[tdockweiler]

Stupid question, but are there any people out there that say the O2 sounds bright with the K702, DT-990, Q701, 325is etc despite measuring flat?
The Magni sounded that way to me with specific headphones despite how it's supposed to be totally transparent, ruler flat and no coloration etc.
People even go as far as saying it's identical and/or as transparent as the O2.
 
Tempted to get an O2 to try, but if it's only good with non-bright headphones I don't want to bother.
 
I want an amp that equally good with ALL headphones. Basically an amp that's not warm/dark and not cold/thin. This is my idea of what's probably transparent. Like if I hook up something I only hear what's connected (like a DAC if it has a specific coloration etc). My amp sounds like everything that's connected to it without messing with much.
 
I've found that my Micro is equally good with everything and doesn't add an ounce of coloration. I hope the O2 is similar to it. I don't want to buy another $250+ amp just for a bedroom.

 

[imackler]

Quote:

Stupid question, but are there any people out there that say the O2 sounds bright with the K702, DT-990, Q701, 325is etc despite measuring flat?
The Magni sounded that way to me with specific headphones despite how it's supposed to be totally transparent, ruler flat and no coloration etc.
People even go as far as saying it's identical and/or as transparent as the O2.
 
Tempted to get an O2 to try, but if it's only good with non-bright headphones I don't want to bother.
 
I want an amp that equally good with ALL headphones. Basically an amp that's not warm/dark and not cold/thin. This is my idea of what's probably transparent. Like if I hook up something I only hear what's connected (like a DAC if it has a specific coloration etc). My amp sounds like everything that's connected to it without messing with much.
 
I've found that my Micro is equally good with everything and doesn't add an ounce of coloration. I hope the O2 is similar to it. I don't want to buy another $250+ amp just for a bedroom.

 
I think the O2 is perfect for your needs. I've started to use one for my home listening, both portable and transportable, and I think it does what you're looking for. I agree that the Magni is bright/tinny and I find the O2 as more neutral, personally. 

 

[Androb]

Stupid question, but are there any people out there that say the O2 sounds bright with the K702, DT-990, Q701, 325is etc despite measuring flat?
The Magni sounded that way to me with specific headphones despite how it's supposed to be totally transparent, ruler flat and no coloration etc.
People even go as far as saying it's identical and/or as transparent as the O2.

Tempted to get an O2 to try, but if it's only good with non-bright headphones I don't want to bother.

I want an amp that equally good with ALL headphones. Basically an amp that's not warm/dark and not cold/thin. This is my idea of what's probably transparent. Like if I hook up something I only hear what's connected (like a DAC if it has a specific coloration etc). My amp sounds like everything that's connected to it without messing with much.

I've found that my Micro is equally good with everything and doesn't add an ounce of coloration. I hope the O2 is similar to it. I don't want to buy another $250+ amp just for a bedroom.

Maybe if you are handy you could make one yourself. My dad made a copy of lehmann black cube (wich is really expensive), and it didnt cost more than 100pounds. I cant even turn the volume knob 12oclock since it will hurt me, and im one of those who wants really loud volume, and now the bass are really vibrating and the sound is truly amazing. Only looking for an external dac to see if there will be a difference with the xonar essence stx inbuilt dac.

 

[Chris J]

o.o is the d12 not enough for q701?  
I keep hearing people run it fine with portable amps and others that it doesn't, what do you think? Can you run it with your D12? Also I've been looking for an amp to use with my d10 in case it isn't enough, preferably less than $200, was looking at the O2 amp but I heard it's lacking bass or something, which I figured wouldn't  be good with the q701

 
I normally use the D12 DAC with my Matrix M Stage and Q701. But I have no problems using the Q710 with the D12 as a DAC and headphone amp system. The D12 sounds just fine as a headphone amp with my Q701. Nice and small and portable, doesn't really do anything wrong. To be honest, the Matrix is a better headphone amp (it sounds clearer and fuller), but obviously that's not a fair comparison, the D12 costs as much as the Matrix M Stage and the D12 is a damn good DAC for the $$ with 3 digital inputs and a headphone jack. Rumour has it that the Matrix M Stage sounds fuller with the Q701 than the O2.

 

[heynice]

So I just received them, man I'm ******* loving it. With just the d10 and sounds loud enough at 3/4 knob turned,  but I already have the e09k on the way so we'll see if that would make any difference.
 
The only issue I had was the cables had some black scuff marks, not a huge deal, just a little What moment.
 
Now I need to remove some fans on my computer 

 

[balancebox]

ya my cable had black scuff marks too =( dont really like the green cables the plastic on the outside seems too rubber...

 

[imackler]

Quote:

ya my cable had black scuff marks too =( dont really like the green cables the plastic on the outside seems too rubber...

Ditto. 

 

[theOmni]

You guys have convinced me. I was on the market for a new set of headphones, primarily for gaming. I wanted positional cues without sacrificing too much fun from the sound. As in a nice and accurate soundstage, without some bass. I looked at the AD700/x, which has been the go-to gaming headphone, but they sacrifice too much of the bass for the sound clarity. But I think the q701 is the right balance. I looked at the ad900x, but since they're so new not too many people have been able to help out and because I'm still a student, I $200+ is a big deal to me. So it looks like the q701 stands out the most and its got a big enough community/support behind it, many of whom game with it.
 
Now I just need to find a good price range for it 

, anyone wanna sell theirs??

 

[imackler]

Quote:

You guys have convinced me. I was on the market for a new set of headphones, primarily for gaming. I wanted positional cues without sacrificing too much fun from the sound. As in a nice and accurate soundstage, without some bass. I looked at the AD700/x, which has been the go-to gaming headphone, but they sacrifice too much of the bass for the sound clarity. But I think the q701 is the right balance. I looked at the ad900x, but since they're so new not too many people have been able to help out and because I'm still a student, I $200+ is a big deal to me. So it looks like the q701 stands out the most and its got a big enough community/support behind it, many of whom game with it.
 
Now I just need to find a good price range for it 

, anyone wanna sell theirs??

 
PM'd you! 

 

[Evshrug]

You guys have convinced me. I was on the market for a new set of headphones, primarily for gaming. I wanted positional cues without sacrificing too much fun from the sound. As in a nice and accurate soundstage, without some bass. I looked at the AD700/x, which has been the go-to gaming headphone, but they sacrifice too much of the bass for the sound clarity. But I think the q701 is the right balance. I looked at the ad900x, but since they're so new not too many people have been able to help out and because I'm still a student, I $200+ is a big deal to me. So it looks like the q701 stands out the most and its got a big enough community/support behind it, many of whom game with it.

Now I just need to find a good price range for it 

, anyone wanna sell theirs??

I had the purple AD700, you gain a bit of bass extension and "body" moving up to the Q701, plus there is a bit less glare in the treble. Something else, hard to pin down why, but the Q also gets my toes tapping and I enjoy music more, seems more exciting, brought me back from mostly gaming to enjoying music again too.

 

[tdockweiler]

Bought an O2 for the Q701 and HD-650. It'll be nice to finally hear it and compare it to my Micro Amp. I hope it's better than the Magni or I like it at least as much as the E9. E9 seemed to do just fine with all my headphones. I didn't use it a lot with the HD-650 though. Some say it's not a good match with the Q701 but I totally disagree. I think the E9 does have some minor colorations and that's OK. Maybe a touch of warmth. It's actually warmer than my Micro Amp and the Magni of course.
 
I plan on sending the optical output of my Xbox 360/Blu-ray player to my E17 and bypassing the amp and then sending the sound to the O2 with Fiio L7. Totally forgot I could do this!
 
Hopefully it's not a clone of the Magni.

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

I had the purple AD700, you gain a bit of bass extension and "body" moving up to the Q701, plus there is a bit less glare in the treble. Something else, hard to pin down why, but the Q also gets my toes tapping and I enjoy music more, seems more exciting, brought me back from mostly gaming to enjoying music again too.

Totally agree with this. Fuller mids and for me way less fatiguing treble. Based on memory the soundstage of the AD700 might be a bit larger. The mids on the AD700 seem a bit lean, sort of like the old K702.
One headphone I liked more than the AD700 was the AD300. Sounds a lot different but almost nobody has heard it!
 
Still need to hear the A900X and AD900. I loved the ATH-AD2000 but it's pads are awful!! Who designs a $400+ headphone with pads that go flat and your ears press against the driver?

 

[Chris J]

So I just received them, man I'm ******* loving it. With just the d10 and sounds loud enough at 3/4 knob turned,  but I already have the e09k on the way so we'll see if that would make any difference.
 
The only issue I had was the cables had some black scuff marks, not a huge deal, just a little What moment.
 
Now I need to remove some fans on my computer 

 
I have an E09K, it has a lot more power than the D12, but I can't honestly tell you that it sounds better! I think it sounds a bit different, but not better, the D12 is slightly brighter and slightly more detailed, but nothing drastic.

 

[ThurstonX]

Quote:

So I just received them, man I'm ******* loving it. With just the d10 and sounds loud enough at 3/4 knob turned,  but I already have the e09k on the way so we'll see if that would make any difference.
 
The only issue I had was the cables had some black scuff marks, not a huge deal, just a little What moment.
 
Now I need to remove some fans on my computer 

 
They're pretty sweet, eh? Bummer about the cables. You could get some customs made. I ordered a five-footer from Redco last week, and a couple interconnects. Hope they ship this week.
 
And I know what you mean about PC fans! I'm sitting here doing some comparisons between the Q701s and K550s with various combos of straight from soundcard (M-Audio Revo 5.1, which has a decent HP amp + dedicated jack) and M-Audio to JDS Labs C5 portable. Where the closed K550s block a fair bit of fan noise from two PCs, the Q701s really let it through on quiet parts. I could turn off one PC, but not the test box. It's interesting how the C5 on low gain really improves the K550s, but only slightly improves the Q701s on high gain, and they need high gain.
 
Enjoy your new cans 

 

[imackler]

Quote:

Bought an O2 for the Q701 and HD-650. It'll be nice to finally hear it and compare it to my Micro Amp. I hope it's better than the Magni or I like it at least as much as the E9. E9 seemed to do just fine with all my headphones. I didn't use it a lot with the HD-650 though. Some say it's not a good match with the Q701 but I totally disagree. I think the E9 does have some minor colorations and that's OK. Maybe a touch of warmth. It's actually warmer than my Micro Amp and the Magni of course.
 
I plan on sending the optical output of my Xbox 360/Blu-ray player to my E17 and bypassing the amp and then sending the sound to the O2 with Fiio L7. Totally forgot I could do this!
 
Hopefully it's not a clone of the Magni.

 
What follows doesn't apply to the Q701 but to the HD650 and will vary depending on what dac used: 
 
The O2 can be funny w/ some dacs because of the impedance of the ODAC. I had bass distortion w/ the HD650. I contacted John at JDS labs and wrote the following: " On high gain, the O2 is breaking up with my HD650. The bass gets crackly and distorted, especially around 60hz at -10 db. Other frequencies give it trouble on some songs too. I had to wait to get another amp to see if its definitely not my DAC and not my headphones. Is this just the O2 being maxed out or is there an issue with it? With another amp, the system does not have that problem..." John was helpful and responded: "This occurs with O2 when using a strong source/DAC with some headphones. You simply need a higher voltage AC adapter to use high gain. More information can be found on the instructions guide." And here is a link to the PDF: http://www.jdslabs.com/pdf/Instructions_O2.pdf (Search for distortion) 
 
In other news, the Magni would have to be the clone of the O2, since the O2 came first! But don't worry...it's not!