Hey there! It seems there might be a big jump in the number of Q701 users coming in for some reason *cough cough*
I've owned a lot of AKGs, and really like them. As I climbed up the headphone ladder, I always have had a K701/Q701 on hand, because I think they are really great headphones!
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I have already decided on the q701s and am now looking for an amp for them. Budget is 75, absolute max of 100, no more
Anything is appreciated, never had an amp before.
Honestly, at a budget of under $100, it's hard to suggest any amplifier. The difference between using your ipod's headphone jack and many of the "budget" amplifiers is pretty small IMO. Do you have the Q701 on hand yet? I would plug it in and listen first. Sure, it'll get better with better amplifiers feeding it, but they still sound great out of just about anything.
Forgot to mention I'd like it to be portable ish (small). At least small enough to throw in my bag and take to and from work everyday also was really hoping not to spend more than 75
IMO, there aren't a lot of good "portable" amplifiers. That is, ones that run solely on a battery. In my experience, they really don't have a lot of power.
Will I be ok to use the v2 by itself just from my ipod
If you get an amplifier, you can definitely plug it straight into your ipod. There are also things called LODs (Line-out-docks). These are cables that use the "line out" from the ipod, which bypasses the not very good headphone amplifier.
If I were to save up a bit more, say get my budget up to 150-200, what would you recommend?
If you can bump up your budget, my second favorite amplifier I've ever heard with the Q701 is the Schiit Vali. It really is an amazing amplifier, and for so many reasons it matches up really well with the Q701. The Schiit Vali does have some downsides you should really be aware of though.
Do you have other headphones? Do you plan on getting more later? If so, you may also want to consider a Matrix M-stage amplifier. These sound great with the Q701, and just about any headphone you throw at it. No downsides to the M-Stage.