[Soundfreak33]

Going to try the Sennheiser HD 600s.  My Q701s are up for grabs.

 

[viralcow]

a FS/FT thread coming up soon? If so, I'm interested.

 

[Chris J]

You're implying that these headphones are in some way related to political entities?

 

On the contrary!
I feel these headphones are god-like!

Yes, I'm a big Q fan!

 

[Chris J]

Well, after going through and reading up on what "high end" headphones I should dive into I've decided the q701's sound like what I've been looking for. 

I've got a pair on order and can't wait for them to arrive ^.^


(now I just need to burn some money getting a more suitable amp)

Cool!
Very cool!

Do we see a Matrix in your future?

 

[Katun]

Quote:

Next up, try the HE-300s. Their new revision is stellar for the price.

 
I agree. That headphone seems to get very little attention. Even HeadRoom gave it a 3.5 out of 5 for value...
 
At one point, I liked it better than my HD600 and HD650. It sounded like the "fun" version of both of them.

 

[Maxis]

Quote:

Since we're talking about amps, I have the FiiO e10 and I'm planning to get the K701/Q701. I know, it's a cheap dac/amp, but I'm only an entry-level head-fier who's only had headphones that didn't need amplication.
 
Is the e10 good enough? I ask because I only have around $300 and if I need a more expensive amp I don't think I can afford both...

 
Heres the deal.  
 
They will play to decent levels of volume. HOWEVER.... They will not sound as "filled out" as they should be.  I got the Q701's around three weeks ago and drove them with my E10. Then  I got an Asgard last week for my birthday and the headphones went into beast mode.  There was more Bass response and more presence of fullness of sound.  It is still transparent sounding but there is more "meat" being presented when properly amped. (Putting it in very simple terms)
 
Coming from a Senns 558 and comparing them last night the Senns have been relegated to gaming and the Q701 for music duties.
 
I have my eye on the AKG550s for more depth and better imaging (according to Headphonia) but i will not be giving up the Q's. They will remain in my collection.

 

[Katun]

Quote:

Heres the deal.  
 
They will play to decent levels of volume. HOWEVER.... They will not sound as "filled out" as they should be.  I got the Q701's around three weeks ago and drove them with my E10. Then  I got an Asgard last week for my birthday and the headphones went into beast mode.  There was more Bass response and more presence of fullness of sound.  It is still transparent sounding but there is more "meat" being presented when properly amped. (Putting it in very simple terms)
 
Coming from a Senns 558 and comparing them last night the Senns have been relegated to gaming and the Q701 for music duties.
 
I have my eye on the AKG550s for more depth and better imaging (according to Headphonia) but i will not be giving up the Q's. They will remain in my collection.

 
Funny, because I went from the Asgard to the E10 and found the difference wasn't that big. E10 is nice because it adds a bit of needed warmth and also a tad extra bass, but like you mentioned, it doesn't sound as "filled out" as the Asgard did (or the M-Stage, Valhalla, P650, in that case). I think out of all the headphones I've owned, the Q701 changes the most with an amp, but even then, the change isn't anything night and day. At least that's how I interpret it. But I will admit, a properly amped Q701 definitely sounds more pleasing to the ear, by offering a more authoritative and enriched sound. For anyone who doesn't like the Q701, an amp isn't going to change anything. But for users that really like the Q701's sound, an amp is probably a must.

 

[Maxis]

Quote:

 
Funny, because I went from the Asgard to the E10 and found the difference wasn't that big. E10 is nice because it adds a bit of needed warmth and also a tad extra bass, but like you mentioned, it doesn't sound as "filled out" as the Asgard did (or the M-Stage, Valhalla, P650, in that case). I think out of all the headphones I've owned, the Q701 changes the most with an amp, but even then, the change isn't anything night and day. At least that's how I interpret it. But I will admit, a properly amped Q701 definitely sounds more pleasing to the ear, by offering a more authoritative and enriched sound. For anyone who doesn't like the Q701, an amp isn't going to change anything. But for users that really like the Q701's sound, an amp is probably a must.

 
I agree you have to like the signature.. and you can probably tell whether you will like it or not from the E10 and a few solid hours of burn in to tame the treble.  The asgard will not change the signature. but it will add a few pounds of flesh on the frame so to speak and improve the musicality (For me that is substantial enough to describe it as beast mode) May come off a bit much but if it did i apologise. I repeat .. it will not change the signature.. but it certainly fills it out.. and the fact that it is filled convinces me that the E10 by itself (And i never use it with bass boost) is not sufficient to get the most out of these headphones. It must be properly amped.

 

[Katun]

Quote:

I agree you have to like the signature.. and you can probably tell whether you will like it or not from the E10 and a few solid hours of burn in to tame the treble.  The asgard will not change the signature. but it will add a few pounds of flesh on the frame so to speak (For me that is substantial enough to describe it as beast mode) May come off a bit much but if it did i apologise. I repeat .. it will not change the signature.. but it certainly fills it out.. and the fact that it is filled convinces me that the E10 by itself (And i never use it with bass boost) is not sufficient to get the most out of these headphones. It must be properly amped.

 
No need for apologies. Everyone's interpretations differ. Nothing wrong with that.
 
I agree also that the E10 is not quite enough. In the case of no amp, I think the AD900 is a better option.

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

 
Heres the deal.  
 
They will play to decent levels of volume. HOWEVER.... They will not sound as "filled out" as they should be.  I got the Q701's around three weeks ago and drove them with my E10. Then  I got an Asgard last week for my birthday and the headphones went into beast mode.  There was more Bass response and more presence of fullness of sound.  It is still transparent sounding but there is more "meat" being presented when properly amped. (Putting it in very simple terms)
 
Coming from a Senns 558 and comparing them last night the Senns have been relegated to gaming and the Q701 for music duties.
 
I have my eye on the AKG550s for more depth and better imaging (according to Headphonia) but i will not be giving up the Q's. They will remain in my collection.

 
Spot on with my impressions in general. They're much thinner sounding and not as full when used with my E11 and a LOD cable or just unamped. Even with my E9 they're not nearly as full sounding as they are with my Micro Amp. Even my HRT dac seems to make them a tiny bit warmer, which is a plus.
 
When they're underamped they're also somewhat fatiguing and tinny sounding. Soundstage is also lacking. Strangely enough when I tried them with my Total Airhead (portable amp) the mids were very forward and somewhat full sounding, but the soundstage was quite small.
 
So far other than the Airhead, the best amp was the E11+headphone out. Somewhat full sounding and when using a LOD cable they were quite fatiguing and much thinner. I guess the Q701 needs the extra power from the portable devices amp.
 
With a Canare cable I can almost get the Q701 to sound as warm as my K601

K601 has less treble and more mid-bass than the Q701. Probably more sub-bass too.
 
NOTE: I haven't tried the E10, so not sure how that sounds.

 

[ro114]

Quote:

Cool!
Very cool!
Do we see a Matrix in your future?

Yup, i'm highly considering it based on how people say it's an excellent match for the price.

I'm just not sure whether or not to go with the usb dac model or stick with my computers onboard audio...
I guess since there isn't much of a price difference between the two going with the dac won't hurt anything. 

 

[Katun]

Quote:

Yup, i'm highly considering it based on how people say it's an excellent match for the price.

I'm just not sure whether or not to go with the usb dac model or stick with my computers onboard audio...
I guess since there isn't much of a price difference between the two going with the dac won't hurt anything. 

 
Go for the DAC model. Your onboard soundcard will be the biggest bottleneck in your system.
 
Someday, you could also throw the HRT Music Streamer II in there. Increases soundstage. But the M-Stage DAC will be good enough for now.

 

[viralcow]

Thanks for clearing that up. I already knew the e10 wasn't enough, it's just that at this moment I don't have the budget to get the K/Q701 and another amp. I'll get the headphones first then save up for an amp later.

 

[chicolom]

So Katun, did you rebuy the Q701 again and then sell it again??
 

 

 

[ro114]

Quote:

 
Go for the DAC model. Your onboard soundcard will be the biggest bottleneck in your system.
 
Someday, you could also throw the HRT Music Streamer II in there. Increases soundstage. But the M-Stage DAC will be good enough for now.

Yeah, that is what I thought. Since it isn't that much of a difference I'll just go for it.

I've never heard of the HRT Music Streamer II. I'll be sure to look into it.

Thank you