AKG K701

[Dr. Toobz]

Ok, I do know these puppies need a long break-in time, like 400 hours or so. But dear gawd, they are just terrible out of the box! I can't even stand to listen to them in the interim, and I've tried them on the SEX amp, my Crack (w/5998), a solid-state OP627 amp I built, and the headphone jacks of several other solid-state devices I have in the house. The AKG's sound thin, distant, and weird on everything - like those cheap headphones that used to come "free" with portable tape players and Walkman radios.

Is this pretty typical? How did you guys burn yours in?

There's always the distinct possibility that I like my HD650's too much, and that these AKG's will never sound right to me, even after burn-in. I mean, how much do they really "improve?"

[Laudanum]

I cant comment directly on the K701 but I do have the K601. The AKG's took a good while to work in and the 701's are reportedly the same way.   They are supposedly a bit different sonically but the 601's are great with good live recordings ... I listen mostly to blues.  My go-to's are Beyers, but the 601's have the widest stage of my modest collection.  I actually returned them and then re-called them from UPS to give them a chance.  Im glad I did.  Again, the 601's and 701's are a bit different sonically, AND, I like Beyers, not Senns, so this is not an apples to apples comparison and you may never like the 701's. But if you dont give them some time, you probably arent really hearing them.

[ssssly]

I went through much the same with my 702s.

Plug them into an ipod or something and leave them play in the corner for a week. Then give them another listen.

They do sound very different than 650s though. Not as much bass and a bit more analytical.

I do however love my 702s with my MQ iron SEX.

Building a Crack this week. So we'll see how they do there.

[Armaegis]

No amount of burn-in will change a headphone signature so much that it sounds different. If you don't like it now, return it and get something else. I actually prefer the regular K240 to the K701, and I have a vintage K240 Sextett which pairs marvelously with the Crack.

[Laudanum]

No amount of burn-in will change a headphone signature so much that it sounds different. If you don't like it now, return it and get something else. I actually prefer the regular K240 to the K701, and I have a vintage K240 Sextett which pairs marvelously with the Crack.

I think thats probably true, speaking technically.   In the example of the K601, they were very difficult to listen to because of virtually no low end at all.   Although not an accurate characterization, they sounded as if there was nothing there below 200 hz.  Overall what I would describe as very very thin/lean.  With some hours on them, the low end filled in and it wasnt perceived as a subtle change.  They are still bottom light in terms of overall impact but you can now hear a bottom end that was missing before.  And it is even palapable with bass heavier stuff.  So while I agree that the overall signature probably did not change much (aside from the bottom end) the filling in of the lower frequencies changes the PERCEPTION of the sonic signature of the headphone from very lean to fuller.  Better balanced, more musical. 

Related to my example ... If what you are actually saying is that no amount of burn in will do anything to increase the low end response, then I dont agree with you.  But I dont think that is what you were getting at.       

[Wanderer]

I actually prefer the regular K240 to the K701, and I have a vintage K240 Sextett which pairs marvelously with the Crack.

A word of caution with AKG 240. Personally I do not think the low impedance 240 that AKG markets sounds like the older 600 ohm versions. I have the older AKG 240M(onitor) which I rather like when properly driven but I find the current 55 ohm 240 studio/MkII much more colored with "goosed" highs and mid-bass.       

[Armaegis]

No amount of burn-in will change a headphone signature so much that it sounds different. If you don't like it now, return it and get something else. I actually prefer the regular K240 to the K701, and I have a vintage K240 Sextett which pairs marvelously with the Crack.

I think thats probably true, speaking technically.   In the example of the K601, they were very difficult to listen to because of virtually no low end at all.   Although not an accurate characterization, they sounded as if there was nothing there below 200 hz.  Overall what I would describe as very very thin/lean.  With some hours on them, the low end filled in and it wasnt perceived as a subtle change.  They are still bottom light in terms of overall impact but you can now hear a bottom end that was missing before.  And it is even palapable with bass heavier stuff.  So while I agree that the overall signature probably did not change much (aside from the bottom end) the filling in of the lower frequencies changes the PERCEPTION of the sonic signature of the headphone from very lean to fuller.  Better balanced, more musical. 

Related to my example ... If what you are actually saying is that no amount of burn in will do anything to increase the low end response, then I dont agree with you.  But I dont think that is what you were getting at.       

While I've never heard a K601, I've gone through a lot of headphones and have never heard any appreciable burn-in (beyond maybe the first hour or so, and that's being generous) that I couldn't attribute to the pads softening/settling in or my ears just getting used to them. But that's just me; I'm sure everyone hears things differently.

[Armaegis]

I actually prefer the regular K240 to the K701, and I have a vintage K240 Sextett which pairs marvelously with the Crack.

A word of caution with AKG 240. Personally I do not think the low impedance 240 that AKG markets sounds like the older 600 ohm versions. I have the older AKG 240M(onitor) which I rather like when properly driven but I find the current 55 ohm 240 studio/MkII much more colored with "goosed" highs and mid-bass.       

Indeed, that was some sloppy wording on my part. The modern K240 and the vintage K240 Sextett do not sound alike.

[Laudanum]

"While I've never heard a K601, I've gone through a lot of headphones and have never heard any appreciable burn-in (beyond maybe the first hour or so, and that's being generous) that I couldn't attribute to the pads softening/settling in or my ears just getting used to them. But that's just me; I'm sure everyone hears things differently. "

Not something I normally subscribe to either.  Ive noticed no change in any of my other phones.  The 601's definitely improve on the bottom end, and therefore overall, with some time on them that isnt associated with getting used to the sound.

[Chris]

Wanderer, SUPER post, I was born and raised with the 240m, all I owned and know. Had countless hours of driving rock on them, some 16 years later, a friend tried and liked mine, so he ordered a pair,the 55 0hm new ones, when they came, and after a few hours (probably better over more time granted), i brought mine over and we tried both, i was gobsmacked at just how HUGE and open mine were in comparison, all i thought was wow no wonder, mine have maybe 4000 hours on them... i told myself , i am never getting rid of these!... haha  I also have k701s, and right out of the box, i could tell these are reference compared to just the pleasurable 240ms, however, after many hours and the same driving rock etc... i was noticing a tin cannyness also , and just think I need a REAL amp for it like BH...However , have any of you read the 6moons article on K701s BALANCED? He says , that with balanced cabling and , I am thinking with the SMACK in balanced mode, he says it addresses all of the 701s shortcomings including the lack of bass issue (not ADDING bass but helping to bring it out more).... and BH has just the ticket with the SMACK and the balanced outputs.... so check out the article if you have not already..  Just google akg k701 balanced...... and it should be the first link that comes up.... Fun read.... So , in a nutshell, the 701s, with balanced cabling and a Smack (balanced) could be a perfect match that will satisfy you with your 701s.....

[ssssly]

The burn in on my 701/2s was pretty apparent. I listened to them for about 20hrs out of the box and then burnt them in for about 200hrs and came back to them. The overall tonal presentation was the same. But the bass was definitely more present and more balanced. These are some of the more analytic phones I have listened to though. But I like that about them. And would be one of the few exceptions that I have experienced of phones that considerably changed with burn in.

[Dr. Toobz]

Well, here's an update. I think something was wrong with the K701's I had, and I ended up selling them and picking up a pair of new AKG K702's, which have the nice detachable cable but otherwise appear to be the exact same phones. Quite oddly, however, they sound completely different than the K701's I had before, which leads me to believe that I had a bad pair. There's plenty of bass, even with only 30 or 40 hours on them, and the amount of layering and separation I hear is amazing. They are easily my favorite headphones so far, and appear to fall somewhere between a Grado and HD650 in terms of sound. I look forward to hearing what sort of difference further break-in will cause.

Also, I have tried these on the Crack with a Speedball, film caps, a 12BH7 driver, and the usual 6AS7 in the power tube position. Interestingly, I hear little to complain about, and the combo still sounds better than the headphones being driven from a solid-state amp. I think the device driving the amp (Music Streamer II), which is sort of dark-sounding and loud, does help the situation, as does the 12BH7-EH, which is also a bit dark-sounding. If anything, the AKG's are simply are a bit loose and weak in the bass, but it's too early to tell if that is impedance-related or simply an artifact of their newness. My feeling is that a 5998 would solve most of the bass issue, but I (stupidly) sold mine before getting these new K702's....

[Chris]

Great to know... thank you..

[Laudanum]

Also, I have tried these on the Crack with a Speedball, film caps, a 12BH7 driver, and the usual 6AS7 in the power tube position. Interestingly, I hear little to complain about, and the combo still sounds better than the headphones being driven from a solid-state amp. I think the device driving the amp (Music Streamer II), which is sort of dark-sounding and loud, does help the situation, as does the 12BH7-EH, which is also a bit dark-sounding. If anything, the AKG's are simply are a bit loose and weak in the bass, but it's too early to tell if that is impedance-related or simply an artifact of their newness. My feeling is that a 5998 would solve most of the bass issue, but I (stupidly) sold mine before getting these new K702's....

If they are anything like the 601's, the bass does gain a little bit of impact with burn in, as I mentioned above.  Overall character remains.  I think that a 5998 may improve on the bass in terms of tightening it up.  But I dont think it will improve the "weak" aspect by improving impact.  I still havent put my finger on whether the 5998 is lighter in the bass department compared with the 6AS7 or 6080.  Ive been busy listening with the 5998 and not really comparing the tubes.  But I find the 5998 more a bit more detailed, cleaner, and quite possibly, a bit more extended up top.  It's not as "warm" a tube as the 6080's and 6AS7's ive tried.  So Im not sure whether it is actually a bit lighter in the bass/midbass or just more balanced overall.  But the bass does seem more controlled if not quite as impactful with the 5998.  And this has been what Ive heard with all my phones, both high Z and the lower impedance phones Ive tried (64 and 55 ohm).    PJ has mentioned that he believes that sonic differences are due to the 5998 tube itself and not the lower output impedance of Crack when running the 5998.  So, I guess you'd have to give it a go and see what you think.  I agree with you about the 12BH7 compared to the 12AU7.  I have some Sylvania, RCA and GE 12BH7's.   Ive been using a Sylvania with the 5998 for the last little while. But I like the RCA's as well and cant decide which I prefer.  Could be happy with either.   The GE may be a bit boring for lack of a better word.

Please update with your impressions with 5998 if you end up trying it.

[Noskipallwd]

Glad I found this thread, just ordered some K702s, I heard they can be very good with large orchestra recordings. I will be listening to them on my 5998 driven crack so i'll report my impressions. I've heard these cans can benefit froma recabling, has anyone replaced their cables? If so, was it worthwhile and what cables did you choose. Thanks in advance for any info.
Well, UPS delivered the phones not to long after I posted. So far I am really liking the K702s, the soundstage is awesome. The 5998 does very well with these cans, it will start to clip but that is well beyond safe listening levels. Bass is a little thin, but I think it will improve with time. I feel it needs a beefier cable, I'm going to DIY one using mogami 2534 mic cable, neutrik mini 3 pin xlr, and a furutech or neutrik 1/4" trs. On a side note, they sound really great on my Hagerman Castanet, but that amp has a tap for low imp. cans. So I guess that means I will be ordering the Smack next


Cheers,
Shawn