[Rob80b]

  I have tried the bass mod twice on my K702 and, frankly, I am not impressed at all.
 
It does nothing for the bass escept to make it halfway what Beats do, Wooly to the max.
 
It also fuzzes the treble to the point that it's aggravating, in that the clarity is compromised to the point that it almost stoops down to iBud lack of quality.
 
My K702 is now permanently back to standard.

Interesting, it’s only been a day but with the increased body to the bass and lower midrange, the upper frequencies have more contrast to work with overall and therefore psycho-acoustically IMO produce more clarity and a better balance on the whole.

 

[Punnisher]

  Interesting, it’s only been a day but with the increased body to the bass and lower midrange, the upper frequencies have more contrast to work with overall and therefore psycho-acoustically IMO produce more clarity and a better balance on the whole.

 It's very strange to hear the k702 sound this way. I was so used to the stock sound that it's hard to believe it's the same headphone.
 
The amp I'm using is extremely detailed and on the analytical side (Torpedo with Telefunken E90CC tubes) and the bass of the open-port k702 may still be too much for me. The sound I'm getting is actually very neutral and the bass has great punch, control and depth. I can't really complain about the bass at all (with my amp). If I had never heard the stock k702 I'd probably be very happy. What's missing for me is some airiness, spacial cues and detail. This area has taken a very noticeable hit. Though typically you can't expect miracles with a single driver because the change of one frequency will change of the rest of the range slightly. It's really a balancing act, and I will try tuning mine to be somewhere in between open and closed porting.

 

[Rob80b]

   It's very strange to hear the k702 sound this way. I was so used to the stock sound that it's hard to believe it's the same headphone.
 
The amp I'm using is extremely detailed and on the analytical side (Torpedo with Telefunken E90CC tubes) and the bass of the open-port k702 may still be too much for me. The sound I'm getting is actually very neutral and the bass has great punch, control and depth. I can't really complain about the bass at all (with my amp). If I had never heard the stock k702 I'd probably be very happy. What's missing for me is some airiness, spacial cues and detail. This area has taken a very noticeable hit. Though typically you can't expect miracles with a single driver because the change of one frequency will change of the rest of the range slightly. It's really a balancing act, and I will try tuning mine to be somewhere in between open and closed porting.

Might be interest to try stuffing the hole with a tiny bit of very fine loose foam.
 
 
Posted this else where,
Quote:

  Listened to Dave Hollands” Prime Directive” this afternoon, the modified K701s did an excellent job on this well recorded and dynamic disc, especially with separation, imaging and depth, the percussion displaying excellent impact.
..........

Currently I'm listening to the same disc with the HD700s, HD580/600s and the Grado SR325is, each has it's own perspective and long term listening is the rigour otherwise one gets a bit neurotic doing quick AB comparisons.
I'll try to my post impressions  later but right now I'd say the HD700s have the better overall (audiophile?) sophistication (which many might find boring) and the Grados at the other extreme, the fun factor (like sticking ones head between two closely spaced speakers) and  the AKG 701s somewhere in between.

 

[Ashade]

 
Might be interest to try stuffing the hole with a tiny bit of very fine loose foam.
 
Currently I'm listening to the same disc with the HD700s, HD580/600s and the Grado SR325is, each has it's own perspective and long term listening is the rigour otherwise one gets a bit neurotic doing quick AB comparisons.
I'll try to my post impressions  later but right now I'd say the HD700s have the better overall (audiophile?) sophistication (which many might find boring) and the Grados at the other extreme, the fun factor (like sticking ones head between two closely spaced speakers) and  the AKG 701s somewhere in between.

 

 
Might be interest to try stuffing the hole with a tiny bit of very fine loose foam.
 
Currently I'm listening to the same disc with the HD700s, HD580/600s and the Grado SR325is, each has it's own perspective and long term listening is the rigour otherwise one gets a bit neurotic doing quick AB comparisons.
I'll try to my post impressions  later but right now I'd say the HD700s have the better overall (audiophile?) sophistication (which many might find boring) and the Grados at the other extreme, the fun factor (like sticking ones head between two closely spaced speakers) and  the AKG 701s somewhere in between.

 
Search on the Q701 thread. ThurstonX already experimented with foams and was discussed recently as well. Basically you can "tune" the bass response of the mod. Listening to the HD700 right now as well.

 

[Rob80b]

   
 
Search on the Q701 thread. ThurstonX already experimented with foams and was discussed recently as well. Basically you can "tune" the bass response of the mod. Listening to the HD700 right now as well.

Thanks, I was sure it must have been done, time to go through Q701 thread.

 

[Rob80b]

For those are just getting on board with this mod, like me , the Q701 mod pivots around here
http://www.head-fi.org/t/582276/q701-appreciation-thread/4590 if you do not want to go through the 300 plus pages on the Q701-appreciation-thread.

 

[Brainroom]

This mod is definitely really effective, bringing the low frequencies up to reference levels (neutral), and as a few have already noticed even allowing a bit more detail and openess.This doesn't sound possible with the K701s as they've always been considered among the most detailed headphones available. But since doing the mod they definitely sound much better than stock, and are now very balanced, revealing headphones producing some of the most authentic realism and timbre I've heard (and that includes mid/high end Stax, HD650/700, balanced HD800, Beyer DT250, Beyer T70p, a few mid tier IEMs used with ear defenders, and lots more) with even better localisation of sound sources, separation and definition of instruments.

I think I have a theory why. The K701 always needed more burn-in than most headphones and I always assumed the drivers were made of a particularly tough material that needed loosening up, or something along those lines. Now I think the thing that needed loosening up was... the tape over the ports! If you think about the change that a K701 goes through from no burn-in to 300+ hours burn-in, it is exactly the type of thing (albeit much smaller in impact) that happens instantly when you take the tape off the ports - more bass, more detail, more openness, better separation. It's like the headphones can breathe a bit easier. I really think this is what's happening and now would even go so far as to say the K701 can only truly start it's burn-in once the tape is off! I've added a few more hours burn-in to my 450+ hours already logged and they are not getting any worse...

Along with EQ to flatten the high frequency anomalies (which unfortunately the mod doesn't fix), proper soundstage calibration with Isone Pro, and a pristine amp (Scherzo Andante) these modded K701s are awesomely enjoyable - accurate, rich, neutral, and good music just sounds wonderful on them.

 

[Jodiuh]

Ok. So I have always hated my Q701's for their total lack of bass...impact, whatever...they just SUCKED for what I listen to which is mostly pop, rock, trance, and a little classical thrown in. I 1st heard about this mod a year or so ago, but perhaps due to lack of explanation/pics/etc I decided to be a wussy man about it.
 
I don't know how or why I stumbled upon this AWESOME thread for the 1st time today, but I did. I'd love to thank all of you individually, but in my excitement I just did my best to remember everything you all taught me and went for it! I was a "little" hesitant w/ a few of the comments complaining about lack of detail, loss of airy-ness, etc. But damned if I wasn't gonna try!!!
 
I'm SUPER HAPPY I DID AND KE$HA SOUNDS GREAT!! Screw you guys, I listen to Britney too. About the sound quality...well, I'm not so great @ using terms like decay and what not, so here it is in Jod terms:
 
-more boom boom
-more space
-heavier?
-less analytical
-less boring, lol
-more natural
 
Vocals do feel like they've taken a bit of a back seat and specific notes/instruments are not as "out there" as before, but I'm assuming this is because the bass is where it has always needed to be. Is it different? Yes. Do I like it? You have no idea. This is hands down the coolest mod I've ever done to a headphone.
 
The one thing I did not see was a step by step pictorial guide. So here it is (camera was in 640x480 mode, sorry!):
 
1. OMG! What am I doing?! LOOK @ all the wires!!!
    ***NOTE***
        This is the LEFT side w/ the mini XLR. DO NOT DO THIS ONE FIRST!! The wires, specifically that yellow one is VERY short. Pulling off the cap was very difficult and I had to use quite a bit of force. Start w/ the RIGHT side so you get a feel for how it's done.
 

 
 
2. START W/ THE RIGHT GRILL!! Find a thumb tack. It's too fat to go all the way through, so don't worry about poking anything. Once you have penetrated the hole of your choice (just the tip), gently, but forcefully begin to rotate counter clockwise. You should notice the grill spin ever so slightly.
 

 
 
3. Now just "pry" open w/ the tack or turn over and it should fall off. You can see the mechanism and peeking out from the shadows is...
 

 
 
4. THE FOAMY! Pick up, place on desk. Don't forget which side is which. Honestly, I have no idea if this matters, but one side is darker than the other.
 

 
 
5. 2 screws! UNSCREW them!! Sadly, I did not snap a photo for the next step, so I'll do my best here:
   a. The cover is "snapped" in on the L and R sides w/ one of those little "plastic hook" thingamajigs that push out.
   b. Start w/ the one on the right (it was easier for me) by pushing in and up...carefully.
   c. Be mindful of the wire guide covers as those also need to be "popped" out.
   d. The left side was very difficult for me, so be aware you may need to use some trickery here.
 

 
 
6. Honestly...to me...it looks like one of those little band-aids for razer cuts, lol.
 

 
 
7. All you really need to do here is pry the tape/glue up enough to get hold of it with...
 

 
 
8. Tweezers! I use LA CROSS. High quality from Wal-Mart. You'll need to do quite a bit of pulling here, but it worked for me.
 

 
 
9. I'M FREEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

 
 
10. Lastly, apply the stickers.
 

 
The end.

 

[Rob80b]

How much a difference does this foam disc , which is absent on the K701s make.


An educated guess says it may reduce some micro-vibrations but also air flow?

 

[Ashade]

How much a difference does this foam disc , which is absent on the K701s make.




An educated guess says it may reduce some micro-vibrations but also air flow?

Tdock did some comparisons and tests and he posted impressions on the Q701 thread. Summary is that he didn't like the results. I'm on my phone but I can try to search it later.

 

[Shaffer]

Tdock did some comparisons and tests and he posted impressions on the Q701 thread. Summary is that he didn't like the results. I'm on my phone but I can try to search it later.

I'm curious about this, as well. My K702 doesn't have the foam disc. I assume it's open-cell foam?

 

[Rob80b]

   
I recently got the HD700, and I can tell you that after the mod, the Q701 and the HD700 are more similar than different. I need to listen to them a little bit more, but I think the HD700 is still a bit warmer and more detail. The bass impact on the HD700 is still bigger. Again, they are still very similar.
 
I still don't know if I'll keep the HD700 or return them and go for the HD800 directly. The HD800 is a real upgrade.

Hi Ashade
 
How’s the decision coming, I’m having difficult time deciding which can I prefer.
Prior to the mod my new HD700s were the cat’s meow giving me what I was looking for more or less, …..a hybrid HD600/K701, but now I really see nothing really lacking in the K701s.
They are brighter for sure than the HD700 and therefore more revealing, tape hiss for example is more obvious on older recordings but that doesn’t distract from the music enjoyment.
And where the HD700s once beat the stock K701s with image layering the mod has eliminated this handicap, the wide sound stage of the K701s now has added depth and great layering with more harmonic nuances (amazing what little more body/bass can do), maybe less than the HD700s but one really needs both phones on hand to hear the difference.
I know I’ve just repeated my earlier observations but it’s hard not to get excited over what a little minor surgery can do.

 

[Ashade]

  Hi Ashade
 
How’s the decision coming, I’m having difficult time deciding which can I prefer.
Prior to the mod my new HD700s were the cat’s meow giving me what I was looking for more or less, …..a hybrid HD600/K701, but now I really see nothing really lacking in the K701s.
They are brighter for sure than the HD700 and therefore more revealing, tape hiss for example is more obvious on older recordings but that doesn’t distract from the music enjoyment.
And where the HD700s once beat the stock K701s with image layering the mod has eliminated this handicap, the wide sound stage of the K701s now has added depth and great layering with more harmonic nuances (amazing what little more body/bass can do), maybe less than the HD700s but one really needs both phones on hand to hear the difference.
I know I’ve just repeated my earlier observations but it’s hard not to get excited over what a little minor surgery can do.

 
Ummmm... They are kind of growing on me... I think I am going to keep them for the moment. Still not convinced the difference in price is worth it, but the comfort and other minor things are leading me to keep them. I don´t need that money for the moment so...  I think the HD700 are very slightly more detailed but I might be making this up. I have my new ODAC on the box prepared to be reassembled on the O2. I will give my final impressions on that set up. 
 
Still, and repeating myself as well, I think it's difficult to justify the difference in price over a modded pair of Q´s (or K's, specially now that the offer is gone for the HD700 and they are back to $850). Those things are the best bang for the back ever, by far.

 

[GLXLR]

Someone needs to do tests on the modded AKGs. They do sound so much better!

 

[Rob80b]

   
Ummmm... They are kind of growing on me... ...........................

Although the differences are obvious, both are satisfying in their own way and with the mod I would not really miss one without the other.
Having said that, the strongest point I have going for the HD700s is that it emulates, as far as headphones go, the tonality and spatial cues of my speaker set-up, which may or not be a good thing given ones preferences.
I said this before but headphones are, relatively speaking, quite an affordable alternative to putting together a high end speaker system with the added benefit that of having a few phones on hand one can choose the sound and not just the music to match the mood.