[robeot]

Hi all,
I've been reviewing a lot of head-fi articles lately, as I am looking for a new set of 'phones (note: this is not a thread seeking advice as to which pair I should buy - I will have a separate post in the stickied thread for that).  The Q701's have peaked my interest, as they seem to be pretty well balanced while having that great soundstage I'm looking to get for gaming purposes.  However, I am trying to stay below ~$250 or so for this purchase.  As such, I checked for used or refurbished Q701s and noticed 'harmanaudio' on eBay sells a ton of their refurbished Q701s on there for relatively cheap.  I am wondering if anyone has had experience with refurbished Q701 (or K701) phones, as I do not want to invest in these only to be disappointed by some poor refurb build quality (hissing and whatnot). The main concern I have is the listed specs for the Q701 on their eBay page.  They do not match the standard Q701 specs you find on AKG's website.  I contacted them and was told I'd receive a response in 3-5 business days, but I haven't heard much.  To be honest, I wasn't really expecting a great answer anyway.
 
From AKG's site:

1. Frequency Response: 10Hz - 39.8kHz
2. Sensitivity:105 dB SPL/V
3. Input Impedance: 62 ohms
4. Weight: 235g

 
From 'harmanaudio' refurbished eBay listing:
 

1. Frequency Response: 11Hz - 29,5kHz
2. Sensitivity: 125dB SPL/V
3. Input Impedance: 32 Ohms
4. Weight: 120g (4.2 oz)

 
I'm assuming they're listing their specs incorrectly on the eBay listing, as the weight is even off by a full 100 grams.  Any thoughts/experiences on this would be highly appreciated.
 
Thanks,
-robeot

 

[viralcow]

Quote:

I am wondering if anyone has had experience with refurbished Q701 (or K701) phones, as I do not want to invest in these only to be disappointed by some poor refurb build quality (hissing and whatnot).

 
I'm not exactly sure if you understand what refurbished means. They're units that had original defects and sent back to the factory to be repaired. There's really no such thing as "poor refurb build quality." Most refurbs have seen less than 30 days of use, so you're dealing with near-new conditions to begin with. If anything, refurbs have less chance of being defective than new ones, since they've been double checked for problems.
 
And I've ordered refurbs from Harman directly- and they ship in huge well-padded boxes so the headphones travel comfortably (seriously huge, 5-6 times more space than needed).
 
The different specifications are definitely a mistake. There's no way a refurb weighs almost half of the original.

 

[robeot]

Quote:

 
I'm not exactly sure if you understand what refurbished means. They're units that had original defects and sent back to the factory to be repaired. There's really no such thing as "poor refurb build quality." Most refurbs have seen less than 30 days of use, so you're dealing with near-new conditions to begin with. If anything, refurbs have less chance of being defective than new ones, since they've been double checked for problems.
 
And I've ordered refurbs from Harman directly- and they ship in huge well-padded boxes so the headphones travel comfortably (seriously huge, 5-6 times more space than needed).
 
The different specifications are definitely a mistake. There's no way a refurb weighs almost half of the original.

Thanks for the reply.  I do fully understand refurbishment. From my experience, refurbished products vary greatly by manufacturer. I guess my question was more specifically asking if Harman is well-known for quality refurbished products, which you state they are as you've purchased directly from them, as I am planning to.
 
As to the spec discrepancy, I do chalk that up to lazy eBay postings.  It's just a bit odd that they have never caught that, even though they have 10+ Q701 listings per day.  I just wanted to make sure there was no sub-par model I didn't know about that they'd be listing instead.