AKG Q701 Review

dalethorn

New member
Dec 7, 2011
2,222
0
0
Visit site
Not merely a good review - that was a great review. The negatives were exactly what I expected, and they should tell potential buyers exactly what they need to know. Excellent photos too - are those your photos?

The good news should be that people looking in that price range already have an idea of signatures like you described. All of that clicked with me right away. I want one just from reading the review, but I would have to get a sponsor or sell off a lot of kit first.
 

quadpatch

New member
Mar 28, 2011
860
0
0
Visit site
Thanks very much Dale, really chuffed that you like it and the pics! Yes the photos are mine (have been ignoring my camera over winter so this gave me a chance to get some practice in before spring).

Hehe and I want the Philips Fidelio L1, shame we aren't closer as we could have swapped for a while :).

The last time I checked the US prices for the K702 & Q701 were about the same, does that seem right from what you have seen or does the Quincy Jones model demand a hefty premium over there too. I was lucky with these and got a good deal on Amazon, otherwise I wouldn't have got them so soon after the Denon... and VModa... oh damn I think I have a headphone habit!!
 

dalethorn

New member
Dec 7, 2011
2,222
0
0
Visit site
As habits go, a good one. The U.S. Amazon numbers vary around $265 to $275 for each model, which seems really good for that class of headphone.
 

quadpatch

New member
Mar 28, 2011
860
0
0
Visit site
Yeah exactly at least I don't smoke or drink *gets credit card out* hehe xD.

Ok yeah those prices are roughly what I remember. Here the K701/2 are around $365 and the Q701 are around $480 but I was very lucky and got mine for $260. The retail price here is nearly $800!!! Which is ridiculous because that can get you headphones in a different league, obviously they are almost never seen for that price.
 

idc

Well-known member
That is a beautiful site you have there, love the pictures. As a K702 owner I have pretty much the the same pros and cons as you. The differences are that the band ridges never bothered me and rather than a lack of control with the treble I find it is not as detailed as others such as the K340 I have and the Hifiman HE-6 I had on audition.

I do think that is more a matter of preference rather than better or worse.
 

quadpatch

New member
Mar 28, 2011
860
0
0
Visit site
Thanks a lot idc. I guess you saw the stuff I added about the K702 after our previous discusion :).

What did you use to drive the HE-6 btw? I've heard it can be quite fussy.

Ha, you are on blogger too! I had a look through your site the other day and i like your stuff on cables, jitter etc. Nice work there dude!
 

Sizzers

New member
Jun 20, 2008
188
0
0
Visit site
Hi! Would just like to agree what a great review and what a great site!

I'm no headphone expert but I do love my K's, but my thoughts when the Q's came out was that that it was just a rip-off branding exercise to gain more £/$'s. Never heard them so I can't comment if that would be an accurate opinion, but from all I've read there seems minimal difference/improvemnt for a lot of extra money. I find the new K550's an intereresting proposition but that one is well on the back burner at the mo.
 

datay

New member
Nov 19, 2008
28
0
0
Visit site
:clap: Excellent review, largely spot on. I have had the K701s since August last year, using an NJC Audio amp. For months I had them upstairs with my old Marantz CD6002, and kept blaming them for a harsh, sometimes piercing upper mid/treble. Then I moved them downstairs, same amp, source Cyrus CD8SE this time - revelation! The source really is important with these (and I like the way you put it, "scales massively"), and goes to show those who regard all digital front ends as "transparent" and same-sounding need to get these headphones plugged in and check out the differences.

The headband I find fine, until I have been wearing them for about the length of an album, when those ridges start to press in (I have a reasonable amount of hair!) - thankfully by that time I'm usually done listening. The headband is adjustable across quite a large range forward and back and this does help.

I will now check out more of your blog!
 

quadpatch

New member
Mar 28, 2011
860
0
0
Visit site
Thank you both very much for such positive reactions! :). I don't have much on my blog at the moment, I am currently still only reviewing things that I own. Next up will be the VModa M-80 which I am looking forward to quite a bit, then I might go through the DACs. I am really enjoying writing these and hope I can help some people as much as I have been helped by other people's reviews. I found that when looking to buy taking as much as I could from as many reviews as I could get my hands on really helped me so why not give something back.

Sizzers: It sounds like AKG are not trying to hide the lack of differences with the Quincy Jones range. I too have not heard both so can't compare myself but the price does seem high for little reason and yes I am very curious about the K550 too but it's not quite next on my list. On Saturday I will get to play with the Sennheiser HD800, Audio Technica W5000 and BeyerDynamic T5p - all plugged in to the Audiolab M-DAC... I'm rather excited! I imagine one of those will worm it's way on to the top of my want list.
 

dalethorn

New member
Dec 7, 2011
2,222
0
0
Visit site
I had the HD-800 for 2-1/2 years, and donated it recently. Find some things that have good upper harmonics you can hear clearly and compare the HD-800 to the others on those sounds. I've never heard anything that could match the 800 on those.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Hi,

Great review and really really great pictures.

I own a pair of AKG K701s and also Grado GS1000i and Audio Technica W1000X.

Placing the AKG 701s (which by all accounts are sonically very similar to the Q701s) compared to the other headphones is quite tricky on account of the price variation for AKGs ... I paid £160 for mine new and at that price they are a fantastic introduction to proper hifi headphones and also so much cheaper that the Audio Technica's or the Grado's that it is unfair to do a comparison even.

However, I still see AKG 701s for sale at reputable dealers (dealers offering great deals on other hifi, too) for near £400 and Q701s for even more!!! At this price I'd say (as you point out in your review) that the base is disappointing and compared to my other headphones they somehow fail to convey as much interest in the music.

Here is another in-depth review that you may be interested in cross referencing your review against ... http://www.headfonia.com/old-school-trio-akg-k701-beyer-dt880-sennheiser-hd650/5/
 

quadpatch

New member
Mar 28, 2011
860
0
0
Visit site
Thanks Mark! And for the link :). I had not read that one before although I am starting to go through that website, it's really nice!

I know what you mean about the price. I paid a very similar amount for th Q701s new (£164). I am pretty sure than John Lewis sell them for full price (£500) but I don't think they can compete on that level at all. The AKGs have a lot going for them but I prefering the sound from things like the VModa M-80 at the moment overal. The M-80 is a lot less fussy about not being amped too (although still scales nicely), it's just not so comfy to wear.
 

dalethorn

New member
Dec 7, 2011
2,222
0
0
Visit site
If you get a chance to try the Philips L1, and (only if!) you're willing to use bass reduction EQ, I think you would find it to be the best sounding headphone of anything at twice its price and below. That's my ongoing conclusion after several days of comparing the L1 (retail price $300 USD) to the Shure 1840 (retail price $700 USD).
 

idc

Well-known member
quadpatch said:
Thanks a lot idc. I guess you saw the stuff I added about the K702 after our previous discusion :).

What did you use to drive the HE-6 btw? I've heard it can be quite fussy.

Ha, you are on blogger too! I had a look through your site the other day and i like your stuff on cables, jitter etc. Nice work there dude!

My MF X-CANV8P drove the HE-6 with ease. Indeed I ahve yet to come across anything It cannot run and the Antony Michaelson the owner of MF uses it with his K1000.
 

quadpatch

New member
Mar 28, 2011
860
0
0
Visit site
Dale: Oh yeah I would love to try the Philips! It probably doesn't help that it hasn't been out very long here but I have yet to find somewhere that stocks it to test. I will keep hunting. I just got the new WHF magazine which reviews the L1, I don't think they tried an EQ on them as far as I can tell.

idc: Thanks for that. I had a look on the MF website but can't see that they have a new version of it. I had a go with their M1 HPA once and was not very impressed but I didn't have a great deal of time with it.
 

idc

Well-known member
The M1HPA is the new version. It looks like just the front panel has been changed, but not by much and the back looks just like the V8P.

If you have tried one and did not like it, well your ears must be made of cloth and your brain unable to process music....... ;)

Seriously, when mine goes, if it ever does, I will make use of MFs Fine Tuning service and for £189 get a full make over. I also have a heavily modded X-CANS. I really get the MF sound and I know it is corny, but it is what Antony Michaelson is after, they are so musical and the fidelity is superb.
 

quadpatch

New member
Mar 28, 2011
860
0
0
Visit site
Haha you cheeky ******. If it makes you feel any better I didn't think it was bad exactly, just not 10 times better than what I was coming from (Fiio E7), maybe 0.1% better and that put me off a lot. I was just finding my way with DAC/amps back then and have since gone through 3 others and been largely meh about most until settling on my current model. I guess I was just expecting too much difference between the sounds. I wonder if the M-DAC will wow me...
 

dalethorn

New member
Dec 7, 2011
2,222
0
0
Visit site
Not finding much difference is a good sign, at least initially, since both amps should produce the audible freq's from 20 to 20 khz pretty evenly. So I would recommend as a test to try them side by side very late at night when it's extremely quiet, or get to some place that's ultra-quiet, then listen to the higher-priced amp through a whole song and then do the same song on the lower-priced amp. Repeat if necessary, always starting with the higher-valued amp. If still no significant difference, change songs.

I'm working on the theory that when people report a really major difference, especially a strong difference in a particular sonic character such as bass or treble, that they are listening in an extremely quiet place where they can hear a pin drop and it sounds like a mallet - and then what they report is exaggerated compared to what you would hear in normal listening. Or, the other possibility is mismatches somewhere along the line.

EDIT: When comparing headphones, I always start with the "better" one if that can be determined, then switch to the lesser one. That tends to show up deficiencies in quality that aren't as obvious the other way around. And it's not psychological - it's just that the missing subtleties are more obvious than going from missing to inclusion, when the differences are subtle.
 

quadpatch

New member
Mar 28, 2011
860
0
0
Visit site
I think I know what you mean. It's like when someone gives you a computer twice as poweful as you are used to. It's very easy to just absorb the differences and not really notice a lot (unless it's a game going from 15fps to 30fps but that's an uncommon result). Now if someone gives you a computer half as powerful as you are used to it's like the world is ending it's so slow and horrible to use. I guess that's the way our brains work and adapt.

I had the same effect going to the DACport after the Fiio E7, I had read so many amazing things about the DACport that when I got it I was really disappointed. All I could focus on was the lack of bass. Many weeks later the DACport shows itself to be a total detail monster (for a portable) but I only noticed going back to the Fiio (where that detail was missing).

I'm not saying that positive reactions are not possible or common but the only times I have had a positive impression with a DAC / amp initially is going from nothing to the Fiio (best £50 you can spend imo) and going from everything else (Fiio, Audinst, DACport) to the Yulong D100 II. I recently bought a £100 desktop DAC/amp for my Dad and my initial impressions were not great because I am now comparing it to a £300 one that probably punches above it's weight.

So yeah I definitely agree that we have to be very careful with knee-jerk reactions to audio equipment.

Right in a couple of hours I am off to test the M-DAC and a bunch of headphones, I will try to keep all this in mind as I am listening. Ah if only I could bring it all home to play with :p
 

bob

New member
Jul 17, 2014
1
0
0
Visit site
shades_smile.gif
 

Tooslow

New member
Feb 12, 2010
2
0
0
Visit site
and here we are over 2 years on and WHF has just done a headphone review in which these headphones come out with 5 stars. It's them v Grado. But the only places I can find that sell AKG in store are Richer Sounds and Superfi. Neither lists this model as being in their range. OK I can buy them over the internet but I know better than to do that. My lug 'oles have absolutely got to hear them before I buy, preferably back to back with the Grados. Since Grados are widely available instore it looks like Grado might be getting my money.

Wake up AKG. I can't buy your products if no-one stocks them. And if anyone can point me to a shop in the NW of England that stocks this model I'd be very grateful.

John
 

dalethorn

New member
Dec 7, 2011
2,222
0
0
Visit site
Tooslow said:
and here we are over 2 years on and WHF has just done a headphone review in which these headphones come out with 5 stars. It's them v Grado. But the only places I can find that sell AKG in store are Richer Sounds and Superfi. Neither lists this model as being in their range. OK I can buy them over the internet but I know better than to do that. My lug 'oles have absolutely got to hear them before I buy, preferably back to back with the Grados. Since Grados are widely available instore it looks like Grado might be getting my money. Wake up AKG. I can't buy your products if no-one stocks them. And if anyone can point me to a shop in the NW of England that stocks this model I'd be very grateful. John

Fortunately in the U.S., I was able to buy a K712 for only $350 USD, and it's a truly marvelous headphone.
 

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts