AKG K701 QUESTION

[Googer]

Looking at this ebay auction the description reads:

NEWEST Style! NOT older style!

Is this really true? Is there an old style of the same model number? My common logic tells me if they change something, it would most likely get a new model number. What's the deal here?

Before you voice your opinion for one side or the other please state if you have not had experience with one of the two selections.



AKG-
Higher sensitivity May not require an extra amplifier
Good headband design

Senneheiser
Frequency Response: 10 - 39,500 Hz
Low sensitivity, requires amplifier.
Broader frequency range, good for SACD or DVD-A

Both can be had for about the same price.

 

[JAG87]

Its a K701 like any other one, nothing different. Its a nice price too for BINB. I'd jump on it if I needed one.

 

[Googer]

Originally posted by: JAG87
Its a K701 like any other one, nothing different. Its a nice price too for BINB. I'd jump on it if I needed one.

ABE's of Maine has them for $238 +shipping.


Is there anyone else with knowledge of these grand headphones?


http://www.abesofmaine.com/ite...id=AKGK701&l=ANANDTECH

 

[Born2bwire]

Originally posted by: Googer

Originally posted by: JAG87
Its a K701 like any other one, nothing different. Its a nice price too for BINB. I'd jump on it if I needed one.

ABE's of Maine has them for $238 +shipping.


Is there anyone else with knowledge of these grand headphones?


http://www.abesofmaine.com/ite...id=AKGK701&l=ANANDTECH

They're fairly new headphones. I think they came out in the last two years or so. I don't know what he means by "old" style.

 

[darkswordsman17]

I've seen this debated somewhat. Some people, I think just to spread FUD so they could sell theirs for more money, have said that certain serial numbers sound better than others. As for a new version, I think that is likely more FUD. AKG changed the box. This headphone is one that would be hard to wade through all the crap to get any real info on Head-Fi.

I personally would not buy new headphones on eBay as I've seen cases where the company will not honor the warranty.

 

[Googer]

Originally posted by: darkswordsman17
I've seen this debated somewhat. Some people, I think just to spread FUD so they could sell theirs for more money, have said that certain serial numbers sound better than others. As for a new version, I think that is likely more FUD. AKG changed the box. This headphone is one that would be hard to wade through all the crap to get any real info on Head-Fi.

I personally would not buy new headphones on eBay as I've seen cases where the company will not honor the warranty.

I was thinking the same, since ABE's has them for the same price, there's no way ebay will be getting my business. Newer may mean counterfeit .

 

[Googer]

Also considered, is the Sennheiser HD650 with it's 38Khz frequency response. Which would you recommend?

 

[darkswordsman17]

Do you have any idea what kind of sound you like? The 650s are supposed to be pretty laid back (a good and bad thing depending on the music). They also will have more bass presence than the K701s. I think the K701s are supposed to really excel in soundstage and maybe details. You might also consider the Beyer DT880 or 990s. While I don't agree with the people who say certain headphones absolutely need an amp (well with exceptions where literally they can't even be powered without one), but both of those are supposed to be ones that really benefit from amping.

 

[Googer]

Originally posted by: darkswordsman17
Do you have any idea what kind of sound you like? The 650s are supposed to be pretty laid back (a good and bad thing depending on the music). They also will have more bass presence than the K701s. I think the K701s are supposed to really excel in soundstage and maybe details. You might also consider the Beyer DT880 or 990s. While I don't agree with the people who say certain headphones absolutely need an amp (well with exceptions where literally they can't even be powered without one), but both of those are supposed to be ones that really benefit from amping.

I am not much of a bass head and appreciate subtleties and hidden details in sound. I have limited the selection to AKG and Sennheiser because the price vs quality is just right.

 

[darkswordsman17]

Hmm the K701s would probably fit what you want more. You might read up on people's opinions of the Beyers though. They slot right into a similar price. The issue is that its tough to recommend audio equipment when its a matter of personal taste, as all of these offer high quality and roughly similar prices. I don't think you'll go wrong with any of them though. If this is your first nice headphone, you'll almost undoubtedly be blown away by whichever one you choose.

 

[Googer]

Originally posted by: darkswordsman17
Hmm the K701s would probably fit what you want more. You might read up on people's opinions of the Beyers though. They slot right into a similar price. The issue is that its tough to recommend audio equipment when its a matter of personal taste, as all of these offer high quality and roughly similar prices. I don't think you'll go wrong with any of them though. If this is your first nice headphone, you'll almost undoubtedly be blown away by whichever one you choose.

I am putting a high value on sensitivity, the ability to take them with me and listen to an iPOD or Laptop will make or break the deal. The AKG's are rated somewhere near 108-110 db while the Sennheisers are down near 88-90 db.

 

[JAG87]

Pretty much what darkswordsman17 said is correct. The HD650 have a more veiled bassy sound, but by no means it lacks detail in the highs. The K701 is a more detailed headphone, in the sense that it will emphasize the peculiarities in the highs, and it does not have that bass that "liquefies" the sound. I hope you understand the metaphors I am using. Also dont be fooled by frequency response, you cant hear anything above 19 Khz. What matters is the response in dB for each frequency range. And a final note about amping, you got it all mixed up. The HD650 have 300 ohms of impedance, and average sensitivity, while the K701 have low impedance (62 ohms) but also a very low sensitivity and require an amp as well. The impedance in the HD650 is what calls for an amp, while in the K701 its the low sensitivity.

You can take my advice, I have HD650s recabled with Stefan AudioArt Equinox on my head right now.

 

[JAG87]

Originally posted by: Googer

Originally posted by: darkswordsman17
Hmm the K701s would probably fit what you want more. You might read up on people's opinions of the Beyers though. They slot right into a similar price. The issue is that its tough to recommend audio equipment when its a matter of personal taste, as all of these offer high quality and roughly similar prices. I don't think you'll go wrong with any of them though. If this is your first nice headphone, you'll almost undoubtedly be blown away by whichever one you choose.

I am putting a high value on sensitivity, the ability to take them with me and listen to an iPOD or Laptop will make or break the deal. The AKG's are rated somewhere near 108-110 db while the Sennheisers are down near 88-90 db.

You will not be able to listen to them from an iPod or a laptop without an amp.

 

[Googer]

Originally posted by: JAG87
Pretty much what darkswordsman17 said is correct. The HD650 have a more veiled bassy sound, but by no means it lacks detail in the highs. The K701 is a more detailed headphone, in the sense that it will emphasize the peculiarities in the highs, and it does not have that bass that "liquefies" the sound. I hope you understand the metaphors I am using. Also dont be fooled by frequency response, you cant hear anything above 19 Khz. What matters is the response in dB for each frequency range. And a final note about amping, you got it all mixed up. The HD650 have 300 ohms of impedance, and average sensitivity, while the K701 have low impedance (62 ohms) but also a very low sensitivity and require an amp as well. The impedance in the HD650 is what calls for an amp, while in the K701 its the low sensitivity.

You can take my advice, I have HD650s recabled with Stefan AudioArt Equinox on my head right now.

I don't want to sound odd, but I can hear some sounds around 22-23 KHz. As a kid I would hear high frequencies and adults around me said they could hear nothing.

 

[Googer]

Originally posted by: JAG87

Originally posted by: Googer

Originally posted by: darkswordsman17
Hmm the K701s would probably fit what you want more. You might read up on people's opinions of the Beyers though. They slot right into a similar price. The issue is that its tough to recommend audio equipment when its a matter of personal taste, as all of these offer high quality and roughly similar prices. I don't think you'll go wrong with any of them though. If this is your first nice headphone, you'll almost undoubtedly be blown away by whichever one you choose.

I am putting a high value on sensitivity, the ability to take them with me and listen to an iPOD or Laptop will make or break the deal. The AKG's are rated somewhere near 108-110 db while the Sennheisers are down near 88-90 db.

You will not be able to listen to them from an iPod or a laptop without an amp.

I have heard rumors the AKG K701 can be used with one. Hmmm...

 

[JAG87]

Originally posted by: Googer

Originally posted by: JAG87
Pretty much what darkswordsman17 said is correct. The HD650 have a more veiled bassy sound, but by no means it lacks detail in the highs. The K701 is a more detailed headphone, in the sense that it will emphasize the peculiarities in the highs, and it does not have that bass that "liquefies" the sound. I hope you understand the metaphors I am using. Also dont be fooled by frequency response, you cant hear anything above 19 Khz. What matters is the response in dB for each frequency range. And a final note about amping, you got it all mixed up. The HD650 have 300 ohms of impedance, and average sensitivity, while the K701 have low impedance (62 ohms) but also a very low sensitivity and require an amp as well. The impedance in the HD650 is what calls for an amp, while in the K701 its the low sensitivity.

You can take my advice, I have HD650s recabled with Stefan AudioArt Equinox on my head right now.

I don't want to sound odd, but I can hear some sounds around 22-23 KHz. As a kid I would hear high frequencies and adults around me said they could hear nothing.

You do sound odd, because the highest frequency in a 44.1 Khz audio file is 22050 Hz, so it doesn's even matter that you can hear up to 23 Khz, which you cant anyways. Id be very surprised if you can hear anything above 20 Khz. Usually 19 is the cutoff for a VERY good ear.

Originally posted by: Googer

Originally posted by: JAG87

Originally posted by: Googer

Originally posted by: darkswordsman17
Hmm the K701s would probably fit what you want more. You might read up on people's opinions of the Beyers though. They slot right into a similar price. The issue is that its tough to recommend audio equipment when its a matter of personal taste, as all of these offer high quality and roughly similar prices. I don't think you'll go wrong with any of them though. If this is your first nice headphone, you'll almost undoubtedly be blown away by whichever one you choose.

I am putting a high value on sensitivity, the ability to take them with me and listen to an iPOD or Laptop will make or break the deal. The AKG's are rated somewhere near 108-110 db while the Sennheisers are down near 88-90 db.

You will not be able to listen to them from an iPod or a laptop without an amp.

I have heard rumors the AKG K701 can be used with one. Hmmm...

It can, but it won't sound very loud, and you know what they say, you need sound pressure to reveal certain details.

 

[Googer]

Do you think my X-Fi front panel ¼ inch jack will have enough power for the HD650, Beyerdynamic's, or AKG K750?

 

[JAG87]

Yea it will drive it decently, much better than a laptop or an ipod. The problem is you will have to keep your Wave and your Master volume sliders all the way to max in Windows, and this will introduce a lot of distortion because you are clipping the signal. Your Wave and Master sliders should never exceed 75%.

If you like loud, like 90-95 dB loud, you will need an amp to listen properly. I know that most of the time my headphones outputting 75-80 dB, for example when I am gaming, when I am casually listening to music, but when I want to do some serious listening I put the volume up to roughly 90-95 dB from my Technics receiver.

In general these headphones are not to be used without some sort of amplification. If you wish to use them directly with your computer or laptop, I whole heartily recommend the HD595. It is something very close to the HD650 that does not require amplification.

 

[Googer]

I understand the AKG's can be very bright, is this true? Would the HD-650 be considered warm or are they bright too?

 

[JAG87]

You got it right. The AKG is bright, while the HD650 is warmer. Thats a good simple summary

 

[Googer]

Originally posted by: JAG87
You got it right. The AKG is bright, while the HD650 is warmer. Thats a good simple summary

The X-Fi is very bright, so I guess the warmer HD-650 would be the better match. But I do like the sensitivity and comfortable suspended headband design of the AKG that is identical to my Plantronics .audio 365, I often forget I am even wearing them. Tough decision.

Would the Beyerdynamic's be the middle road between the bright AKG and the warm Sennheisers? Or are they just bright or warm in a different way? Frequency charts suggest warm, but I really do not know.

 

[Auric]

I have not experience clipping with an X-Fi at max levels (and decent AKG headphones). My hearing is disturbingly good also.