[Krazor]

Alright, so I have a set of AKG Q701s which I run on my desktop. I have an Asus Xonar Essence STX sound card; my question is should I consider an investment in a dedicated amp for my cans, or just run with the sound card. Also if I should go amp, what would be ideal for my headphones. Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[linglingjr]

The 701s/702s are pretty hard to drive for being dynamic drivers.  What kind of sound signature do you like? They will benefit a lot from a nice desktop amp, what's your budget?

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Alright, so I have a set of AKG Q701s which I run on my desktop. I have an Asus Xonar Essence STX sound card; my question is should I consider an investment in a dedicated amp for my cans, or just run with the sound card. Also if I should go amp, what would be ideal for my headphones. Thanks in advance for any help.

I own the STX, but not the Q701s.
If you have a A/V receiver around, try plugging the Q701 into it, see if the audio improves or changes.
You also could try setting the STX's gain to 64-300, see if that improves the audio.
For around $10 to $50, you could swap the STX's op-amps (operational amplifiers).
Did you disable the motherboard's on-board audio, in the BIOS?
 
Try asking on this thread if there is a recommended amplifier that would show a marked improvement, over the STX.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/582276/q701-appreciation-thread

 

[xnz1201]

Icon HDP is a good dac with amp, use it instead of your sound card and buy an amp
HDP can be good for most in ear,not enough for 701

 

[Krazor]

  The 701s/702s are pretty hard to drive for being dynamic drivers.  What kind of sound signature do you like? They will benefit a lot from a nice desktop amp, what's your budget?

I'm more into analytical / clarity side of things, although I do enjoy a warm bass, and occasionally punchy. I got the Q701s to give me a better bass performance than my HD598s. Hopefully that will give you some idea where I stand. As for budget I'd like to stay under 300, 200 if possible. I haven't really looked into amps, so I am unaware of the price ranges available / suggested.

  I own the STX, but not the Q701s.
If you have a A/V receiver around, try plugging the Q701 into it, see if the audio improves or changes.
You also could try setting the STX's gain to 64-300, see if that improves the audio.
For around $10 to $50, you could swap the STX's op-amps (operational amplifiers).
Did you disable the motherboard's on-board audio, in the BIOS?
 
Try asking on this thread if there is a recommended amplifier that would show a marked improvement, over the STX.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/582276/q701-appreciation-thread

I don't have an A/V receiver around, but I suppose I could ask some friends to see if I could find one to test. I've played around with the gain, and I do a bit better with the high (64-300) I was just looking to see if there was another way to really improve my audio at the moment. I've looked at the op-amps, although I guess the thread you suggested would be the best place to see what works for the Q701s. I took care of everything in my BIOs when I built my desktop, but thanks for thinking about it. I appreciate the advice. I'll go post in there and see if someone is able to help me with possible amps.

 

[linglingjr]

  I'm more into analytical / clarity side of things, although I do enjoy a warm bass, and occasionally punchy. I got the Q701s to give me a better bass performance than my HD598s. Hopefully that will give you some idea where I stand. As for budget I'd like to stay under 300, 200 if possible. I haven't really looked into amps, so I am unaware of the price ranges available / suggested.

For amps I would say the matrix m stage is a good pair for that price, people say they paired very well with the k701.  Unless you do a lot of EQing I doubt you will be able to make the akgs sound warmer than hd598s (not a bad thing) the k701s will have a much more controlled tighter bass but the presence will be much less noticeable.  If you listen to a lot of different genres or some music that is compressed or mastered badly the AKGs will let you know very well just how bad it is.  Most hip hop/rap wasn't enjoyable throught the Q701s I had while other genres (rock, classical, jazz, Vocals, etc..) sounded fantastic.  That being said I only had them with a fiio e9 amp (the m stage is miles ahead of that) 

 

[Krazor]

  For amps I would say the matrix m stage is a good pair for that price, people say they paired very well with the k701.  Unless you do a lot of EQing I doubt you will be able to make the akgs sound warmer than hd598s (not a bad thing) the k701s will have a much more controlled tighter bass but the presence will be much less noticeable.  If you listen to a lot of different genres or some music that is compressed or mastered badly the AKGs will let you know very well just how bad it is.  Most hip hop/rap wasn't enjoyable throught the Q701s I had while other genres (rock, classical, jazz, Vocals, etc..) sounded fantastic.  That being said I only had them with a fiio e9 amp (the m stage is miles ahead of that) 

I suppose I'm not really looking to replace the warmth of the Hd 598s, but rather I wanted a tighter more crisp bass for more rock geared genres. To be honest I'm not well versed in the world of audio to really speak the lingo properly and get my point across. Although I do know that while I enjoy my HD 598s; I like the Q701s more, for certain genres. Do you know if they would truly benefit from a matrix stage-m over the STX? I'm willing to spend the money for it if it will, but I want to make sure what I'm getting will make a difference. Thanks again for responding.

 

[linglingjr]

I've never heard the 701s with the STX but what people say is mixed.  You can always buty the m stage, see if you like it and if not just turn around and sell it.  If you keep the stx I would at least upgrade the opamp.