[Greggo]

I was tempted to try the K712 but the Q701 was such a disappointment that I kind of lost my taste for the AKG sound.  Don't get me wrong, I understand how some folks could fall in love with any of the AKG headphones as they do have a unique sound.  I thought the Q fit really nice and did some things exceptionally well, but the lack of bass and easily excited high frequencies got to me after a while.  Same thing only a little different with the K550, though in this case the bass was very nice but the upper mids through the highs had a strange character to them IMHO, and they were too loose fitting for me.
 
I joined this drop because I really want to love the K7XX and I am keeping my fingers crossed that the pads fit/feel even better than the Q I had and eventually sold off.  I have the HD600 which is a headphone I really admire and like the idea of having the K7XX as an alternative sound to go along with them in my collection.  I think both of these headphones started a new era as milestones in our hobby and it is kind of cool to have them around even if you end up with something else as your "go to" headphone.
 
Having said that, for those who are looking at these... here are a few things to consider IMHO:
 
1) Don't count on these as your main headphones if you like Rock, Pop, Country, EDM, Rap etc... as your primary genre and don't like much else
 
2) Great for folk, jazz, classical and most other genres so long as you are not very demanding of bass and/or mid bass punch.  If you like accurate and tight bass, they will probably get the job done, but not in any great quantity, just quality.  I am hopeful that early reviews are not exaggerating the new found levels of bass, because I remember them not taking to EQ very kindly, there just isn't much there in this driver to wring out.
 
3) If you are really in love with vocals and strings, there are some fantastic qualities of this headphone design that you will certainly appreciate.
 
4) If you are building a modest headphone collection or greater... I can't think of any other headphone that is even closely related to these in terms of character and presentation, so you just can't go too wrong here if you like variety and want to experience all the classics in this hobby.
 
I hope my bitterness is not too obvious here, I was really disappointed in how AKG handled and marketed the whole Q series endorsement and felt a bit suckered after the new toy syndrome wore off.  Part of me still wants an AKG in the house, so hopefully at this price and with this more serious and understated color scheme I will be a reasonably happy camper.

 

[bavinck]

Looks like they are available for that price now.

Thanks! I was so bummed when I missed the Amazon 598 deal, but now I am glad I did as I got the 600 deal! Both the k7xx and hd600 coming my way..... Must
.. Stop.... Spending.... Lol

 

[rymd]

 1) We've spoken with AKG and they're expediting the manufacturing of the second batch of 2000 headphones in the production queue. They're now scheduled to ship to us "end of December or early January", which means in all likelihood, we'll get these shipped out to people by mid/late January!

woohoo

 

[money4me247]

  I was tempted to try the K712 but the Q701 was such a disappointment that I kind of lost my taste for the AKG sound.  Don't get me wrong, I understand how some folks could fall in love with any of the AKG headphones as they do have a unique sound.  I thought the Q fit really nice and did some things exceptionally well, but the lack of bass and easily excited high frequencies got to me after a while.  Same thing only a little different with the K550, though in this case the bass was very nice but the upper mids through the highs had a strange character to them IMHO, and they were too loose fitting for me.
 
I joined this drop because I really want to love the K7XX and I am keeping my fingers crossed that the pads fit/feel even better than the Q I had and eventually sold off.  I have the HD600 which is a headphone I really admire and like the idea of having the K7XX as an alternative sound to go along with them in my collection.  I think both of these headphones started a new era as milestones in our hobby and it is kind of cool to have them around even if you end up with something else as your "go to" headphone.
 
Having said that, for those who are looking at these... here are a few things to consider IMHO:
 
1) Don't count on these as your main headphones if you like Rock, Pop, Country, EDM, Rap etc... as your primary genre and don't like much else
 
2) Great for folk, jazz, classical and most other genres so long as you are not very demanding of bass and/or mid bass punch.  If you like accurate and tight bass, they will probably get the job done, but not in any great quantity, just quality.  I am hopeful that early reviews are not exaggerating the new found levels of bass, because I remember them not taking to EQ very kindly, there just isn't much there in this driver to wring out.
 
3) If you are really in love with vocals and strings, there are some fantastic qualities of this headphone design that you will certainly appreciate.
 
4) If you are building a modest headphone collection or greater... I can't think of any other headphone that is even closely related to these in terms of character and presentation, so you just can't go too wrong here if you like variety and want to experience all the classics in this hobby.
 
I hope my bitterness is not too obvious here, I was really disappointed in how AKG handled and marketed the whole Q series endorsement and felt a bit suckered after the new toy syndrome wore off.  Part of me still wants an AKG in the house, so hopefully at this price and with this more serious and understated color scheme I will be a reasonably happy camper.

I agree that the q701 isn't really suitable for bass-heavy genres, but hopefully, the k7xx with the +3 db bass boost remedies that problem

 

[sampson_smith]

Really intrigued by the K7XX, but it appears that if you live outside of the US, you are out of luck. Apparently the first 1k orders could be international, but everything else will remain Stateside. Bummer, as this Canuck would love to get his hands on a pair in the new year. ;$

 

[macshooter]

Was checking the reviews on the K701/702/7XX and found that the elastics on the headband seem very weak... Having already secured a K7XX are there any long term issues with the rubber losing tension/cracking? I don't know if I should exchange this for a HD600 for the sake of a longer lasting headphone :S

That was my main concern when I got my AKG 702 65th annis.  I was pretty pissed to find rubber bands on such and expensive headphone. However the sound is amazing, they are light and VERY comfortable (with the new velor/memory foam earpads and flat headband. (Ala the K712)
 
There are some options for dealing with the eventual elastic band wearing out.  1, You can get the part number and track down replacement parts and carefully disassemble and install them. 2. you can find where they fit you best, mark that, and then use tape, epoxy, JB weld, etc to hold them in the correct position to fit your head forever. 3, You can try to implement a hook system of some sort so that you can attach springs (the kind with loops at the end) or rubber bands, hair bands ect. that can be taken off and replaced easily.  My idea is to drill very small holes the size (diameter) of a strong paperclip and bend small sections of paper clips shaped into a hook, then JB weld them into the holes.  Then I can use springs or rubber bands and maintain the self adjusting ability.  I have not done this mod yet.  The danger would be drilling in the wrong place into some component and damage the headphone. You could also use course grit sand paper to roughen the area you want the hooks to go, then JB Weld or epoxy some other kind of hook or attachment without drilling whole.  Perhaps use a small plastic block with a hole (small square bead or something like that) and glue it on the outer surface it so that you can also replace the paperclip hook if it ever bends or breaks. 
 
Being able to easily replace the rubber bands without taking the whole thing apart is a huge design flaw.   But I think with a little effort and ingenuity this flaw can be overcome, with various levels of neatness (duct tape or carefully fashioned hooks with springs etc) as desired.     I think the comfort and sound quality are worth the effort.   (As long as you are ok with their sound signature, and don't need/want huge bass impact, but are satisfied with tight accurate bass, with maybe a little EQ (and an amp, these really need to be amped) to bring it out a bit more.)
 
I haven't read all the responses in this ever growing thread yet, so sorry if I'm covering ground someone else has already been covered.
 
-edit-
 
I don't plan to try this mod until I have issues with the stock elastic bands.  So I think it's worth mentioning that if anyone tries the drill-a-hole, glue in paperclip hook method, its probably a really good idea to go at the sides of the paperclip with a dremmel sanding/grinding wheel, or else do it by hand, to really rough up the surface of that paperclip to give the epoxy/jb weld something to hold on to.  The hole only really serves the function of holding the hook in place while the glue cures.  If you use 5 min epoxy you might can just glue it straight on without any holes.  There's not much room on top (the upper bracket thing that holds the other end of the rubber band) to be drilling, so probably that's going to need to be a glue job.  JB weld takes 24hrs but if mixed right it totally indestructible and close to the same color as the plastic.  But it moves and drips for a while before it sets. Gravity is not your friend with that stuff.  5 min epoxy is probably a better choice though not as strong so long as both surfaces are roughed up pretty good so it will grip well.  Then maybe hit it with some paint after it dries.
 
-edit-
 
And do yourself a favor and turn those nice cushy velvet ear pads counter clockwise and take them off before you get epoxy on them!

 

[AladdinSane]

More headphones for me. Been wanting a $200 unit for gaming and these look to be not only good for that but also all around listening. Will be curious to compare with the classic HD600s. Between this site and Massdrop...wallet says ouch. Hope they ship earlier!

 

[kid vic]

  I would've bought these but I don't think these would sound good without an AMP and i'm not going to be able to afford a decent amp to drive these babies in the near future.
Just curious though, what is a reasonably priced amp that can run these cans effectively?

 
 
I have the AKG K340 electro-dynamics that are notoriously difficult to drive and I'm getting exceptional sound from them using my $50 "Moka" amp off of ebay, I also have the K612's which are (supposedly) harder to drive than the K7series and the same amp does it justice. I haven't had a chance to try a better amp but you can get good china made no name amps. 

 

[Bostonears]

Here's an idea for MassDrop/AKG: a special edition remake of the K1000!

 

[wilflare]

thinking of joining this drop... what should I expect coming from Fidelio X1?

 

[Baycode]

  Here's an idea for MassDrop/AKG: a special edition remake of the K1000!

 
+1 

 

[xkonfuzed]

Question: is this a one-time thing or will they keep selling the K7XX even after the drop ends?

I'm debating on whether or not to get it. I own a DT880 and though I love it, I'm starting to get bored of its signature. Would these be a good compliment to the Beyers? The only K series I have tried was the K701 and in all honesty I disliked it as it sounded too thin and lacked some punch in the low end.

 

[avitron142]

Question: is this a one-time thing or will they keep selling the K7XX even after the drop ends?

I'm debating on whether or not to get it. I own a DT880 and though I love it, I'm starting to get bored of its signature. Would these be a good compliment to the Beyers? The only K series I have tried was the K701 and in all honesty I disliked it as it sounded too thin and lacked some punch in the low end.

 
When I tried the DT880's, they sounded very airy and maybe even a bit too bright (although maybe that could've been from the portable amp?).
 
From what I've heard, the K7XX's are the exact opposite of that signature. Warm and beautifully soundstaged.
 
The new K7XX model is different from the K701 that they made it warmer, not to mention a bass boost a bit So it seems to have addressed your potential issues.
 
Honestly, the K7XX will not have the same "attack" as the DT880's have, at least in the high end. The DT880's are known to have a very bright signature.

 

[plakat]

Don't get too hung up with the rubber bands, I don't think they are that much of a problem (i.e. will fail that soon) and can be repaired in case they eventually become loose.
 
I'm definitely no basshead, but I love many variations of EDM and did not find the K702AE lacking bass. Yes, the TH900 does much more in that regard, but the AE is not letting one down with electronic genres. If one is coming from more bass-enhanced headphones it might take a bit of time to become accustomed to the AKG, but the newer models in the 7-series do just fine in my opinion.

 

[imfine]

Ok, so after going through the entire thread I pulled the trigger. Damn you guys