[aphexii]

Just got the HD595's today and i LOVE them. Its 20x better than I could have ever hoped and incredibly comfortable. So far, very VERY impressed. My first time with a "higher end" headphone (not counting IEMs).

Just out of curosity, with many raving about the K701's (which of course peaks my interest), to those who have heard both, how do they compare? I'm not necessarily asking which is better, i'm more trying to see how they are different from one another.

Things like;
Soundstage
Highs/Mid/Bass
Weight
Comfort
Overall Musicality (Fun/Accurate/etc)
Overall Impression

As i said, I'm not looking for one to be better than the other, as i'm very happy with the HD595. Just curious as to the differences.

 

[spike33]

Soundstage: K701 bigger
Highs: K701 brighter and more detailed
Mids: K701 is more neutral and accurate, HD595 is more euphoric and involving
Bass: K701 has much more bass, yet well controlled
Weight: K701 is heavier
Comfort: HD595 has less clamp and the shape is more ergonomic
Musicality: Both would not be described as fun cans. They both lean towards neutral. HD595 is more engaging.

There's no question K701 is the more high-end headphone, but that doesn't mean everyone will prefer it over the HD595. K701 is more detailed, maybe to a fault (sometimes reveals too much). HD595 is very intimate (inviting, makes you want to hear more, but you might not get it

). Neither is perfect. It's all down to personal preference.

 

[CDC471]

For most of the features, 701 will beat the 595. they are really in two different level.

 

[riceboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spike33 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Soundstage: K701 bigger Highs: K701 brighter and more detailed Mids: K701 is more neutral and accurate, HD595 is more euphoric and involving Bass: K701 has much more bass, yet well controlled Weight: K701 is heavier Comfort: HD595 has less clamp and the shape is more ergonomic Musicality: Both would not be described as fun cans. They both lean towards neutral. HD595 is more engaging. There's no question K701 is the more high-end headphone, but that doesn't mean everyone will prefer it over the HD595. K701 is more detailed, maybe to a fault (sometimes reveals too much). HD595 is very intimate (inviting, makes you want to hear more, but you might not get it ). Neither is perfect. It's all down to personal preference.

this is a pretty good comparison of the HD595 and the AKG701. I find the HD595 or HD650 are more fun. The AKG 701 is more neutral. They really are both different types of headphones. It depends on what is going to be driving those AKG 701s to make them shine too

. The HD595 doesn't really need an amp to sound good, but an amp does help.

 

[aphexii]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spike33 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Soundstage: K701 bigger Highs: K701 brighter and more detailed Mids: K701 is more neutral and accurate, HD595 is more euphoric and involving Bass: K701 has much more bass, yet well controlled Weight: K701 is heavier Comfort: HD595 has less clamp and the shape is more ergonomic Musicality: Both would not be described as fun cans. They both lean towards neutral. HD595 is more engaging. There's no question K701 is the more high-end headphone, but that doesn't mean everyone will prefer it over the HD595. K701 is more detailed, maybe to a fault (sometimes reveals too much). HD595 is very intimate (inviting, makes you want to hear more, but you might not get it ). Neither is perfect. It's all down to personal preference.

Thanks, exactly the kind of response i was looking for. I appreciate the insight!

 

[Computerstud]

I currently own both headphones. K701 and HD595. I am currently using the hd595 and have not listened to the k701 yet. I was the same as you when I first listened to the hd595. There was a "WOW" factor that hit me with the hd595. Then the damn neighbors got loud and I got a pair of IM716 to drown them out. After exclusively listening to the IM716 for a week and going back to the HD595, I lost the WOW factor. In fact, don't even enjoy them anymore. Then I purchased the k701 but unfortunately have not had the chance to listen to them yet. I'll let you know how they compare. IMO going from cheap headphones --> HD595 will be a day and night difference but if you listen to other good headphones, you may lose the appreciation for the HD595.

 

[aphexii]

Interesting, LMK what you think about the K701's compared to the HD595's... I'm very curious to hear your impressions.

 

[rapzoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spike33 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Soundstage: K701 bigger Highs: K701 brighter and more detailed Mids: K701 is more neutral and accurate, HD595 is more euphoric and involving Bass: K701 has much more bass, yet well controlled Weight: K701 is heavier Comfort: HD595 has less clamp and the shape is more ergonomic Musicality: Both would not be described as fun cans. They both lean towards neutral. HD595 is more engaging. There's no question K701 is the more high-end headphone, but that doesn't mean everyone will prefer it over the HD595. K701 is more detailed, maybe to a fault (sometimes reveals too much). HD595 is very intimate (inviting, makes you want to hear more, but you might not get it ). Neither is perfect. It's all down to personal preference.

I have both and agree with Spike's critique. I find myself listening to the 595 when I want to sit back and enjoy the music and the K701 when I want to listen to the music. The K701 is also going to require a better source and amplifier. A good cable upgrade will move the 595 much closer to the K701 in terms of highs, bass and detail.

 

[kool bubba ice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aphexii /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just got the HD595's today and i LOVE them. Its 20x better than I could have ever hoped and incredibly comfortable. So far, very VERY impressed. My first time with a "higher end" headphone (not counting IEMs). Just out of curosity, with many raving about the K701's (which of course peaks my interest), to those who have heard both, how do they compare? I'm not necessarily asking which is better, i'm more trying to see how they are different from one another. Things like; Soundstage Highs/Mid/Bass Weight Comfort Overall Musicality (Fun/Accurate/etc) Overall Impression As i said, I'm not looking for one to be better than the other, as i'm very happy with the HD595. Just curious as to the differences.

The 701s sound sterile in comparison..

Things like;
Soundstage 701 easy.
Highs/Mid/Bass 701
Weight 595
Comfort 595
Overall Musicality (Fun/Accurate/etc) Fun 595 accurate 701
Overall Impression The 701s are technically superior to the 595's in many ways, but the fun factor..

 

[majkel]

I mostly agree with opinions regarding HD595 and K701 mentioned here but I cannot agree AKG K701 are more detailed. They have a nasty bump on lower trebles and the actual sounds in that region are corrupted IMHO. I found a song killing KAG K701 in terms of accurate reprodction - Guns'n'Roses' Civil War. The percussion is muffled, resonant and full of artifacts. Also the lower trebles in AKG K701 sound like separated and moved to another dimension of sound presence, being incoherent with the rest of the sound spectrum. This means AKG K701 have both better abilities and bigger flaws when compared to not spectacular but more reliable HD595's.

 

[HiFiRE]

I own and use both regularly and they get about equal time on my head. Some people call them boring, but my recently acquired Grado 225 is just sitting on my desk collecting dust, they sound terrible compared to the former 2.

The k701 soundstage is huge, almost to a fault for certain types of music. Even so, I do enjoy them for rock music on occasion. The 595 is more forgiving detail-wise, and has a more forward presentation. I can't imagine parting with either of them. I've tried dt990s, ultrasone 650, sennheiser 650, grado 325i/225 and I don't prefer any of them over the k701 and hd595.

 

[pidesd]

i got both

k701 are more detailed and fluid and it s true they are more speaker like.

i got the recabled 595 with spc and i think they sound great: more bass than the stock ones and brighter..just a tad bit too bright though. as i remember the stock 595 as a little less bass but recable has more bass than k701. i find them both great for the money. i think that if you get the k701 you wont want to go back to hd595.

but seriously recabling the hd595 is very rewarding. the bass is almost as good as the hd650 one.

 

[Chri5peed]

I'm likely going to be swapping those 580s in my sig for stock 650s. Don't worry about the cost of them, I'm not.

Will it be worthwhile? I currently use 595s almost exclusively for music listenage. Some more bass would be cool[I listen to Metal].

 

[MaloS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chri5peed /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm likely going to be swapping those 580s in my sig for stock 650s. Don't worry about the cost of them, I'm not. Will it be worthwhile? I currently use 595s almost exclusively for music listenage. Some more bass would be cool[I listen to Metal].

Get yourself a Darkvoice 332 for the HD595. The combination becomes sick with metal, and other music styles. Also then hd595 becomes a fun can.

 

[pidesd]

i agree malos but still the guitars sounds better on the k701 and grados but the hd 595 sure is no slouch