The AKG K7XX Massdrop First Edition Thread
May 27, 2015 at 6:09 AM Post #2,461 of 4,580
I'm pretty much in the same position as soldat (up 3 posts).  I have the AKG 533 Pro headphones and I auditioned a pair of AKG 712's for a couple of days which I understand is pretty much the same thing as the Massdrop AKG 7XX (same exact drivers, cushions, headband, +3db boost in the bass, etc).  BUT, I paid $425 with tax for the 712's before I returned them.  Reason: They were amazingly clear and all that but that with basically the same AKG sound signature (i.e dry, neutral, analytical, etc).  I felt the 712's were just an excellent upscale variant of the 533's.  There were differences of course but not $300 worth of difference.... and frankly, I missed the warmer bass presentation and volume of my 533's whenever I put the 712's on. 

In the end I felt the AKG K712's were excellent but boring.  Why boring?  Well, I was spoiled by a pair of Philips Fidelio X2's which I eventually returned for a rattle in the left can at high volume (bought used for $220 Amazon).  Now the X2's were FUN and had all of the excellent attributes of the 712's and likely the 7XX's too.   I felt that I wanted something different than the AKG sound which I already had in the K533 Pro.

Now, like you soldat, I'm fit to be tied.  Here are the K7XX, which are basically the K712's, for $200.  What do I want to do now: Spring for these and forgo a new pair of Philips Fidelio X2's for $299?......or buy them both and do a direct comparison?  I'm currently thinking that I could easily sell the Massdrop AKG 7XX for what I paid for them if I take care not to damage the packaging and keep them in mint condition.  (My wife already thinks I'm nuts for paining over these decisions.) Perhaps I could put the X2 purchase off a couple of months while I enjoy a second bite of the apple with the K7XX's? 

Here's what I think will happen as I peer into the future:  I'll get them both, love the Phillips X2's more, intend to sell the K7XX's..... but never really getting around to selling them....lol.... : )   

 
 
May 27, 2015 at 7:30 AM Post #2,462 of 4,580
@Condocondor, my advice to you is not to make purchasing decisions with the mentality that you can easily sell the item in the future. Just purchase the item that you will have no regrets and will not really want to sell. It makes life a lot simpler. I currently have a ton of excess gear just sitting around gathering dust as I bought them thinking I can run a bunch of direct comparisons and sell later. The losses do actually add up to quite a bit. Just my advice from personal experience.
 
I do think the K7xx are excellent and quite capable headphones, but if you personally preferred the X2. Just go with the X2. If you are unsure, just go with the one that your gut feeling says you won't regret. It sounds to me that you really want the X2 and are just trying to justify buying the K7xx since they are such a good value. I agree that the K7xx are a great value, but a K7xx gathering dust while you only use the X2 turns out to be a poor value.
 
hope my opinion is helpful! cheers :)
 
May 27, 2015 at 9:25 AM Post #2,463 of 4,580
  @Condocondor, my advice to you is not to make purchasing decisions with the mentality that you can easily sell the item in the future. Just purchase the item that you will have no regrets and will not really want to sell. It makes life a lot simpler. I currently have a ton of excess gear just sitting around gathering dust as I bought them thinking I can run a bunch of direct comparisons and sell later. The losses do actually add up to quite a bit. Just my advice from personal experience.
 
I do think the K7xx are excellent and quite capable headphones, but if you personally preferred the X2. Just go with the X2. If you are unsure, just go with the one that your gut feeling says you won't regret. It sounds to me that you really want the X2 and are just trying to justify buying the K7xx since they are such a good value. I agree that the K7xx are a great value, but a K7xx gathering dust while you only use the X2 turns out to be a poor value.
 
hope my opinion is helpful! cheers :)

 
Isn't that the truth, great advice.  I think a lot of people make the mistake of buying new gear thinking they can just sell their old gear easily.  Sometimes it works out that way but more often then not it's the opposite.  At the very least, you usually sell at a loss.
 
May 27, 2015 at 10:18 AM Post #2,464 of 4,580
If you don't want to disappear down the tube rolling rabbit hole (I have spent hours reading about tubes, tracking down different tubes at a decent (??) price. I have several times the cost of the amp in tubes. Most just sitting in their boxes) Get the Polaris.

:gs1000smile:


Well what are your favorites?
 
May 27, 2015 at 10:30 AM Post #2,465 of 4,580
  Picking up a pair of these this week.  My first pair of AKG headphones...looking forward to testing them out.  You guys have any amp suggestions?  I might try and push for a Lyr 2 if it is in my budget but I would like to hear cheaper suggestions that would perform well with them.  Thanks!


I went with the Magni2U/Modi2U stack and have been thrilled - mind you, I've not done any comparisons or listened to these headphones through anything else yet, but I will say that it sounds utterly delightful this way. Better than any other set I've listened to elsewhere (Sennheiser HD650s thru an Audioengine D1, Bowers & Wilkins P5s straight from iOS/various Macs, B&W C5 in-ears thru the Fulla). Given you're considering the Lyr, I'm guessing you already know all that though and my suggestions are unnecessary :)
 
May 27, 2015 at 12:18 PM Post #2,466 of 4,580
 
@ReelDeal, check out my two reviews here. I have direct comparisons & measurements of both of them directly against each other. it should help you get a really good sense of how these two headphones compare. hit me up if you have any further questions.
 
akg k7xx: http://www.head-fi.org/products/akg-k7xx/reviews/13116
oppo pm3: http://www.head-fi.org/products/oppo-pm-3/reviews/12713

 
Great reviews. Thanks! I definitely think an open back headphone suits me better. But... as often happens, other models you mentioned got me wondering about those. Specifically, the Hifiman HE-400i. Any thoughts on how it compares to the K7XX? 
 
May 27, 2015 at 12:53 PM Post #2,467 of 4,580
Great reviews. Thanks! I definitely think an open back headphone suits me better. But... as often happens, other models you mentioned got me wondering about those. Specifically, the [COLOR=3B3B3B]Hifiman HE-400i. Any thoughts on how it compares to the K7XX? [/COLOR]


I had both, kept the K7XX. Will be back with some more details when I have some extra time.
 
May 27, 2015 at 3:10 PM Post #2,469 of 4,580
Well what are your favorites?


You would ask... I have literally 17 tubes that I have not listened with. I bought these based on recommendations here and on other forums thinking that I could listen to them and rate them, then sell the ones I didn't care for. Well the last tube arrived about 10 months ago. The problem is that I don't get enough time to listen and I also find that doing critical comparisons of anything, especially tubes to be work. It takes having long periods where I will not be interrupted and can focus on the comparison. This is made into an even longer task by virtue of the fact that tubes need to be warmed up (which also makes any kind of quick switching for comparisons pretty much impossible). Unfortunately there are things that I have to do, and they take precedence. I only got through about 5 tubes, according to my log. The Mullard matched pair that I bought no reside in both of my Sunrise III amps. They are 1958 12Au7s They are nice and detailed, but add that nice tube warmth that people seem to love. When using any of several Saber DACs, this was the best way I found for me to enjoy the 560. So far... which is not very far, the Mullard is my favorite. Second place to an Amperex Bugle Boy 6DJ8. The Voskod that the Sunrise ii came with ..I wasn't that happy with. A JJ-Tesla and gold pin also went back into their boxes for various reasons.
 
Anyway, we don't want to turn this into an off topic tube rolling discussion...
 
May 27, 2015 at 3:34 PM Post #2,470 of 4,580
  I'm anxious to hear!

 
Okay, this will be short and sweet...
 
K7XX has a wider soundstage and more bass presence, while the 400i is more mid-oriented with simliar highs. I chose the 7XX because i like a little more bass than what the 400i had to offer. Sonically, however, the 400i is the better headphone. 
 
May 27, 2015 at 3:57 PM Post #2,471 of 4,580
also, he-400i has wider spacing in between notes (tighter notes) as a result of its faster transient speed. both are very nice headphones though. he-400i is more midcentric in comparision to my ears.
 
May 27, 2015 at 5:55 PM Post #2,473 of 4,580
Just got a pair in. 
 
First impression after 2 hours.
I am really flabbergasted by the soundstage and the air in the sound. 
Coming from a beyer 770 and sennheiser 25-i it is not weird but still it way bigger than i could imagine.
Coming from those i must say the bass feels a little light when i don't use my amp.
 
May 27, 2015 at 9:32 PM Post #2,475 of 4,580
Originally Posted by slurp /img/forum/go_quote.gif

 
Coming from those i must say the bass feels a little light when i don't use my amp.

 
That's the value of good amplification, my friend! I haven't tried my K7XX with a lot of different amps but people say they "scale" well. Anecdotally, the Schiit Lyr 2 seems to pair particularly well.
 
For what it's worth (maybe nothing?), a few times in a pinch, I've driven my K7XX from my iPhone but the sound seemed dull. The iPhone can drive the K7XX louder than I can tolerate but the quality of the sound just isn't the same as when I use a dedicated amp.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top