[swmtnbiker]

The K701 has been elevated. Why not its sibling? Is there no love for the "lowly" K601 at Head-Fi?

 

[rsaavedra]

I've been wondering about this same thing myself.

 

[swmtnbiker]

Wow. I guess the fact this thread has only had a single reply in almost 48 hours says a lot about Head-Fi and the K601. My question is - why? Why has the K701 received all of the buzz? Does the K601 suck? Is it just mediocre and not worthy of consideration or in-depth review? I'm really puzzled by this.

 

[Ikon]

There is not much info to find about the K601. From the sparse comments available I gathered:

- its treble is less detailed than the K701's, and its a bit more harsh (but as a whole it is still good)

- the midrange is as great as the K701's

- it lacks bass more than the K701 which itself seems to have just barely enough bass

Am I the only one who finds the K601 nicer, considering the K701's bold color choice?

 

[BushGuy]

Yup. Color is the main reason I'm sitting back and waiting. i figure that eventually they'll offer an option. I don't need White cans that will doubtless look grungy after not too long a time.

 

[blessingx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dpippel The K701 has been elevated. Why not its sibling? Is there no love for the "lowly" K601 at Head-Fi?

Is that "evaluated"?

 

[amartignano]

I hope to receive mine soon...

bye
Andrea

 

[VR6ofpain]

I'm interested in the K601 too. I can't justify the cost of the K701, plus the white is kind of scary. The 601's look like a refined 501. Very nice.

 

[sean-xenos]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ikon There is not much info to find about the K601. From the sparse comments available I gathered: - its treble is less detailed than the K701's, and its a bit more harsh (but as a whole it is still good) - the midrange is as great as the K701's - it lacks bass more than the K701 which itself seems to have just barely enough bass Am I the only one who finds the K601 nicer, considering the K701's bold color choice?

Hi,
in my opinion the K601 is not harsh.
It sounds a bit thinner than the K701 as it lacks bass.
Still I think K601s are good value for the money.

IMHO the K701s are simply better than the K601s in almost all respects:
- soundstage
- positioning and separation of instruments
- bass and treble extension
- speed and resolution

The K701s and the K601s are definitely not in the same class, no doubt for me.

 

[swmtnbiker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blessingx Is that "evaluated"?

No, I meant what I typed. The K701 has been "elevated" to the status of having it's own thread. The K601 has not, hence my questions.

 

[swmtnbiker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sean-xenos in my opinion the K601 is not harsh. It sounds a bit thinner than the K701 as it lacks bass. Still I think K601s are good value for the money. IMHO the K701s are simply better than the K601s in almost all respects: - soundstage - positioning and separation of instruments - bass and treble extension - speed and resolution

Thanks for the impressions.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sean-xenos The K701s and the K601s are definitely not in the same class, no doubt for me.

I'd be surprised if they were. It wouldn't make business sense for AKG to release two new high-end headphones that were competing with each other. Then there's price - the K701 costs $100 more than the K601. I'm more interested in how the K601 stacks up to other ~$300 cans than in how it compares to the K701.

 

[swmtnbiker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by amartignano I hope to receive mine soon...

If you could post your impressions after you get 'em burned in that would be great Andrea.

 

[sgrossklass]

I bet that the only fundamental difference between K601 and K701 is the EQ, along with driver selection/matching (think HD580 <-> HD600). Indeed, it wouldn't make sense to make two cans that would be competing directly against each other, so they took care of that this way. I would think that if you liked the K501, you'd like the K601 even more.
Headroom measurements
Pitting the K601 against the K701, you can see a touch higher harmonic distortion, along with more anharmonic distortion (this slight peak at what I presume to be 250 Hz, along with the "fuzz" in the spectrum). Vs. the K501, distortion is noticeably improved, same goes for bass extension and midrange unevenness. I wonder whether the dip in the bass response at 80...90 Hz accounts for the perceived lack of bass... something similar is also to be found in the DT880 and HD650 (but around ~70 Hz). Of course driving damping might also play a role here.

 

[Andrea]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rsaavedra I've been wondering about this same thing myself.

Me too. If it's truly an evolved K501 at a competitive price, then what's the matter?

 

[SaturnNyne]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ikon Am I the only one who finds the K601 nicer, considering the K701's bold color choice?

Not by a long shot. I, like many others here, find the K701 rather repulsive. The more understated K601 is a real looker though.

I'm actually glad the 601 is getting so little attention. I mean, honestly, I don't need any more headphones, no matter how good they sound, and certainly not another AKG similar to the ones I already have. But the 601 just looks so good to me that I might be tempted to buy it for its prettiness if it started to get the Head-Fi Rave going for it as well. The current unfair lack of attention to it is good for my wallet.