[Fuzziekiwi]

I listen to my Q701's through my Nuforce UDH 100 Dac/Amp, fed by my iMac .I am really pleased now I have done the bass mod they sound fantastic with all types of music.
Just sold my Sennheiser HD 650's as the Q701's beat them on all fronts.


Nick

Really?
 
How so? I was contemplating to get either the HD600's or Q701's at one time. 

 

[62ohm]

  Really?
 
How so? I was contemplating to get either the HD600's or Q701's at one time. 

 
The HD650 kinda requires higher-end amp than Q701 to unleash its potential. Furthermore, the modded Q701 can basically cover what HD650 would complement them unmodded. If you want to get 2 pairs, I think the HD600 & Q701 would be better IMO.

 

[Fuzziekiwi]

   
The HD650 kinda requires higher-end amp than Q701 to unleash its potential. Furthermore, the modded Q701 can basically cover what HD650 would complement them unmodded. If you want to get 2 pairs, I think the HD600 & Q701 would be better IMO.

That will be my future setup when I get a job. 

 

[dalmatian]

Really?

How so? I was contemplating to get either the HD600's or Q701's at one time. 

The HD 650's were dull and lifeless with too much uncontrolled bass, they felt as if I had cotton wool in my ears. The sound stage was really closed in as well.
This of course is on my set-up and my experience with them, I've just sold them on and was really disappointed after reading such good reviews.
I don't know how well rated the Nuforce UDH 100 amp is but it does partner the Q701's very well.

Nick

 

[Androb]

I have put my Q701 aside now for a while unfortunately. HD650 does everything so much better in balanced mode with my LD MKVI+.
I wish I could have my q701 balanced without having to mod it heavily.

 

[tdockweiler]

Had a weird experience with the modded Q701 in the last month or so..
 
Been using the HD-650 constantly with the O2 in my bedroom for gaming/movies and it sounds great. Perfect everything mostly but the soundstage is not very large most of the time. Kind of more closed in than i'd like. I'd switched to the modded Q701 and it sounded much more tinny/thin and bass light than it usually does. I really could not stand it and would always miss the HD-650. I mean it's certainly not bad.
 
I've come to the conclusion that the O2 seems to make the Q701 a bit thinner and less warm than it normally is. Feels like I have a little loss of bass. Some will say.. "Well, that's how the Q701 is supposed to sound"...don't think so, but close.

 
I switched to my Headroom Micro Amp and it's back to it's old self. I now don't miss the HD-650 at all because they're both quite similar when the Q701 has a good amp. No lack of bass on the Q701 now and the sound is always full bodied and never thin. The Micro has a similar tone with the Q701 as the iFi iCAN and E9 and most likely the Matrix M-Stage also. It's not any sort of coloration. The E9 and iFi iCAN are warmer than the Micro though I think (as long as the Astrodyne PS is used). All of them are very natural sounding to me. Something feels missing or "off" with the Q701's bass on the O2 and Magni.
 
My guess is that the HD-650 is good on the O2, but with the Q701 it's not at it's best, but very very close. I still think the O2 is better with the Q701 than the Magni though.
 
BTW the Vali sounds extremely close in sound with the Q701 as my Micro Amp. Too bad the Vali was awful with the rest of my headphones.
 
I have to admit that as a Q701 only amp, I prefer the E9 to the Magni/O2. The 10ohm output impedance of the E9 is perfectly OK for the Q701.
 
Also..the Xbox 360 DAC seems pretty good because there was not a massive improvement when switching to an external optical AC powered DAC. A year ago I was using the optical input of the E17 for a DAC but it really holds the soundstage of the Q701 back a little. The Q701 seems to love the CS4398 DAC on my Micro DAC. Same with my Modi's AKM chipset.
 
Honestly, people say the HD-650 needs a more expensive/better amp than the Q701, but i'd have to disagree. My HD-650 manages to sound good with almost everything as long as it's fairly transparent and not too warm. I know with the HD-650 it can improve slightly with better gear though and i've heard this.

 

[coldkick]

HD650 isn't as picky with an amp as the Q701. It requires a more powerful amp to drive it, but the Q701 sounds good with fewer amps while requiring less power.

 

[GorillaSceptre]

  HD650 isn't as picky with an amp as the Q701. It requires a more powerful amp to drive it, but the Q701 sounds good with fewer amps while requiring less power.

+1

 

[benjaminhuypham]

Q701 was my first high-end headphone and they sounded truly amazing. Since price dropped to $199 for brand new, $160-180 for used. I think they are great h/p for tight-budget audiophile beginners. Sadly, I sold them and got Dt880/600 which is another magical can.

 

[koiloco]

To me, there's nothing budget about the Q701.  Build quality is great.  Sound quality is absolutely amazing for the price, especially after the bass port mod.  Enjoy your Q701.

 

[benjaminhuypham]

"budget" does not mean It is only good because of its price. I mean Q701 performs exceed the money you invested. I can't praise enough about how phenomenal the Q701 really is. To my ears there are 3 h/ps would be rated in the same league: Akg Q701, Dt880/600, and HD600. Period.

 

[koiloco]

^ I've never listened to the HD600 so I can't comment on the comparison.  I did try the 650 quite a bit though.  DT800/600 is great too.

 

[elwappo99]

"budget" does not mean It is only good because of its price. I mean Q701 performs exceed the money you invested. I can't praise enough about how phenomenal the Q701 really is. To my ears there are 3 h/ps would be rated in the same league: Akg Q701, Dt880/600, and HD600. Period.

 
Indeed. Those were the big three mid-fi cans for a long time (well, the K701, but you get the idea.) All three are really great headphones and have their own nuances. Given the rediculous price fixing sennheiser does to inflate the HD600 price, I think the Q701 is really a bargain.

 

[jimmers]

Q701 sounds good with fewer amps while requiring less power.

Since when has Q701 required less power?
It needs 50% more voltage and 13 times the power for the same sound level (according to innerfidelity measurements,  supported by my own experience)

 

[dalmatian]

I agree, the Q701's are harder to drive than the Sennheiser HD 650's, the volume knob needs to be about another notch up for the same output.

Nick