[ypana3]

Quote:

 
A lot of people go with the Magni because the Q701 needs a somewhat powerful amp, and Magni is probably the most powerful amp you can get at its price point. However, power isn't everything. IMO, Q701 needs an amp that is on the warmer side of neutral, otherwise it sounds very thin and piercing. Magni is neutral and very transparent.

 
Looks like I'm sold. The thing about these headphones is though, that with my experience of their unamped, unbroken-in state people's opinion of the soundstage is exaggerated. Sure I can hear each instrument clearly, but there is not that much width. Will an amp improve the soundstage of these headphones, or am I misunderstanding what soundstage truly is?

 

[Stalker81598]

Quote:

 
Looks like I'm sold. The thing about these headphones is though, that with my experience of their unamped, unbroken-in state people's opinion of the soundstage is exaggerated. Sure I can hear each instrument clearly, but there is not that much width. Will an amp improve the soundstage of these headphones, or am I misunderstanding what soundstage truly is?

 
Yes, an amp will improve soundstage imaging and instrument separation. However, it won't magically make the headphone sound like a theater. Recognizing headstage in headphones takes a bit of listening. Some people (like those with high-end speaker setups) are never able to hear it. It also helps if you have a basis for comparison, like comparing a headphone with a relatively small soundstage to a headphone with a large one like the 701. The Q701 has one of the largest soundstages of any headphone I have heard, though imaging can be a bit foggy at times. Instrument separation is also very impressive with the Q701. It is easy to visualize each sound as coming from a different physical location.

 

[ypana3]

Thanks dude you have been so helpful

I might do a before/after comparison with the setup once I get my hands on the E12s.
 

 

[Stalker81598]

Glad I could help. Looking forward to seeing your results 

 

[Amesthehooligan]

Quote:

Have you thought about giving the K550s a try? I know that they are "closed Q701s" but I think that is what you are looking for. I just got them for portable use and stuffed the pads with cotton effectively making the seal better and bringing the driver further from the ear. They now have an incredible soundstage for closed headphones while not sacrificing the bass impact and quickness of the headphones. Totally worth a look IMO!

Oh awesome, will do!  
 
Oh another note, I'm finding my Q701s a bit stufffy; strange considering that it should have a good soundstage.  Any ideas? 

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

 
I have a Magni and in my opinion it makes the Q701 sound very cold and harsh. It is a very neutral amp and does not pair well with the analytical sound of the 701. I have not heard the E12 but others have said it has a slightly warmer tone, similar to the E9. It may be a better choice.

 
I wouldn't say very cold (IMO), but to me it makes the Q701 a little less warm for sure. This is weird to me because at first I liked the combination. Once I started listening to the Magni and Q701 for a few weeks it made the Q701 sound a bit brighter, harsher and thinner than normal. I don't know how on earth this is since it measures flat. None of my other gear I had at the time was colored at all either. The Magni and Q701 just doesn't sound smooth for some reason. This is why I sold the Magni and spent the money on the E17. Between the Magni and E9 I prefer the E9 by far. The Magni would probably sound best with maybe an HD-650. I was using the Modi and other sources that were flat.
 
Something weird about the bass on the Magni, but probably impossible. It almost sounds like it's recessed but it's not.
 
I doubt the Magni could possibly sound like the O2. If it's nearly a clone then i'd probably not like the O2. The Magni certainly isn't bad and I loved it with my HD-650.
 
The Magni is supposed to be transparent but it seems to give everything I attach to it a slight signature of it's own. Well, it seems to suck the warmth out of some headphones. I can't figure out why a Magni wouldn't be good with a DT-880 or SR-325i if it's measures flat.
 
I'm a huge fan of the Schiit Modi though. I love it so much that I want to try the Bifrost. I think it sounds better than the HRT MSII, E17 and it's better in some areas than the ODAC. I would say it's comparable to an ODAC. I couldn't really hear much difference between them. Detecting gear changes with the Q701 is actually not that easy so I rarely would use it for that.
 
BTW the most painful combination i've ever heard is a docked Ipod Touch 2G to the Magni and using a Q701. The Ipod Touch 2G seems really cold/thin as it is so the Magni was just not helping.

 

[koiloco]

Quote:

I need to buy an amp for these things! I'm torn between portable with the E12 and the desktop with the Schiit Magni. Can anybody give me any advice on which one to get? All help is appreciated!

Nothing wrong with E17/E9K combo.  This combo get you covered both on the go and at home nicely, pretty cheap too.  With bass at +2, the combo warms up the Q701 perfectly for me. That's what I have for the Q701 per jasonb's advise.  I like it.
I don't have any other amp so i can't give any comparisons.  My Emotiva mini-X just came in this morning but I bought it mainly to test with the HE500.  I will test the mini-X with the Q701 later and offer my opinion then.

 

[Evshrug]

Thanks dude you have been so helpful I might do a before/after comparison with the setup once I get my hands on the E12s.

I don't mean to dissuade you, but the E12 isn't the most soundstage-width enhancing amp. That said, a sense of space is more evident than right out from an iPod headphone jack, and I think it creates a better feeling of soundstage depth. Seems to even out the sometimes oval-shaped soundstage of the Q701's.

I have an E12 (spent a lot of time reviewing it, wrote a review that's posted in my signature as "The Power of Zeus in your pocket!") that I use with my Q701's. I happen to think it's a particularly good amp suited for the Q701 and gaming with virtual headphone surround. It improves the distinctness of where audio is coming from, is easy to transport between gaming setups (consoles and PC), and I'm very satisfied with the moderate bass boost that seems to level out the sub-bass roll off of the Q701 perfectly without going overboard and making the rest of the sound spectrum muddied. If you want to know more, read my review, but I recommend the E12 for the Q701, unless you want to go for tube amps or much more expensive desktop amps.

 

[whirlwind]

Will the Little Dot 1+ be a nice amp with the Q701....anybody try this combo

 

[Chris J]

I need to buy an amp for these things! I'm torn between portable with the E12 and the desktop with the Schiit Magni. Can anybody give me any advice on which one to get? All help is appreciated!

I have both an E12 and an E09K.
Both work very well with the Q701.
They do not make the Q701 sound harsh or over bright.
They both have a small touch of warmth relative to some other amps I've tried.
Both FiiOs have more than enough power for the Q701 to drive them to insane volumes.

final thoughts:
The Matrix M Stage sounds better with the Q701 than either FiiO.

 

[ypana3]

Nothing wrong with E17/E9K combo.  This combo get you covered both on the go and at home nicely, pretty cheap too.  With bass at +2, the combo warms up the Q701 perfectly for me. That's what I have for the Q701 per jasonb's advise.  I like it.
I don't have any other amp so i can't give any comparisons.  My Emotiva mini-X just came in this morning but I bought it mainly to test with the HE500.  I will test the mini-X with the Q701 later and offer my opinion then.

I can get the E12s cheaper than the E17s though... unless the E17s have better synergy with the Q701, I've almost disregarded them. The E9K sounds good though, might buy it in the future.

Quote:

I have both an E12 and an E09K.
Both work very well with the Q701.
They do not make the Q701 sound harsh or over bright.
They both have a small touch of warmth relative to some other amps I've tried.
Both FiiOs have more than enough power for the Q701 to drive them to insane volumes.

final thoughts:
The Matrix M Stage sounds better with the Q701 than either FiiO.

I would get one of those, but unfortunately I'm not willing to dish out that much money on an amp I'm not sure will sound all that much better than the E12.
 
Quote:

I don't mean to dissuade you, but the E12 isn't the most soundstage-width enhancing amp. That said, a sense of space is more evident than right out from an iPod headphone jack, and I think it creates a better feeling of soundstage depth. Seems to even out the sometimes oval-shaped soundstage of the Q701's.

I have an E12 (spent a lot of time reviewing it, wrote a review that's posted in my signature as "The Power of Zeus in your pocket!") that I use with my Q701's. I happen to think it's a particularly good amp suited for the Q701 and gaming with virtual headphone surround. It improves the distinctness of where audio is coming from, is easy to transport between gaming setups (consoles and PC), and I'm very satisfied with the moderate bass boost that seems to level out the sub-bass roll off of the Q701 perfectly without going overboard and making the rest of the sound spectrum muddied. If you want to know more, read my review, but I recommend the E12 for the Q701, unless you want to go for tube amps or much more expensive desktop amps.

OH YEAH I read your review a while back. You're head-fi famous I guess

. The whole soundstage thing is fine in my opinion because all I want is something a bit more... realistic than what I'm getting now, that's all. The mids are all cluttered together and there is bass, but no real deep bass. I don't plan on using the crossfeed function or bass boosts as my rockboxed Clip+ does all of that already. And I'm almost certain I don't need a new dac, given how good the Sansa's is.

 

[koiloco]

@ypana3,
 
I don't have the E12 so I can't comment on which one will give you better synergy with the Q701.  I bought the E17 for both portable DAC and amp.  I either hook it to my laptop as dac/amp combo or to my tablet as amp only.  On specs, the E17 doesn't have quite as much power as the E12, which has almost as much pwr as the E9k 

, but it has more than enough power to drive the Q701 decently for on the go listening.  Like Chris J said, either the E9K, E12 or E17 will add a touch of warmth to the Q701.  I find this warmth very suitable for the Q701.  The E17 is also decent at driving HE500 on its high gain, good enough for me for portable.  Gluck.

 

[Amesthehooligan]

Okay, I'm gonna be honest here.  After listening a lot to these headphones, I'm really not seeing the big deal- with any of this headphone crap.  I'm a piano student, so a lot of my effort and training is geared towards hearing minute differences in music.  And maybe I'm wrong here, but whether I use good headphones, bad headphones, or even my laptop speakers, everything just sounds the same.  So at the moment, I'm starting to think that all of you are insane for spending your hard earned money on players, amps, and headphones.  

 

[whirlwind]

Actually, that is great for you....you are going to save a lot of money.

 

[Evshrug]

OH YEAH I read your review a while back. You're head-fi famous I guess . The whole soundstage thing is fine in my opinion because all I want is something a bit more... realistic than what I'm getting now, that's all. The mids are all cluttered together and there is bass, but no real deep bass. I don't plan on using the crossfeed function or bass boosts as my rockboxed Clip+ does all of that already. And I'm almost certain I don't need a new dac, given how good the Sansa's is.

I'm head-Fi... Famous? :blink blink:
Ok, I can dig it. But I just see it as I was one of the first to go in depth, mostly because I was curious and just felt like others were too.
With the E12 you can get now (did you read about how they changed the bass boost a little?), the lowest bass will be boosted a bit, but the majority of bass usually featured in music will be about half as "loud" again as the rest of the frequency range, so you can play with off/on I've started enjoying crossfeed on with music too, it blends the stereo balance a bit so you may perceive it as more frontal depth (though imaging direction becomes a little... softer? Less distinct). I started a "if I knew then what I know now..." opinion and discussion thread early this year, but I sorta lost attention to it and it didn't attract much attention. I happen to like my hand made (for me, by Zigis) tube amp even more, but it costs a fair bit more, and I would consider the redesigned FiiO E07k amp/DAC as a viable option. Obviously the E12 has more power, but I think that's more useful for the headphone upgrader, I mostly enjoy it to switch between amping stuff in my bedroom and my living room.

Either way, hope you return to enjoying yourself soon

Okay, I'm gonna be honest here.  After listening a lot to these headphones, I'm really not seeing the big deal- with any of this headphone crap.  I'm a piano student, so a lot of my effort and training is geared towards hearing minute differences in music.  And maybe I'm wrong here, but whether I use good headphones, bad headphones, or even my laptop speakers, everything just sounds the same.  So at the moment, I'm starting to think that all of you are insane for spending your hard earned money on players, amps, and headphones.  

I hear ya man. Standing at the bottom of the hill, shouting "Why you people all climbing up there? You know you're just gonna have to come down again?!"
I had most of my needs met when I had just the Audio Technica AD700 and a pair of Etymotic IEMs, but just a little more refinement and involvement from the Q701 was enough to satisfy me. I had both headphones for a while, because I waffled wondering "do I really need headphones just a little better?" But eventually, the Q701 was just the headphone I wanted to listen to, and I've been pretty satisfied since buying them 2nd hand, just a bit over a year ago,

I had (have) a friend who was also a music major; he also didn't hear much difference, ended up buying Beats which he feels are really awesome. He knows pitch, and he can tell between different piano brands (not overly fond of Steinways I think) by sound alone, but I think he listens more for well-played music, that something isn't played off-key or mathematically inelegant. For him emotion just follows a good understanding and use of a tool, but emotion is where music starts for me, whether it means something to the artist and he/she is trying to communicate that with emphasis that is instinctual, and we pick up on it as instinctually as body language.

I think people invest in products as much as they value them, where as artists value themselves more than the tools and are frequently thinking they could play better than someone else's rendition. No wrong way.