the akg k-701 will open up and bloom eventually. mine have just "opened up"

terry parr · « **on:** 20 Jan 2013, 01:40 am »

i've had the k-701 phones for about a year and a half. the only other phones i own are the grado rs1-i. these are the only headphone "sound
signatures" that i'm very familiar with, so i realize my frame of reference and the scope of my experience is limited.

i said in the title that the 701's have opened up. by that i mean that the low-end seems to have more impact now. they don't sound as "thin"
or sterile-sounding as they used to. the upper-frequencies have seemed to open up, too. i'm hearing a bit more clarity up top, while not
sounding as "sibilant" as the grado can sometimes sound. the akg, while presenting the same upper-frequency material seems to be more
"well-modulated." i've noticed that certain passages of certain songs could sound "sharp" with the grado, but don't sound this way with the 701,
although the same "upper frequencies" are still there. you're hearing the same sound characteristics, but a few steps removed.

there seems to be more space surrounding the instruments with the 701, whereas with the grado phone, it gives you the feeling of almost sitting
behind the drumkit with the other musicians almost close enough to reach out and touch. which can be enjoyable to listen to at times. but
sometimes you'd like to expand-out the perspective a little. that's one of the things that the 701's are better at than the grado rs1i's.

since i've gotten the impression that the 701's were sounding better, i've done some listening tests and re-played some tracks, and they do sound
fuller with the bass having more tactile impact (both acoustic bass and bass drums), while at the same time imparting more realistic tone and also having more separation between the instruments (this really comes out when listening to a jazz trio). you can close your eyes and picture where
the instruments are on stage most times, whereas with the grado phone, you were always sitting behind the drum set.

from a tonal and harmonic perspective, i think the 701 phone bests the grado. the 701 just sounds more "natural" to my ears. it's a more
pleasing sound. and i'm hearing more low-frequency "subtlety" (like when the acoustic bass player keeps his left fingers on the fretboard and
slides his fingers down, instead of moving his fingers off the fretboard to make the next note). the 701 is more articulate, too,being able to clearly
delineate the individual notes in a bass solo, for instance. and allowing you to hear more "tonal character" (for lack of a better phrase), as the
notes go by.

since i've noticed the change in sound of these phones, i've been spending a lot of time lately re-listening to just about my whole collection. it's
been fun. i never thought i'd say it, (and i've thought about selling the 701's i don't know how many times), but i'm digging these phones. (now).

it takes forever, but they do begin to sound better over time. if somebody out there has a set of these gathering dust (like mine were), get 'em
out again, listen to them from time to time. hold on to them. given enough playing time, they'll probably surprise you at how good they can
sound. the sound of these do change for the better.

milford3 · « **Reply #1 on:** 20 Jan 2013, 02:12 am »

The AKG 701 is a wonderful headphone. And yes, break in for any good headphone is normal. 100+ hours usually does the trick. Enjoy the music.

adydula · « **Reply #2 on:** 20 Jan 2013, 03:35 pm »

I have the Q701 and like them alot, I go back and forth between them and Audeze LCD2's and Grado 325is...all very different. The AKG's are very, very clean, clear and articulate....they lack the body that the LCD2's have but gosh they are really very special when it comes to clarity, openess and soundstage....the one thing that I do notice it takes a lot to drive them to make them really shine...

The volume level comapred to the LCD2's is cranked up several stops higher.....then they really shine.

Alex

terry parr · « **Reply #3 on:** 20 Jan 2013, 09:54 pm »

adydula: if you see this again, any of your thoughts on how the 701 compares with the lcd-2 would be appreciated. and, i agree that the 701
is less efficient and a bit harder to drive (but not a bad thing). i have my amp at about 10 or 11 o'clock with the 701's, whereas 8 o'clock is
usually fine for the grado phone.

when i originally said i have had these phones for about a year and a half, it hasn't taken the 701 that long to open up, because they haven't been the main h/p that i've been listening to. the 701's have spent months at a time just sitting there unused on my equipment rack, and i would only take them down and plug 'em in once in a while, every time feeling a little disappointed in how they would sound. until lately.

a lot of people see "akg-k701" and think "old news." these phones did come and go quickly. and i know why. they don't impress when they're fresh out of the box. and they still don't impress for some time after that. but, i just thought they deserved a second look, especially for someone interested in acoustic jazz.

the debut album by ELDAR which came out i think in 2005 with JOHN PATITUCCI on bass and TODD STRAIT on drums is the album where i
noticed a different sound with the 701's this time. the fast-moving intricate bass work on the tune "moanin'", along with the subtle hi-hat and the softer, accent cymbal crashes by the drummer seems to get buried by the grado, where the akg exposes it. nice.

and when you hear the bass drum, on the grado you would get the impact of the hit, whereas now the 701's will give impact (although still not
as much "punch" as the grado), but the 701's will imply the tone of the drum. you hear the bass drum "ring" a bit after the hit. you can tell that the drummer didn't have the bass drum "muffled" down too much on that particular tune.

it's been fun enjoying this extra level of detail that's been revealed now on a lot of different recordings by the akg's.

Bob2 · « **Reply #4 on:** 24 Jan 2013, 12:37 pm »

Well this thread has piqued my interest in my 701's that I have had for 3 years. Sound quality has been poor since new. Tried break in by playing for 100 hours or so when I first got them. Used these on and off. Just never gave what I was looking for.
So I have had these hooked up and playing for the last 4 days and can honestly say the sound terrible. These have more than 200 hours on them and I have seen no improvement, if anything they are worse. At very low volume they sound ok but anything above 10:00 on the woo volume I'm hearing distortion.
Do these really improve? Should I keep running them? Would really like to see them come around because they are comfy and light weight.
I think mine were just messed up from the git-go.

toocool4 · « **Reply #5 on:** 24 Jan 2013, 01:41 pm »

I think most equipments do change a little bit after break-in, but in my opinion not much. The sound signature you get at the beginning is pretty much what it’s going to be.

Sorry has the sound changed that much? or have you just got use to it’s sound is the main question here.

Bob2 · « **Reply #6 on:** 24 Jan 2013, 01:51 pm »

toocool4,
I'm not much on the "break in thing". Like you, I believe maybe a little.
I think these are as good as they will get and will probably be seeing the inside of a trash can soon.
Shame really. I contacted AKG and they were indifferent about the sq. Really did not want to help.
Oh well maybe it's time for some T1's!!

toocool4 · « **Reply #7 on:** 24 Jan 2013, 01:57 pm »

Bob2 go for the T1, you will love them.

I would love one if it was easier to drive / close back, i only use headphones on the move. At home i use my main system.

Bob2 · « **Reply #8 on:** 24 Jan 2013, 02:16 pm »

toocool4,
thanks, looks like I will get some heading my way!

richidoo · « **Reply #9 on:** 24 Jan 2013, 04:27 pm »

What amps are you guys using with 701s? I have a pair but my portable players can't play loud enough. So I have not been able to get the most out of them.

mboxler · « **Reply #10 on:** 24 Jan 2013, 05:36 pm »

Quote from: richidoo on 24 Jan 2013, 04:27 pm

What amps are you guys using with 701s? I have a pair but my portable players can't play loud enough. So I have not been able to get the most out of them.

Schiit Lyr with 6N1P-VI's. 9 to10 o'clock is plenty loud

.

Mike

adydula · « **Reply #11 on:** 24 Jan 2013, 06:15 pm »

terry...

I had 702's used them with Schiit Lyr and Shiit Asgard....went thru several other SS amps...settled on the O2 amp and ODAC.

The 702's were always ok, clear, clean articulate and good soundstage.

But...I always wanted to see it those megabuck cans were any good or as good or how much better would they be over the 702's.

So I ordered a set of LCD2's.

I sold the 702's a few days later..after being blown away by how much better they were than the 702's.. Better Bass, rich, musical etc...just a first class set of cans....

Funny over time the soundstage on the LCD2's seemed to be not as good at the 702's...

So I got a set of Q701's basically the same drivers etc just to see once again what I was missing from the LCD2's and its lack of soundstage...

Well.

The 701's arrived and after several weeks of back and forth I came to the following conclusions....the LCD2's are the better overall cans, just more musicality and presence...but the overall soundstage is just not as big as the 701's.

Depending on the material I often prefer one over the other....but the LCD2's are definitely the better quality headphone...if i had to choose one the LCD2's would stay.

The good thing is I have both and enjoy both, I force myself to listen to one set for a few weeks before rotating...and I do enjoy the newness of the exchange....its like getting new cans every 2-3 weeks....

The Grados were bought because the treble on the 701's and LCD2's seemed to be a bit layed back...even though the freq plots are flat for the most part.. I wanted a bright set of cans etc...the Grados are indeed bright...

The O2 amp, a class AB i think, drives all of these cans with no issues at all to their fullest extent....Is a small "portable" amp with or without batteries...and compares to many other higher dollar amps like the V200, Burson HA160, DacMagic etc...

I recently bought a 8050 Onkyo Network receiver and tried the LCD2's on its headphone circuit and was amazed at how good FM Stereo was being reproduced on the LCD2'S...really nice.

The output impedance of the amp is important with the 701/702's so be careful on that on your amp selection...can affect the bass etc...

All the best
Alex

dB Cooper · « **Reply #12 on:** 25 Jan 2013, 04:24 am »

Had a K701 set on loan from a friend for a couple weeks and didn't care for it. Ran it out of an 02 amp. I tried to like it. I wanted to like it. I really did. But I couldn't. And this set was well broken in and competently driven. Didn't like them any better driven by tubes at the Woo audio room at CAF either. Thin... hard... bright... Not my cup of tea. Insert standard "to each his own"/ymmv disclaimer here.

Bob2 · « **Reply #13 on:** 25 Jan 2013, 01:03 pm »

Well I got home from work yesterday and went to check on the 701"s. I have had them playing since monday evening as I mentioned in a previous post. Had these playing at low volume setting with a variety of music from my pc. Not surprisingly it appears both drivers are shot. At any volume level they are just horrible. Not sure if they are worth repairing or if parts are available. Shame really, I wanted to enjoy them. I'm kind of pissed about it as these were a gift from my wife.

dB Cooper · « **Reply #14 on:** 25 Jan 2013, 01:38 pm »

Replacement drivers must be available... In what way are they horrible- obvious distortion?

Bob2 · « **Reply #15 on:** 25 Jan 2013, 02:25 pm »

Quote

In what way are they horrible- obvious distortion?

Well at all volume levels they sound like they are underwater for lack of a better explaination....
I did take a quick look on the AKG website and found nothing about getting the 701 repaired. It does show service on some newer models. I'll look more closely this evening..
I would like to get them useable again but will not invest too much to do so.

terry parr · « **Reply #16 on:** 26 Jan 2013, 02:08 am »

Bob2: you're making me feel a little guilty that the 701's didn't seem to work out for you, especially after posting my high praise for them. i'm
sorry. my reason for starting this thread is that i had noticed a change in how these phones sounded, and i wanted to share that. the thread
was mainly meant for people who already had these phones and had pretty much given up on them.

a couple of things need clarification: i've never deliberately tried to "burn-in" or "run-in" these phones. the fact that they have noticeably opened up and improved has happened naturally. over time. very few people would have the patience to allow enough time for these phones to
break-in naturally if bought new. even knowing what i know now, i'm not even sure if i would have the patience. i just feel lucky that they have seemed to work out for
me. all of the previous times listening to them, i never really thought about "breaking them in". the improvement that i've recently noticed has
been an unexpected surprise.

with all that said, if you were here now, and you could listen to these phones on my system...who knows? you still may not like the way they
sound. all of us have different expectations, experience and preferences. that's one of the things that makes sharing information about this
hobby interesting and fun. it's also one of the things that can make it frustrating when you're trying to get across to others what it is exactly that
you're hearing. in trying to describe sound characteristics, it's difficult to avoid phrases that have become cliche. i've thought about this in just
the few posts that i've made here. laurie anderson once said, "writing about music is like dancing about architecture." and maybe she was quoting somebody else, but anyway,

Bob2, i apologize if any of my enthusiasm for the 701's may have led you down the wrong path. but everything i wrote was true. to me.

the other thing that needs to be clarified, i think is the associated equipment that you're hearing the 701's thru. this may not make any difference at this point to Bob2 or to anyone else here on the board, or to anyone currently living in the peoples' republic of china, but here's how i'm hearing the 701's:

headphone output of a yamaha rx-v870 receiver (tone controls engaged. bass dial set at 3o'clock. treble dial full-out, "bass extension" is on).
no other effects are engaged on the amp.

rotel rcd-1520 cd player

transparent musiclink interconnects

AudioSource model eq 100 equalizer (and i have this adjusted to allow a "boost" at 30hz and 60hz, a mid-range "boost" at 1khz, and all other
sliders at about the half-way point, give or take).

for what it's worth, guys. (which probably ain't much), but there you go.

terry parr · « **Reply #17 on:** 26 Jan 2013, 02:50 am »

adydula: thanks for coming back and posting. since i knew that you were familiar with the sound sig's of the 701's and the lcd2's, i was hoping
that you would come back and give your impressions of them and how they compared.

your thoughts were more useful than just reading a review of the lcd2's by themselves, since you compared them directly to something that i'm
already very familiar with.

appreciate it, alex.

SteveFord · « **Reply #18 on:** 26 Jan 2013, 03:51 am »

I had 701s for a few years but just never took a shine to them as much as I wanted to.
I broke them in by having a CD on repeat for a few days which helped quite a bit.
They sounded best with a Jolida headphone amp (220V w/ a seperate power supply run through a step down transformer).

Trismos · « **Reply #19 on:** 26 Jan 2013, 06:07 am »

Quote from: Bob2 on 25 Jan 2013, 01:03 pm

Well I got home from work yesterday and went to check on the 701"s. I have had them playing since monday evening as I mentioned in a previous post. Had these playing at low volume setting with a variety of music from my pc. Not surprisingly it appears both drivers are shot. At any volume level they are just horrible. Not sure if they are worth repairing or if parts are available. Shame really, I wanted to enjoy them. I'm kind of pissed about it as these were a gift from my wife.

I have found my 701's that I have owned for four years now really reveal the flaws or strengths of your source. I notice you don't say what your source is. I wasn't that impressed with them until I purchased a Centrance Dac mini with a class A headphone amp. Sometimes you read reviews and they sling around descriptives that are hard to relate to if you haven't experienced them yourself. I can only say that with a good quality amp, these phones are superb at detail and presentation, and a joy to listen to.