[Chris J]

IMHO the Matrix M Stage adds a touch of darkness to the Q701s, in a good way, it compliments the Q's brightness.
 
This may explain why the M Stage is hit and miss with a more neutral 'phone like the DT880.

 

[IEMCrazy]

Quote:

IMHO the Matrix M Stage adds a touch of darkness to the Q701s, in a good way, it compliments the Q's brightness.
 
This may explain why the M Stage is hit and miss with a more neutral 'phone like the DT880.

I agree well enough about warm/dark amps and 70x.  But DT880 more neutral than and less bright than 70x?  Huh?  What about the dreaded 8-10 kHz spike?

 

[Acapella11]

Hello everyone,
Just to put you in picture I am a Q701 owner and I have not heard a K70X. I do have a K501 and in comparison, the Q701 sounds warmer, fuller, has a better treble extension and more bass but a smaller stage, which depending on taste may not be a bad thing. I do like the K501 but I would not prefer it.
Having said that I have not heard a K70X, I recommend every owner to try a Q.
Although I am not sure whether approximately 200 mW can drive a Q701 or K701 to perfection, I would suggest owners of a Little dot MKIII to try the combination of 6N6P-I power tubes, mine are from 1985, with Sylvania JAN 5654W driver tubes. You can listen to this combination all day long, it is very balanced with forward mids, amazing highs and a punchy bass assembled in front of a slightly dark amp background.

 

[tdockweiler]

Tried these again last night with my Fiio E11 and a Total Airhead.
Source was a Sansa Clip+ with mostly FLAC and 320kbps files. Using a cheap Cardas cable to the amp.
 
I noticed on the E11, the sound was a bit more fatiguing. The mids though just were not as forward as they were on the E9 or the Airhead. I would say even less forward than they should be with any amp. Strange.
On the Airhead there was a lot more volume, but I could crank them to 100% without damaging my hearing.
 
It's nearly impossible to get the clipping/red over-voltage light to blink. It took specific songs and I had to crank the volume to 100%. At around 90% volume it never gives me the blinking red light. I guess that's a good sign.
I think I only managed to find one that would blink for me.
 
I also found that when not using my HRT DAC it's extremely difficult to tell the difference between headphone and interconnect cables on the Q701, With the Cardas there was a bit of difference, but nothing major.
I still find the Q701 stock cable to be perfectly good and not as bad as most stock cables. I had an ALO SXC cable and currently have a Canare one, but I prefer the stock cable. The Canare is a bit weird.
I imagine the best DIY wire for the Q701 is Mogami and I should try that. Should cost under $20.
 
BTW if the Airhead when plugged into the Sansa Clip+ is clipping, then I imagine using a Sansa Fuze or Ipod Touch with a LOD cable is a major no-no due to the Q701 getting less power.
Based on memory I never liked the Q701 when used with a LOD cable. Sounded kind of a bit harsh and fatiguing.
 
Still can't figure out why people think the E9 might be a poor match for these. I used my Q701 in Fallout 3 connected to the E9 and it was just about perfect. I actually think the K601 is better for gaming though

BTW the mid-bass with the HD-600 annoys the heck out of me. I must be the only person on earth who gets annoyed by the mid-bass on the HD-600!! I took that off during Fallout 3 in about 5 minutes.

 

[Fringe]

Does anyone else have a slight plastic "creaking" sound coming from the left side when moving your head around? It seems to be coming from the pivot joint when the ear cup is moved slightly. The noise is only noticeable when your wearing them and listening at low volumes or on quiet songs. Anyone know how to fix this or is this something i would need to send in for repair?

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

Does anyone else have a slight plastic "creaking" sound coming from the left side when moving your head around? It seems to be coming from the pivot joint when the ear cup is moved slightly. The noise is only noticeable when your wearing them and listening at low volumes or on quiet songs. Anyone know how to fix this or is this something i would need to send in for repair?

Try removing your glasses

 
This happens with me too and it took me forever to realize it was due to my glasses rubbing against the headphone!
 
Obviously it only happens when i'm moving around a lot at my desk.

 

[Fringe]

I don't wear my glasses when listening so it has to be the headphones creating the sound. It happens more when i move my head or jaw a little and not as much if I'm constantly moving around. Almost seems like the joint is getting stuck and then creaks when it readjusts to the new angle after moving. I hope that make some sense.

 

[iLLicit1]

I purchased a set of Q701's off a buddy of mine of has had them for 6 months and ~100-150 hours of use on them. I can't help but crave some more low-end out of these cans.
 
Am I expecting too much from these or have I ventured into the wrong set of cans for my purposes?
 
I primarily use them for music (underground hip-hop, acid jazz, some progressive / dubstep, and hardcore rock) and FPS gaming with my PC.
 
Foobar2000 -> FLAC -> Titanium HD -> Fiio E9 -> Q701
 
Any advice would be helpful. Thank you!

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

I purchased a set of Q701's off a buddy of mine of has had them for 6 months and ~100-150 hours of use on them. I can't help but crave some more low-end out of these cans.
 
Am I expecting too much from these or have I ventured into the wrong set of cans for my purposes?
 
I primarily use them for music (underground hip-hop, acid jazz, some progressive / dubstep, and hardcore rock) and FPS gaming with my PC.
 
Foobar2000 -> FLAC -> Titanium HD -> Fiio E9 -> Q701
 
Any advice would be helpful. Thank you!

 
You could try another DAC. I was actually surprised that the HRT Music Streamer II really did improve the bass even further.
I'm sure the Titanium HD is fine, but it's worth a try. Even the E10 might help.
 
When I switch to my other open headphones like the HD-600 I only get more mid-bass! Kind of annoying. The K601 has a tad better sub-bass extension (I think), but sounds a bit different than the Q701.
 
BTW has anyone tried the old "audiophile" Playstation 1 with the Q701? I was surprised with the bass I was getting from the Q701! I think that CD player is overrated, but it still sounds good. It seems it's a very warm sounding CD player.
I always find it interesting to try old full sized CD players with the Q701. My favorite is an old JVC from 93. I wish I could know what older CD players are known to sound good that are cheap and easy to find.
Goodwill (thrift store) often has hidden gems, but it takes a few trips. I stop there every week to maybe get lucky on something good. I have an ancient Technics 5 disc changer and I'm surprised how much detail it sucks off a CD. Don't even know much about that brand.

 

[iLLicit1]

Quote:

 
You could try another DAC. I was actually surprised that the HRT Music Streamer II really did improve the bass even further.
I'm sure the Titanium HD is fine, but it's worth a try. Even the E10 might help.
 
When I switch to my other open headphones like the HD-600 I only get more mid-bass! Kind of annoying. The K601 has a tad better sub-bass extension (I think), but sounds a bit different than the Q701.
 
BTW has anyone tried the old "audiophile" Playstation 1 with the Q701? I was surprised with the bass I was getting from the Q701! I think that CD player is overrated, but it still sounds good. It seems it's a very warm sounding CD player.
I always find it interesting to try old full sized CD players with the Q701. My favorite is an old JVC from 93. I wish I could know what older CD players are known to sound good that are cheap and easy to find.
Goodwill (thrift store) often has hidden gems, but it takes a few trips. I stop there every week to maybe get lucky on something good. I have an ancient Technics 5 disc changer and I'm surprised how much detail it sucks off a CD. Don't even know much about that brand.

 
I took some time to read reviews, and it seems to be that the majority of users recommend something else for bass heavy music. In comparison, my HD590's still suit my tastes better than these Q701's. Hmmmm....
 
As most users tend to have another pair of cans in addition to their Q701's, what might you other users recommend instead of these for my purposes? I prefer open / semi-open as I like to let my ear breathe and hear outside sounds.

 

[KimLaroux]

The Q701 really don't deliver in the genres you listed.
 
I modified my Shure SRH440 to open their choked bass, and now these are my complementary headphones. I'm keeping them alongside the Q701 for bass-centered music.
 
I believe the idea of having two different sounding headphone is a good one. This is especially true is you listen to diverging genres. I can't recommend you a particular headphone, but if you're gonna get a second pair, you might as well go for something that's radically different from the Q701.

 

[Magick Man]

I purchased a set of Q701's off a buddy of mine of has had them for 6 months and ~100-150 hours of use on them. I can't help but crave some more low-end out of these cans.

Am I expecting too much from these or have I ventured into the wrong set of cans for my purposes?

I primarily use them for music (underground hip-hop, acid jazz, some progressive / dubstep, and hardcore rock) and FPS gaming with my PC.

Foobar2000 -> FLAC -> Titanium HD -> Fiio E9 -> Q701

Any advice would be helpful. Thank you!

You could open the EQ in Foobar and bump down all the bands except 55, 77, and 110Hz by a couple dBs (or just bump those bands up a little and see what you think). Q701s respond well to EQing.

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

 
I took some time to read reviews, and it seems to be that the majority of users recommend something else for bass heavy music. In comparison, my HD590's still suit my tastes better than these Q701's. Hmmmm....
 
As most users tend to have another pair of cans in addition to their Q701's, what might you other users recommend instead of these for my purposes? I prefer open / semi-open as I like to let my ear breathe and hear outside sounds.

 
Yeah I would have suggested different headphones too. If I listened to a lot of bass heavy stuff the Q701 might not be a good match. I listened to Yo-Yo Ma's "Simply Baroque" and even that on the Q701 kind of made me sad after listening to the HD-600.
I think the HD-600 has more mid-bass and similar low-bass extension.
 
It's pretty interesting how much better the bass on the K601 is. That's a nice alternative to the HD-600. I think the K601 is slightly better for pop/rock than the Q701.
 
You could also look into the D2000 or find a used HD-580 for around $150. I actually prefer the HD-580 to the HD-600 despite it using the same driver!
 
I think the Q701's bass is more than enough for me. The HD-580 and Q701 is a nice pair to have.

 

[Chris J]

Quote:

I agree well enough about warm/dark amps and 70x.  But DT880 more neutral than and less bright than 70x?  Huh?  What about the dreaded 8-10 kHz spike?

 
All I can you tell is that I don't hear a "dreaded 8-10 kHz spike" out of my DT880s. LOL!

 
IN MY OPINION, the DT880 is a mellower, more neutral 'phone than the the Q701s.
But I must be a closet treblehead, because I love my Qs, even more than the mighty DT880s.
And sorry about the caps, folks, this is just my opinion and experience, nothing more.
 
I also think the Qs are almost as comfortable as the DT880s, hmmmm, I must have a weird head shape...........or weird ears?

 

[Chris J]

Quote:

 
 
I believe the idea of having two different sounding headphone is a good one. This is especially true is you listen to diverging genres. I can't recommend you a particular headphone, but if you're gonna get a second pair, you might as well go for something that's radically different from the Q701.

Honestly, that is why I bought a pair of DT880s..........for more bass. Not a lot more, just a bit more.
Next purchase: some Grados.   (I must be a closet treblehead!)
 
Fine print section:
Disclaimer or full disclosure: I don't go in for skull crushing bass.