[BillsonChang007]

Shouldn't be a problem! Just upgrade the DAC/amp later on (if you wish to)

 

[RXShadow]

I just ordered the K712. I've been debating between this and the X1 for WAY too long (I really suck at making decisions). I really hope it would be a suitable all-rounder that would give me, or at least even close, to the fun factor that most people are constantly talking about the X1. In the end, this seems like a really good choice, but god damn, I'm having such doubts with my wallet crying over at the side
 
I might plug it on my phone to see how it sounds first for the fun of it (shouldn't destroy anything, right?). Either way, it would be interesting to see how this goes.

 

[BillsonChang007]

nope it won't destroy anything for plugging it into the phone xD 
 
The K712 and X1 are day and night different IMO. The K712 for the resolution, less bassy [less fun at the same time], brighter in comparison and also the K712's midrange is not recessed like the X1. 
 
do share your impressions when it arrived! xD

 

[RXShadow]

  nope it won't destroy anything for plugging it into the phone xD 
 
The K712 and X1 are day and night different IMO. The K712 for the resolution, less bassy [less fun at the same time], brighter in comparison and also the K712's midrange is not recessed like the X1. 
 
do share your impressions when it arrived! xD

Haha, yeah. I defintely will, it should arrive by next week.
 
I was pretty much looking for a good all-rounder, with good bass (I read that K712 has more than the other AKGs, so it should be enough for my non-competitive gaming and movies needs), extreme comfort (I have very sensitive head/hair) and can pretty much handle anything without me needing to really consider another headphone for a long time.  The K712 seems to check all of those criteria, so does the X1 but I'm just worries the bass is TOO much heavy for my needs, so I went with the K712.
 
Like I said, it will be interesting hearing these once they do arrive. I do know they're gonna be a huge upgrade considering my low expectations/gear.

 

[Evshrug]

I've basically decided tonight that the K712 are "it" for me.

My recent experience with the very good and comfy Beyerdynamic DT880 was very smooth and refined, but ultimately, compared to the K712, it was somehow both dull AND fatiguing. Tonight was my last shot, because I used my favorite tube in my great tube amp with my schiit Bifrost Uber... it helped things a little, but I still was disappointed. Bumping up the mids and cutting the treble at 8-9kHz by -3dB brought back energy and immediacy, spared me from the clean but piercing treble spike, yet also introduced grain and some distortion. Going back to flat EQ just sounded like a tinny headphone with good bass extension. This is after using them almost exclusively for about a week shy of my return period (so just over 3 weeks). The most fun I had with them was when I had them plugged straight into the little DSS unit, the 600 ohms made it fun to see how close to max volume I could turn the DSS (that unit has LOADS of volume headroom), and the DT880 were physically very nice comfort. However, soundstage and separation were better with AKG, the DT880 caused me a little struggle to hear right when enemies would appear around the corner but the K712 (especially when double amped... YEP) tapped right into my subconscious and it was like the walls were transparent.

RXShadow,
You may be worried that the bass won't be strong enough for you to have "fun" sound, but I assure you that the K712 has elevated bass yet in balance with all else, you shouldn't struggle to hear low notes (like bass guitar) amid everything else. I'll even say that bass isn't the key to having fun... Some people chase bass forever because that's always lacking in earbuds, but you need the whole frequency spectrum (as well as resolution, soundstage, and "liquid" presentation) to really have music and audio key into your subconscious and unlock moments that feel like magic.

I have a test playlist of songs featuring different aspects of music that I had used over and over for years as my "standard for comparison," I usually listened for certain parts and then skipped to the next one. After 4 years and any headphone I bought or could borrow from a friend, these songs had become a bit stale. When I first got my Q701, it's funny reading my listening notes because I only got through like 3-4 songs before I just gave up on writing things down and just let the whole playlist play out.

I can't promise that it'll be to your taste, but it's a well-rounded headphone that is not a one-trick pony. More natural than HE-400, more detailed/resolving than DT880, more immersive than HD650, and dare I say more musical and less distracting (FWIR) than HD800. I haven't personally heard the top of the line Sennheisers, but I've read a wide breadth of reviews on them and many others, and no other headphone (besides maybe Etymotic ER4S custom earmold IEMs) is attractive to me right now. That said, I might trade my K712 for K702 Annie's for aesthetic reasons, lol, and the regular case 702 is probably a better bargain unless you really need that extra 3 dB bass.

 

[kman1211]

I've basically decided tonight that the K712 are "it" for me.

My recent experience with the very good and comfy Beyerdynamic DT880 was very smooth and refined, but ultimately, compared to the K712, it was somehow both dull AND fatiguing. Tonight was my last shot, because I used my favorite tube in my great tube amp with my schiit Bifrost Uber... it helped things a little, but I still was disappointed. Bumping up the mids and cutting the treble at 8-9kHz by -3dB brought back energy and immediacy, spared me from the clean but piercing treble spike, yet also introduced grain and some distortion. Going back to flat EQ just sounded like a tinny headphone with good bass extension. This is after using them almost exclusively for about a week shy of my return period (so just over 3 weeks). The most fun I had with them was when I had them plugged straight into the little DSS unit, the 600 ohms made it fun to see how close to max volume I could turn the DSS (that unit has LOADS of volume headroom), and the DT880 were physically very nice comfort. However, soundstage and separation were better with AKG, the DT880 caused me a little struggle to hear right when enemies would appear around the corner but the K712 (especially when double amped... YEP) tapped right into my subconscious and it was like the walls were transparent.

RXShadow,
You may be worried that the bass won't be strong enough for you to have "fun" sound, but I assure you that the K712 has elevated bass yet in balance with all else, you shouldn't struggle to hear low notes (like bass guitar) amid everything else. I'll even say that bass isn't the key to having fun... Some people chase bass forever because that's always lacking in earbuds, but you need the whole frequency spectrum (as well as resolution, soundstage, and "liquid" presentation) to really have music and audio key into your subconscious and unlock moments that feel like magic.

I have a test playlist of songs featuring different aspects of music that I had used over and over for years as my "standard for comparison," I usually listened for certain parts and then skipped to the next one. After 4 years and any headphone I bought or could borrow from a friend, these songs had become a bit stale. When I first got my Q701, it's funny reading my listening notes because I only got through like 3-4 songs before I just gave up on writing things down and just let the whole playlist play out.

I can't promise that it'll be to your taste, but it's a well-rounded headphone that is not a one-trick pony. More natural than HE-400, more detailed/resolving than DT880, more immersive than HD650, and dare I say more musical and less distracting (FWIR) than HD800. I haven't personally heard the top of the line Sennheisers, but I've read a wide breadth of reviews on them and many others, and no other headphone (besides maybe Etymotic ER4S custom earmold IEMs) is attractive to me right now. That said, I might trade my K712 for K702 Annie's for aesthetic reasons, lol, and the regular case 702 is probably a better bargain unless you really need that extra 3 dB bass.

I know that feeling, the K712 seems like it's almost it for me, it's honestly the best mid-tier headphone I've heard and scales up surprisingly well from my experience, better than the Q701 for some reason. Sadly it's not really the "it" headphone for me because I was blessed/cursed to hear numerous flagships and now I'm seriously considering biting the bullet and getting an LCD-2 and later a better amp and stop getting anymore headphones. I am somewhat thinking about being more patient and saving for the K812 but it's more expensive and seems to have some reliability issues, so instead I'm mainly considering my second favorite headphone in the $1000-1500 mark the LCD-2.

 

[jeremejevs]

It took a bit over a week. I did heavy burn in with pink noise(a good 4-8 hours a day or more) and at higher volumes, a decent amount higher than I would listen to, uncomfortably loud but not ear bleeding loud or anything. I also listened to music here and there. There was some improvement within a few days. And it did improve more as the headphones got more use. This has been my experience at least.

 
Thank you so much for suggesting this! I had no idea that burning in could have such an impact, to the extent of even fixing distortions. Two days, ~6 hours of brown noise each, and the issue is gone, for good. Tried those two tracks from Godzilla again, and nothing, not a even a hint.

 

[BillsonChang007]

I know that feeling, the K712 seems like it's almost it for me, it's honestly the best mid-tier headphone I've heard and scales up surprisingly well from my experience, better than the Q701 for some reason. Sadly it's not really the "it" headphone for me because I was blessed/cursed to hear numerous flagships and now I'm seriously considering biting the bullet and getting an LCD-2 and later a better amp and stop getting anymore headphones. I am somewhat thinking about being more patient and saving for the K812 but it's more expensive and seems to have some reliability issues, so instead I'm mainly considering my second favorite headphone in the $1000-1500 mark the LCD-2.

Who knows.. Audeze refreshed their line with MK2 or something and you will have to continue your purchase :evil:

 

[Evshrug]

Thank you so much for suggesting this! I had no idea that burning in could have such an impact, to the extent of even fixing distortions. Two days, ~6 hours of brown noise each, and the issue is gone, for good. Tried those two tracks from Godzilla again, and nothing, not a even a hint.

Awesome to hear you had good results! Yep, I'm definitely a believer in burn-in with these large drivers, though in the long run, pad condition and not blowing out your drivers have the most impact.

 

[kman1211]

Who knows.. Audeze refreshed their line with MK2 or something and you will have to continue your purchase

True, and thankfully with Audeze they just refreshed the LCD-2, now to decide whether to get leather or vegan pads. I am sorta waiting for AKG to refresh the K812 with a MK2 model or at least iron out the reliability issues with the K812. But if I get the LCD-2 or K812 I doubt I will get another headphone for a while unless it's a gift. Although with this hobby, you never know as it's addicting and expensive. I may just end up selling some gear to help fund more gear.
 

   
Thank you so much for suggesting this! I had no idea that burning in could have such an impact, to the extent of even fixing distortions. Two days, ~6 hours of brown noise each, and the issue is gone, for good. Tried those two tracks from Godzilla again, and nothing, not a even a hint.

 
No problem. Some reason I found burn-in can sometime really change things, particularly with AKGs and Senns. My experience with Beyer on the other hand only had mild changes with burn-in, which is nice since you don't have to wait long for them to open up. I don't know why but AKGs seem to take more commitment than other headphones I've owned. I'm not sure about other brands as I don't really have experience with burn-in with them. I've been quite stuck with the Germanic big three(AKG, Beyer, and Senn) in terms of headphones purchases.

 

[-Bankai]

well shoot, i was planning on buying the K712's in January, but if there being made in China now I'm not sure I'd totally be happy about it. not a deal breaker, unless we start seeing issues in production :O

 

[wrists]

cant decide between sennheiser hd600 and k712. heeeeeeelp
(http://www.head-fi.org/t/728616/sennheiser-hd600-or-akg-k712-pro)

 

[BillsonChang007]

HD600 are warmer, darker, "laid back", "veiled" in comparison to the K712. HD600 is amp picky while K712 needs power. Both are really say and night difference. What's your source and genre of music do you listen to?

 

[XIX47]

For awhile I have detected sibilance in the harshness of the "s" sounds during some dialogue conversations while gaming. Has anyone else experienced this before? I do not like vocals so I cannot confirm if it occurs during music tracks. Otherwise the sound is flawless from my K712's in my opinion.

 

[HaVoC-28]

  For awhile I have detected sibilance in the harshness of the "s" sounds during some dialogue conversations while gaming. Has anyone else experienced this before? I do not like vocals so I cannot confirm if it occurs during music tracks. Otherwise the sound is flawless from my K712's in my opinion.

 
Well sibilance from gaming conversations could be atribuate to high compression (to limit bandwidth) Not sure thought .

HD600 are warmer, darker, "laid back", "veiled" in comparison to the K712. HD600 is amp picky while K712 needs power. Both are really say and night difference. What's your source and genre of music do you listen to?

HD600 veiled and amp picky ?
 
I don't think we are talking about the same headphone

 
 
With an older K702 i would agree about being warmer/darker , with my ANV not so .