[derbigpr]

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I've got an X-Fi Forte 7.1 with a built-in headphone amp rated for headphones up to 600 ohm (similar to the Xonar STX). Would this be insufficient for the Q701? I can't find much info on the NJM4580 chip that is used, so I guess we should just assume that it can amp as well as the Xonar STX.

 
You might wanna try it out. Q701 doesn't pair well with STX.

 

[Bi0HaZard]

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You might wanna try it out. Q701 doesn't pair well with STX.

It'd be quite expensive to test those phones. I'd need the phones and an amp to see if there was an improvement. That requires money. I have none of those.

 

[Kyle 491]

When I used to drive my K701 off the STX w/LME 49720HA opamps swapped in, I thought they sounded pretty damn good, better than the HD650 and a bit better than the DT880 off this source. I'd imagine the Q701 would sound just as good, if not better. They needed a nice EQ boost to the sub-bass though, but remained tight and clean despite that.

 

[Chris J]

Go read Mad Lust Envy's thread, he has already written about all of these headphones > http://www.head-fi.org/t/534479/mad-lust-envys-headphone-gaming-guide-updated-5-9-2012-he-4-and-dt990-pro-added.




I disagree with most of this.  While there are certainly headphones with better depth, the Q701s don't have 0.0 depth.  Vocals can sound in front for me, as well as other instruments.  They don't split off every sound to either left and right.  They actually can do center imaging better than a lot of other headphones I've heard which tend to split the sounds off.  I can tell where instruments are coming from just fine (imaging). 

You're describing the Q701s like they're garbage, sounding completely flat with horrible imaging.  I think maybe you just prefer S-logic. 




I wouldn't rule out the Q701s based on one comment.  They're fantastic with games.  I haven't heard the DT990 pro, but I've heard the DT990 Premium, A40, PC360, AD700, AD900 (and others in my sig) and I prefer the Q701s to all those as well.  They are quite immersive.

Short answer: ++1

 

[IronSnake]

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In music: Imaging , bad. Soundstage, bad. It might be impressive at first, but its highly unrealistic. Imagine the soundstage of Q701 as a very wide thin wall that passes trough the middle of your head. Sounds that should come from in front of you, or behind you, or from the center, don't feel like they come from there, instead, they feel like they're cut into two pieces, and one comes from right, one from left. For example, vocal is never present in front of you, it feels like its singing from left and right, or from inside your head.  That creates a weird soundstage where vocal comes from inside of your head, and instruments come from WAAAY too far away. Imaging I feel is bad in music. You can never pinpoint where the sound comes from. I might have been spoiled by the Ultrasone HFi2400 which is amazing in that regard, but after listening to those and then putting on the Q701, it feels like sound becomes very flat and two-dimensional. On Ultrasones I can even distinctly say where the backing vocals are standing in relation to each other.  Even my Sennheiser HD438 has far better imaging and more realistic sound stage than Q701, and those are 100$ closed headphones.
 
Other than that, Q701 do sound very nice, they have nice natural sound, pretty neutral, highs might be a little boosted and bass might be light to some, but I find it works well for all genres except those really bass heavy ones. If you want a movie theater sound, then these are not it.
 
In games though, they are amazing, WHEN paired with a soundcard that has Dolby Headphone modes. Somehow their overly large soundstage works very well with Dolby Headphone effects. That said, I'd pick Ultrasone HFi2400 over them any day, for any purpose. Check those out. They also sound far better than HD598. Don't know about DT990.

 
Troll much, eh?

 

[chicolom]

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I think the soundstage and imaging of them is garbage for their reputation. Other than that they sound great.  I don't just prefer S-logic.  HD650's have no s-logic. K550's have no s-logic. Neither do HD558's or HD438's, and all of them have better imaging and soundstage than Q701.  Q701's soundstage is only very big.  That is fine in games as I said, but not in music.

 
If their imaging was "garbage" and you could "never pinpoint where the sound comes", then they would be garbage for gaming as well.  When you say they're amazing in games (dolby heapdhone or not) but otherwise have garbage imaging, that's a contradiction - unless your saying you can never pinpoint any sounds in games as well.
 
But, you clearly have a very strong opinion about them, so I won't try and argue any further.  I will just agree to disagree.
 
 
I've never tried an Ultrasone, but it looks like the HFI 2400 would be the one I would try, since it's open and has velours (and apparently HFI 2400 > all 

).

 

[korky]

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Go read Mad Lust Envy's thread, he has already written about all of these headphones > http://www.head-fi.org/t/534479/mad-lust-envys-headphone-gaming-guide-updated-5-9-2012-he-4-and-dt990-pro-added.
 
 
 
 
I disagree with most of this.  While there are certainly headphones with better depth, the Q701s don't have 0.0 depth.  Vocals can sound in front for me, as well as other instruments.  They don't split off every sound to either left and right.  They actually can do center imaging better than a lot of other headphones I've heard which tend to split the sounds off.  I can tell where instruments are coming from just fine (imaging). 
 
You're describing the Q701s like they're garbage, sounding completely flat with horrible imaging.  I think maybe you just prefer S-logic. 
 
 
 
 
I wouldn't rule out the Q701s based on one comment.  They're fantastic with games.  I haven't heard the DT990 pro, but I've heard the DT990 Premium, A40, PC360, AD700, AD900 (and others in my sig) and I prefer the Q701s to all those as well.  They are quite immersive.

thanks i have been following mad lusts reviews from the beginning, and i just wanted to get a couple of other opinions too as i wont be able to test them out myself. Unfortunately he hasnt been able to test the hfi2400, but i was able to narrow it down to the 990pro (which apparently is very similar to the Premium), the q701 and the hd598. I heard that the q701 have a plasticky tonality to them, especially once compared to the hfi2400, and i think the 598s are just falling lower down the pecking order, just because im looking for a fun headphone.

 

[Enverex]

Either derbigpr was trolling or using the Q701's with a bad amp. They sounded pretty terrible with the Fiio E17, but they sound amazing with the ADG NFB-10.2 where his observations simply aren't true.

 

[korky]

could the same be said if i were to use them with the asus xonar stx? its gotten great reviews with other headphones o i dont see how this would be different.
 
and how is the bass with the q701? i hear its lacking a little bit, i wont mind it too much as long as its present and good enough when called up (such as explosions in game or some beats in rap) 
thanks

 

[chicolom]

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Unfortunately he hasnt been able to test the hfi2400, but i was able to narrow it down to the 990pro (which apparently is very similar to the Premium), the q701 and the hd598. I heard that the q701 have a plasticky tonality to them, especially once compared to the hfi2400, and i think the 598s are just falling lower down the pecking order, just because im looking for a fun headphone.

 
Here is my comparison on the premium DT990 and Q701.  In short, the DT990 is "V" shaped with bass and treble emphasis.  The Pros have more bass then the premiums, a bit smaller soundstage, and some other things I can't remember off the top of my head. 
 
I'm not sure what "plastic" sounds like, but I haven't seen that term used for the Q701s, mainly the K701s.  It might have something to do with upper mid resonance, in which the K702 had more of that when I listened to them.
 
The Sennheiser have great positioning and a nice soundstage, but they're probably less immersive and "fun" then your looking for (less bass than Q701 and others you've listed).
 
 
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could the same be said if i were to use them with the asus xonar stx? its gotten great reviews with other headphones o i dont see how this would be different.
 
and how is the bass with the q701? i hear its lacking a little bit, i wont mind it too much as long as its present and good enough when called up (such as explosions in game or some beats in rap) 
thanks

 
I think an STX should be OK.  It's one of the more powerful Xonar cards.
 
I don't have any problems with Q701 bass, but I don't listen to bass heavy music...

 

[derbigpr]

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I think an STX should be OK.  It's one of the more powerful Xonar cards.
 
 

 
It is "ok" with STX, but far from full potential.  Also, STX is a bright and analytical sounding card, at least in stock form, so with Q701 it doesn't pair well.

 

[derbigpr]

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Either derbigpr was trolling or using the Q701's with a bad amp. They sounded pretty terrible with the Fiio E17, but they sound amazing with the ADG NFB-10.2 where his observations simply aren't true.

 
 
I wasn't trolling. I'm using them with Musical Fidelity M1DAC and either the Little Dot Mk5 or Bellari HA-540 tube amp when listening to music.  Both excellent amps, and more than powerful enough to power the Q701. With Bellari I never have to go past 30% on the volume knob, so there's plenty of juice.
Compared to HFi2400, Q701's soundstage and imaging is crap. Compared to HD650, Q701 soundstage and imaging is worse, but not by much. They're beaten in terms of soundstage (again, not the size, but overall soundstage performance) by K550 and HD558 as well.

 

[derbigpr]

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Troll much, eh?

 
No, experience much.

 

[derbigpr]

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If their imaging was "garbage" and you could "never pinpoint where the sound comes", then they would be garbage for gaming as well.  When you say they're amazing in games (dolby heapdhone or not) but otherwise have garbage imaging, that's a contradiction - unless your saying you can never pinpoint any sounds in games as well.
 
But, you clearly have a very strong opinion about them, so I won't try and argue any further.  I will just agree to disagree.
 
 
I've never tried an Ultrasone, but it looks like the HFI 2400 would be the one I would try, since it's open and has velours (and apparently HFI 2400 > all 

).

 
Their soundstage in games is great due to Gaming Dolby headphone mode in ST software. You'd be surprised how much difference it actually makes.  Dolby headphone makes even my cheapest headphones have a great soundstage in games, and this is where an already very big soundstage of Q701 comes into its own.  Without dolby headphone, the soundstage is only very wide, with very little height and depth. WITH dolby headphone it becomes very tall and very deep, as well as more precise in terms of imaging. That precision in imaging doesn't come from the headphones, but mostly from the soundcard. I cant use Dolby Headphone when listening to music, because it gives music a weird tonality and lots of echo. In games however, that echo and weird tonality is not an issue, in fact it makes things better.
 
And I never said HFi2400 > all. I just said Hfi2400 > Q701, and I still stand by that. Every comparison between them confirms that HFi2400 are the better headphones, not just in some aspects, but in virtually all of them. I know a lot of people will disagree on that and call me a troll (although they never even heard the HFi2400's, also, we all know how head-fi'ers feel about gear that is not popular or well known on the forums), but I don't care.

 

[IronSnake]

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Troll much, eh?

 
No, experience much.

This is a thread to appreciate this headphone and all you are doing is bashing it when countless posts and member experiences contradict your experience. Stop trolling and go have your hearing checked.