being driven from a Total Airhead. I also had the DT-990. I think this was back in 2006 or 2007.

 

[jasonb]

How does the DJ100 compare to the Q701? I heard a DJ100 briefly about a year ago, but dont really remember much about it.

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

How does the DJ100 compare to the Q701? I heard a DJ100 briefly about a year ago, but dont really remember much about it.

 
Hmm..never did any A/B comparisons, but I would say the DJ100 has much more bass, including better low bass extension, less treble and more forward mids.
The DJ100 is slightly fuller sounding to me, but not like an HD-650. This varies a little between amps though.
The DJ100 is also a lot more forgiving of any tracks that are harsh and fatiguing.
 
Some say the DJ100 is so easy to drive, but in 3 years i've basically refused to use them without an external amp. With the Clip+ they get a pass from me somewhat.
They're actually about 10-15% better sounding with M50 pads..don't ask me why.
 
Sorry, but the DJ100 is still my #1 favorite headphone, but the Q701 "technically" sounds better I guess. DJ100 is more colored and a tad more musical.
Maybe the DJ100 is like a weird mix of the HD-580 and Q701

 
It has slightly above neutral bass. Very close to my new HD-650 (this one is NOT bass heavy and it doesn't seem to have a mid-bass hump..weird).
 
BTW I actually find the DJ100 to have better low bass extension than every other headphone I have except for the KRK KNS-8400. Yet the 8400 seems almost bass light except for it's low-bass. Weird.
 
Sorry, i'll shut up. Got me talking about my favorite headphone.

 

[chicolom]

Quote:

Actually I'd love to try my $80 DJ100 with the Lyr

 
 
That sounds like a schiity idea.