[62ohm]

   
Why do you have the feeling the HD800 is underamped? Did you try it with other amps? 
 
Wow, I wasn´t expecting the HD800 to be that picky... Do you think you will be able to try them with the O2?

 
I've heard it with WA7 and Soloist SL and it does sounds much better with fuller sounding body and much less, if not absent sibilance.
 
 
Well anyway, don't want to derail this thread, has anyone heard the Q701 paired with Soloist/ Conductor?

 

[ThurstonX]

  Guys i have a quick question about the Q701 if anyone can answer. I have the K550 and i don't like it's highs, they are kinda shrill for my ears. How do the highs on the Q701 compare? I was thinking about purchasing the Q701 but after hearing that they may sound about the same i am kinda in doubt now.

 
I find the Q701s more shrill, and thus more fatiguing, than my K550s.  Similar sound signature, but of course the Qs have a far better soundstage.  Tough to find cans with the Qs soundstage without upgrading to something like the HD 800 (see earlier post re: that comparison).  I'm quite happy with the soundstage on my modded HE-500s, and prefer their sound over the Qs for most things.  Not inexpensive cans, though.

 

[Geesweb]

Hey guys,

I just got my Q701's about a week ago, and I am literally in love! Haha!! Even though I am only powering it out of my iPhone port, it was still mind boggling how good sound can get, and I can't imagine the improvement I am going to get after getting an amp! That brings me to my question, of whether or not the schiit magni, or the Vali would be a better pairing for these beauties?

 

[Zalithian]

Hey guys,

I just got my Q701's about a week ago, and I am literally in love! Haha!! Even though I am only powering it out of my iPhone port, it was still mind boggling how good sound can get, and I can't imagine the improvement I am going to get after getting an amp! That brings me to my question, of whether or not the schiit magni, or the Vali would be a better pairing for these beauties?

I would suggest the Vali. You typically don't want to pair a bright amp with a bright hp.

 

[LugBug1]

   
Can't really give a credible comment on it since my HD800 is severely under-amped, but so far my impressions are;
 

Nice impressions thanks. 
 
I would add that you really need a warmer amp for the HD800's rather than more power. They are incredibly transparent and they will let you hear your amp fully. The Magni for me was a little brighter than neutral. I used to pair it with the LCD2's and thought it worked really well. I thought it was a little too bright for the 701's. 
 
Maybe give the Vali a go? It's getting good press paired with the Senn's. I'm getting one in the new year and I'll post some impressions with the 701's on here as well. 
 
 
I posted some impressions a few pages back of my thoughts of both these hp's. But thus to say, they both get about the same head time for me. When I first got the HD800's I had to sell all my headphones to pay for them. 6 months later I was able to start buying again and one of the first items I bought was the 701's. I wanted another headphone to test my vintage amps (I collect these) but I ended up falling in love with them all over again haha. Seriously folks, the HD800's are a better hp - there is no disputing that. But if you like what the AKG's do.... Then no other hp does it better.   

 

[RTTO]

  Guys i have a quick question about the Q701 if anyone can answer. I have the K550 and i don't like it's highs, they are kinda shrill for my ears. How do the highs on the Q701 compare? I was thinking about purchasing the Q701 but after hearing that they may sound about the same i am kinda in doubt now.

 
I have both K550 & Q701. If you use Foobar as your player, you can dial down the shrill by reduce 5 & 7 kHz by a notch or two using the built-in Equalizer. (If you have a Equalizer with a finer scale, that'll be 5,6 &7 kHz) The shrill will magically disappear. But don't overdo it, otherwise you'll start loosing out too much detail.
 
And I need to do that only occasionally for a few songs which I think attributed to how it was recorded.

 

[Geesweb]

I would suggest the Vali. You typically don't want to pair a bright amp with a bright hp.

What about the modi for the DAC?

 

[Zalithian]

The Modi is good. It was a noticeable improvement over my laptop's sound card.

 

[kenshinhimura]

.

 

[62ohm]

  Nice impressions thanks. 
 
I would add that you really need a warmer amp for the HD800's rather than more power. They are incredibly transparent and they will let you hear your amp fully. The Magni for me was a little brighter than neutral. I used to pair it with the LCD2's and thought it worked really well. I thought it was a little too bright for the 701's. 
 
Maybe give the Vali a go? It's getting good press paired with the Senn's. I'm getting one in the new year and I'll post some impressions with the 701's on here as well. 
 
 
I posted some impressions a few pages back of my thoughts of both these hp's. But thus to say, they both get about the same head time for me. When I first got the HD800's I had to sell all my headphones to pay for them. 6 months later I was able to start buying again and one of the first items I bought was the 701's. I wanted another headphone to test my vintage amps (I collect these) but I ended up falling in love with them all over again haha. Seriously folks, the HD800's are a better hp - there is no disputing that. But if you like what the AKG's do.... Then no other hp does it better.   

 
I am currently planning to get a Vali, should warm things up a bit.
 
And when getting the cans, I auditioned HD800, LCD2 and K812 with WA7 / Soloist SL. Didn't really spend much time with the LCD2, but I really almost get the K812. To me, it feels like a direct improvement of K712 while retaining that AKG house sound. It also has a very big soundstage, though not as big as the HD800, and very good imaging. So for those looking for an upgrade from Q701 / K712 and want to retain that AKG house sound, the K812 is a pretty solid choice. Its also easy to drive! (300mW at 36ohms)

 

[tdockweiler]

   
I am currently planning to get a Vali, should warm things up a bit.
 
And when getting the cans, I auditioned HD800, LCD2 and K812 with WA7 / Soloist SL. Didn't really spend much time with the LCD2, but I really almost get the K812. To me, it feels like a direct improvement of K712 while retaining that AKG house sound. It also has a very big soundstage, though not as big as the HD800, and very good imaging. So for those looking for an upgrade from Q701 / K712 and want to retain that AKG house sound, the K812 is a pretty solid choice. Its also easy to drive! (300mW at 36ohms)

 
IMO the Vali doesn't add a single ounce of warmth to the Q701. Maybe in comparison to the Magni or O2.
Not even with the K400 which is said to be quite lean and bass light to some. Even more so than the K701/K601.
 
To my ears the Vali (with the Q701 only) sounded nearly as transparent as my Headroom Micro Amp. I did not get those results with an HD-650 though..not sure why.
 
BTW in comparison the iFi iCAN (or E9!) adds more warmth to the Q701 than the Vali did, but that costs $279 or so..

 

[62ohm]

http://www.hdtracks.com/live-at-blues-alley
 
 
 
Highly recommended to try with the Q701, it really brings out every bit of perfection from the Q701 (sorry if this has been posted before).

 

[jasonb]

 
http://www.hdtracks.com/live-at-blues-alley
 
 
 
Highly recommended to try with the Q701, it really brings out every bit of perfection from the Q701 (sorry if this has been posted before).

I've been listening to quite a bit of jazz lately and most of it REALLY shines on the Q701. The sense of space is huge on the right recording, and I find them to be really balanced after the bass mod. 
 
Been listening to: 
Dianna Krall,
Brian Bromberg,
Patricia Barber,
Portico Quartet,
The Cinematic Orchestra,
Jane Monheit,
... and others.
 
They perform quite well for this type of music. 

 

[theOmni]

Sorry if this question has been asked a thousand times, but what is the best DAC/AMP or sound card for these headphones specifically for gaming? I'm looking to spend under $225.

 

[Ashade]

Sorry if this question has been asked a thousand times, but what is the best DAC/AMP or sound card for these headphones specifically for gaming? I'm looking to spend under $225.

That's a very personal question. I really like O2/ODAC a lot or E18 if you want something more portable. E09K would add a little bit if warmth if you want to go that route and combine it with a E07K. You might wanna check Sabre DAC (~$50) and E12 as well.

As I said, there are many options.