[Tapar]

I am a bit excited, my Q701's arrive later today!  I won't be receiving the sound card to drive them till monday which is kind of a bummer.   It did make me contemplate how I was intending to store them.  I spent some time checking out the DIY headphone stand thread but I found myself wondering how that sort of thing applies to the Q701's.  Do you put them on a stand by the leather headband, or by the two rods above them?  Do you just lay them on a table or do you use some other mechanism?  Right now I am probably looking at the "lay them on a table" method while I try to come up with something better.  I am particularly interested in hearing if people hang them by the headstrap or the two rods.

 

[Chris J]

I keep them in the same box of stuff I keep my various patch cords and other headphones in.
 
I'm kind of mean that way.

 

[talisman42]

Quote:

I am a bit excited, my Q701's arrive later today!  I won't be receiving the sound card to drive them till monday which is kind of a bummer.   It did make me contemplate how I was intending to store them.  I spent some time checking out the DIY headphone stand thread but I found myself wondering how that sort of thing applies to the Q701's.  Do you put them on a stand by the leather headband, or by the two rods above them?  Do you just lay them on a table or do you use some other mechanism?  Right now I am probably looking at the "lay them on a table" method while I try to come up with something better.  I am particularly interested in hearing if people hang them by the headstrap or the two rods.

headstrap.

 

[discombob]

I've been carefully laying them on their side on my deskt and they aren't yet showing any scratches around the edges of the earcups. They designed the edge to protrude a bit so the pad doesn't contact the underlying surface and get a flat edge on it.

I eventually expect to see some polished wear or "shine" that this kind of matte plastic takes on after being rubbed for a few years, though (like the side of a mouse).

 

[autoteleology]

I have the Sennheiser HH10 headphone stand and it works like a charm.

 

[Baten]

So a while ago I had a Sennheiser HD650 Replacement Cable recabled into a mini XLR end for use with my Q701.
The result arrived today, and well.. this might be psychological (since I expect something to change) but it sounds awesome.
It feels like the Q701 got a hint of the HD650 sound signature, been listening all evening and the sound seems more sublime than ever.
 
As a side note, I no longer feel the bumps on the head band, as I read before I seriously think your scalp actually adjusts to them.
I really doubt the 65th anniversary K702 sounds much(any?) better than the (bassy) Q701, and the headband thing is apparently just a matter of patience.
My only nitpick is the fact that apparently the Q701's have the worst quality ear pads.
I figured I could switch to the softer K701 pads, anyone advice against this? Are they also angled? Would they change the sound?
 

 

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

So a while ago I had a Sennheiser HD650 Replacement Cable recabled into a mini XLR end for use with my Q701.
The result arrived today, and well.. this might be psychological (since I expect something to change) but it sounds awesome.
It feels like the Q701 got a hint of the HD650 sound signature, been listening all evening and the sound seems more sublime than ever.
 
As a side note, I no longer feel the bumps on the head band, as I read before I seriously think your scalp actually adjusts to them.
I really doubt the 65th anniversary K702 sounds much(any?) better than the (bassy) Q701, and the headband thing is apparently just a matter of patience.
My only nitpick is the fact that apparently the Q701's have the worst quality ear pads.
I figured I could switch to the softer K701 pads, anyone advice against this? Are they also angled? Would they change the sound?
 
 
 
 

 
Do you know what brand of cable it is? Or just stock HD-650 cable? I got this sort of effect with Canare. I don't want to start a cable debate, but it did make the Q701 sound a bit warmer. Almost too much like the HD-600. It's nice for awhile. The differences are fairly small, but in the end I prefer the stock cable. I like using the Canare for gaming, but I won't go there...
 
I've tried ALO SXC and Belden DIY cables, but stock cable is best to me. There's a few reasons one would prefer the SXC, but I kind of felt it took away from some of the things I liked about the Q701.
 
My idea why the Canare sounds warmer is due to high capacitance. One match that I bet would be perfect for the Q701 is Mogami wire. It could cost less than $10 for a DIY version. I actually learned how to solder and make my own cables from the interweb. There's some good Youtube videos out there. The problem with my cables is that they never look really nice. I guess I need more practice. I need to invest in a good soldering iron. I usually buy the crap from Wal-Mart for $6 that dies within a month.
 
I'm going to make one for my HD-650 soon using Mogami.
 
I'm absolutely awful at making Q701 cables! Even with glasses I have issues soldering those mini-XLR plugs. Then the wire I use is usually too thick.
 
The K701 pads are also angled. I didn't know they are softer...The K601 pads feel softer, but are flat.

 

[Baten]

Quote:

 
Do you know what brand of cable it is? Or just stock HD-650 cable?
 
The K701 pads are also angled. I didn't know they are softer...The K601 pads feel softer, but are flat.

 
I experimented with HD650 cables and liked the stock cable the best, so I got the stock sennheiser HD650 cable rewired for use with the AKG.
It doesn't sound much warmer per sé, just different. It takes away just a little harshness (treble spike?); makes modern music more engaging and classic less fatiguing.
Of course, this could all be in my head

. It's funny though, I replaced all my interconnects and don't seem to hear a thing different (was already somewhat high quality), but when I'm experimenting with headphone cables there seems to be a world of difference. For anyone not wanting to spend too much money I wholeheartedly recommend something like blue jeans cables for interconnects and keeping the $ for a quality headphone cable, or learn how to DIY like you mentioned.
 
Alright thanks for the info concerning the pads, once the default pads wear out I'll try the K701 ones or whatever else would be available by then.

 

[Hooster]

Quote:

 
Do you know what brand of cable it is? Or just stock HD-650 cable? I got this sort of effect with Canare. I don't want to start a cable debate, but it did make the Q701 sound a bit warmer. Almost too much like the HD-600. It's nice for awhile. The differences are fairly small, but in the end I prefer the stock cable. I like using the Canare for gaming, but I won't go there...
 
I've tried ALO SXC and Belden DIY cables, but stock cable is best to me. There's a few reasons one would prefer the SXC, but I kind of felt it took away from some of the things I liked about the Q701.
 
My idea why the Canare sounds warmer is due to high capacitance. One match that I bet would be perfect for the Q701 is Mogami wire. It could cost less than $10 for a DIY version. I actually learned how to solder and make my own cables from the interweb. There's some good Youtube videos out there. The problem with my cables is that they never look really nice. I guess I need more practice. I need to invest in a good soldering iron. I usually buy the crap from Wal-Mart for $6 that dies within a month.
 
I'm going to make one for my HD-650 soon using Mogami.
 
I'm absolutely awful at making Q701 cables! Even with glasses I have issues soldering those mini-XLR plugs. Then the wire I use is usually too thick.
 
The K701 pads are also angled. I didn't know they are softer...The K601 pads feel softer, but are flat.

 
I just re cabled mine, balanced with Mogami and Neutrik and they are awesome. I did not touch the mini-XLR. Actually I would not dream of it. I soldered my cables directly to the drivers and my cans are now dual cabled. No signal through the headband any more.

 
 
The cable would not win a beauty contest, but who cares. I am listening, not looking.

 

[Blackmore]

K701 pads are exactly the same as from Q701 or K702, but much comfy than Q701, which I found the worse from the line as well. K702 are close to K701, but not the same either. Are Q pads going to change if you wash them with soft soap, anyone?
 
THX
 
 
 
Quote:

My only nitpick is the fact that apparently the Q701's have the worst quality ear pads.
I figured I could switch to the softer K701 pads, anyone advice against this? Are they also angled? Would they change the sound?
 
 
 
 

 

[Hooster]

Doing some more listening after the re-cable. I recommend this mod very highly. The detail retrieval is incredible, it really puts you there with the musicians, I am hearing all sorts of little sounds and details that I missed before. Its a real kind of detail, not the kind you would get by boosting the treble or something that would just make the cans tiring to listen to. And did I mention there is an improvement in the bass too.
 
In his battle of the flagships David Mahler wrote:
 
"LACKS TRANSPARENCY: The biggest criticism I have of the K701/2 is that it lacks transparency. The overall sonic presentation is not free of grain. I never quite forget that I'm listening to headphones when listening to music with the K702."
 
I didn't quite agree with him then, but now I know exactly what he meant. It is a lot easier to forget I am listening to headphones now.
 
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 
And again, I would not touch that mini XLR with a 10 foot pole.

 

[preproman]

Quote:

Doing some more listening after the re-cable. I recommend this mod very highly. The detail retrieval is incredible, it really puts you there with the musicians, I am hearing all sorts of little sounds and details that I missed before. Its a real kind of detail, not the kind you would get by boosting the treble or something that would just make the cans tiring to listen to. And did I mention there is an improvement in the bass too.
 
In his battle of the flagships David Mahler wrote:
 
"LACKS TRANSPARENCY: The biggest criticism I have of the K701/2 is that it lacks transparency. The overall sonic presentation is not free of grain. I never quite forget that I'm listening to headphones when listening to music with the K702."
 
I didn't quite agree with him then, but now I know exactly what he meant. It is a lot easier to forget I am listening to headphones now.
 
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 
And again, I would not touch that mini XLR with a 10 foot pole.

 
 
You did this on the Q701s?  Show some pictures please...

 

[Hooster]

I thought you would never ask.
From chaos into order.
 

 

 

 
The first picture is the Mogami cable I terminated with a Neutrik 4 pin. The second was when I had everything ready to operate and the third is the final outcome, balanced dual entry AKG Q701. Too bad you can't hear it.

 

[jasonb]

I just put my Vsonic GR01's in for a few minutes, the first time I've listened to them since getting the Q701. The GR01 was pretty much the only thing I was using prior to getting the Q701. The most obvious differences are the bass, and the soundstage. The AKG's make the GR01's soundstage sound very very tiny, I guess that is what the Q701 will do when you try to A/B them against an IEM. The GR01 also seems to have about 2-3db more bass across the board, which makes sense because I have been using the +2db bass setting on my Fiio E17 with my Q701. My guess was that the Q701 would have a tad less bass than the GR01 and my assumption was correct. The biggest disappointment is the GR01 soundstage, which isn't the GR01's fault. It is a tiny in ear, it can't be compared to a big open can that is known to have a huge soundstage. I just never realized quite how big the Q701 sounded. The Q701 just makes the GR01 sound very congested and very small.

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

Doing some more listening after the re-cable. I recommend this mod very highly. The detail retrieval is incredible, it really puts you there with the musicians, I am hearing all sorts of little sounds and details that I missed before. Its a real kind of detail, not the kind you would get by boosting the treble or something that would just make the cans tiring to listen to. And did I mention there is an improvement in the bass too.
 
In his battle of the flagships David Mahler wrote:
 
"LACKS TRANSPARENCY: The biggest criticism I have of the K701/2 is that it lacks transparency. The overall sonic presentation is not free of grain. I never quite forget that I'm listening to headphones when listening to music with the K702."
 
I didn't quite agree with him then, but now I know exactly what he meant. It is a lot easier to forget I am listening to headphones now.
 
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 
And again, I would not touch that mini XLR with a 10 foot pole.

 
Mogami is good and cheap. Not sure why so many others refuse to try it over the fancy $100+ aftermarket cables. I've found it's often a slight upgrade from stock for most headphones. The best result is exactly how you did it. I've heard horror stories of blown drivers when soldering the wires to the Q701/K702 driver. I guess the trick is to not let the soldering iron touch the soldering point for too long.
 
When upgrading the Q701's cable using the Mini-XLR plugs, there is still the internal wires going to the driver. Strangely enough you can still get a benefit of a cable upgrade.
 
I'm curious why you wouldn't touch the Mini XLR? Switchcraft sells mini-XLR plugs but singles are up to $8 now for some reason. They're so tiny that it's a pain for me to solder them. I need more practice. The first try was a disaster, but I did OK with the 2nd one. "Helping Hands" and/or a Vise really help a lot.
 
BTW there is one company out there that sells Q701 cable upgrades for under $35. It's a company called "Best Tronics". I believe they use generic Belden. I prefer stock cable.
 
Sometime when I get good at making them I'd like to make a tutorial on Youtube on how to do it. It's a fun project.
 
Oh yeah..unfortunately the hard part of recabling the Q701 straight to the driver is that you have to drill holes. I used Mogami W2893 with my HD-598 and had to do this, but the 598 plastic is ridiculously thin. You could poke through it with a nail or screw!
 
The problem with some Q701 DIY cable upgrades is that it can actually be made WORSE. I think Mogami works so well is that it's high capacitance and the Q701 won't lose any of it's warmth.