Originally Posted by brendon /img/forum/go_quote.gif ^^ Not in this day and age ! There are many cheaper Chinese amps that can drive high impedance cans properly.
EDIT - Surprising that the K701 has dropped to the $250 bracket while the HD595 has stayed in this bracket all along !
If you are using a desktop pc at your office, you could buy a good soundcard with an headphone amplifier built in, prime candidates being HT Omega Claro Halo and Asus Xonar Essence STX. They go for around $200 both and can drive K701/2 pretty good. For the money, probably nothing can match them.
Also, if you are wondering about which one to pick between K701 and K702, they are the same thing. K702 has some cosmetic differences and comes with a detachable cord while K701 does not come with a detachable cord and comes with a storage station.
Also, you could go for the K601 instead of K701 if funds dont allow, you could get the K601 for $200 shipped and the soundcard would set you back another $200, totaling to $400.
I came across these site selling DAC + AMP. I know they are Chinese but almost everything in the world is made in china now. Welcome to Audiophilechina
Are they good enough to drive K70x?
I think a DAC+Amp is better than a good sound card. I can use it on any source but the sound card is only on PC.
Originally Posted by Redo /img/forum/go_quote.gif K70x's are dreamy sounding, especially with vocals. If you can nab a good amp, the k70x's are much better headphones. But your question between 595's and 70x's has such a massive gap between the two to really analyze the situation.
can you explain a little more about the massive gap between the two?
Originally Posted by brendon /img/forum/go_quote.gif ^^ Not in this day and age ! There are many cheaper Chinese amps that can drive high impedance cans properly.
EDIT - Surprising that the K701 has dropped to the $250 bracket while the HD595 has stayed in this bracket all along !
Can you give me a few pointers for those chinese amp?
Although the K701's are low impedance, they do need quite a lot of power behind them to get them going properly. Thay are a lot harder to drive than the Sennheiser HD595.
The tone of the 701 is brighter than the 595 and the sound is more 'spaced out' in your head on the 701's.
The Nad receiver is quite warm sounding, I think so the 701's would brighten its sound but they are extremely revealing and seem to bring your attention to minute details in the music - which could also mean bring your attention to any poor electronics in the front of them. The Sennheisers are more forgiving of things like this.
The K701's take a long time to settle and from the start, I found mine very edgy and thin. They settled with (lots of) time.
The choice between the Sennheiser HD595 and the AKG701 really depends on where you see your hi fi journey going. If you are basically happy with the Nad receiver and intend to stay with it, I would suggest the Senns, but if you are looking at getting a good quality headphone amplifier in order to improve 'clarity' and hear more into the music, the the K701's are killers.
I really like these headphones but they are not forgiving of bad recordings or sources.
I'm not using my NAD for this headphone. The NAD is my home system.
I'm thinking about using a DAC+Amp I mentioned a few post ago.
After reading your post, I'm afraid I'll be "forced" to upgrade my source, then amp, then, headphone, than amp, than.... the cycle continue forever until I'm broke
I use my 701 on my Outlaw 2150RR receiver and they are fine. I also listened with the Sony 775 sacd player internal amp and wow they stuilll sounded good. I use them mostlly now with a Little tube MK11 but they still are fine with the other sources and amps I mentioned. Go for the 701 if you really like comfort and soundstage and detail. The Shure 840 also would be another choice.
I have a similar (now discontinued) DAC + AMP from Hotaudio and it can drive my HD650 pretty well for a $100 DAC+AMP. My other Govibe DAC doesn't cut it. However the PCM2705 DAC that is present in my DAC+AMP is not too good.
The amp I posted above has (I believe) the same amp section as mine but uses a better DAC - PCM2702E and its within your budget ($200).
I have a similar (now discontinued) DAC + AMP from Hotaudio and it can drive my HD650 pretty well for a $100 DAC+AMP. My other Govibe DAC doesn't cut it. However the PCM2705 DAC that is present in my DAC+AMP is not too good.
The amp I posted above has (I believe) the same amp section as mine but uses a better DAC - PCM2702E and its within your budget ($200).
There are a few sound cards that can drive them.
1. Apogee mini DAC.
2. Apogee Duet (mac only).
3. NI Kontrol 1.
4. Presonus Firebox.
5. Echo DJ indigo.
^^ Yes I merely gave one example because thats what I use. There are surely many more for that price or perhaps a little more than can drive the K701 resonably well. Of course a better amp will always be better but for $100 its far better than running the K701 unamped.
The AKG701's were my biggest surprise ever in my headphone-fanatic history~ the Worst Surprise. I was positively shocked at how bad they sounded after reading so much about them. I gave them a fair chance and listened for several hours, except for I think I never did get them amped properly.... but that means they need a LOT of power to sound decent. They never came close to the 595's in overall satisfaction. Honestly, forget about them... that's my humble advice. My 595's have given me over 5 years of audio bliss, they never disappoint me, and amping increases their detail and soundstage even more. They are a perfect match with the Total Bithead and my EMU 0404 USB. If you look around, the more senior headfiers tend to hang onto their 595's while other headphones come and go.
Originally Posted by spinneresque /img/forum/go_quote.gif The AKG701's were my biggest surprise ever in my headphone-fanatic history~ the Worst Surprise. I was positively shocked at how bad they sounded after reading so much about them. I gave them a fair chance and listened for several hours, except for I think I never did get them amped properly.... but that means they need a LOT of power to sound decent. They never came close to the 595's in overall satisfaction. Honestly, forget about them... that's my humble advice. My 595's have given me over 5 years of audio bliss, they never disappoint me, and amping increases their detail and soundstage even more. They are a perfect match with the Total Bithead and my EMU 0404 USB. If you look around, the more senior headfiers tend to hang onto their 595's while other headphones come and go.
I really want to know what make you like 595 better than 701? Actually, I'm even more interested to know what you don't like about 701. I'm almost set to get the 702.
1. What kind of music do you listen to?
2. What kind of source do you use?
3. What do you like about 595?
4. What don't you like about 701?
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