[lostmage]

Quote:

Fair play, definitely cannot argue with that statement, even with zero hours on the clock, the mids are richer

 
Time to get some Q701s 

 

[LugBug1]

Quote:

I for one have owned both, and WOULD definitely differentiate them as such. While they are similar sounding, the tonal balance shift from dry/thin to warm/full is fairly obvious to anyone who has heard both. The end result is that one is immediately enjoyable (Q701), and the other demands specific amps to change their signature to a more enioyable, and less analytical one.
It was enough for me to hate the K701 for music, and love the Q701, so yeah.
Duncan: The bass is just less on the Q701 than on the DT880. Nothing will change that. You essentially trade off bass for mids.

 "I heard both headphones as essentially identical" Tyll (Innerfidelity) comparing K701 and Q701
 
Must we keep going over this again and again.... They can both be dry/thin or warm/full depending on how they are amped, burned in, pad wear etc.
 
You can't have that much change as you have described without changing the drivers or the design of the headphone. They are the same drivers within the same designed headphone. Identical, apart from the colour and a little button that sez Quincy. Don't be fooled by the clever marketing!!!
 
I'll use my guitar analogy again mind!

 

[hsubox]

Time to get some Q701s 

If you listen to acoustical, or operatic/classical where you can take advantage of the open, airy soundstage, you will LOVE the Qs.

 

[Magick Man]

 "I heard both headphones as essentially identical" Tyll (Innerfidelity) comparing K701 and Q701

Must we keep going over this again and again.... They can both be dry/thin or warm/full depending on how they are amped, burned in, pad wear etc.

You can't have that much change as you have described without changing the drivers or the design of the headphone. They are the same drivers within the same designed headphone. Identical, apart from the colour and a little button that sez Quincy. Don't be fooled by the clever marketing!!!

I'll use my guitar analogy again mind!

IMO, they're both right. AKG did some re-tuning at some point with the K701s. The older Ks sound different compared to newer ones, or the Qs, even with fresh pads. The older Ks are brighter and have lower mid-bass quantity, by several dB. This is typical of AKG, they'll make changes without saying anything, often several times during a product's life cycle.

 

[slytown]

I'm really digging mine. Doing an extensive burn-in thread here.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/615670/akg-q701-comprehensive-burn-in-thread#post_8482232

 

[chicolom]

Quote:

 "I heard both headphones as essentially identical" Tyll (Innerfidelity) comparing K701 and Q701
 
Must we keep going over this again and again.... They can both be dry/thin or warm/full depending on how they are amped, burned in, pad wear etc.
 
You can't have that much change as you have described without changing the drivers or the design of the headphone. They are the same drivers within the same designed headphone. Identical, apart from the colour and a little button that sez Quincy. Don't be fooled by the clever marketing!!!
 
I'll use my guitar analogy again mind!

This has already been debated to death. 
 
AFAIK, no one has disassembled the Q701s to see if they're actually identical.  Yes, I know the service manual says they should be.  It's possible the Q701s have some different damping on the back of the driver.
 
I was skeptical too that they could sound different, for the same reasons you are.  It doesn't make sense that they would sound different.  I didn't want to keep going over the debate again and again, so I ordered a pair of K702 to compare directly to my Q701 myself.  The pair I compared back to back, A-B, on the same setup, etc. DID have all the changes we've been describing between about them (I think you've already seen that thread).  I was surprised that the difference between them was as large as it was.  I was expecting a minor difference that could be attributed to variation in production, but the difference I heard sounded intentional. 
 
 
I don't know why my pair was so different.  I'm welcome to suggestions.  I'm not a huge believer in burn-in.  The Q701s were bassy and warm for me out-of-the-box.  I was surprised at how much bass they had the first day I put them on.  Both AKG pads look pretty new and identical.  I doubt any subtle changes between them could add several dB to the bass.
 
I know others like Tyll have heard them the as sounding the same. That to me is the confusing part.  If he heard the pair I heard, I guarantee he would have wrote a completely different comparison.  The only thing I can think of is AKG has had some variation in the x70x  over time (intentionally or unintentionally?...)  That could explain why some sound the same, and some sound different....
 
 
I could probably take apart the Q701 and look at the insides.  I've taken a K400 apart and the Q's look similar.  But the Q701s are my babies, and I'm scared!!

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Lol, It's funny that people still bring up Innerfidelity.

It's clear as day that the K701 I owned and the Q701 I own sound different. That's not even questionable. It was like comparing the DT880 to the DT990 to a lesser extent. Similar, with obvious differences.

Please don't tell me what I hear.

I dunno how the K701 sounds now, but I know 100% they didn't sound identical at all. Q701 is was like my old K701 with an EQ.

 

[PurpleAngel]

I'm thinking of adding the Q701 (Black) to my headphone collection.
I know the Q701s are 62-Ohm.
Currently using an Essence STX (AD797BR), Yamaha RX-V671 A/V receiver, Fiio E11 and a Muse single tube amp. to drive my headphones.
What headphone amplifier (AC powered) can I buy that really brings out the best in the Q701s (over my current amps)?

 

[Magick Man]

Lol, It's funny that people still bring up Innerfidelity.
It's clear as day that the K701 I owned and the Q701 I own sound different. That's not even questionable. It was like comparing the DT880 to the DT990 to a lesser extent. Similar, with obvious differences.
Please don't tell me what I hear.
I dunno how the K701 sounds now, but I know 100% they didn't sound identical at all. Q701 is was like my old K701 with an EQ.

I agree, they do. I believe, it's just a theory, that when AKG released the Q701 they re-tuned all the K70x series as well. Maybe it's a small driver change or a change in damping? Would make sense to just go ahead and do them all, from a production standpoint.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

How does it explain chico's recent A/B comparison of two new Q701 and K701? He heard pretty much what I heard.

Unless AKG has different variations floating about...

I know for damn sure Beyer has done the same with the DT770/600. You hear about it being bass light and detail oriented, when I bought a brand new pair a while back and it was as boomy and bass bloated as the DT70/80s...

 

[Magick Man]

I'm thinking of adding the Q701 (Black) to my headphone collection.
I know the Q701s are 62-Ohm.
Currently using an Essence STX (AD797BR), Yamaha RX-V671 A/V receiver, Fiio E11 and a Muse single tube amp. to drive my headphones.
What headphone amplifier (AC powered) can I buy that really brings out the best in the Q701s (over my current amps)?

I think your Yamaha and STX would be fine, but I've changed my views on amping for these. They scale all the way up the amp/source line, much like the HD800s. I think that because the AKGs cost so much less that perhaps few people have ever noticed. You know, if you could find a good deal on a used EF-5 it would put these in the proper light.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Yeah, they should sound great with the STX, but I agree. The Q701 does scale up quite a bit. The only other headphone to improve quite a bit that I've heard is the HE-4, but that one demands it, and I bet sounds weak out of anything other than super powerful amps.

 

[Magick Man]

How does it explain chico's recent A/B comparison of two new Q701 and K701? He heard pretty much what I heard.
Unless AKG has different variations floating about...
I know for damn sure Beyer has done the same with the DT770/600. You hear about it being bass light and detail oriented, when I bought a brand new pair a while back and it was as boomy and bass bloated as the DT70/80s...

Maybe that K had been sitting for a while in a warehouse? Or perhaps there are variances in the K production batches? I've heard different HD800s, and that's even more strange/embarrassing.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

I think your Yamaha and STX would be fine, but I've changed my views on amping for these. They scale all the way up the amp/source line, much like the HD800s. I think that because the AKGs cost so much less that perhaps few people have ever noticed. You know, if you could find a good deal on a used EF-5 it would put these in the proper light.

I know my Yamaha and STX can do at least a decent job driving the Q701s.
But their output impedance might be a little too high to bring out the best in the 62-Ohm Q701s.

 

[Magick Man]

I know my Yamaha and STX can do at least a decent job driving the Q701s.
But their output impedance might be a little too high to bring out the best in the 62-Ohm Q701s.

I know my Yamaha and STX can do at least a decent job driving the Q701s.
But their output impedance might be a little too high to bring out the best in the 62-Ohm Q701s.

That's kind of why I was thinking about the HiFiman EF-5, it has low impedance, high current output. Here's one in the FS forum, the guy might take less than his $350 asking price:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/615827/hifiman-ef-5-some-tubes-and-upgraded-op

I have it and it's a great match with the Q701s.