[kman1211]

I wouldn't characterize it as bassy, just warm. I have a modded T50RP that is very linear in the bass and the difference is not overly pronounced, in fact it can come as a bit thin with some music whereas the K7XX sounds right.

That makes sense then. I find the K712 to sound just right in the bass all the time, it never gets overbearing or bleeds into the mids and it never sounds like it has too little bass, it's just it can hit really hard and has a lot of depth to the bass, but I never find the bass fatiguing or out of place like it can be on the HD 650 at times despite the K712 having more bass presence. Sounds like the bass is quite similar to the K712's then, maybe just a bit more pronounced. 

 

[Liu Junyuan]

The bass on the K7XX at stock, without the bass port mod, is heavenly, especially when it's amped properly so as to bring out the full detail elsewhere in the spectrum.

These headphones are getting most of my head-time recently.

 

[kman1211]

The bass on the K7XX at stock, without the bass port mod, is heavenly, especially when it's amped properly so as to bring out the full detail elsewhere in the spectrum.

These headphones are getting most of my head-time recently.

That is true. Even though I don't have the K7XX, if it's anything like the K712's bass which I gather it is, then the bass is simply amazing. I'm surprised more people don't mention how good the bass is on the K7xx series when well amped. The headphones need to be well-amped to shine though, especially in regards to the bass and the upper mids(which can be glary when not amped right). 

 

[AKGunkie]

That makes sense then. I find the K712 to sound just right in the bass all the time, it never gets overbearing or bleeds into the mids and it never sounds like it has too little bass, it's just it can hit really hard and has a lot of depth to the bass, but I never find the bass fatiguing or out of place like it can be on the HD 650 at times despite the K712 having more bass presence. Sounds like the bass is quite similar to the K712's then, maybe just a bit more pronounced. 

I have both the 712 and 7xx and you are correct the 7xx has a bit more bass but the 712 has a bit more midrange/ upper midrange which gives it a slightly darker sound due to the treble not being quite as prominent.

 

[kman1211]

I have both the 712 and 7xx and you are correct the 7xx has a bit more bass but the 712 has a bit more midrange/ upper midrange which gives it a slightly darker sound due to the treble not being quite as prominent.

So that's the difference between the two. I will likely prefer the K712 of the two most likely as I do like my mids a tad forward, though it could be a mood thing which I would prefer as well. Hopefully I can compare the two soon, it all depends on when I can borrow my friends pair of K7XX. Which one do you prefer?

 

[Sillyness]

I'm not sure whether the Magni 2U would count in the category of "well amped" for these, but I have been thoroughly enjoying my K7XX through it and the Modi 2U. Vali as well.
 
Regarding bass, I only have a pair of DT770/80's for comparison. I'd like to say that the K7XX comes close to the DT770 in the amount of mid-bass being produced. I think the 770's bass response pulls ahead as you head down lower, though. But, the bass coming from the K7XX is much more controlled, detailed. That's what I think I'm hearing, at least.

 

[kman1211]

  I'm not sure whether the Magni 2U would count in the category of "well amped" for these, but I have been thoroughly enjoying my K7XX through it and the Modi 2U. Vali as well.
 
Regarding bass, I only have a pair of DT770/80's for comparison. I'd like to say that the K7XX comes close to the DT770 in the amount of mid-bass being produced. I think the 770's bass response pulls ahead as you head down lower, though. But, the bass coming from the K7XX is much more controlled, detailed. That's what I think I'm hearing, at least.

That's how I hear the bass on my K712 compared to the DT 150, though maybe not as drastic. I find the bass on the K712 more detailed, controlled with a little more mid-bass. But the DT 150 has that abyssal depth in the bass(that seems to be part of the beyer sound) at times that's a bit eerie(in a good way).

 

[c61746961]

It is, the K7XX has very good bass performance for an open dynamic.

 

[AKGunkie]

So that's the difference between the two. I will likely prefer the K712 of the two most likely as I do like my mids a tad forward, though it could be a mood thing which I would prefer as well. Hopefully I can compare the two soon, it all depends on when I can borrow my friends pair of K7XX. Which one do you prefer?

I think I like my 712s just a tiny amount more because they feel a little more natural overall, but I still do enjoy my 7XXs. I would say they go about 50-50 with head time.

 

[alpha80]

  Let me preface by saying i'm quite sensitive, and these distinct differences amongst the Austrian made K701 and austrian-made Q701, with the mass drop k7XX, will be missed by most.  Most will just see the k7XX as having heavier/more bass, and everything else the same, more or less.
 
K701 still wins as a reference phone/engineering tool, IMHO.  it noticeably has the most air.  Biggest soundstage (although the aggressive panning and slightly smaller center channel presence on the k7XX fooled me for like 10 seconds).  k701 also has the most midrange accuracy and detail, and the most natural curve of the 3. Also, surprisingly, the K701 has the most prominent "bass guitar" presence, despite losing to the K7XX for sub bass below say, 60hz (which is quite a lot of the sub bass in southern rap (although not east coast), and many electronic genres. K701 is the easiest tool out there, for true detail freaks or pro audio guys, to hear across all ranges of the audible range, with speed, detail, accuracy, and very little coloration, shy of $1000.00 pricetag.
 
K7xx is by far the most "sennheiser like" of all 3 in terms of frequency response.  Less of the trademark, "exposing" AKG AIR.  Slightly less detail on common instrument frequencies in upper mids and lower highs than the K701, like above 3k.  A certain "dim, dark" absence of some >9k high frequency, is definitely featured here and in say, the sennheiser HD650.  Soundstage is still great, like all AKG open backs.  It is a great listening headphone, as it is very smooth and very bass heavy for an AKG.  But strictly as an engineering tool, it is not as truly great as the K701 or Q701.  K7XX's frequency range hides tape "hiss" from old recordings, as well as taking some sting and shrillness away from the cymbal/hi-hat/percussive range.  Again, this is truly great for listening pleasure on less than perfect recordings, or for someone who wants AKG soundstage, and AKG mids, without the typical piercing, AIRY AKG highs.
 
I look at the graphs of all 3 compared on headphone.com, and i'm convinced that they do not accurately represent the character of these .  By that graph, the Q701 has the most bass by far, and that is not real life.  The Q701 is actually the most "quiet" volume wise, overall, of all three (perhaps a slightly different impedance than advertised?), with the least present bass compared to the sharp piercing highs on it.  Keep in mind i am referring to the austrian-made Q-701.  I don't hear a supposed bass monster in the Q-701, compared to the K77X.  Q-701 is much more bright and less bass dominated.
 
Quite noticable differences for 3 headphones often referred to as "the same"

   
I've been saying this since I heard the K7XX. The first thing I noticed was how closed they sounded, removing the foam on the outer caps made it better. They second thing I noticed was that vocals lacks air and extension. I also hate how vocals are more directional rather than floating in the center. It's like there is a hole in the center of the soundstage. I was expecting the K7XX to have almost speaker like presentation but that is not the case. My IEMs have better presentation on acoustic tracks which is a little sad. I also don't buy that the K7XX has the same soundstage as the K712 and K702 Annies since those latter HPs don't have foam covering the grille. The K7XX has a more consumer friendly sound but lost pretty much everything that made the K701/2 great.

So did you notice any other changes in sound when you removed the foam on the outer caps ?

 

[Liu Junyuan]

I kind of like the fact that the K7XX is not the K701/2. Otherwise, we could just buy those headphones instead. It seems that some are critiquing chocolate ice-cream for not being vanilla ice-cream. Also, none of this is any surprise. The very first post on this thread made this incredibly clear that the K7XX was not tantamount to the K701/2.

With that said, I really would not mind having the K701 in my headphone stable for critical listening. I have never heard them before.

 

[c61746961]

K701 still wins as a reference phone/engineering tool, IMHO.  it noticeably has the most air.  Biggest soundstage (although the aggressive panning and slightly smaller center channel presence on the k7XX fooled me for like 10 seconds).  k701 also has the most midrange accuracy and detail, and the most natural curve of the 3. Also, surprisingly, the K701 has the most prominent "bass guitar" presence, despite losing to the K7XX for sub bass below say, 60hz (which is quite a lot of the sub bass in southern rap (although not east coast), and many electronic genres. K701 is the easiest tool out there, for true detail freaks or pro audio guys, to hear across all ranges of the audible range, with speed, detail, accuracy, and very little coloration, shy of $1000.00 pricetag.

K7xx is by far the most "sennheiser like" of all 3 in terms of frequency response.  Less of the trademark, "exposing" AKG AIR.  Slightly less detail on common instrument frequencies in upper mids and lower highs than the K701, like above 3k.  A certain "dim, dark" absence of some >9k high frequency, is definitely featured here and in say, the sennheiser HD650.  Soundstage is still great, like all AKG open backs.  It is a great listening headphone, as it is very smooth and very bass heavy for an AKG.  But strictly as an engineering tool, it is not as truly great as the K701 or Q701.  K7XX's frequency range hides tape "hiss" from old recordings, as well as taking some sting and shrillness away from the cymbal/hi-hat/percussive range.  Again, this is truly great for listening pleasure on less than perfect recordings, or for someone who wants AKG soundstage, and AKG mids, without the typical piercing, AIRY AKG highs.

I've been saying this since I heard the K7XX. The first thing I noticed was how closed they sounded, removing the foam on the outer caps made it better. They second thing I noticed was that vocals lacks air and extension. I also hate how vocals are more directional rather than floating in the center. It's like there is a hole in the center of the soundstage. I was expecting the K7XX to have almost speaker like presentation but that is not the case. My IEMs have better presentation on acoustic tracks which is a little sad. I also don't buy that the K7XX has the same soundstage as the K712 and K702 Annies since those latter HPs don't have foam covering the grille. The K7XX has a more consumer friendly sound but lost pretty much everything that made the K701/2 great.

It would appear that if you get a pair of K701 pads you can turn your K7XX into a slightly bassier K701, midrange dips and treble weirdness seem to be mostly products of earpad damping. If they weren't $30 each, I would try K7XX + K701 pads + 2 felt rings.

 

[jhii07]

Any news about the next drop?

 

[Joeybgood]

I kind of like the fact that the K7XX is not the K701/2. Otherwise, we could just buy those headphones instead. It seems that some are critiquing chocolate ice-cream for not being vanilla ice-cream. Also, none of this is any surprise. The very first post on this thread made this incredibly clear that the K7XX was not tantamount to the K701/2.

With that said, I really would not mind having the K701 in my headphone stable for critical listening. I have never heard them before.

THe K701s I already own. Hoping to snag a pair of the K7xxs very soon! I'll let ya know how I feel they differ(though I THINK I have a pretty good idea already) Love your ice cream analogy. You're making me think about a big ol bowl of it now!!!! :-D

 

[Joeybgood]

300hrs of burn in for K/Q701/XX seems to consisently be the recommended amount of hours. I believe I've seen that for other AKG models as well. SO do folks feel that ALL AKG cans benefit from that amount? I've got a pair of K553s coming from the recent MassDrop so I was wondering about that. tks.