[elwappo99]

 

 
Not really such a thing as a "downgrade" in headphones unless the shift is dramatic (i.e. HD 600s to PortaPros).
 
I tried out these headphones and damn, they need a lot of juice. Not something that I could run off of my phone at all. They were comfortable except for that stupid headband. I really liked how they sounded (such clarity, much wow), but I thought the bass could be improved. Only the bumps on the headband really hold me back from wanting them. How's everyone felt about the headband?

The headband doesn't bother me it's the cups/pads stiffness and the clamping pressure bothers me...

 
 
It's either one or the other with the Q701s. I found the pads very stiff at first, but they really eased up over time. 
 
If you guys haven't seen, I took apart the K701's headband and replaced they acrylic bumpy thing with a thin strap of high quality leather. More comfortable than the K712.  One of the most comfortable headphones I've used now.

 

[Dragonzeanse]

   
 
It's either one or the other with the Q701s. I found the pads very stiff at first, but they really eased up over time. 
 
If you guys haven't seen, I took apart the K701's headband and replaced they acrylic bumpy thing with a thin strap of high quality leather. More comfortable than the K712.  One of the most comfortable headphones I've used now.

Assuming that that endeavor is buried somewhere under this massive thread or amongst the dark recesses of some appreciation thread, could I get a link? I'd like to see that.

 

[Smugsie]

 
Assuming that that endeavor is buried somewhere under this massive thread or amongst the dark recesses of some appreciation thread, could I get a link? I'd like to see that.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/582276/q701-appreciation-thread/5760#post_10311560

Not his, but something I found on the gallery!

 

[Dragonzeanse]

 

http://www.head-fi.org/t/582276/q701-appreciation-thread/5760#post_10311560

Not his, but something I found on the gallery!

That's not a bad idea. If I buy Q701s, I think I might do that. Shame I'd waste the rest of a leather belt.

 

[elwappo99]

 

   
 
It's either one or the other with the Q701s. I found the pads very stiff at first, but they really eased up over time. 
 
If you guys haven't seen, I took apart the K701's headband and replaced they acrylic bumpy thing with a thin strap of high quality leather. More comfortable than the K712.  One of the most comfortable headphones I've used now.

Assuming that that endeavor is buried somewhere under this massive thread or amongst the dark recesses of some appreciation thread, could I get a link? I'd like to see that.

 
 
Here:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/g/i/950381/a/813259/q701-appreciation-thread/sort/display_order/
 
and here:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/g/i/950382/a/813259/q701-appreciation-thread/sort/display_order/
 
 
Quick pictures I took. It's not particularly elegant due to the bolts sticking out. I've been on the lookout for a connector that's more aesthetically pleasing. I modeled the shape after the K712 headband shape and really like it. I used a piece of scrap furniture leather, so it's very thin and very comfortable. Also, the colors made a little more sense on the K701 it was originally on. 

 
 
Unfortunately, you end up destroying an original headband in the process. I've been tossing some ideas about making an all leather band that doesn't require destroying a headband in the process.

 

[CloudMoose]

  Unfortunately, you end up destroying an original headband in the process. I've been tossing some ideas about making an all leather band that doesn't require destroying a headband in the process.

 
The problem is the whole assembly holding the original headband on is plastic (Thin plastic at that) including the "Rivet" (half plastic) that holds the original headband to the wing.
 
I did see a replacement guide where someone took some pliers and bent the metal part of the rivet up and pulled it apart, but even then, it's not going to go back together.
 
I opted for just drilling mine out.
 
The problem with that is, the plastic is so thin it tends to melt together when you drill it so you may have to get creative to separate it afterwards.
 
You can also check out this thread.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/655345/akg-q701-headband-replacement
 
and this imgur
 
http://imgur.com/a/VWSkq
 
for more ideas.

 

[elwappo99]

 

  Unfortunately, you end up destroying an original headband in the process. I've been tossing some ideas about making an all leather band that doesn't require destroying a headband in the process.

 
The problem is the whole assembly holding the original headband on is plastic (Thin plastic at that) including the "Rivet" (half plastic) that holds the original headband to the wing.
 
I did see a replacement guide where someone took some pliers and bent the metal part of the rivet up and pulled it apart, but even then, it's not going to go back together.
 
I opted for just drilling mine out.
 
The problem with that is, the plastic is so thin it tends to melt together when you drill it so you may have to get creative to separate it afterwards.
 
You can also check out this thread.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/655345/akg-q701-headband-replacement
 
and this imgur
 
http://imgur.com/a/VWSkq
 
for more ideas.

 
Hah! I think I used your initial thread as an inspiration/guide! 

 
Glad to see that imgur album. Good ideas in there, and it looks really nice, especially the color w/ the linseed oil. Super luxurious looking.
 
I'm also caught on your concern with that slider. I was thinking an elastic band that would sit over that in some way, but it would have to be pretty loose. Luckily I had a spare K701 headband that I could destroy to make mine.

 

[tdockweiler]

I finally reversed my stock Q701 back to the modded version a few days ago.
I think I might of went 3 to 4 weeks with it stock! Wow..not sure how I managed that after having it modded.
 
I've been listening to it modded and it almost really does seem like a "night and day" difference. OK, not really, but once you've gone back to stock after using the modded version for months it's much easier to hear the differences. It makes it seem like that!
 
I know I've mentioned all this before, but it feels like the mids are much fuller sounding and even more crystal clear. I would say the fuller mids is the easiest thing to spot in comparison.
I saw those measurements of the mods and I really can't hear a huge difference in the low bass at all. There's some low bass stuff that basically doesn't register on the Q701 at all and is now slightly there on the Q701.
I would say it still has just a tad less low bass presence than my HD-650. It really does seem like there is more mid-bass, but I don't think that shows up on graphs for whatever reason.
 
What I want to know is..how do the mids get thicker, yet even more clear? Usually when this happens it's the total opposite. Sometimes you get fuller mids and you also have a more muffled sound.
The nice and full mids of the modded Q701 remind of the mids of a good closed headphone.They're almost identical to how they sound on my Tony Bennett(DJ100) with M50 pads and a good desktop amp/dac.
Interesting that now the Q701 can properly reproduce bloated bass! How nice!
 
I have no way to confirm it, but perhaps the modded Q701 is much smoother in the upper mids and treble. I really wish I could A/B compare two pairs with the worst tracks. I think there is a pretty good chance the modded Q701 is more forgiving of really harsh/shouty/bright tracks. You can still hear the bad stuff, but it's not so bad as before. It doesn't really turn garbage into something that sounds good. The HD-650 does this a little more.
 
The modded Q701 is like halfway between the stock Q701 and HD-650 (non mid-bass heavy version).
 
HD-650 and modded Q701 are VERY close in sound. The HD-650 is way more forgiving of junk, less detailed and has less treble. The soundstage is much less airy and more closed in.
 
The mids of this modded Q701 are close to how they sound on my HD-650, but maybe even fuller/clearer.
 
The modded Q701 is more fun to listen to than the stock Q701 and possibly less analytical (not that stock ever really was), but that should be obvious. I still think that it's more balanced by far with the mod in place.
 
Can't say it enough but it's like the Q701 was meant to be modded. I'd say there is about a 25% improvement over stock. For ME that's more than a cable upgrade or a change of opamps etc.
No cable has made more than a 2-3% difference for me, but I do like high quality cables with good shielding (cheap ones). I'm quite fond of Mogami W2893 and my Cardas HP1 I scored for $35.
 
Maybe there is a slight reduction in the treble that has some effect on the mids? I have no idea. When I listen to the modded version no alarms are going off in my head that there is less treble or that it's darker. Treble quantity sounds mostly the same. Any difference would have to be ultra subtle.
 
The overall sound clarity (depends on recording) is up to the level of the TB/DJ100 with M50 pads (at it's best) and KRK KNS-8400. It's certainly not anything like a Beyerdynamic DT-880 or T90 where you feel as if you're listening to your gear and recording flaws! The DT-880 was weird because when you hear this sound clarity, it was as if the recording quality was holding the DT-880 back. With the Q701 I never felt like my music was put under a microscope, which is a plus. When I had the DT-880 the only warmth I heard was whatever warmth the recording had. I think even stock the Q701 adds a little. Same with the HD-650. Just a little. I like how with the Q701 on mid-range gear (or even high end gear) there is not a massive variation between tracks like there was on the DT-880/T90. This really depends more on the DAC IMO. The Q701 seems to change in overall tone between tracks with my Micro DAC more than with the Modi (which isn't as revealing). I'm always amused when I could sometimes get my Q701 to sound like an AD700 depending on recording quality! For that, the track needs to be VERY VERY awful.
 
Also..this sound clarity is the kind you hear and it almost wows you. So, "crystal clear" is about right. Not sure what causes this effect. It's not caused by extra treble and less bass!! Maybe the stock Q701 is really held back somehow.

 

[kaotickelly]

It would be nice if you told us what mod you did...

 

[Ashade]

The answer is all over the place. I think half the thread is about that.

 

[tdockweiler]

It would be nice if you told us what mod you did...

 
It's right here:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/660408/reversible-akg-k701-bass-mod
 
It's also linked from the first post in this thread.

 

[ZenocideZ]

New Q701 owners here. Sound from direct plug to ipod classic is surprisingly good and neutral. I agree that it is lack of refinement and details of sound that powered by E07K or D3020. But It is good enough for listening music in late night.....

 

[Solrighal]

It would be nice if you told us what mod you did...

It's known as the "bass mod" and involves removing a sticker from the rear of each driver. This stick covers a "port" and exposing the ports slightly boosts low bass response & presence. Why AKG put those stickers there we may never know but the consensus says the sound is improved. This is my experience also, YMMV.

 

[kaotickelly]

It's known as the "bass mod" and involves removing a sticker from the rear of each driver. This stick covers a "port" and exposing the ports slightly boosts low bass response & presence. Why AKG put those stickers there we may never know but the consensus says the sound is improved. This is my experience also, YMMV.

 
Thanks Zorrofox.
 
I know about the bass mod. I simply asked for the specific mod from the poster because there are a number of mods possible with the Q701, and in his long post he did not mention the actual mod performed.

 

[noobandroid]

so far i have done 2 non regrettable mod, which is the bass port mod, and taking off the black cloth beneath the grill to let the speakers breathe easier, 3rd one will be the god forsaken damm hot **** headband