Which used headphones should I buy? AKG K701 / ATH-A900

[Naturlich]

Hello, this is my first post on this website

I'm currently a university student and I live in Indonesia. I need a bit of help on deciding which headphones I should buy, an AKG K701 or ATH-A900.

Why these headphones? I found both of these headphones on sale in the used market and I've grown quite the attachment with these headphones, from the way they look and the reviews I've watched and read on this website.

Here's a bit of information on the condition of the product:
AKG K701: Made in Austria, has yellowed plastic (presumably due to smoking)
ATH-A900: Was modded with detachable cable, looks like its in a good condition

I don't really care about the conditions of the headphones that much, what I do want to know is, which headphones performs the best.

I'm still new to the audiophile world and I want to upgrade my game and find the best experience with the cash I currently have .
Currently I'm running a Sony MDR-1R (that I purchase used). I don't have any DAC/AMP setup and I usually run it on my phone or laptop.
I would really like to know what your experience was like with these headphones! Thank you in advance!

 

[pbui44]

Well, the K701 is open-backed (vents behind the driver) and the ATH-A900 is closed-back (no vents behind the driver), so they are actually much different in comparison. The A900 will sound much your like your MDR-1R and will generally just have a larger soundstage than your MDR-1R. However, the K701 will sound much more different than your MDR-1R, with airier notes, airier sounds between instruments, and a much larger soundstage, but will require much more power than your phone or laptop. If you don't want to add a DAC/Amp; then the ATH-A900 will be the better choice. If you still want the K701, then you will need at least this for the K701 to really shine, like how it was intended by AKG:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100...1;79.99;-1;-1@salePrice;USD;search-mainSearch

 

[BrownBear]

As much of an AKG lover I am, I haven't heard the K701 yet (I know I know....I've been trying to get my hands on a set for some time) but I own the ATH-A900 and a few comments on it's sound, in my experience:

Big sound, very nice soundstage, easy to drive, very comfortable (mind those pads), and a versatile headphone.

 

[Naturlich]

Well, the K701 is open-backed (vents behind the driver) and the ATH-A900 is closed-back (no vents behind the driver), so they are actually much different in comparison. The A900 will sound much your like your MDR-1R and will generally just have a larger soundstage than your MDR-1R. However, the K701 will sound much more different than your MDR-1R, with airier notes, airier sounds between instruments, and a much larger soundstage, but will require much more power than your phone or laptop. If you don't want to add a DAC/Amp; then the ATH-A900 will be the better choice. If you still want the K701, then you will need at least this for the K701 to really shine, like how it was intended by AKG:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003091522529.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.59023751JGhAB2&algo_pvid=c0457a33-7318-44cb-ad6f-7eb0c7e1ac21&algo_exp_id=c0457a33-7318-44cb-ad6f-7eb0c7e1ac21-0&pdp_ext_f={"sku_id":"12000024026672898"}&pdp_pi=-1;79.99;-1;-1@salePrice;USD;search-mainSearch

Hello pbui44, thanks for the response!

I've never thought that the A900 would have a similar sound to the MDR-1R since they're closed, this made me want to try the K701 even more.

I've read a couple of reviews that, yes the K701 requires more power. Would something like an iBasso dongle or Fiio BTR3 be sufficient enough?
Thanks for the recommendation on a desktop DAC/Amp, but I feel that would be a bit of a hassle since I have a relatively small desk. Maybe, if you have any other small may be portable DAC/AMP recommendation that's below $80, I really would like to know.

Thank you for taking your time!

 

[Naturlich]

As much of an AKG lover I am, I haven't heard the K701 yet (I know I know....I've been trying to get my hands on a set for some time) but I own the ATH-A900 and a few comments on it's sound, in my experience:

Big sound, very nice soundstage, easy to drive, very comfortable (mind those pads), and a versatile headphone.

Hello BrownBear, thanks for the reply!

I've read a couple of your post, and wow you do have a collection of AKG's headphones

If you don't mind me asking, do you still have the A900? How do you feel about the A900 compared to AKG's headphones? Also, what do you mean by "a versatile headphone"?

Thank you for taking your time!

 

[BrownBear]

Yes, I do have quite the AKG collection lol. I love them. There is something about the tonality that just sticks with me. Ever since I first heard it many years ago, I was hooked lol.

I do still own the A900. Compared to the AKG's I own, the A900 are brighter perhaps, and the bass impact is higher (perhaps due to the closed design), the sound stage seems a bit bigger and/or taller, maybe due to the angled driver design. The most obvious difference is in the midrange, though. This is where the AKG's always win for me. The AKG's I have all share similarities in the midrange, and I love the sound of it. It's hard to explain the tonality of them without hearing it.

By versatile, I just mean that I can enjoy them with all types of music. Classical sounds wonderful, but they sound good with metal and rap too.

 

[pbui44]

Hello pbui44, thanks for the response!

I've never thought that the A900 would have a similar sound to the MDR-1R since they're closed, this made me want to try the K701 even more.

I've read a couple of reviews that, yes the K701 requires more power. Would something like an iBasso dongle or Fiio BTR3 be sufficient enough?
Thanks for the recommendation on a desktop DAC/Amp, but I feel that would be a bit of a hassle since I have a relatively small desk. Maybe, if you have any other small may be portable DAC/AMP recommendation that's below $80, I really would like to know.

Thank you for taking your time!

Remember that the K701 is open-backed, so people around you can hear your music and sound isolation will not really be there for you. Also, this is probably the only dongle amp that can power the K701:

https://www.theaudiostore.in/products/helm-db12-aaamp-portable-headphone-amplifier-thx®-certified

Also, here is a portable DAC/amp:

https://m.aliexpress.com/item/10050...ommend-ump;is_freeshipping:null;trade_order:1

 

[Naturlich]

Thank you for the fast response, honestly

Thank you pbui44, but I feel that those recommendations are a bit out of my budget and they're not available in Indonesia.

Thank you for taking your time!

 

[Naturlich]

Yes, I do have quite the AKG collection lol. I love them. There is something about the tonality that just sticks with me. Ever since I first heard it many years ago, I was hooked lol.

I do still own the A900. Compared to the AKG's I own, the A900 are brighter perhaps, and the bass impact is higher (perhaps due to the closed design), the sound stage seems a bit bigger and/or taller, maybe due to the angled driver design. The most obvious difference is in the midrange, though. This is where the AKG's always win for me. The AKG's I have all share similarities in the midrange, and I love the sound of it. It's hard to explain the tonality of them without hearing it.

By versatile, I just mean that I can enjoy them with all types of music. Classical sounds wonderful, but they sound good with metal and rap too.

Do you think the K701 would require a strong amplifier since it has 62 ohms? Currently I'm considering of buying an iBasso dongle dac after buying the K701.
If you think it requires even more power, I'm considering a used Fiio E17k for a portable DAC & AMP.

Thank you for taking your time!

 

[Stergen72]

для К701 требуется достаточно серьезное усиление! Сопротивление 62 Ом, а чувствительность низкая всего 90.64 дБ/мВт ! Поэтому ну жно усиление не менее 2 Вт., чтобы полностью раскрыть эти наушники. Советую посмотреть на другую модель.

 

[Naturlich]

для К701 требуется достаточно серьезное усиление! Сопротивление 62 Ом, а чувствительность низкая всего 90.64 дБ/мВт ! Поэтому ну жно усиление не менее 2 Вт., чтобы полностью раскрыть эти наушники. Советую посмотреть на другую модель.

Thank you Stergen72 for the response,

I would take that advice into consideration. If I do purchase the K701, I feel that I really should buy a used Fiio E17k as it is still in my budget range.
I would like to use the K701 while doing other chores around my house, that's why I really want a portable DAP.

 

[pbui44]

If you want a portable DAP for the K701, then this player fits your budget:

https://www.tokopedia.com/alphaomeg...s-sabre-es9038q2m-premium-music-player?whid=0

If you can spend a little more, this DAP will provide more power and control to the K701:

https://www.tokopedia.com/takasuya/...th-dual-chip-es9038q2m-bt5-1-z4-normal?whid=0

 

[BrownBear]

Do you think the K701 would require a strong amplifier since it has 62 ohms? Currently I'm considering of buying an iBasso dongle dac after buying the K701.
If you think it requires even more power, I'm considering a used Fiio E17k for a portable DAC & AMP.

Thank you for taking your time!

As I haven't any direct experience I can't say for sure about the K701, but people seem to like pairing them with a powerful amp. What I would do is search around here and find a headphone power requirement calculator or formula or something along those lines and you'll be able to calculate how much power they need to be driven, then find an appropriate amp accordingly. 62 ohms isn't too high of an impedance really, most of my AKG's are 600 ohms, for what it's worth.

 

[Naturlich]

My dad had an Onkyo HT-R420 (an AV Receiver) and it had a 6.3mm headphone jack on the front. Can I use it to amp the K701? If I can, do I need a RCA to 3.5mm to connect to my laptop/phone? Because it only accepts either Coaxial and RCA.

My dad said that it's apparently broken and I might be able to re-flow the DSP Chip (it's a common problem on Onkyo's AV Receiver apparently). I've read a couple threads as well regarding the use of an AV Receiver as an amp for headphones. What do you guys think, will it be able to give the K701 enough power?

Here's the link for the manual of the Onkyo HT-R420:
https://www.intl.onkyo.com/downloads/manuals/pdf/ht-s670_manual_e.pdf

 

[Naturlich]

As I haven't any direct experience I can't say for sure about the K701, but people seem to like pairing them with a powerful amp. What I would do is search around here and find a headphone power requirement calculator or formula or something along those lines and you'll be able to calculate how much power they need to be driven, then find an appropriate amp accordingly. 62 ohms isn't too high of an impedance really, most of my AKG's are 600 ohms, for what it's worth.

Will do, Thanks for the advice

It seems that the Fiio E17k would be able to run the K701, but I doubt it'll make the K701 shine as bright as it could... and I feel its alright given my circumstances (copium)
I might try running the K701 unamped first and then compare it running with my dad's old AV receiver.