[WillHughes]

Hi everyone, thanks for taking an interest!
 
So I've put my noggin through something like 1000 hours of music from my K701's and I've come to the conclusion that while I love the detail and the instrument separation (air?), like most complaints of the K701, I just feel like I want a little more kick in the bass.
 
Now I'm running it from a bright source, Nuforce HDP, but changing source is not an option unfortunately.
 
I've had head-time with a fair few high-end headphones but this was before I had my 701 and so I feel those impressions have lost a lot of weight and hence I don't want to mention any names.
 
The sound signature that I want is not dark, but really just a K701 on steroids with more bass impact / feel. I'd like the sound to be fast instead of laid-back, detailed, separated and forward with a short bass-decay. I think the major attributes for me are detail and separation, I love to be able to hear every nuance... So what can you guys recommend me and why?
 
Thanks very much for your help,
 
 
Will Hughes

 

[extrabigmehdi]

I'm curious about artificial ways to increase the bass impact, on your k701.
I'm thinking of the vst  D82, by BBE (not free, but I  saw a demo).  You could use it wth a vst bridge on foobar...
Just increase a bit the lo contour setting.
I  believe it's  the equivalent of the mach3bass effect on the cowon s9, why  not try....
 
Off course for more conventional recommendations, there's the hd650  ; I  see recommended  here each time someone is complaining about the bass.
 

 

[sphinxvc]

Quote:

Hi everyone, thanks for taking an interest!
 
So I've put my noggin through something like 1000 hours of music from my K701's and I've come to the conclusion that while I love the detail and the instrument separation (air?), like most complaints of the K701, I just feel like I want a little more kick in the bass.
 
Now I'm running it from a bright source, Nuforce HDP, but changing source is not an option unfortunately.
 
I've had head-time with a fair few high-end headphones but this was before I had my 701 and so I feel those impressions have lost a lot of weight and hence I don't want to mention any names.
 
The sound signature that I want is not dark, but really just a K701 on steroids with more bass impact / feel. I'd like the sound to be fast instead of laid-back, detailed, separated and forward with a short bass-decay. I think the major attributes for me are detail and separation, I love to be able to hear every nuance... So what can you guys recommend me and why?
 
Thanks very much for your help,
 
 
Will Hughes

As a former K701 owner myself I'd have to say HE-5LEs, HE-500s, and HD800s would be the most logical choices.  Also, the Stax Lambda series.  Those are all pretty close to the K70xs but all have varying degrees of a bit more bass weight, which is basically what the K701s lack plus a more natural-sounding midrange, another weakness of the K70xs.  All retain the air / separation of the K70xs or better it.  The HE-500s are perhaps the most drastically different from the K701s (relatively speaking) - but that could be a good thing depending on how tame you find the K701s upper freqs.

 

[bbophead]

It reads like the OP is describing a Grado.  They'll be more splashy in the highs but they have a mid-bass bump that works well for a lot of music.  Just a thought.  Don't kill me. 

 

[Mad Max]

It sounds to me like he might be describing AD2000, not Grados.  They don't have much bass punch, however.

 

[bbophead]

Yeah, don't know the D2000, only D7000.  

  Prolly good suggestion.
 
Edit:  Err, maybe you're talking about Audio Technica which I sure don't know.  Oh, well.

 

[WillHughes]

I've got quite a broad range here already, so I might throw in some of my own feelings on the cans mentioned.
 
Audio-technica - I don't think I'm looking for an AT phone, unfortunately the house signiature is still a bit too bass-light for me and somewhat thin. I've had head-time with the AD2000 and I didn't find them to be all that engaging.
 
Grados - Unfortunately again the Grado sound isn't what I am after, they are a bit too far forward although I haven't heard the extreme end of their line (GS1000)
 
Denons - I have had head-time with the D7000 and have been putting them through serious consideration for the last month or so, the 7000 or 5000 would be what I'm looking at here. The only thing holding me back is from memory the mid-range was pushed back a little and I don't quite think they had the air and seperation of what I'm looking for, possibly because they are closed...

Sennheiser- too laid back for my tastes, the HD650 also has a longer bass-decay than I would prefer, I also actually preferred the T1 to the HD800 when I got to listen.
 
Stax - Also yet to hear anything from stax and missed the opportunity at my last meet.
 
HiFiMan - I haven't been able to listen to any of their cans and I've been following them for a long time. I've been very interested in the HE-5LE and the HE-500 but have had no head-time to compare them.
 
I think it's going to come down to something from the HE line or one of the Denon's, any other ideas?
 
Perhaps I will just need to wait til the next Melbourne meet in hope of hearing some of the competitors together.
 
Thanks for your help everyone,
 
 
Will Hughes

 

[nanaholic]

Have you tried the AT W1000x?  It's sound signature isn't the old AT house sound so it's worth it to give it a try IMO.
 
I was looking at something after the K701 as well but wasn't quite ready to pull the trigger on a pair of T1/HD800 as the price jump is too great and I ended up there.  IMO the D5000's bass is too boomy/muddy and doesn't have the same resolution as the K701 (didn't get a chance to try the D7000).  

 

[sphinxvc]

Quote:

I think it's going to come down to something from the HE line or one of the Denon's

The thing that sticks out most with Denons is their V-shaped tonal balance.  It couldn't be further from what the K701s strive for, and that is reference-grade reproduction of the music.  To jog your memory, simply recess the midrange with EQ.
 
The HD800 is tricky in that it needs high quality amplification to sound their best, it's possible that when you tried them the chain just didn't have the greatest synergy.  I don't think I'd pair them with anything short of a WA6SE or WA22 (< sounds phenomenal).
 
The HE-5LEs are very picky in that they're hard to drive (but not necessarily expensive to drive) so keep that in mind.
 
I think I'm with you on your assessment of the AD2000 and Grados, and it's too bad you haven't heard any Stax Lambdas.

 

[WillHughes]

Quote:

Have you tried the AT W1000x?  It's sound signature isn't the old AT house sound so it's worth it to give it a try IMO.
 
I was looking at something after the K701 as well but wasn't quite ready to pull the trigger on a pair of T1/HD800 as the price jump is too great and I ended up there.  IMO the D5000's bass is too boomy/muddy and doesn't have the same resolution as the K701 (didn't get a chance to try the D7000).  

I haven't heard the W1000x but have done a lot of reading on it and also the W5000 as I was thinking of purchasing it a while back. I'd love to give them a listen but the problem is availability.
 
Regarding the Denon's, I thought that might have been the case with the D5000's, I've only heard the D7000 and thought it was a 'fun' sounding phone but as I think back to when I listened to them, they were quite narrow and not quite what I'm after I think, so I'll drop the idea of buying a Denon now, at least until I hear them again.
 
So now it's down to either something from HiFiMan's lineup, possibly the AT-W1000x or even possibly something from Beyer? - I doubt the DT770/880/990 are what I'm after as I want a definite step up. Maybe the T70 or a new-er Beyer product might be the go...? Also I thought I might mention the LCD2, when I listened I felt that the sound was too dark and my Nuforce HDP wasn't a strong enough amp to bring out its proper potential.
 
Thanks again for all the input guys, it's a great help
 
 
Will Hughes

 

[aspenx]

Quote:

Have you tried the AT W1000x?  It's sound signature isn't the old AT house sound so it's worth it to give it a try IMO.

+1. It's a closed back full-sized headphones but the signature is surprisingly open, crisp and yet there's plenty of tight deep bass. It's nothing like the W5000 though, if you're wondering.
 

 

[Acix]

Quote:

Quote:

As a former K701 owner myself I'd have to say HE-5LEs, HE-500s, and HD800s would be the most logical choices.  Also, the Stax Lambda series.  Those are all pretty close to the K70xs but all have varying degrees of a bit more bass weight, which is basically what the K701s lack plus a more natural-sounding midrange, another weakness of the K70xs.  All retain the air / separation of the K70xs or better it.  The HE-500s are perhaps the most drastically different from the K701s (relatively speaking) - but that could be a good thing depending on how tame you find the K701s upper freqs.

You can try the Violectric HPA V100... this amp will fix the bass and upper mids problems for you (if you have any). I've compare the HE-5 to the 702, the HE5 sounds 2 dimensional, ultra bright, and no bass to speak of ( I still prefer the RS-1 bass). The HD 800 can be fun with tubes, but not so much with natural SS amps.

 

[TakashiMiike]

I don't think any of the Denon's are what you are looking for. They do have punchy bass, however I would not call them a bassier k701. The mids are recessed and will drive you nuts coming from the k701 if you want accuracy. I also would not call them the most detailed phones I have ever heard. In terms of a bassier headphone that preserves the things you love about the k701, 3 options spring to mind. Hd800, T1, or a higher end grado phone. Take this lightly as I have not heard the hd800, or the T1, but I did look at the frequency response curves, and they are both very similar to the k701 and have a reputation for detail and separation. Grado's also preserve those mids you love from the k701, but give you the bass you desire, they might be worth a look into. Grado's also roll off quiet quickly in the bass regions, they will provide good midbass punch, but below 50 hZ it rolls off quiet quickly, if you desire low low bass, they might not be the cans for you.
 
Again I have no experience with the hd800 and the t1, definitely do not buy them off my recommendation, just saying might be something to investigate further Hope it helps.

 

[eyal1983]

Audio Technica AD2000 , far superior league than the Denon D2000 (IMHO) , and has great bass.
or
You can always add another amp. to your chain. something with bass boost ability, like the FIIO E7 
if it "ruins" the sound, then just sell it for 2$ less than it cost you.
 
-Eyal

 

[AmanGeorge]

Quote:

As a former K701 owner myself I'd have to say HE-5LEs, HE-500s, and HD800s would be the most logical choices.  Also, the Stax Lambda series.  Those are all pretty close to the K70xs but all have varying degrees of a bit more bass weight, which is basically what the K701s lack plus a more natural-sounding midrange, another weakness of the K70xs.  All retain the air / separation of the K70xs or better it.  The HE-500s are perhaps the most drastically different from the K701s (relatively speaking) - but that could be a good thing depending on how tame you find the K701s upper freqs.

Listen to this man.
 
You may also enjoy the Sennheiser HD600, although the mids/treble won't be quite as brilliant and forward as on the K701.