[aerius]

Hi Aerius, can you please share with us - amplification and source used during your audition of K701.
I did A-B K701 with three different amplifiers and they all sounded different from good to excellent to amazing.

It was either a Meridian 507 or 508 CD player with the HeadRoom Balanced Max headphone amp.  Also tried it out of my own DIY tube amp and Denon 650F CD player.  To me it was clinical and sterile sounding with both setups, I suppose it might be useful if I were a mastering engineer but I feel the K701 doesn't have close to the detail & resolution required for that.

I think the best way to describe how it sounds like to me is this.  Imagine a really non-linear system with peaks, dips, echoes, and colourations all over the place.  Then imagine that someone tried to get rid of all that by using loads of EQ and damping all over the place.  It flattens out the sounds makes it sound pretty flat & linear, but at the same time it washes out all the low-level details, kills the dynamics and imposes a blanket of sameness to any music that's played on it.

The closest I can think of in terms of sound is the Dynaudio Audience series speakers, some people like them, I absolutely can't stand them.

But I have weird priorities, I'm pretty much out on a limb in terms of my tastes & preferences which I guess is why I'm having to DIY much of my gear.

[Daverz]

I've had AKG 501s for about 6 years and love their big airy soundstage and warm midrange.  I've been considering upgrading to the 701s or making a sideways move to the Senn 650, or make the leap to one of the Stax systems.  I also own Etymotic 4s, which I use a lot and enjoy, but prefer the AKGs when my environment is quiet enough for them.  I've also used Grado S-80s (exciting, but with a narrow soundstage and hell on the pinnae; the wiring eventually gave out, a common problem with Grados),  and some years ago I owned some Stax phones (they came with an adapter that plugged into the speaker outs on your amp).

[SET Man]

...  I've also used Grado S-80s (exciting, but with a narrow soundstage and hell on the pinnae; the wiring eventually gave out, a common problem with Grados),...

Hey!

    Interesting. I've been using my Grado SR60 since 1996. And was pretty rough with it first few years from using it out side, stuff it in bag almost daily. Well, it still works fine.

   The cable on Grado could be easily replace if you are a DIYer... well at least with my SR60 model. Actually I'm thinking of replace the cable on my SR60 with solid core high purity long crystal 26ga litz wire in teflon tubes with Neutrik gold plated 3.5mm plug. Well, let's see. 

Take care,
Buddy

[Russell Dawkins]

I've been considering upgrading to the 701s or making a sideways move to the Senn 650

Daverz, make sure you listen before making either of those two changes.

It seems most comments regarding the 501 vs 701 I have read favor the 501, so it might not be an upgrade!

Also, I don't think you would necessarily go for the Sennheiser 650 if you heard it - or have you? I much prefer the 501.

[Daverz]

Also, I don't think you would necessarily go for the Sennheiser 650 if you heard it - or have you? I much prefer the 501.

Have you been able to compare with any Stax systems?  A guy I really respect on rec.music.classical.recordings, Simon Roberts, swears by the Stax Basic, and he listens to a huge amount of music through them.

Or maybe I should just spend my money on a regular headphone amp.  I was looking for a good tube headphone amp kit.

[Russell Dawkins]

I have not heard any Stax recently, but enjoyed the ones I heard a long time ago. I was not listening critically for tonality, but I remember enjoying the fine texture.

[aerius]

Also, I don't think you would necessarily go for the Sennheiser 650 if you heard it - or have you? I much prefer the 501.

Have you been able to compare with any Stax systems?  A guy I really respect on rec.music.classical.recordings, Simon Roberts, swears by the Stax Basic, and he listens to a huge amount of music through them.

I'll comment since I've heard the 501, 650, and several Stax systems.  If you're going the Stax route I'd skip the Basic and go up to the Classic 3050 or Signature 4040 systems.  The Basic gives hint of the Stax sound, but it's lacking in goodness and sounds somewhat fake & thin.  My guess is the amp is completely inadequate, but part of it could be the headphones too.

The Classic is where the Stax sound starts coming together, the highs can be a touch tizzy at times but I find that overall it's far preferable to the Sennheiser 650 or AKG K501.  There's a lot more information & resolution and the soundstage is pretty special.  The Signature takes that and adds a bit of refinement & smoothness, but may lose out a bit on dynamics, hard to say since the sources weren't the same and it was a while back when I heard them.

Downsides.  If you crave big dynamic weighty bass like I do and want to have big drum dynamics explode in your face, well, Stax headphones won't do that.  For whatever reason big bass dynamics & weight is something which electrostatics struggle with, and conventional dynamic drivers are still better in that area.  If your music leans more towards Metallica rather than Mozart then a Stax probably isn't the best headphone for you.  If it's the other way round then I think it'll be a good match.

[In The Groove]

From a musical point of view, the RS-1 is worlds ahead of the others, though many would disagree with me on this.  For lack of a better term, the GS1000 does not have the Grado soul & magic

+1

[steve4589]

I am waiting to receive my AKG701 re-cabled by moon-audio.
I think I am going to stay put for now.
Looking at the frequency response Grado SR125 look most interesting and least colored.

Thank you all.

I'm currently considering the Black Dragon modification on my K701s. What did you think of this modification as it appears you were already satisfied with them stock?