[elwappo99]

Quote:

 
The K712 is made for the professional market and use close tolerance drivers (pre-selected transducers, AKG tells them capsules or transducers) - which explains the higher price (more on manual labor - hand-crafted in Vienna, Austria). The K712 have a slightly improved bass too.
 
Compare headphones with close tolerance pre-selected transducers with the standard consumer line could detect differences or could not. Depending on what tolerances the sample of the consumer headphone have.
 
I hope you understand what I mean.
 
PS: My native language is not english, excuse mistakes.

 
We had these same arguments over the K702 65AE. When I tested my own drivers, I didn't think they were any closer than any other headphone I've owned. Overall, I think AKG is just rehashing their old K701 and giving it a face lift, at best. It's hard to imaging they'll move a lot of units at $700, and honestly I would not recommend these at all for that price. I think the K701 and Q701 is actually one of the best values on the market. You can get it for around $200 in the US, and I think it is a stellar value. The sound on the K702 65AE is "different" but "better" is up for debate. Either way, it's still a very small change overall, and nothing drastic like an orthodynamic headphone. 

 

[HiFiGuy528]

Quote:

 
$699 for what's most likely a Q701 with new pads. That's hilarious. AKG/Harman must think we're all suckers.
Is AKG getting ideas from Monster, Sennheiser, Shure and Bose now? Every new headphone is overpriced now it seems like. That includes every new $300 portable headphone that's all fancied up with such AMAZING build quality.
I think they must mark up a headphone almost double because it looks cool, has expensive marketing costs and has good build quality. Beyerdynamic headphones in comparison look like a much better deal.
 
Of course the suggested retail of the Q701 is $479 and almost nobody would pay that.
 
If the K712 Pro isn't any different than the Annie and way overpriced you should just get a Q701 with Annie's pads.
 
AKG is going to be a joke to me if they actually sell this nonsense for more than $500. Who knows..maybe it's much better and different, but highly unlikely.

 
Pls keep in mind that those are List prices, not street.  BTW, K702 now lists for $499, but street is around $349.  

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Yeah, I don't know what planet you guys are from, but headphones almost NEVER sell for their list price, unless they're mandated by the makers (*cough*Grado*cough*). AKG doesn't doesn't restrict the price of their headphones.

The List Price of the K702 Anniversary is $650 dollars. The most I've ever seen it ANYWHERE was $500, and that lasted a few weeks. It started going down to $400-430, and is now sold at around $365, nearly $300 less than the list price. When you factor the cost of the memory foam pads and flat style headband, the standard K702 models +pads+headbands cost basically the same price, and that doesn't include the new color scheme, or headband assembly (which is not a simple endeavor). At least here in the states.

Those inflated list prices are NOT what you're expected to pay.

 

[HiFiGuy528]

The headphones market today is crowded with low-fi to mid-fi models.  IMO, AKG K550 and K7xx series (K701, K702, Q701, K702-65 & K712 pro) are among the best headphones on the market regardless of price.  Considering you can get any one of those for well under $400 makes them crazy good.
 
If you are an AKG K7xx enthusiasts like I am, you should get the K702-65 because it was designed and built for you and me.  If you can't get your hands on the K702-65, the K712 pro is for you because it is not limited in production.   If you are handy at modding headphones, you can save a few bucks and mod a Q701 with anniversary ear pads and headband.  Keep in mind that you are doing all the work. Do consider how much money is your time worth to you and don't forget the cost of parts.  
 
Stop OCDing over which is the best and how AKG is marketing the new headphones.  The best headphone is the one you use the most and enjoy using.  Now stop reading this and go listen to some music.  

 

[bracko]

Quote:

 
We had these same arguments over the K702 65AE. When I tested my own drivers, I didn't think they were any closer than any other headphone I've owned. Overall, I think AKG is just rehashing their old K701 and giving it a face lift, at best. It's hard to imaging they'll move a lot of units at $700, and honestly I would not recommend these at all for that price. I think the K701 and Q701 is actually one of the best values on the market. You can get it for around $200 in the US, and I think it is a stellar value. The sound on the K702 65AE is "different" but "better" is up for debate. Either way, it's still a very small change overall, and nothing drastic like an orthodynamic headphone. 

Completely agreed. If anyone wants a different sound then there are other headphones in the same price league to consider. I find it very strange that AKG actually take almost 500 dollars (or in this case 2.5 times the price of k701) for a face lift. What would we say if car manufacturers did the same?

 

[2enty3]

I think the reason we keep bashing on AKG despite being fans is because we expect a certain "Greatness" from them. We expect a new 'phone that will blow the others out of the water, but all they do is dish out cheap tricks and new colors for a higher price.
 
I like K70X series too, but the way AKG keeps re-hashing is still pretty disappointing.
 

 

[elwappo99]

Quote:

I think the reason we keep bashing on AKG despite being fans is because we expect a certain "Greatness" from them. We expect a new 'phone that will blow the others out of the water, but all they do is dish out cheap tricks and new colors for a higher price.
 
I like K70X series too, but the way AKG keeps re-hashing is still pretty disappointing.
 

 
I think this more than anything. My first really good pair of headphones were K240s, and I spent countless hours on them. My first mid-fi headphone was the K702, which I also wore constantly (until my head hurt from the bumps!).
 
In recent years many other headphone manufacturers are coming out with new headphones that are trying to change up the market in their own way. AKG's response? New colors! 

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I don't blame AKG for the K702 Annie and K712. Many people complained about the K702/Q701's bumps, and they changed it. Then it was a complaint about needing more bass and less peakiness, and that's exactly what they did. This is a headphone for those people. Sure, it's not logical to consumers to raise the price so much just for a headphone retuning by pads and headband, but the fact they exist is a GOOD thing.

Some of you may be perfectly fine with the K70x bumps, but don't act like it wasn't a known problem for many people. Also, don't act like the added bass and warmth wasn't ever asked for. People asked for these things for YEARS. AKG finally did it, and people complain? Come on.

The only thing to complain about here is how much they initially charged for these revisions (or how much it costs for some of you who aren't lucky enough to get them in a price range that isn't far off from the regular models.

At least the standard models are still sold.

I do agree, AKG IS slacking on bringing out another true flagship. Most companies have one, and it makes no sense that such a popular and well known company has no offering to compete. The Annie, (as much as I am in absolute love with it) is a mid fi can, and can't be compared to flagships costing 2x-3x as much. In frequency response, absolutely. In high level refinement, no.

Bringing out a K1000 successor in an aethetically pleasing housing/design would be huge for them.

 

[bracko]

Quote:

I don't blame AKG for the K702 Annie and K712. Many people complained about the K702/Q701's bumps, and they changed it. Then it was a complaint about needing more bass and less peakiness, and that's exactly what they did. This is a headphone for those people. 

 
You are describing a k501 with k701 pads. A mint k501 can be found for 150-200 dollars, even less. If you add the cost for new pads (30 dollars) you have a worthy successor to k1000 for 180-230 dollars 

 That's not bad at all

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I doubt the K501 is just a K702 with more bass and less peakiness. I'm sure it has it's differences. The Annie is literally the K702 with the retuning due to the pads, so it is the higher quality driver.

 

[bracko]

Quote:

I doubt the K501 is just a K702 with more bass and less peakiness. I'm sure it has it's differences. The Annie is literally the K702 with the retuning due to the pads, so it is the higher quality driver.

 
That of course i s debatable 

 

[Overwerk]

i thought mahler loved the k501. aren't the k501 and k601 legendary as opposed to k70x being contemporary?
 
still, i can't say I like k601 more than k702. too mellow to be called an akg.

 

[bracko]

Quote:

i thought mahler loved the k501. aren't the k501 and k601 legendary as opposed to k70x being contemporary?
 
still, i can't say I like k601 more than k702. too mellow to be called an akg.

k601 is out of production but some shops still have them new. Yes, k601 is a bit "mellower" than k70x

 

[Wildstar]

Quote:

Also, AKG never said Q701 sounded any different than K701, yet Head-fiers said otherwise. Some thought the "Annie" might not really sound different, yet the small change of pad material made it so. All along the capsule marking changed with it.

You are correct, they don't claim the Q701 sound different, they do claim to have "3-D form ear pads" (same claim as the K702s, and which they don't claim for the K701s, so I assume at least the early K701s had different pads) and that each is "individually tested and numbered". Different pads would indeed change the sound, what I haven't been able to understand here is whether the late production K701s sound identical to the Q701.
 
From the AKG sites, I'd gather K702 and Q701 are identical, but not K701.
 
From a cursory google search, I was unable to find AKG marketing claims on the Annies, other than the headband and matched drivers. They don't even mention the pads.
K712 does explicitly mention "improved low-end performand by 3dB". Did they claim this on the Annies?

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Whether they did or didn't, that is exactly how it sounds. The Annies have an obvious boost in low end compared to the Q701 (DIRECT COMPARISON). That's not even debatable, to be honest. That very statement of a 3db bass boost in the K712 pretty much proved at least to me, that it is the same headphone as the K702 Anniversary.

Before the K712 Pro became public, I would've pegged the boost in bass to be between 3-4db on the Annies over the K702. Seriously.

Logically speaking, this statement of 3db increase in bass would apply to the K712 vs the STANDARD K702 models. It's illogical to think it'd be a further 3db increase from a very limited model which was already very good in bass. 3db bass increase of the K712 from the K702 Anniversary is basshead territory, and doesn't sound like something AKG would do to their 'fave' headphone model.