[ahmedie]

I personally heard mk2 and I can confirm that l700mk2 has more bass extension than l700. Additionally, some other japanese in Japanese site said same thing, https://bbs.kakaku.com/bbs/K0001153011/#tab. Actually I think mk2 is superior to older l700 in almost all aspects slightly, noticeably bass.

 

[bwck2000]

I auditioned L700 mk2, can't comment too much on its difference with mk1 because it is not in the audition but the sound of Mk2 complys with Mk1 in my memory. At that audition I unplugged the cable to see the build. Its a simple yet secure design that is going to last for many years. I think its easy to make a replica by 3D print .

 

[generick]

Bit late to the discussion but I've recently bought a pair of L500's but while they sound great, there are certain flaws I cant ignore. The sound signature has a wow factor, to my ears this is created through no sub-bass, a elevated mid/upper bass, thin mids and treble emphasis with a big spike in the treble. This results in a thin, V shaped sound that pops out at you, which I think is the biggest flaw as it creates a unnatural timbre that made music sound off. However I will admit it has remarkable treble resolution and very low distortion all round which made it excellent for detail retrieval. It has a intimate soundstage but has a great sense of height. build and comfort is god awful which goes without saying. Overall, L500 is a enjoyable and detailed headphone, but not daily driver or a be all end all can due to its flaws, I think it can excel as a complementary can to another darker more full bodied headphone like a audeze.

 

[Amish]

I own the L700mkii and can say that it has very good bass. Not booming bass but tight, realistic, makes me feel like I'm there bass.

I never heard any other L700 though so I can't compare. The amp/energizer does makes a difference though too.

 

[Tsukuyomi]

I own the L700mkii and can say that it has very good bass. Not booming bass but tight, realistic, makes me feel like I'm there bass.

I never heard any other L700 though so I can't compare. The amp/energizer does makes a difference though too.

Which energizer are you using?

 

[Amish]

Which energizer are you using?

I'm using a Mjolnir Audio Octave III and Stax SRM-T1

 

[Yoram Diamand]

I'm using a Mjolnir Audio Octave III and Stax SRM-T1

Hi, can you say you like one better than the other? I have L700 mk1 and SRM T1-S. Sometimes I dream about Mjolnir Audio. But they do not come cheap.

 

[Amish]

@Yoram Diamand The Mjolnir for sure, but SQ wise they are both very good. You won't miss anything with your T1 as far as detail goes. The T1 is a smoother sound while the Octave is more dynamic sounding. Faster, crisper, more lively, gets quite a bit louder. The T1 has a smoother sound signature and doesn't match the gain or dynamics of the Octave but all in all the T1 is surprisingly good and provides all the detail one would expect from a Stax amp.

I use a preamp to control the volume on the T1 and of course, the Octave as well since it requires a preamp or amp with gain control. If I'm listening to the Octave with the gain set to let's say, 30 on the preamp, I'd have to crank the preamp up to 45 when using the T1 to get the same sound level (estimated due to doing this with my ears) and the octave has a lot more headroom. The T1 starts to break down at higher volume while the Octave keeps pushing out clean music. The Octave can go as loud as I want...until it hurts and still is clean sounding while the T1 starts to fall apart before reaching any blistering levels.

At lower volumes, though the T1 is great and I love it. So is the Octave though and it sounds livelier. More energetic.

If I only listened to my music at lower levels then I'd be hard-pressed to pick one over the other. They both sound great. I suppose it would depend on if you prefer a smoother tube sound or a solid-state sound. I'm a big tube guy so I dig the T1 but I admit the Octave is the better amp.

Hope this helps! If you have any more specific questions let me know.

/edit just tested them together and the T1 needs to be at 43 on the volume of the preamp to match the Octave at 30 on the preamp by ear anyway.

 

[Yoram Diamand]

@Yoram Diamand The Mjolnir for sure, but SQ wise they are both very good. You won't miss anything with your T1 as far as detail goes. The T1 is a smoother sound while the Octave is more dynamic sounding. Faster, crisper, more lively, gets quite a bit louder. The T1 has a smoother sound signature and doesn't match the gain or dynamics of the Octave but all in all the T1 is surprisingly good and provides all the detail one would expect from a Stax amp.

I use a preamp to control the volume on the T1 and of course, the Octave as well since it requires a preamp or amp with gain control. If I'm listening to the Octave with the gain set to let's say, 30 on the preamp, I'd have to crank the preamp up to 45 when using the T1 to get the same sound level (estimated due to doing this with my ears) and the octave has a lot more headroom. The T1 starts to break down at higher volume while the Octave keeps pushing out clean music. The Octave can go as loud as I want...until it hurts and still is clean sounding while the T1 starts to fall apart before reaching any blistering levels.

At lower volumes, though the T1 is great and I love it. So is the Octave though and it sounds livelier. More energetic.

If I only listened to my music at lower levels then I'd be hard-pressed to pick one over the other. They both sound great. I suppose it would depend on if you prefer a smoother tube sound or a solid-state sound. I'm a big tube guy so I dig the T1 but I admit the Octave is the better amp.

Hope this helps! If you have any more specific questions let me know.

/edit just tested them together and the T1 needs to be at 43 on the volume of the preamp to match the Octave at 30 on the preamp.

Yes this is helpful, thanks, Yoram

 

[ahmedie]

I own the L700mkii and can say that it has very good bass. Not booming bass but tight, realistic, makes me feel like I'm there bass.

I never heard any other L700 though so I can't compare. The amp/energizer does makes a difference though too.

MK2 have bass compared to MK1 according to me and another post as well

 

[KaiserTK]

From my short experience of trying the L700mk2, compared to my mk1 it was more neutral sounding with noticeably less peaky treble and cleaner bass, but also sounded slightly slower and smaller soundstage. I only compared using a few tracks and at a showroom, so take my impression with a grain of salt.

 

[Sound Eq]

i was in hong kong few weeks ago, and i waited for 30 minutes until the first unit of l700 mk2 arrived, and on the table i had 009s, 009,
l700 mk2 and l700mk1 using t8000 amp and also d50 dac/amp and d10 dac/amp

i can say for 100% that l700mk2 has more bass and a bit smoother signature than l700 mk1, it was simply amazing, and i might buy one

009s i did not like that much, and to me 009 was better than 009s, me and the employee came to the same conclusion, maybe something was wrong with 009s as there was literally weak bass even compared to 009

now do any of these sound better than my own 007mk2 or my Perun of course not, i stayed 4 hours in the store comparing things, this make me appreciate my 007mk2 and Perun and i will not sell them at all, as those are keepers for good

i can say d10 not worth it and makes headphones distort above 60-70% volume
d50 was nice, if my 007tii amp breaks one day then for price performance i will get d50
t8000 was good but so expensive

 

[Amish]

I have not had the opportunity to do a comparison like you @Sound Eq but I will say that the L700mkii is the best sounding headphones I have used to date. It is so good that I doubt I will use my other headphones going forward and I am even selling several amps and headphones from my collection. I may sell everything except my Stax cans and amp, though I do believe I'm going to sell my SRM-T1 since it doesn't perform as well as my Mjolnir Audio Octave III. The T1 sounds fantastic but the Octave is just better. Costs a lot more too but I'm fine with that. Sound is bliss.

 

[Big Yoshi]

I heard l700mk2 finally.
The only thing I could say is BUY L300LTD and EARPAD FOR L700MK1.

 

[Jacques Lolive]

I heard l700mk2 finally.
The only thing I could say is BUY L300LTD and EARPAD FOR L700MK1.

So you did not like the 700 MK2. Could you explain why
Thank you so much