[chicolom]

I liked the Q701 from the beginning, but they sound pretty warm and stuffy coming straight from my laptop. 
 
Adding a beefier amp and MUCH more importantly a nice DAC made them become much more clear and open, and the soundstage size exploded (like in my avatar!).

 

[jasonb]

My source is my Windows 7 laptop. Itunes volume is at max, and Windows system volume is at max. Even when I use my iPhone as the source I only turn it up a couple notches more. To me the Q701 just doesn't seem hard to drive and to me the Q701 sounds just great at low volumes. I listen to my Q701 at about 70-80db, measured with a Radio Shack meter. 
 
My modded T50rp on the other hand, I use at +12db gain and listen in the same 25-30 out of 60 volume range. They have a different sound that sounds better at slightly higher volumes, and they seem harder to drive than the Q701 to begin with. 
Quote:

 
I was using my laptop on +6db gain, also. I don't see how 25-30 was sufficient for you. I have read numerous back n forths on both this thread and the E17 thread about whether it was loud enough or not. Maybe I'm just hard of hearing or maybe you just have an awesome source that I do not. I mean, it was decent, but I could easily tell it was not driving the Q701 to its full potential.

 

[Shikarikato]

I'm planning to pick up a pair of K702s but I'm not entirely sure what amp to grab with it. I was first looking at the Magni/Modi combo but some people said they had a better experience with an Asgard 2/Bitfrost but that's out of my budget. Should I go with a Asgard 2/Modi or what?

 

[daleb]

Is it possible for me to overhype myself? I don't want to ruin it for myself. When I do normally hype myself, though, I've never been disappointed, so I don't know if I can even be overhyped.
 

 

[jasonb]

You don't have a Q701 yet? or do you?
Quote:

Is it possible for me to overhype myself? I don't want to ruin it for myself. When I do normally hype myself, though, I've never been disappointed, so I don't know if I can even be overhyped.
 

 

[Rossy007]

Just got my AKG Q701's, plugged them in and had to turn the volume to 8 (not very loud). I opened the little dot up and removed the two jumpers (j3 + j4) plugged it back up and.......no difference, still have to turn it up to 8? am I doing something wrong?
 

 

[daleb]

Quote:

You don't have a Q701 yet? or do you?

Nope, I'm getting them in 3 weeks or so , oh wait, it will actually have to be delivered from Amazon... Make that 4 weeks.

 

[Chris J]

Quote:

Wow, your source was either really weak or you are listening waaaaay too loud. I use my E17 with the Q701 at 25-30 out of 60, and that's on the +6db gain. 

 
Um, word up, my main man.
True that!
 
OK, I tried! 

 
Anyway, your E17 settings are similar to mine.
I've also used the E17 as a DAC with the E09K (a touch warmer) and the E12 as headphone amps.
The E12 may sound a bit better, but it's not like the E17 ain't representin'!

 

[daleb]

Has anyone tried Queen with these? I love Queen!
 
edit: Oh, I see there is one post saying these sound good with Queen with an E11. That's the amp I have! (I'm still kind of scare my laptop has a better amp then the E11s...)

 

[AristoNYC]

Quote:

Hmm, I tried the E5 with my Q's, sounded alright but better with a better amp. Better amp being a tube amp, BUT I LIKED THE Q701 FROM THE BEGINNING. What, specifically, do you not like about them? I recommend you listen to the Q701 at least a week of good usage without using other headphones and see if your ears get accustomed to them, unless you absolutely hate them.

Daleb,
My college, Seton Hill University, turned into an all-Steinway school while I was there. I grew up with a piano in my day's house (tho To my shame, I didn't learn to play nor remember the brand), and I was unimpressed with the Steinways in the music wing by comparison. My one friend is the real expert though, he can identify most acoustic or electric pianos. In general I love pianos, and specifically the piano in the intro of Arcade Fire's "Neighborhood #1 (tunnels)" gives me shivers.

I think you are right in regards to the becoming accustom to my old Senns. I found my 120gb Zune, charged it up, and attached the Q's with E6 and it sounds much better. I feel it could still use more power. My main complaint is it seems to be overly sharp on "S''s from songs - http://youtu.be/LLk6ZetOfc8 
 
Quote:

 
I don't have any experience with the E6, but an E17 has absolutely no trouble driving a pair of Q701s.
What is it that you don't like about the E6 + Q701?
Judging by the specs on the FiiO website, the E6 should have enough power to drive the Q701.
OTOH, for $30 I wouldn't expect too much out of the E6.
The Q701 deserves a good amp to get the most out of it.
The Q701 may just be letting you hear how bad the E6 is.
I'm not too impressed with the sound of my Q701 from the headphone jack on my laptop computer.

I am going to try the E17 as it was in my purchase list anyway. I am warming up the Q's now with listening on my Zune. They are much better at the type of music I like compared to my V-Moda Crossfades (those are going up for sale as we speak). 
Quote:

 
The problem is your E6... not the Q701. These cans are notoriously hard to drive. I even had the E17, once, and while others may say it has enough for their Q701s... it certainly did not for me.
 
Ultimately, I ended up with the Matrix M-Stage as my desktop amp and the E12 as my portable amp. Both have sufficient power to drive the Q701.

Thanks for the response, I will look into purchasing a different amp. 

 

[daleb]

Quote:

I think you are right in regards to the becoming accustom to my old Senns. I found my 120gb Zune, charged it up, and attached the Q's with E6 and it sounds much better. I feel it could still use more power. My main complaint is it seems to be overly sharp on "S''s from songs - http://youtu.be/LLk6ZetOfc8

Sennheiser almost always makes very laid back treble responses in their headphones. These will sound a lot more sibilant then a sennheisers in comparison.

 

[Evshrug]

I think you are right in regards to the becoming accustom to my old Senns. I found my 120gb Zune, charged it up, and attached the Q's with E6 and it sounds much better. I feel it could still use more power. My main complaint is it seems to be overly sharp on "S''s from songs - http://youtu.be/LLk6ZetOfc8 

I am going to try the E17 as it was in my purchase list anyway. I am warming up the Q's now with listening on my Zune. They are much better at the type of music I like compared to my V-Moda Crossfades (those are going up for sale as we speak). 
Thanks for the response, I will look into purchasing a different amp. 

Tiny URL = "404 file not found"
Maybe, since you're using the same amp (the E6), the part of your sound chain you are liking better is the DAC in the Zune. I use my iPod 5th gen, the Wolfson DAC used in it is supposed to be quite good and it's far better than the audio built into my Gigabyte motherboard. I guess the good part about the E17 is that it will also be a DAC upgrade (probably) from what is built into your computer (and maybe/hopefully better than your Zune). The Q701 definitely rewards better gear, I'm not hearing any sibilance... Ok I'm hearing a bit right now from Sarah McLachlan singing "Angel (Live)," but I think I'm actually hearing the sibilance of the stage's speakers resonating in the stadium, so it's in the recording not created as fault by the headphones. Now on the next track, Andrew Bird's "Fiery Crash," no irritation from the S's, and the violin sounds great.

My amps are the FiiO E12 (Mont Blanc) and Zigis Audio's "Rock 'n Glass" tube amp, by the way. Sold the E5 (and an AD700) a few months ago because it wasn't getting any use anymore.

 

[Stalker81598]

The best I've heard the Q701 is from my Lyr, but the Magni supplies more than enough power to drive them and it sounds great. Soundstage, separation and bass performance all improve with proper amping, but a good amp will by no means make the 701 sound like a different headphone. If you hate it unamped, you'll hate it with a $2000 amp too.
 
I wouldn't say the Q701 is sibilant, but if there is sibilance on a track the 701 will serve it up as it is. It isn't very forgiving when it comes to imperfections in a recording. It's just detailed and accurate.

 

[Redshift Rider]

M-stage ordered and on it's way! 

 Very excited to see if there is any difference compared to amp section of xonar ST card. 

 

[chicolom]

Quote:

M-stage ordered and on it's way! 

 Very excited to see if there is any difference compared to amp section of xonar ST card. 

 
The Xonar ST is already a pretty powerful card so I'm not sure how much difference you will hear, but let us know.