[kazaakas]

Quote:

Hey guys,
I just bought a pair of AKG Q701 from amazon. How long do you guys recommend to burn in this headphone?
 
So far, I have Sennheiser HD 25 i II, Sennheiser PX 200, Creative Aurvana Live, Harman Kardon CL. I hope Q701 will sound better among all headphone pairs that I have.
I have a JDS Labs C421 as my amp, but have not bought any DAC yet. Which DAC do you recommend me to buy to pair it with C421 and Q701 ?

As for the burning in:
Opinions on this matter will differ GREATLY, some say the effect of burn-in is only psychological, others say it's just the listener getting used to the headphone and others believe it needs like 50 or 500 hours of burn in.
 
One thing is for sure, and that's that the differences aren't night and day, so you'd better just listen to your headphones and optionally put some pink noise on repeat at decent volume when you'll not using them for a long time.

 

[Chris J]

Quote:

Hey guys,
I just bought a pair of AKG Q701 from amazon. How long do you guys recommend to burn in this headphone?
 
So far, I have Sennheiser HD 25 i II, Sennheiser PX 200, Creative Aurvana Live, Harman Kardon CL. I hope Q701 will sound better among all headphone pairs that I have.
I have a JDS Labs C421 as my amp, but have not bought any DAC yet. Which DAC do you recommend me to buy to pair it with C421 and Q701 ?

 
Sure thing, the Qs should sound a lot better!
 
It is only my opinion, but I do not believe they need any burn in.
If they do, the effects are very, very slight.
Just start using them right away.
If you insist on burn-in, then burn them in when you are not listening. Which is what I did, and heard no difference.
 
How much do you want to spend on a DAC?
The Audiolab M-Dac is excellent for $900.

iBasso and FiiO make some very nice DACs for much le$$.
On average, you get what you pay for.

 

[ivantoar]

I just got O2 amp to power up my Q701. It can drive my Q701 to insanely loud volume, but I'm not sure if it's properly amped. Without any music playing, the amp is dead silent, there's no hiss even on maximum volume at 6.5x amplification (boost mode). I've heard many people say that this amp is sterile and colorless and I have to agree with them. I hear no sound coloration. It will follow the sound signature of your DAC. I also noticed that the bass kick is getting a little bit better than just using my E10 without getting bloaty and vocals are more forward sounding. Yes, according to my untrained ear there's not much of drastic improvement, just a little bit but it's surely better than just using E10 alone and I'm happy with it. This amp might not satisfy bass heads or people who prefers warmer sounding sound. Just my two cents.
 
Anyway, do you guys know how I can clean my Q701 earcups? I think I need to clean them for hygienic purposes...

 

[vahnlang]

Quote:

As for the burning in:
Opinions on this matter will differ GREATLY, some say the effect of burn-in is only psychological, others say it's just the listener getting used to the headphone and others believe it needs like 50 or 500 hours of burn in.
 
One thing is for sure, and that's that the differences aren't night and day, so you'd better just listen to your headphones and optionally put some pink noise on repeat at decent volume when you'll not using them for a long time.

 
Quote:

 
Sure thing, the Qs should sound a lot better!
 
It is only my opinion, but I do not believe they need any burn in.
If they do, the effects are very, very slight.
Just start using them right away.
If you insist on burn-in, then burn them in when you are not listening. Which is what I did, and heard no difference.
 
How much do you want to spend on a DAC?
The Audiolab M-Dac is excellent for $900.

iBasso and FiiO make some very nice DACs for much le$$.
On average, you get what you pay for.

 
The thing is the last time bought harman/kardon CL and I felt that CL is way worse than my Sennheiser HD25 i II
That's why I was thinking to buy a serious headphone as for my leap to audiophile world
 
Anyway I found that JDS Labs ODAC is better than HRT II and maybe on par with II +. If it does better than I might choose ODAC over HRT. How do you guys think?
I can not spend $900 for Audiolab

 

[rrwatch]

Quote:

I just got O2 amp to power up my Q701. It can drive my Q701 to insanely loud volume, but I'm not sure if it's properly amped. Without any music playing, the amp is dead silent, there's no hiss even on maximum volume at 6.5x amplification (boost mode). I've heard many people say that this amp is sterile and colorless and I have to agree with them. I hear no sound coloration. It will follow the sound signature of your DAC. I also noticed that the bass kick is getting a little bit better than just using my E10 without getting bloaty and vocals are more forward sounding. Yes, according to my untrained ear there's not much of drastic improvement, just a little bit but it's surely better than just using E10 alone and I'm happy with it. This amp might not satisfy bass heads or people who prefers warmer sounding sound. Just my two cents.
 
Anyway, do you guys know how I can clean my Q701 earcups? I think I need to clean them for hygienic purposes...

You can use the microfiber cloths they sell in bulk at Walmart and Costoco for cleaning off dust and hairs. I've used them and they work fine.

 

[broomtrop]

video chatting with a fellow audiophile

 

[Chris J]

Strange, the Q701s make you cross eyed?
Is this effect only when you wear green Qs?
Or do the black or white Qs also do this to you?
 
Just wonderin'...........

 

[talisman42]

Quote:

Strange, the Q701s make you cross eyed?
Is this effect only when you wear green Qs?
Or do the black or white Qs also do this to you?
 
Just wonderin'...........

 
Nah. That was a screen cap in that moment of time. For me, my eyes roll all over the place when i have my Q on.

 

[tdockweiler]

Today I installed some K601 mini grills on the Q701 for testing (same as K702 grills). Can't really hear much difference right away. It does seem like the soundstage is slightly wider, but that's about it.
I expected it to magically change to how MY old K702 sounded, but that hasn't been the case. I think Chicolom tried this too and didn't hear much difference. I believe K601 and K702 grills are the same (inner one).
 
Also...for my amusement I made a Q601..can't hear any improvements. Maybe i'll solder some green wires to it.
 
With some music the K601 sounds more balanced, but then it seems to have this weird lower treble peak (think that's where it is). Female vocals sound more forward on the Q701, but really harsh and fatiguing garbage tracks often sound worse on the K601 than the Q701.
The K601 seems to have less extended treble, but more of a peak in the lower treble than the Q701.
 
EDIT: Wow, K601 sounds pretty good with the grills off! It almost seems bassier. My head must be playing tricks on me. This makes no sense to me, but you actually have to crank the volume higher. Background detail in classical seems more distant until you do that.

 

[stevenliu0717]

After reading this thread, I make my final decision to buy Q701 over HD650 because I love more natural and neutral sound with enough bass but not-so-emphasized. Just ordered from Amazon US and the black colour one is only $224.53+$10.97 delivery to Sydeny!!! Unbelievable cheap!!! Cannot wait to receive it ASAP 

 

[autoteleology]

Q701 was $165 used on Amazon last time I checked.
 
 

 

[talisman42]

--- wrong post ---

 

[Focker]

Quote:

After reading this thread, I make my final decision to buy Q701 over HD650 because I love more natural and neutral sound with enough bass but not-so-emphasized. Just ordered from Amazon US and the black colour one is only $224.53+$10.97 delivery to Sydeny!!! Unbelievable cheap!!! Cannot wait to receive it ASAP 

 
Congrats! Hope you enjoy 'em

 

[tdockweiler]

Has anyone else done any of those mods with these?
It's worthwhile and totally reversible. Takes 10 seconds.
 
The Q701 with no grill or grill and no foam sounds bad.
 
With the entire grill closed off it's OK, but the mids seem more forward.
 
Today I bought a 100 pack of foam sponges at the dollar store (not the hard kind you're thinking of). The ultra cheap squishy kind.
I then removed the stock foam and replaced it with a small square of this. It compresses flat.
 
Sounds seems a little better. Perhaps slightly fuller mids. I'm still testing though.
 
I also will try some paper towel (Viva) and other materials.
 
My K601 sounds best with no grills or them completely blocked off. Totally opposite of what the Q701 would sound like with the same mods.
 
As posted before, I remove the grills with a Priority mail tag. No adhesive or sticky stuff left over and no scratching the grill. I just twist it left. A large piece of tape might work, but the tags are less sticky.
 
This grill does alter the sound very slightly, so the differences will be subtle. I did notice with it stuffed too much it sounds much less clear.
 
EDIT: After about an hour i've found that thicker foam makes them warmer and a bit more muffled sounding, but not too badly. Some people might like it.
I now have Viva installed

You can almost now hear the treble come back and it's now closer to how it is stock.

 

[chicolom]

I've never tried sticking other things in the grill.  Like you said earlier, I did try swapping the K702 and Q701 grills.  The difference was very very minor, and certainly didn't account for the bass and warmth difference between them.