[grokit]

 
Quote:

The K701 are inefficient low impeadance headphones. So you need portable amps that can provide sufficient current to drive them properly.
 
At the $300 budget I can think of only 2 amps that can possibly do that-
 
Ibasso P4+ (Can deliver 1000 mW + 1000 mW @ 32 ohms with the right OPAMP combo) - $245 + shipping
Ibasso PB1 (Can deliver approximately 800 mW + 800 mW @ 32 ohms) - $229 + shipping
 
The P4+ is probably the better amp since its a pure single ended amp while the PB1 is a balanced amp and you will be running it in single ended mode.
 
Also the P4 comes with a variety of OPAMPs to change the flavour of the sound. So its very useful to get the sound that you want out of the K701.

 
Good call if you need portable.

 

 

[estreeter]

FWIW, I hope to have a full review of the P4, with stock opamps, posted by the end of April. As brendon mentioned, you can tailor the amp from day one, but I'm keen to give people some idea of how it performs straight out of the box. Unfortunately, I only have easily-driven cans so I wont be able to give you feedback on how this amp performs with the K701 - after my experience with the K601, I made a solemn promise to stay away from the big AKGs.

 

[grokit]

>

 

[estreeter]

Very succinct, grokit - a man of few, er, keystrokes

 

[ZoaKaizer]

Quote:

The K701 are inefficient low impeadance headphones. So you need portable amps that can provide sufficient current to drive them properly.
 
At the $300 budget I can think of only 2 amps that can possibly do that-
 
Ibasso P4+ (Can deliver 1000 mW + 1000 mW @ 32 ohms with the right OPAMP combo) - $245 + shipping
Ibasso PB1 (Can deliver approximately 800 mW + 800 mW @ 32 ohms) - $229 + shipping
 
The P4+ is probably the better amp since its a pure single ended amp while the PB1 is a balanced amp and you will be running it in single ended mode.
 
Also the P4 comes with a variety of OPAMPs to change the flavour of the sound. So its very useful to get the sound that you want out of the K701.

 
Thank you…. ^^
 
And how about the ibasso D series then ? I read in the threads that Ibasso D4 is good.
But I checked in ibasso website that they don’t provide the power output information of D4 and D12….
 
So how these D series compared to P4+ and PB1 then ?
 
 
Oh yeah, and how about Fiio e7+e9 compared to ibassos in term of sound quality if used with K 702 ? im also curious  about this.. ^^
 
 

 

[brendon]

The D4 had approximately the same power output as my P3+ which was insufficient to drive most big cans. So that should be dropped off the list.
 
The D10/D12 is also in the same boat as it had similar power output as my P3+
 
The D6 is supposed to be able to drive the K701s but I dunno the output figures and cannot suggest the D6 based on hearsay.
 
Regarding the Ibasso P4 and the E9, I cannot comment at all since I haven't heard either amp.
 
Another thing to note is that the P4s sound can be tweaked according to preference so you can get it to sound similar to the E9 or you can get it to sound very different.
 
The E9 in comparison has a fixed sound and the maximum you can do to tweak it is to use an EQ.
 
Based on the glowing reviews of the E9 I would wager that its slightly better than the P4.

 

[ZoaKaizer]

The EQ you mean is… is it possible to use digital EQ like or EQ software from my PC ? or I have to buy another EQ hardware ?
 
And p4 comes with different stock op amps right ? so I can just open the casing and change the op amps ?

but doesn’t that mean ibasso p4 can also tweaked using digital EQ from PC ?
 
And I just heard that using LOD on ipod will be better thatn just connecting normal aux out to the amps. Is this true ?  then this means a DAC?/A mps will sound better than only using amps with normal aux out right ?
 
And I think that Ibasso P series are amps only while the D series is DAC Amps….. ?

 

[estreeter]

Quote:

The EQ you mean is… is it possible to use digital EQ like or EQ software from my PC ? or I have to buy another EQ hardware ?
 
- you use the EQ in iTunes or whatever music player you use on your computer AND some amps have a 'Bass Boost' switch - that is 'hardware EQ'
 
And p4 comes with different stock op amps right ? so I can just open the casing and change the op amps ?
 
- yes : you will need a pair of tweezers and a steady hand. You just have to be able to discern which corner has a small white square - if you have ever installed a CPU on a computer motherboard, rolling opamps will seem easy

but doesn’t that mean ibasso p4 can also tweaked using digital EQ from PC ?
 
And I just heard that using LOD on ipod will be better thatn just connecting normal aux out to the amps. Is this true ?  then this means a DAC?/A mps will sound better than only using amps with normal aux out right ?
 
And I think that Ibasso P series are amps only while the D series is DAC Amps….. ?
 
The P4 is amp only, the D4 and D6 are DAC/amps. I dont know if that is cast in stone anywhere, but thats the current situation.

 

 

[NewAKGGuy]

Quote:

The D4 had approximately the same power output as my P3+ which was insufficient to drive most big cans. So that should be dropped off the list.
 

 
I use an RSA Hornet and a iBasso P3+ with my 702s.  The P3+ will drive them and it sounds good doing so, but you do have to crank up the volume.  The RSA on it's high gain setting works better.
 
 

 

[estreeter]

Based on:
 
- my experience with the D4/K601 combination
and
- my first two days with the P4
 
I believe that P4 'Warbler' will drive the K701 - you will certainly get plenty of volume, but I cant say how it would compare to any other amp beyond the D4. If the D4 is at '12 noon' driving my AD900s (32 ohm and very easily driven), it would be at no more than 9am on the P4 to deliver the same amount of 'grunt'. My D4 has the Topkit opamp with the stock buffers, but its not in the same league as the P4 in power terms, and I'm not just talking spec sheets. Anyone going past 12 noon on the P4 (on a regular basis) with 32-ohm phones is almost certainly doing permanent damage to their hearing.
 
Not sure what people are driving with the 'P4+', but it would be interesting to hear a few experiences. iBasso rates the amp as suited to '6-300ohm' headphones - sadly, I dont have anything beyond a 55-ohm pair of PL50s to test that. All I can say is that its a pocket rocket that I paid comparatively little money for - happy times.
 
estreeter

 

[Mikesin]

I've ordered the FiiO E9, so should be expecting it soon, do i need the FiiO E7 or not? What does the E7 actually do with the E9? I am rather confused..:confused_face(1):

 

[estreeter]

Quote:

I've ordered the FiiO E9, so should be expecting it soon, do i need the FiiO E7 or not? What does the E7 actually do with the E9? I am rather confused..

 

 
Mikesin, these are your options:
 
1. Run the E9 straight from your source (preferably a line-out, but a headphone-out will do fine).
 
2. Buy the E7 and use that as the DAC for your E9 - it sits in a dock at the top of the E9.
 
3. Buy another DAC (or use a home stereo amp or AV receiver, if you have one) and plug the analog output from your DAC into your E7.
 
The world is literally your oyster, my friend. Enjoy.
 
 

 

[Mikesin]

Alrite, so i'll be using this E9 with my Desktop/PC
i've got an aftermarket soundcard, the Asus Xonar DS, i changed my opamp to the OpAmp LM4562NA, what would be better the FiiO E7 or the soundcard?

 

[grokit]

 
Quote:

Alrite, so i'll be using this E9 with my Desktop/PC
i've got an aftermarket soundcard, the Asus Xonar DS, i changed my opamp to the OpAmp LM4562NA, what would be better the FiiO E7 or the soundcard?

That's part of the fun, you tell us which is better when you compare 

 

[Mikesin]

Ah, i would rather not spend my money on something that isn't better then go through the hassle to get a return or to sell it.. Although the E7 isn't expensive at all, i would just like to know if it is worth it at all and if it would be an upgrade to my current soundcard..