[jpstereo]

It is really interesting to see how opinions have swayed regarding the K701. When it first was released and for quite a time thereafter, it was at the top of evereyone's list. Now it seems the K701 is not only forgotten but regularly dumped on. Is this more a FOTM scanario or do folks have unrealistic expectations

of what the K701 does best?

Are most of our younger listeners tuned into bass and a midrange presence hump? Are K701s only for us more mature older listeners? Opinions please ...

 

[scytheavatar]

From day 1 opinions on the K701 had always been polarized, just like the K501. To me the K701's sound signature is very specialized and you either love it or you don't. Not everyone has the ear for analytical listening. So I have no idea why so many n00bs are interested in the K701 when chances are it's not the headphone for them.

 

[Mercuttio]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scytheavatar /img/forum/go_quote.gif From day 1 opinions on the K701 had always been polarized, just like the K501. To me the K701's sound signature is very specialized and you either love it or you don't. Not everyone has the ear for analytical listening. So I have no idea why so many n00bs are interested in the K701 when chances are it's not the headphone for them.

They're interested because the K701 is available for less than other headphones that are purported to be in the same league as it. If I'm new to this and really want a reference headphone but can't hear any of them, I'm going to try the one that is cheaper and seems to generally get the same amount of praise.

 

[anadin]

I just purchased a AKG K601, not sure where that leaves me.

 

[bias]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scytheavatar /img/forum/go_quote.gif From day 1 opinions on the K701 had always been polarized, just like the K501. To me the K701's sound signature is very specialized and you either love it or you don't. Not everyone has the ear for analytical listening. So I have no idea why so many n00bs are interested in the K701 when chances are it's not the headphone for them.

Well I think there are more than just "n00bs" out there who find the 701 tonal balance off. Here's a review of the 701s by someone who I don't think you can quite considedr a "n00b":

"Too much top, not musical at all are my feelings about 'em. I haven't found one piece of music that sounds correct on them...No amount of burn in is going to help these cans, that's for sure. They have a fundamentally flawed tonal balance...Do this little test. Find some tape hiss. Grab an old cassette deck and pop a tape in there (Dolby off) and record some blank for about 30 seconds. Now, play back on speakers, your cans, etc.
What do you notice about the 701's? Yup, the tape hiss is not neutral. Too much top, not enough bass, etc. So, why do we want this EQ built in to every thing we listen to? Does me no good except as a general lo-fi monitor when the baby is sleeping (which is what I use it for)."

-Steve Hoffman, world-renowned mastering engineer

Quote:

Originally Posted by anadin /img/forum/go_quote.gif I just purchased a AKG K601, not sure where that leaves me.

I haven't heard the 601's but according to most users it has a more even tonal balance and I think this is borne out in data when the FR tool at Headphone.com is used to compare them to the k701s:

 

[jpstereo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bias /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well I think there are more than just "n00bs" out there who find the 701 tonal balance off. Here's a review of the 701s by someone who I don't think you can quite considedr a "n00b": "Too much top, not musical at all are my feelings about 'em. I haven't found one piece of music that sounds correct on them...No amount of burn in is going to help these cans, that's for sure. They have a fundamentally flawed tonal balance...Do this little test. Find some tape hiss. Grab an old cassette deck and pop a tape in there (Dolby off) and record some blank for about 30 seconds. Now, play back on speakers, your cans, etc. What do you notice about the 701's? Yup, the tape hiss is not neutral. Too much top, not enough bass, etc. So, why do we want this EQ built in to every thing we listen to? Does me no good except as a general lo-fi monitor when the baby is sleeping (which is what I use it for)." -Steve Hoffman, world-renowned mastering engineer I haven't heard the 601's but according to most users it has a more even tonal balance and I think this is borne out in data when the FR tool at Headphone.com is used to compare them to the k701s:

Good point. I did not mean to insinuate that noobs were the only group that would not appreaciate the K701! It is most definitely a polarizing phone but it just seems that it has been pushed aside and stomped on more often than not lately ... perhaps I have not been reading all the threads ...

 

[fjrabon]

A studio I occasionally do some work in has 701s in it for playback monitoring. I'll just say that they (probably unfairly) completely turned me off of AKGs in general. You can hear all the instrumentation, for sure. Everything is crystal clear and forward. So its good for trying to decide if a guitar part was played cleanly enough or if it needs a re-take. However, when it came time for final mixdown, they were totally useless. To put it in simple, non-technical terms, you just get no idea of how well the albums "rocks". Everything sounds brittle, nothing grooves. I wouldn't even call them boring, they're beyond that.

Trying to mix with them was a total nightmare, I had no idea what the record needed. I didn't know if maybe the kick drum needed a little bit more oomph or if the rhythm guitar needed a little more chunk, or if the upright piano needed a little bit more sparkle, or what. After some desperate searching, I found a pair of $40 sony's that we were using as electronic drum monitors. I could at least finish out the days work with them.

 

[vvanrij]

O that comes and it goes. Sometimes there is suddenly mad rage against the HD650, currently there is big love for the DT880's. Alot of these head-fi'ers are like girls that watch fashion shows to tell them whatthey like.

 

[Uncle Erik]

The problem is pretty much what Mercuttio said. Newer Head-Fi'ers buy the K-701 because it's the least expensive "flagship" headphone from a major brand. Then they go nuts in every discussion telling people that the K-701 is the best thing ever and so on.

The noobs are being honest, because the K-701 is a step up from the entry gear. But the people going wild over the K-701 generally have never heard comparable Senns, the K-501, K-1000, or the DT880, among others.

For those who have heard the other "flagship" headphones, it's nearly impossible to tell the K-701 fanboys that there are far better headphones for an extra $50 or so.

It's not hate, especially not for AKG. I can't tell you how much I love the K-240DF, K-501 and K-1000. Those are excellent and I love them. But I don't love the K-701, for much the same reason Steve Hoffman doesn't like them.

If you don't like a piece of gear are you supposed to shut up so you don't hurt someone's feelings?

 

[bias]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fjrabon /img/forum/go_quote.gif A studio I occasionally do some work in has 701s in it for playback monitoring. I'll just say that they (probably unfairly) completely turned me off of AKGs in general. You can hear all the instrumentation, for sure. Everything is crystal clear and forward. So its good for trying to decide if a guitar part was played cleanly enough or if it needs a re-take. However, when it came time for final mixdown, they were totally useless. To put it in simple, non-technical terms, you just get no idea of how well the albums "rocks". Everything sounds brittle, nothing grooves. I wouldn't even call them boring, they're beyond that.

Your impressions about the 701 match mine as well as the review from Steve. However, my experience of headphones in the studio have been to use them primarily as playback monitors, or as music microscopes to check for bad edits. If used this way, the 701s, with their "crystal clear" presentation might be helpful. But I agree, not good to mix music on. But what headphone really is? BTW, why were you not using the speakers to mix?

 

[jpstereo]

I agree. Where would be if we all liked the same things? I for one, have both the K701s and HD600s and switch regularly between them depending on the amp and music I am listening to. I appreciate the HD600s all around fullness and flexibility while I adore the K701 for it's cavernous sound stage and ability to localize instruments. I guess I am very happy to have both cans in my stable!

 

[fjrabon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif T It's not hate, especially not for AKG. I can't tell you how much I love the K-240DF, K-501 and K-1000. Those are excellent and I love them. But I don't love the K-701, for much the same reason Steve Hoffman doesn't like them. If you don't like a piece of gear are you supposed to shut up so you don't hurt someone's feelings?

I'm starting to get somewhat curious about other AKGs now. One other "plus" I'll give the 701s is that even a tiny bit sub-excellent vocal performance can't hide with them. It just sticks out like a sore thumb. Which is, I think, what made the guy who bought them for the studio love them so much, because that was his background, making vocalists do dozens of retakes until a vocal part was just right. But what really makes a bad vocal spike through the mix is exactly what you don't want if you're trying to get an overall idea of how the record sounds and how much people are going to like that sound.

So I guess I'd say they do certain things better than any 'phone I have ever heard. But making music enjoyable, IMHO, isn't one of those things.

One thing is for sure though, they're the anti-bose. If Bose makes everything sound sort of homoginized to this sort of tone that american consumers with un-refined tastes like, the AKG701 does the exact opposite.

 

[fjrabon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bias /img/forum/go_quote.gif Your impressions about the 701 match mine as well as the review from Steve. However, my experience of headphones in the studio have been to use them primarily as playback monitors, or as music microscopes to check for bad edits. If used this way, the 701s, with their "crystal clear" presentation might be helpful. But I agree, not good to mix music on. But what headphone really is? BTW, why were you not using the speakers to mix?

I use speakers and headphones to mix.

I think most people use at least some form of speakers and headphones, because the record is going to need to sound good out of both. I actually will even use apple earbuds for one run, just to make sure it sounds passable out of them, because that's what so much music is (regrettably) listened to through these days. If you just listen through speakers, you can end up getting too caught up in how great the fullness sounds. With headphones, its slightly easier to focus on the parts themselves. If that makes sense.

Also, at this point, I was doing mixing of one part while they were going over another part at the same time in the same room (yeah, we were in a deadline crunch, which is why I was working to begin with). So actually that day I did everything with headphones.

Surprisingly that record ended up sounding amazing.

 

[olblueyez]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif The problem is pretty much what Mercuttio said. Newer Head-Fi'ers buy the K-701 because it's the least expensive "flagship" headphone from a major brand. Then they go nuts in every discussion telling people that the K-701 is the best thing ever and so on. The noobs are being honest, because the K-701 is a step up from the entry gear. But the people going wild over the K-701 generally have never heard comparable Senns, the K-501, K-1000, or the DT880, among others. For those who have heard the other "flagship" headphones, it's nearly impossible to tell the K-701 fanboys that there are far better headphones for an extra $50 or so. It's not hate, especially not for AKG. I can't tell you how much I love the K-240DF, K-501 and K-1000. Those are excellent and I love them. But I don't love the K-701, for much the same reason Steve Hoffman doesn't like them. If you don't like a piece of gear are you supposed to shut up so you don't hurt someone's feelings?

[size=xx-large]EXACTLY!!!

[/size]

 

[apatN]

It is a head-fi thing. It only takes one or two noobs looking for -let's say- a K701. They go bumping all the threads, creating discussion and suddenly it is labeled as FOTM. I have seen people change their minds a couple of time as well.