[russdog]

I was talking K712 drivers being "newer" compared to the formers. I doubt they will ever move their fralgship 8 series production to China.

I'm just speculating, though.

 
AFAIK, the K712 drivers aren't anything new, it's just that other small details about the K712's are different...

 

[Oktyabr]

   
AFAIK, the K712 drivers aren't anything new, it's just that other small details about the K712's are different...

I'm pretty sure I read (in this thread?) it has a different part number.

 

[Change is Good]

Yes, the K712 drivers are different. You can contact AKG and confirm this.

 

[Gloomy Moonie]

I've only tried solid state in my short two years in this hobby, the E9K, M-Stage, iCAN, Asgard 2, and NFB-15. That said, I have been lucky to test each with some sort of AKG I owned, at the time, whether it be the Q701, K702AE, or K612. My favorite pairing wit the AKGs has to be the NFB-15, but keep in mind its built in DAC has a lot to do with it.

So is there any DAC/amp combo that best suits the K7XX?
This is the part that frustrates me the most about this hobby, quite honestly. It's nearly impossible to get the hang of what to look for in sound if you don't have a wide variety of equipment to experiment with, without any significant time restraints that is. As I've previously mentioned, I've had the chance to listen to 3 products out of the NFB line, out of which the 15 had the most interesting sound, in my opinion, the one that's worth the coin, so to say. It doesn't come without caveats though, as I've come to understand from it's dedicated thread. To get a fuller grasp on what I mean you can review my brief participation in it here: goo.gl/UjRQVa.
I hope that it's a good enough of a background to convey what I mean when asking what combo should I pair the K7XX with, and if there's anyone here that has found an answer to this question, you're welcome to chime in.

 

[bavinck]

I have a modi and a project Starlight from garage 1217. Excellent pairing, and switching tubes from a 6n6p (warm and tuby, no rough highs at all on the k7xx and still good detail) to a 6dj8 (soundstage large, detailed) make it a totally different sounding amp. For $20 a tube that is a pretty good deal for me. I would highly recommend this setup for a cheap start with the k7xx,and in fact I will be selling my project Starlight soon as I am upgrading to another garage 1217 amp.

 

[bavinck]

Is it possible to get an iem that sounds like the k7xx but costs around $50? This inquiring mind needs to know (or be pointed to where I could find out)

 

[hi2chris]

Is it possible to get an iem that sounds like the k7xx but costs around $50? This inquiring mind needs to know (or be pointed to where I could find out)

That is like asking for Landrover that drives like a Ferrari, they are two totaly different beasts.

 

[bavinck]

  That is like asking for Landrover that drives like a Ferrari, they are two totaly different beasts.

Uh, maybe more like a chevy that drives like bmw 5 series...

 

[Change is Good]

Closest I found to sounding like the k7xx was the Westone 4r. Far more than $50, though...

 

[Solarium]

Are they going to have any more drops? I missed the last 2 drops and so far they've already sold 38xx units... was the limit 4000 units or 6000?
 
Also, has anyone paired this with a WA7? How does that combo sound like?

 

[money4me247]

Are they going to have any more drops? I missed the last 2 drops and so far they've already sold 38xx units... was the limit 4000 units or 6000?

Also, has anyone paired this with a WA7? How does that combo sound like?

yup. ithink at least one more drop. they shld have maybe 2,000ish left.

i will be getting a wa7 so i can try for you. (tho tbh i personally think the wa7 + the k7xx combo wld be a gross misallocation of budget - wld be much wiser to spend that $1300 on headphones and the $200 on the dac/amp imo.)

 

[russdog]

  Are they going to have any more drops? I missed the last 2 drops and so far they've already sold 38xx units... was the limit 4000 units or 6000?
 

 
The limit was supposed to be 6000 but recently MD says that a miscommunication means it's really 5000.  So far, I think the total spoken for is ~3000.
 
However, MD says they intend to eventually sell more than just the 5000, it's just that the individually-numbered "first editions" are limited to 5000.

 

[bavinck]

I would be surprised if they stayed at $200 after the limited supply is over. These cans are absolutely worth more than that and I think they know it. 

 

[protocol]

Would people say these cans benefit more from a tube amp or non-tube amp? In the process of getting my hands on a 2nd hand Vali but not sure if I'd be better off with the Magni 2 they have for sale instead. I was buying the amp for my Q701s but I'm selling them to pay for these instead. 

 

[bavinck]

The k7xx sound best to me on a hybrid tube amp. I loving the sound of these things through Garage 1217's new amp Project Solstice (with a 6dj8 bb). Highly recommended. You can preorder them now. The project Starlight is also good, but the AKGs benefit enough from Solstice to suggest going with that one. To me, a warm amp is best for the k7xx, the magni is basically neutral and that is a bit too analytic for my tastes. The nice thing about the Garage amps is the wide options for tube rolling which can change the sound of the amp a fair amount.