[rms141]

   
Yes, but you or someone else needs to open up the cans, drill holes, de solder the old cable from the terminals and solder your new ones to the terminals. There are no short cuts to this. If you don't have the time, forget it. Buying prefabbed cables that just plug into the mini XLR is probably a waste of time. The signal then still has to go through various bits of cable inside the cans, not to mention the spring steel of the headbands...
 
I think this calls for a fitting image:
 

Frodo and Sam strolled right through Mordor, in some very fashionable clothing no less!
 
Guess I'm not doing this mod, then. And judging from the responses, there are no other pipeline improvements besides input power and cable, so it seems I truly have maxed out my setup within the realm of feasibility.

 

[tvnosaint]

No matter what set up I listen to, I can always go back to my Qs with out disappointment . They sound awesome on all my gear. Dollar for dollar they are my favorite headphone. There are things the others do better, they could use a thicker midrange and more impact in bass but they are going for $150 now. An absolute steal for the quality in that range. I've done no mods and have upgraded no part of my chain that they didn't respond to favorably. Not true with some other hps . I have ZMF x vibros and focal classics yet I still use the Qs with happiness. I've xd them with hd800 and 700 , are they as good ? No but they cost nearly 10x less. They are simply amazing with the cost factored in. The clarity and soundstage , the unique presentation and cohesiveness make it a keeper. I've ditched or shelved a dozen cans since I bought them.

 

[toolio]

No matter what set up I listen to, I can always go back to my Qs with out disappointment . They sound awesome on all my gear. Dollar for dollar they are my favorite headphone. There are things the others do better, they could use a thicker midrange and more impact in bass but they are going for $150 now. An absolute steal for the quality in that range. I've done no mods and have upgraded no part of my chain that they didn't respond to favorably. Not true with some other hps . I have ZMF x vibros and focal classics yet I still use the Qs with happiness. I've xd them with hd800 and 700 , are they as good ? No but they cost nearly 10x less. They are simply amazing with the cost factored in. The clarity and soundstage , the unique presentation and cohesiveness make it a keeper. I've ditched or shelved a dozen cans since I bought them.

Great comments, that echo my sentiments. I have three pairs...one for each of the two countries I spend my time in and another in case one breaks. The fact that they keep getting cheaper is a bonus.

 

[darrenyeats]

 
After reading your updated link, I finally figured out that you were talking about the quality of the electrical power feeding the DAC and amp. Could have just said so!
 
My DAC Destroyer is running off USB power straight from the Mac Mini it's plugged in to. The Little Dot I+ runs via a short extension cable into an APC SMC1500 UPS. This UPS also feeds "smaller" electronics, like the wifi router and DSL modem. A gaming PC and consoles are plugged into a separate UPS. Both UPSes connect to the same AC outlet.
 
I don't think quality of electrical supply is an issue here.
 

Maybe the quality of your power is fine, but I don't think UPSs generally solve mains quality problems.
 
Even if your UPS supplies pure power, the fact you have other stuff (like wifi router and DSL modem) plugged into the same unit without quarantining filters means they could be polluting the audio gear's supply just as I describe in my links.
 
About UPSs ...
 
From http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jul03/articles/mainsproblems.asp
 
Uninterruptible Power Supplies
Also called backup power supplies, these devices will mainly prevent power interruption and also deal with deep voltage dips. While achieving this, supply quality (for audio gear) will usually be low, due to high harmonic and radio-frequency (or RF) noise levels. Ordinary mains can be purer.

 

[LajostheHun]

...................seriously 

 

[Output]

I am ampless and for Christmas I received a Pyle PHA40. Is this something that I should see if I could return and put the money towards something better? I know it is very cheap. My brother who gave it to me would also have no problem with me returning it. If I get something else though, it won't be anything expensive.
 
oh and if i keep it what dac do i pair it with
 
Edit: I realize I am probably just another annoying guy who comes in here and begs for answers. I will try to do my own research, but any input would still be appreciated. 

 

[darrenyeats]

  ...................seriously 

I wasn't trying to be offensive, just trying to help.
 
Electricity supply is very much part of how audio equipment works, a very little bit of money (a lot less than on upgrading gear, more like beer money) and some thought and effort can go a long way.
 
Example, I found the wall sockets in my new build house were dirty inside. A plastic dud socket came out with blackened pins! I cleaned the inside of the sockets with contact cleaner* and the buds came out blackened with even more dirt ... Two pieces of metal have to touch, people would actually be horrified by that amount of contact dirt between components inside say a power supply or amp. But because it is "mains" people are skeptical. It doesn't make sense to me.
 
So cleaning sockets is one of my tips http://www.pinkfishmedia.net/forum/showpost.php?p=2456579&postcount=126.
 
KR, Darren

*Always switch off at the consumer unit/fuse board before touching mains.

 

[Oktyabr]

   
Now you tell me. Panic over.

Coat hangers have been used in A/B/X tests against very expensive speaker cables and interconnects, for many years.  I'd wager the spring steel in the AKG headband is at least as good at carrying the signal as a thrift store coat hanger

http://www.head-fi.org/t/303099/monster-cable-vs-coat-hanger

 

[Danpyre]

I have my AKG Q701, Schiit Vali, and Schiit Modi.  I am ordering  two Schiit PYST cables, and they will be arriving soon.
How far away should I keep my setup from the Wifi router?

 

[Chris J]

  Frodo and Sam strolled right through Mordor, in some very fashionable clothing no less!
 
Guess I'm not doing this mod, then. And judging from the responses, there are no other pipeline improvements besides input power and cable, so it seems I truly have maxed out my setup within the realm of feasibility.

 
Actually Frodo and Sam had to be air rescued by a team of eagles who were obviously used to Black Ops and Plausibly Deniable other Ops.
Otherwise Frodo and Sam would have been broiled and bar-b-q'd.
Fried to a "well done".
Not even food fit for Orcs.
And their clothes?
Please!
Hardly Haute Couture!  
In fact, rather provincial. 

 
Next time do your fact checking...........OK! I kid! I kid!   

 
 
BTW, I wouldn't do the mod either, too much work!

 

[Rossy007]

I have had my Q701 for about a year and love it. I have done the bass mod and it made a big difference. I am currently using a cd player into a little dot 1+ and have rolled a lot of different tubes and op amps but still feel the phones could give alot more. I am looking at a woo wa6, has anybody tried this combination?

 

[rawrster]

So these headphones or at least one of the many variants of theses (K70x) is something I've always been interested in but never had the opportunity to hear them. I do plan on buying these especially since the prices are really cheap. I figure I could also use these for gaming compare to my other headphone which isn't suited for gaming. 
 
I'm curious but do these sound anything similar to a K501? I had a pair a few years ago and like the idiot I am I sold them (I still do regret selling them since you can't buy them anymore and I'm not paying $350 for them off ebay) and I really liked them. Also I need to look at amping since the only thing I have that takes a 1/4 inch plug is my Concero HP and I doubt the amp inside that would suit these. I'm looking for something cheap since I don't want to spend too much so maybe a Schiit Lyr, Matrix M-Stage (if that's still considered decent) or something from garage 1217 as I was interested in those amps the last time I was looking at amps for dynamic headphones. 

 

[Duncical]

  So these headphones or at least one of the many variants of theses (K70x) is something I've always been interested in but never had the opportunity to hear them. I do plan on buying these especially since the prices are really cheap. I figure I could also use these for gaming compare to my other headphone which isn't suited for gaming. 
 
I'm curious but do these sound anything similar to a K501? I had a pair a few years ago and like the idiot I am I sold them (I still do regret selling them since you can't buy them anymore and I'm not paying $350 for them off ebay) and I really liked them. Also I need to look at amping since the only thing I have that takes a 1/4 inch plug is my Concero HP and I doubt the amp inside that would suit these. I'm looking for something cheap since I don't want to spend too much so maybe a Schiit Lyr, Matrix M-Stage (if that's still considered decent) or something from garage 1217 as I was interested in those amps the last time I was looking at amps for dynamic headphones. 

Cheapest amp I have on hand is a schiit vali and it sounds good out of it.

 

[Chris J]

So these headphones or at least one of the many variants of theses (K70x) is something I've always been interested in but never had the opportunity to hear them. I do plan on buying these especially since the prices are really cheap. I figure I could also use these for gaming compare to my other headphone which isn't suited for gaming. 

I'm curious but do these sound anything similar to a K501? I had a pair a few years ago and like the idiot I am I sold them (I still do regret selling them since you can't buy them anymore and I'm not paying $350 for them off ebay) and I really liked them. Also I need to look at amping since the only thing I have that takes a 1/4 inch plug is my Concero HP and I doubt the amp inside that would suit these. I'm looking for something cheap since I don't want to spend too much so maybe a Schiit Lyr, Matrix M-Stage (if that's still considered decent) or something from garage 1217 as I was interested in those amps the last time I was looking at amps for dynamic headphones. 

What makes you think the Concero HP would not be a good headphone amp for a pair of K70x?

The Matrix M Stage HP Amp sounds very good with my Q701.

 

[rawrster]

What makes you think the Concero HP would not be a good headphone amp for a pair of K70x?

The Matrix M Stage HP Amp sounds very good with my Q701.

 
There really isn't that much power coming out of it and I consider it's main use with iem's or efficient portables. I mainly use it with my customs.
 
I think I'm going to buy the Schiit Vali. I don't want to spend too much on a dynamic setup since I do have a nice headphone setup already.