[Chris J]

Any attempt to duplicate that bit of demented genius would've fallen flat on its face  

Very true!
That was hilarious!
I thought he would never stop!

BTW, the Original Heart sounded amazing!

 

[PanamaHat]

Just sold my X1 & am finally joining the "q701 club" !
I was lucky to find a brand new black pair for $215 

 
Couple questions if ya'll don't mind
 
Should I wait until after the drivers have settled to do the mod?
Does anyone have experience driving this headphone from Audio-gd amps?

 

[ThurstonX]

  Just sold my X1 & am finally joining the "q701 club" !
I was lucky to find a brand new black pair for $215 

 
Couple questions if ya'll don't mind
 
Should I wait until after the drivers have settled to do the mod?
Does anyone have experience driving this headphone from Audio-gd amps?

 
Welcome to the club.  Hope you like 'em.
 
re: burn-in and the mod, personally, I'd burn them in until you hear no change in sound, assuming you hear any change at all (I know I did).  Then you can decide if you want to do the mod.  The mod is entirely reversible (if the original round stickers aren't in good shape, just use tape).  If you decide to do the mod, you might want to experiment with the foam version, then the fully open.  That way you'll have three sounds from which to choose.  Well, the type and thickness of the foam affect the sound in different ways, so more than three sounds.
 
HTH.

 

[koiloco]

Mod it and enjoy it from day 1. 

 

[ThurstonX]

  Mod it and enjoy it from day 1. 

 
Rebel!  

 

 

[GirgleMirt]

  Mod it and enjoy it from day 1. 

 
Naaah!  Enjoy them as is, then after a while, once you've become accustomed to their sound and once you start feeling like it's time for something new, then mod them!  You'll have a new headphone to rediscover    Well that's the plan for mine anyhow

 

[koiloco]

   
Naaah!  Enjoy them as is, then after a while, once you've become accustomed to their sound and once you start feeling like it's time for something new, then mod them!  You'll have a new headphone to rediscover    Well that's the plan for mine anyhow

If you don't find the bass to be a touch light with stock, then yes.  If you do, just mod it from the start.

 

[PanamaHat]

I think I'll wait before modding
Same goes for the headband comfort, if I don't like it I believe akg offers spare parts for the annie or k712 right?

 

[GirgleMirt]

  If you don't find the bass to be a touch light with stock, then yes.  If you do, just mod it from the start.

Well, which is more accurate?  As mentioned, there's a reason the sticker is there in the first place.  I believe the Q701s are marketed as a studio headphone by AKG, as such, the achieved frequency is most probably as it was intended.  If you remove the sticker and alter the way they were intended to sound by AKG, and this mod adds bass, then haven't you deviated from AKG's 'perfect' balance?
 
In other words, if you find the headphones a touch light with stock, I think it would be a good idea to become familiar with how AKG intended the headphone to sound before you mod it...   I guess I'm throwing subjectivity vs objectivity out there.  I'd assume that because they've added a sticker on the hole, it's not to make the headphones bass light but probably make it more even.  Who knows, maybe the overall bass response is -0.4dB bass with the sticker and +0.75dB without it.  It might very well be that with it it's more accurate with it yet without it it's more enjoyable!  But, since nobody really knows here at the moment I believe, it might be a good idea to get to know the headphones before modding them! 
 
If anything, maybe it'll give you an opportunity to get acquainted to a more neutral sound.  Anyhow, many have mentioned that they don't make them any less neutral with the mod...  I can't say as I've only heard the stock form.  But I think there's merit to try to appreciate them as is before modding them.  Who knows, maybe they lack bass without the mod and are clearly worse sounding, but if you never really try them un-modded, who's to say which version you'd prefer?

 

[manbear]

  Well, which is more accurate?  As mentioned, there's a reason the sticker is there in the first place.  I believe the Q701s are marketed as a studio headphone by AKG, as such, the achieved frequency is most probably as it was intended.  

OK, but not every headphone that's branded as a "studio" headphone is actually neutral. You can't just take their marketing at face value. 

Needless to say, for any headphone in general I think it's a good idea to get a sense of the stock signature before you start modding. Otherwise, you won't know if you actually want the changes that the mods will cause. There's no hurry. 

 

[koiloco]

 
OK, but not every headphone that's branded as a "studio" headphone is actually neutral. You can't just take their marketing at face value. 

Needless to say, for any headphone in general I think it's a good idea to get a sense of the stock signature before you start modding. Otherwise, you won't know if you actually want the changes that the mods will cause. There's no hurry. 

 
Thx for saying what I was about to say.  On top of that, I don't give a caca about what akg intended.  In my case, I bought their HPs for the strengths and mod it to improve the weaknesses to better my enjoyment.  Why should I adjust myself and my hearing to their standards.  The majority of Q701 owners here will agree that the Q701's low frequencies are a little rolled off and not neutral.  Some find the Q701's bass just fine.  That's why I said what I said in my first post.

 

[jasonb]

   
Thx for saying what I was about to say.  On top of that, I don't give a caca about what akg intended.  In my case, I bought their HPs for the strengths and mod it to improve the weaknesses to better my enjoyment.  Why should I adjust myself and my hearing to their standards.  The majority of Q701 owners here will agree that the Q701's low frequencies are a little rolled off and not neutral.  Some find the Q701's bass just fine.  That's why I said what I said in my first post.

It's definitely more neutral AFTER the mod. I enjoy them more now after the mod. The bass is very pleasant. 

 

[GirgleMirt]

  It's definitely more neutral AFTER the mod. I enjoy them more now after the mod. The bass is very pleasant. 

 
Measurements would disagree with you (that they are more neutral after the mod), if the mod indeed adds bass:
 


Both graphs already shows emphasized bass...  Now you can claim that it sounds more neutral to you, but when you're objectively stating that the mod makes it more neutral, and at the same time claim that it adds bass, I don't know but that seems self-contradictory.  Unless the mod only adds bass extension and doesn't affect >60Hz, adding bass in the 60-300Hz region will create more bass emphasis, which would not be more neutral...
 

  Thx for saying what I was about to say.  On top of that, I don't give a caca about what akg intended.  In my case, I bought their HPs for the strengths and mod it to improve the weaknesses to better my enjoyment.  Why should I adjust myself and my hearing to their standards. 

But again,  it has nothing to do with their standards.  We're talking about industry standards, as in a flat frequency response is neutral.  Not about "I'm AKG and I like less bass.".   What you consider a weakness might not be a weakness at all.  It might very well be that you enjoy emphasized bass:  More bass in the 80-200Hz range.  The bass hump, the 'thump'.   From the measurements, from 2 different sources, seems more like the Q701 would benefit from a reduction of bass between 60-400Hz...  Now I'd be the first to say that it would probably sound worse, but hey...  It's objectivity vs subjectivity.  Reality vs my opinion/taste, reality trumps our opinions/tastes... 
 
Quote:

The majority of Q701 owners here will agree that the Q701's low frequencies are a little rolled off and not neutral.  Some find the Q701's bass just fine.  That's why I said what I said in my first post.

 
Is it the same US majority that believes in angels, ghosts, and all sorts of other nonsense?     Not sure which is your first post...    But yeah, the point is that some find the Q701's bass just fine.   And unless you get acquainted and accustomed to their 'stock' sound, you'll never know if you're one of those people. If you're used to excessive bass coming from other headphones, for sure you'll find the Q701s lacking in bass.  Doesn't mean that after a while with them you wouldn't learn to appreciate them as they are.  And again, if you mod them right away, you miss out on that opportunity...  Unless you reverted to stock, you'd never know if you'd have preferred the stock.
 
But anyhow he's not going to mod them for now so I win and you lose. 

 
 
And btw, I wouldn't disagree with you that they might be a tad bit lean on the bass side.  But my question is this.  How do you know that they are indeed lean?  what is your reference?  I guess you could always listen to tones, but then again, that would be subjective as it would be as it sounds to you...  So again, what is the reference to state that stock they might be a tad bit lean on bass?  "a little rolled off and not neutral" as you've stated?  Other headphones?  Recordings?  Your ears?

 

[62ohm]

  Well, which is more accurate?  As mentioned, there's a reason the sticker is there in the first place.  I believe the Q701s are marketed as a studio headphone by AKG, as such, the achieved frequency is most probably as it was intended.  If you remove the sticker and alter the way they were intended to sound by AKG, and this mod adds bass, then haven't you deviated from AKG's 'perfect' balance?
 
In other words, if you find the headphones a touch light with stock, I think it would be a good idea to become familiar with how AKG intended the headphone to sound before you mod it...   I guess I'm throwing subjectivity vs objectivity out there.  I'd assume that because they've added a sticker on the hole, it's not to make the headphones bass light but probably make it more even.  Who knows, maybe the overall bass response is -0.4dB bass with the sticker and +0.75dB without it.  It might very well be that with it it's more accurate with it yet without it it's more enjoyable!  But, since nobody really knows here at the moment I believe, it might be a good idea to get to know the headphones before modding them! 
 

 
The reason why I am still yet to mod my Q701. I kind of have the impression that the 'thing' that supresses the bass of the Q701 is there in the first place because AKG want them to be. I don't know the real objective of AKG by doing it, but I believe they are there for a reason. After all, AKG and any other company does have their own R&D department and I believe no parts in the cans are futile.
 
I may not really like the underperforming bass of the Q701, but I believe that's how AKG meant it to be and the solution of it is not to mod it, but to get a complementary cans. But then again, each to their own.

 

[Ashade]

   
The reason why I am still yet to mod my Q701. I kind of have the impression that the 'thing' that supresses the bass of the Q701 is there in the first place because AKG want them to be. I don't know the real objective of AKG by doing it, but I believe they are there for a reason. After all, AKG and any other company does have their own R&D department and I believe no parts in the cans are futile.
 
I may not really like the underperforming bass of the Q701, but I believe that's how AKG meant it to be and the solution of it is not to mod it, but to get a complementary cans. But then again, each to their own.

 
That's absolutely true BUT... After having worked for more than 5 years in a R&D department I can tell you this: Don't overestimate them. There might be a reason, and there might not. The reason might even be only due to marketing, a preference for less bass in the sound signature (traditionally the case with AKG). We will probably never know.
 
I'm not saying you are not right, I am just saying don't consider things settled. After all, R&D departments are usually under a schedule and I can ensure they do you not always try all the different variations.