[sacd lover]

double post

 

[mazersteven]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spike33 Seems like alot of people should have gotten their K701s by now and burning them in. I'll get things started. I'm listening to my friend's pair which just got here today. Right out of the box, it's very nice. The mids are even better than K501s. The bass extends really far down but doesn't have the oomph that HD650 has. Treble is very clear with just a tad of harshiness right now, should go away with burn in. Soundstage is very open and wide. Not as wide as K501 but much more 3D. Comfort is on par with K501, slightly better than HD650. For headphone with low impedance and high sensitivity, it's very hard to drive. I'm listening at the same volume as HD650. To sum it up: Think DT880 with sweeter mids and smoother highs. Bass about the same. Post your impressions here!

I'm still waiting on my set of 701's.

 

[JahJahBinks]

Me too, I ordered it a couple of days after the 10th cutoff date.

 

[spike33]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gshan So...any regrets about buying the HD650s?

Not at all. HD650 is here to stay. In terms of sound signature, I was hoping for a DT880/HD650 hybrid, what I got was DT880/HD595 hybrid.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff E I thought high sensitivity meant that the transducer was easy to drive, i.e. low volume setting for a given spl. Please clarify.

This is what I thought too but K701 is rated at high sensitivity of 105db and low impedance of 62 ohms yet is as hard to drive as HD650. Can someone explain this?

 

[spike33]

As I look into the crystal ball... I see many DT880/HD595 owners upgrading to K701. This is a clear upgrade. K701 has all of their strengths and none of the weaknesses. I do not see many HD650 owners trading in their precious HD650s for K701. I do see many of them buying K701 as a complement. I would too if I had the money. K701 is not FOTM. It is the real deal. It has replaced DT880 as the new 'Prince'. It shall rival the 'King' for many years to come... At least until HD700 is released...

 

[NotJeffBuckley]

There's a large part of me that is satisfied that they're just another pair of headphones, after all. The initial hype was almost painting them as headphone messiahs. I'd still love to hear them.

 

[Geist]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spike33 Not at all. HD650 is here to stay. In terms of sound signature, I was hoping for a DT880/HD650 hybrid, what I got was DT880/HD595 hybrid.

Ack! This is what my wallet was afraid of. I currently have the HD595's and have been watching the K701's closely. I was going to purchase them right away but figured I'd wait to see some more impressions. If they are "like the HD595's only better" that is music to my ears.

 

[socrates63]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donunus Whats the street price on these babies by the way

I believe $285 shipped is the current deal.

 

[Goose]

Quote:

Originally Posted by socrates63 I believe $285 shipped is the current deal.

From where? shipped?

 

[warpdriver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by socrates63 I believe $285 shipped is the current deal.

$287 shipped *was* the price at BHphoto.com, but it may not be valid anymore. BHPhoto.com had the lowest preorder price...and Headroom and TTVJ were doing the same price, but I think the price is higher now. The price changes every week so you'll have to call all three vendors to see what they are offering now.

 

[socrates63]

Has the price gone up now?

I also got mine from Headroom. Call the stores warpdriver listed and see what the current prices are. Headroom gave me B&H's price with no fuss so they're good on their word about price matching. I'm sure TTVJ is no different.

 

[Absorbine_Sr]

I have about 60 hours of burn-in on my K701's as of right now. I'm not as fluent as a lot of the previous posters, but I'll give my impressions. Using the Eddie Current HD 25, these headphones sound much better to me than my HD650's. I think sacd lover described it the best - they just sound very lifelike to me. Having always been a "bass" person, I thought I'd not like the lack of bass I'd read about with AKG cans. But these are wonderful. Not at all punchy, but you can hear the bass all the way down, well defined and clean. Nothing overpowers anything else, and it just sounds real to me with the right recording. If they will get even better with time, I will be a very happy listener.

A_Sr.

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spike33 As I look into the crystal ball... I see many DT880/HD595 owners upgrading to K701. This is a clear upgrade. K701 has all of their strengths and none of the weaknesses.

If I ever pick up a K701 (and I will eventually) it will likely be to complement my DT880, not replace it. Not sure how the relationship would work or which I would use when/where, but I love my DT880 too much to ever let it go. I doubt K701 has the liveliness and energy of the DT880, because it's reported to have a mellower treble. Therefore, K701 lacks something the DT880 has.

Don't assume that just because a headphone is "better" in a few ways, it means everything else is suddenly no longer worthwhile (and everyone should just sell their current cans and buy the new one). I really hate that attitude, it stinks of impending fanboyism. Perhaps all K701 owners should upgrade to the K1000, Stax Omega II, Sony R10 or Senn Orpheus?

 

[la_marquise]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vo328 La_marquise, what were you driving the 701's with?

Little Dot III (tube amp) and Portaphile V2^2.

I think I am finding the Portaphile/K701 combo to be a bit much. It's bringing out a sharpness in the treble and slight sibilance that the LD3 smooths over. Mind you, the Portaphile, IMO, has also increased the K701's soundstage even wider. I can't remember how big the K501s were (it's been months since I sold mine) but the Portaphile is bringing it close to that area.

Bartoli on "Opera Prohibita", through the LD3 was surprisingly good. In fact, so good that I might have to revise my previous opinion that the LD3 was NOT a good opera amp. Perhaps it just needed the K701s! Her presentation came across as very warm, very lively.

 

[spike33]

fewtch, if you're perfectly satisfied with DT880, I see no reason to upgrade to K701, but it is an upgrade in every sense. I'm comparing them right now and hear no area where DT880 is better.

K701 vs DT880:
-more transparent
-punchier bass
-sweeter mids
-cleaner treble
-just as lively
-more open soundstage

Most obvious difference is the overall clarity. K701 just sounds so clear. It seems like the AKG engineers used DT880 as a model and made a DT880 mkII. I hold DT880 in high regard, but I'm afraid it might be obsolete.