AKG K701 Studio Headphones | Discount Price: $259.00
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Brand: AKG
Features: Very realistic sounding headphones [Posted on 2007-12-28]
I've had my K701s for a couple of months now and I'm totally pleased with their comfort and performance. I use them when others in the house prevent me listening to my main rig. I'm using a Woo WA6 headphone amp to drive the AKGs, routing the source outputs through a Conrad Johnson CA200 that offers a bypass. The sources are a Pro-ject RM10 turntable through a Pro-ject Tube Box phono preamp and a modified Oppo 980 universal player.
The sound is very balanced, transparent and pleasing. These cans have very flat true bass with no midbass hump to screw things up. Some interpret that as deficient bass. I've seen charts showing the response flat down to 20Hz. If you like natural bass, you'll be very pleased, if you like pumped up bass, then look elsewhere.
The midrange is where the K701 really shines. I play trumpet seriously as an avocation, so I love a system that delivers natural midrange to get the sound of trumpet right. I also love female vocals. The AKGs reveal every nuance of a voice. The detailed character of every instrument is revealed.
In my opinion, you'd have to spend several thousand dollars on speakers to rival this accuracy and presentation. Headphones will never replace speakers as far as impact and presentation, but these AKGs really get the timbre correct and present a very realistic musical experience.
Dave
Solid set of headphones [Posted on 2008-01-27]
This is the high end of AKG's headphone line. You can certainly hear the difference. Did not require a headphone amp even when using my ipod classic. They are comfortable, well built, and light. I had an old pair of AKG headphones that are at least 15 yrs old and are still kicking. So why not five stars. There are two types of high end over the ear headphones. Those that seal in the sound and those that don't. These don't. This means that there is considerable sound bleed which is not a big deal, but something to note. It also means outside sounds get in. I actually like it as I need an ear on what's going on in my environment. But for purists this will likely be a deal killer. However the next step up comes with a steep price increase. See Grado and Steinheiser top of the line ($500-650). I can live with a little outside noise as long as it's not distorting the sound.
Amazing full sounding headphones [Posted on 2008-05-06]
I bought these over my HD555's, and I have to say, one of the best decisions I've made. I love these headphones, leaps and bounds better then the senns and I am just now starting to break them in fully. Hooked up to an amp they just blow me away listening to vinyl records of any type. I highly recommend these, especially for this price, it's unreal, they stole me away from being a Sennheiser fanboy.
What they are and what they aren't [Posted on 2008-06-17]
My wife bought these for me for my birthday. I was thrilled because I planned on buying these myself. The specs are impressive. The build quality is higher than I expected. I only gave them two stars because of the inconsistency that I experienced while listening. These headphones are not what most people think they are. They will not sound good unless you have a dedicated headphone amplifier. The volume is extremely low without extra amplification. When they are amplified however, they sound great. They do sound better than any headphones I've ever owned. The real issue here is one of consistency. If you move these headphones just a bit while on your head, the sound changes. Different sources sound different as well. And for me, I was able to produce distortion very easily. The max input power for these headphones is 200mW. That's 200 milliwatts. That's not a lot of power for headphones, and with the 62ohm resistances, that's not a lot of volume. Any more power than that is really distorted. They are easy to overdrive. They are too easy to underpower. They just do not produce consistent enough sound for my needs. If you're a gamer or DJ or music produce or ipod listener, these just won't do the trick.
What he said..... [Posted on 2008-07-29]
This is more confirmation than anything new....
These are far and away the best headphones I have ever heard when paired with the right electronics. I would only buy these if you plan on pairing this with a decent headphone amplifier.
I have been using a pair of IEM Etymotic ER4P's for a few years and have been very happy. I wanted something for home that was more comfortable for extended periods of time. The AKG K701 is a major improvement over the ER4P's in comfort and sound when paired with the headphone amp on a Presonus Firebox and high quality recordings. However, I prefer the ER4Ps on my Macbook, Headroom Total Bithead, and iaudio portable player. The ER4P's are great headphones too:)
These sound more like speakers to me than headphones. The bass is pure quality! The mix of bass matches my 2 channel setup which is also very linear. If you want over emphasized bass and you don't listen to high quality recordings then an EQ will provide as much bass as you want:) Just for fun I queued up DJ Laz Journey Into Bass and changed the EQ settings to bump the lowest octave in itunes. I turned it up until I couldn't stand it. I heard plenty of bass without the distortion associated with over excursion. 30hz is no problem for these headphones:)
For those into classical, Mephisto & Co. Minnesota Orchestra "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" is an amazing track covering the entire audible spectrum with an entourage of instruments. 11:18 of jaw dropping realism!
Pros: Soundstage, most accurate bass i've heard in a headphone, tonal balance, comfort
Cons: Picky about source, amplifier and material. Leaks tons of sound to the outside world and in from the outside world. The construction quality is good, but many pressure points are made out of plastic.... I don't think that they will break though.
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