[Evshrug]

Im in need of an amp for my setup on my new q701s.

My setup is
Titanium HD> ? ? ? > Q701

Would really like to spend under $250

Thanks

I like my FiiO Mont Blanc E12. It offers basically the power of an E09k in your pocket (over 880 mW into 32 ohms). Lots of kick, body, authority, with a balanced, honest approach to sound. It's not as analytical as another headphone amp I have, it's character is more like my receiver, detailed but not distracting from the musicality. That's without the bass boost. Focused only on the extreme lows, I like that I can leave it on and it'll only make itself known when a song digs really deep. It's only about a 4 dB boost.
$120 available for purchase through Micca, initial stock is limited however, and there is talk about changing the boost to affect more of the mid-bass and be less subtle. If you like the boost I described, you ought to buy soon, if you only want to use it unboosted or with a stronger boost...

 

[potatoos]

Quote:

I think they sound great with classical. But for rock, if there's distortion on the guitars I feel like they emphasize the higher-pitched parts of the distortion, instead of the main thrust of the note. I guess some people would call this 'bright', or others would say they don't overemphasize the low end.

Any better suggestions?

 

[mobius5]

Any better suggestions?

Nothing specific. I've heard Grados pair well with rock, but I wonder if you'd then lose the classical qualities.

 

[potatoos]

Quote:

Nothing specific. I've heard Grados pair well with rock, but I wonder if you'd then lose the classical qualities.

I am not looking for the colored and aggressive qualities associated grados, and for the type of metal that I listen to, people generally say taht grados isn't the way to go. I am looking for accuracy. I want a drum to sound like a drum, etc. as well as fast reproduction as the music I like can get pretty convoluted with so many instruments playing at once.

 

[jasonb]

Rock and metal is just fine on the Q701. I use mine almost exclusively for prog rock and metal.

 

[potatoos]

Quote:

Rock and metal is just fine on the Q701. I use mine almost exclusively for prog rock and metal.

Thanks a lot. I think that I will get the q701 when it comes time to get a new pair (ie whenever I get the money). Will my E17 be enough amplification, or should I look at getting something like the magni?

 

[jasonb]

I've said it probably a dozen times on here but for me, yes. I use only an E17 with mine and it does great. Some will say otherwise, you'll hear from people that don't own an E17 saying that there is no way that is enough. But i can tell you that i use mine on medium gain and still listen at only 25 to 30 out of 60. 
Quote:

Thanks a lot. I think that I will get the q701 when it comes time to get a new pair (ie whenever I get the money). Will my E17 be enough amplification, or should I look at getting something like the magni?

 

[potatoos]

Great, thanks. Would you say that these cans do all metal well?

 

[jasonb]

If you like metal on your hf3, then you should like metal on the Q701. They have the same basic sound. Just like the hf3, the Q701 is all about detail and accuracy. No bloated bass and a smooth but detailed sound.
Quote:

Great, thanks. Would you say that these cans do all metal well?

 

[potatoos]

Quote:

If you like metal on your hf3, then you should like metal on the Q701. They have the same basic sound. Just like the hf3, the Q701 is all about detail and accuracy. No bloated bass and a smooth but detailed sound.

Fantastic. That is exactly what I want. How would the detail retrieval compare to hf3/hf5?

 

[jasonb]

I dont own an ety anymore. Right now i just have the Q701 and the Vsonic GR01 IEM. The Q701 completely destroys the GR01. And i already preferred the GR01 over the hf3/5. I would describe the GR01 as an ety that has better extension on each end.
Quote:

Fantastic. That is exactly what I want. How would the detail retrieval compare to hf3/hf5?

 

[potatoos]

Quote:

I dont own an ety anymore. Right now i just have the Q701 and the Vsonic GR01 IEM. The Q701 completely destroys the GR01. And i already preferred the GR01 over the hf3/5. I would describe the GR01 as an ety that has better extension on each end.

Thanks. It really seems like the Q701 is what I want.

 

[Chris J]

I've said it probably a dozen times on here but for me, yes. I use only an E17 with mine and it does great. Some will say otherwise, you'll hear from people that don't own an E17 saying that there is no way that is enough. But i can tell you that i use mine on medium gain and still listen at only 25 to 30 out of 60. 

+1
I set my gain at 0dB on my E17.
For my sources, this works just fine with the Q701s.

Bottom line is the E17 works with the Q701.

 

[tdockweiler]

Made a new cable for my Q701 today. I destroyed my Sextett's cable that uses Mogami W2893 and converted it for use with my Q701.
 
You know what is the worst thing in the world? Soldering Mini-XLR plugs with no "helping hands" (metal thing that holds plugs etc) or vise. What made it even worse is that this new soldering iron I bought was so worthless it'd take about forever to heat up anything. I need to return it and invest in a good one.
 
The cable basically sounds the same as stock, but with some minor improvements. I think it has a higher capacitance than stock cable and similar to the stock HD-650 cable, but maybe a little lower. The biggest difference i'm hearing is everything is a bit smoother and fuller sounding. Perhaps a bit more detail. You can say subtle improvements, but pretty nice. No changes in sound signature obviously.
 
It really takes specific songs to hear the difference. I used mostly anything with a large soundstage. Live recordings are really the best.
 
It does sound like the mids are more forward but I think this is virtually impossible and I think it's just more revealing of crappy recordings. Most of them are known by me to be bad anyway.
 
I previously tried to make a Canare Q701 cable, but it was rather muffled sounding and worse than stock.
 
So if you want a nice upgrade for dirt cheap, make a Q701 cable with Mogami W2893. I should note that you need to cut off a piece of the Mini-XLRs bottom plastic piece in order for the thicker cable to fit.
 
Total cost is less than $10 probably! Out of maybe 4 Q701 cables i've tried, this one is slightly better than stock. All have been worse. The ALO SXC one was technically better, but it seemed to suck the life out of my Q701 and make it less warm. Makes sense. I loved it at first. Low capacitance wire stinks on the K701 and Q701.

 

[Katun]

Ah, still experimenting with Q701 recabling are we? Haha, I'm jealous I don't have those kind of skills.

 
With how much you've enjoyed the Q701, I was going to ask if you ever thought about the K702 65th. But then again, it's very expensive in comparison.