[Eee Pee]

~7 db of boost?  

 

[Ali-Pacha]

  I've been listening to these headphones with this EQ I made for a while, and I thought I'd share it with you guys. When I first listened to them, it sounded like there was something missing, and this eq fills in that gap. I think it sounds really nice now.
 

Want'em to sound like Stax ? 

 
Ali

 

[Trae]

  Want'em to sound like Stax ? 

 
Ali

 
I guess so

My body knows how I like it

 
These headphones just didn't have the presence that I'm used to hearing, and the mids sounded kinda thin.

 

[robakri]

Want'em to sound like Stax ? 

Ali

Or k701 with the 2k peak

 

[Kamakahah]

I've been listening to these headphones with this EQ I made for a while, and I thought I'd share it with you guys. When I first listened to them, it sounded like there was something missing, and this eq fills in that gap. I think it sounds really nice now.

Not sure if serious or...

Judging by what I hear and what I see in the measured frequency response graphs located elsewhere, this EQ looks like it's trying to increase the same peaks already present. To me that = ear rape.

I'll give it a shot if I start feeling like a masochist.

 

[Oktyabr]

I posted back a page or two how to generate your own test on your own computer using free software.  This eliminates the X factors in using the web as a test mechanism.  Whether a user is properly amplifying them can be a factor as well but nailing down a generic chain profile may be difficult to do.  

Whether it's cone breakup, some reverberation in the housing assembly due to a flaw in manufacturing or assembly, or a wire that is hitting the back of the cone, a short in the cable or connectors, or something else entirely different, I don't know.  It could be a combination of several things.  This is *still* a QC issue and is NOT inherent to the design of the K7xyz despite what some have suggested.

I suspect a rush (in China) to get out an unexpectedly large order before the western Holidays (and the Chinese ones) meant that many of these were assembled with undue haste and little afterthought.  This is the status quo for such a production run in China.  I could tell you horror stories about QC under such conditions although granted, most were products at a fraction of the K7XX cost and from relatively much lesser known labels (not like Harman/AKG).  A decade ago a "first run" of a product that had been outsourced to one of many Chinese plants might have a failure as high as 50%.  You literally ordered twice as much as you thought you needed because you were probably going to end up sending half of them back.  Some have suggested that the K7XX is a recolored K712.  Keep in mind that the K712 is one of the remaining headphones that is still tested and assembled in Austria.  Emailing the specifications to a plant half way around the world and asking them to do a limited edition as their first run of a particular model is bound to have problems.  The filter between the manufacturer and the end consumer IS the QC department.  This is, probably for *most* of the people complaining about having a problem, a QC issue with this run or a sub batch of it.

The good news is that Harman hung their neck on the line with this one.  They are one of the world's largest hi-fi conglomerates and 100 good reviews of their products won't ever compensate for even a single bad review, especially if the flaw(s) are rampant with several different customers.  They won't like it much, and it will cost them a significant amount of money to fix it, but I suspect that they will.  Be patient.

OH!  And Merry Christmas!!!

 

[plakat]

I think there may be more than one thing going on... there may well be units with an actual defect that results in rattling at moderate listening levels and that may have something to do with a rushed first batch. AKG should of course take care of these.
 
Some reports sound different to me though: playing bass-heavy music at very high levels may well be beyond the capabilities of the headphone and therefore you might simply hear distortion due to driver overload. before going through the hassle of returning it in the hope for a unit that does not show this effect (slim chance) I'd try to see if a clean recording played at normal listening volume or a bit higher does lead to the same effect. If not... who cares?
 
And yes, the AKGs are not a bassheads dream machine. Still they are able to produce respectable levels without distortion, but maybe not enough bass. Don't forget that a 3+ bass boost at the amp or source means a lot of more power at the driver...

 

[money4me247]

I think there may be more than one thing going on... there may well be units with an actual defect that results in rattling at moderate listening levels and that may have something to do with a rushed first batch. AKG should of course take care of these.

Some reports sound different to me though: playing bass-heavy music at very high levels may well be beyond the capabilities of the headphone and therefore you might simply hear distortion due to driver overload. before going through the hassle of returning it in the hope for a unit that does not show this effect (slim chance) I'd try to see if a clean recording played at normal listening volume or a bit higher does lead to the same effect. If not... who cares?

And yes, the AKGs are not a bassheads dream machine. Still they are able to produce respectable levels without distortion, but maybe not enough bass. Don't forget that a 3+ bass boost at the amp or source means a lot of more power at the driver...

+1

 

[kman1211]

My friend just got a pair of these, she is disappointed by the actual build quality and says they feel cheap(the plastic and earpads) compared to the Austrian made Q701, which is a bit worrisome as her Q701's felt a bit cheap compared to my K712. Build quality seems two steps below the K712.

 

[Trae]

 
 
Take two
 
There is a nice dip between ~300 and 1.5kHz, so that had to be filled up. There is a ~2.2kHz peak that had to be lowered a bit, and the rest of the range needed a bit more presence.
 
Edit:
 

  I think there may be more than one thing going on... there may well be units with an actual defect that results in rattling at moderate listening levels and that may have something to do with a rushed first batch. AKG should of course take care of these.
 
Some reports sound different to me though: playing bass-heavy music at very high levels may well be beyond the capabilities of the headphone and therefore you might simply hear distortion due to driver overload. before going through the hassle of returning it in the hope for a unit that does not show this effect (slim chance) I'd try to see if a clean recording played at normal listening volume or a bit higher does lead to the same effect. If not... who cares?
 
And yes, the AKGs are not a bassheads dream machine. Still they are able to produce respectable levels without distortion, but maybe not enough bass. Don't forget that a 3+ bass boost at the amp or source means a lot of more power at the driver...

 
 
Sounds about right to me. I can only get my left channel to rattle if I play bass-heavy music at loud-ish volumes, and the right channel kicks in if I turn the volume up a couple more notches. However, if there are owners out there that get rattling at moderate volumes, then by all means, that problem should be addressed. I was under the impression that people were expecting more bass out of these headphones than they were designed for, and thus leading them to witnessing distortion the bad way, but there very may well be a defect with some of these headphones, like you said. If what you say is actually true, then I apologize for any confusion that I brought to this thread. My comments were directed towards the crowd who were overpowering the headphones with these bass tests and whatnot, which will definitely induce mechanical distortion.

 

[mangan]

  My friend just got a pair of these, she is disappointed by the actual build quality and says they feel cheap(the plastic and earpads) compared to the Austrian made Q701, which is a bit worrisome as her Q701's felt a bit cheap compared to my K712. Build quality seems two steps below the K712.

You can't compare the earpads from the Kxx with the Q701,they are total different.

 

[kman1211]

 
You can't compare the earpads from the Kxx with the Q701,they are total different.

True, but you can compare the quality of the plastic of the earcups and how thick and quality the leather on the headband is and how well they are put together. She was talking more about the overall build quality moreso than the pads when coming to the conclusion they have poorer build quality. She also tried my K712 for over a month and they are supposed have similar earpads to the K7XX, she said the K712's pads are much softer and the K7XX is much more flimsy and loose fitting than the K712. Though the K7XX admittedly need break-in with the pads. I will be able to compare the K7XX and K712 sometime in the future, I'll see if I come to the same conclusion in terms of quality of the build. 

 

[Stereodude]

  I know what I'm talking about, and all drivers aren't exactly equal. Therefore, you will have some slight variations to when the drivers start distorting. The same happens to my AD2000MKIV headphones (avatar pic), although at ear hurting volumes.

 
You're not reading what I'm posting.  The left driver in my K7XX buzzes at low volumes, below where anyone would likely listen to music with them.  The right driver doesn't buzz at near ear splitting volumes well above where I'd listen.  This isn't some sort of slight 1dB channel imbalance between the left and right More like 25+dB different.  Post till your fingers hurt, but you won't convince me what my K7XX does is normal.
 
Edit:  After listening more closely with the house quieter, it buzzes at nearly any volume with a 30Hz test tone.  If the 30Hz tone is audible, so is the buzz.

 

[Trae]

   
You're not reading what I'm posting.  The left driver in my K7XX buzzes at low volumes, below where anyone would likely listen to music with them.  The right driver doesn't buzz at near ear splitting volumes well above where I'd listen.  This isn't some sort of slight 1dB channel imbalance between the left and right More like 25+dB different.  Post till your fingers hurt, but you won't convince me what my K7XX does is normal.

Whoops, I read your post wrong. Sorry

 

 

[apepii]

So I tested mine, I can only hear it a unlistenable volume. As I don't listen music at that high of a volume, it does not bother me that much.