Will
Been here a while!
Ribena abuser!
Member since 2008
Posts: 2,164
|
Post by Will on Nov 1, 2010 19:34:25 GMT
After reading how well the Panda drives the K701, and following a PM or two, it might be a good idea to have a thread where people are able to post their thoughts on what amps they think drive the K701 properly. It seems that there are a few amps that have synergy with the K701, and seem to give a guaranteed 'eargasm' when used. So far, the amps that I've heard of that have this synergy are: The Heed Canamp LinkThe SC (AK) Class A LinkThe Panda Amp LinkThe one thing that these amp have in common is that they are Class A amps. It seems that the K701 needs current up it to really sing. Anyhow, I've not heard a Panda, or a Canamp (although I have the parts to make something similar) but I can comment on the SC Class A. The move to the Class A, when using my K701's, has had the same effect as Ian described in the Panda thread. It's effectively ruined the K701 for me on other amps. The K701's only sing for me on the Class A. It's a strong, clean sound, which reflects what comes before it. Incredible attack, and has genuinely made me jump sometimes. Make a change from one source to another, and that is reflected in the sound you here, showing how the Class A and K701 scale with good quality sources. When real bass is present, the K701's go deep. With a warm recording, that's what your hear. What ever you play, though, the music is beautifully liquid and engaging. Using the K701 with my pimeta or SCHA leaves me wanting to go back to the Class A, as that's when the K701 sing again. They really need good amplification. Other amps I've used with my K701's are as follows. CMOY, Cavalli-Kan Kumisa III, Btech928 ;D, Mini3, and M3. Probably a couple more, but I forget. None of these make the K701 the wonderful, musical, faithful headphones that they are when I use them with my Class A. A couple of other amps I'd like to try at somepoint are the the Zen and the DAO-T, which is a bit of a hairshirt DIY effort. As other amps have there own abilities and 'flavours', that'll suit individual ears and tastes, I'd love to see reviews on this thread of other headphone amps that make the K701 sing properly, making the amp, headphones and room disappear leaving just you and the music.
|
|
elysion
Been here a while!
Team Anti M$ AND Facebook.
contra torrentem
Posts: 2,375
|
Post by elysion on Nov 1, 2010 22:52:08 GMT
I've had very good results with the Neco Mosfet V2, Neco Portable V2 and a Mike-modded MF X-Can V3 with Pinkie SE and Philips E88CC SQ tubes.
I'm using a K702.
K702 sounds horrible with Sennheiser LUCAS. LUCAS works great with 300Ohm Senn's though (like HD650/600/580).
I can't comment much about my Mike-modded X-Can V2 so far. I had not enough time to test it thoroughly. The unmodded V2 was not my cup of tea with the K702.
Often overlooked but well worth it's money is the PreSonus HP4. The HP4 sounds good with a lot of 'phones, including K701/702, K501, SR850 and HD650/600/580.
|
|
FauDrei
Been here a while!
Posts: 489
|
Post by FauDrei on Nov 2, 2010 23:40:59 GMT
Roc controls K701 excellently. Crystal clear and PRAT-ty. It grabs "stubborn" K701 for cojones and does not let go until you press stop. Even more so if you reterminate/recable K701 for differential drive.
Maxxed out V2 is good too although with "added colour" (which some may prefer) narrower stage and less details (slower). Fun combo.
Stock V2 is not so good - although less "colour/warmth" than maxxed version, "bass shy" K701 have even more "shy" bass and sound dull overall.
Solo (Green, pre SRG, modded) is "okeyish" - faster than V2, not as coloured (opamp dependent) but lean bass with K701. Analytical, not much fun. It's biggest problem is, in my case, that Roc does pretty much everything "moar betterer".
|
|
elysion
Been here a while!
Team Anti M$ AND Facebook.
contra torrentem
Posts: 2,375
|
Post by elysion on Nov 4, 2010 20:24:22 GMT
Is there a headphone amplifier that is officially recommended by AKG for the K701/K702? At least, AKG has manufactured also a couple of headphone amps. But none of them has the popularity of the AKG 'phones. This one seems to be a bit older than the K701/K702: www.ricardo.ch/kaufen/musik-und-musikinstrumente/pas-und-liveequipment/sonstiges/kopfhoererverstaerker-v6hp-von-akg/v/an624656508/BTW: Sennheiser has recommended the Lehmann Black Cube Linear for their HD800. I have no idea if they recommend it for its sound only or if there is a cooperation between Sennheiser and Lehmann. I don't need those recommendations really and prefer to form my opinion after listening with my own ears. But maybe those recommendations give some information about the optimal amp for certain headphones. Perhaps those recommendations are only marketing, but at least the designers of the respective headphones should now for what type of amp those headphones are optimized.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2010 20:41:06 GMT
The first time I saw a Sennheiser HD650 on demo, it was with a Solo. Sennheiser used to use them for demo purposes at shows.
I've never seen that AKG amp. It looks like a tank.
|
|
elysion
Been here a while!
Team Anti M$ AND Facebook.
contra torrentem
Posts: 2,375
|
Post by elysion on Nov 4, 2010 20:51:17 GMT
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2010 20:53:29 GMT
Oh yes. I never saw that. Good on Claus!!
I'll have a little look around. You'd expect that they could be a good match, but 'It Ain't Necessarily So' unfortunately. (Porgy and Bess)
|
|
Chris53
Been here a while!
Posts: 364
|
Post by Chris53 on Nov 4, 2010 20:58:56 GMT
Oh yes. I never saw that. Good on Claus!! I'll have a little look around. You'd expect that they could be a good match, but 'It Ain't Necessarily So' unfortunately. (Porgy and Bess) Yup, could be a case of "I Got Plenty o' Nuttin" (also Porgy and Bess)
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2010 21:03:58 GMT
or 'I'm on my way, to de promise' land'. 'Der's a boat dat's leavin' soon for .......... Germany? (AKG)'
|
|
|
Post by PinkFloyd on Nov 4, 2010 21:46:15 GMT
The first time I saw a Sennheiser HD650 on demo, it was with a Solo. Sennheiser used to use them for demo purposes at shows. Sennheiser UK used the Solo at a few shows and Graham got a pair of HD-650 It's the way it works in some audio circles.... nothing to do with the "equipment", more an exchange of freebies and whatever is flavour of the month in that god awful What Hi-Fi "mag" seems to get punted round the circuit holus bolus. Ian, I am going to send you a copy of Hi Fi News (and record review) from 1977. You just will NOT believe how audio journalism has degenerated into the depths..... you will not get ANY review back then even mentioning "sound quality", it was all about the technical aspects of the equipment and left to the reader to decide what suited their ears best.... you won't believe the quality of the articles when you read it. Fast forward 30 years and we have "What Hi-Fi" with a bunch of arseholes sitting there coming up with one liners such as "Top quality sound at a beer budget price, this magical little creation will have you reaching for the stop button! It's a rollercoaster ride that will have you hanging on for dear life, can you handle it?" Absolute PISH on a stick! A crowd of bullshitters sitting in an office writing crap and their "rave reviews" going to the manufacturer (or distributor ) who wined and dined them the best. I wouldn't believe a WORD I read in any of these wank mags. I think you will ALSO become very angry towards today's Hi-Fi mags when you read through the 1977 copy of Hi-Fi news I'm going to send you It also happens to have an in-depth review of the headphones available at the time and not a MENTION of the sound quality.... just the specs / technical tests etc. I will post next time I'm in town.
|
|
|
Post by PinkFloyd on Nov 4, 2010 21:51:21 GMT
Oh yes. I never saw that. Good on Claus!! I'll have a little look around. You'd expect that they could be a good match, but 'It Ain't Necessarily So' unfortunately. (Porgy and Bess) Yup, could be a case of "I Got Plenty o' Nuttin" (also Porgy and Bess) Talking about "nuttin"........ I’ve got a lovely bunch of coconuts There they are all standing in a row Big ones, small ones, some as big as your head (ave a banana) Give them a twist a flick of the wrist
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2010 21:56:07 GMT
I agree Mike. They're a bunch of freaks. There are a few decent writers but there aren't many left. I offended one editor last year who decided to email me after I'd written something about them. Then I had half a letter published with bits missing so they could pop at me so I wrote and told him what I thought of him as an editor. Haven't read any of them for a long time now. There used to be some good diy articles as well. 'Build your own buffer', 'How to make a speaker', 'Make your own amplifier'. Great stuff. They have never got a proper grip of headphone listening imo. The reviewers aren't experienced enough in headphones very often which I find a bit frustrating to read. Still, who cares? I like my gear and they can get stuffed!!! BTW - did you get my text message? Also .... what have you done to me? I'm listening to flippin' ABBA now!!!!!!! 'Knowing Me, Knowing You' - instantly makes me think of Alan Partridge. (A Genius!!)
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2010 22:10:19 GMT
Back then they even had a great series of articles by Ben Duncan on modifying Philips /Marantz CD players, with excellent explanations too, about what was wrong with the original designs, and choice of opamps etc..
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2010 22:14:47 GMT
Didn't they also include a DIY section Alex? I seem to remember projects going on for a few months and they guided you through it.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2010 22:24:12 GMT
Didn't they also include a DIY section Alex? I seem to remember projects going on for a few months and they guided you through it. Hi Ian The Ben Duncan series of articles that I referred to was just one of many.Back then , I used to regularly buy that magazine, despite it being more expensive than the local magazines. Alex
|
|
toad
Been here a while!
I am the Super Toad, the Original Toad, the Whole Toad and nothing BUT the toad.... don't forget it!
Posts: 1,223
|
Post by toad on Nov 4, 2010 23:30:42 GMT
Ian, don't mention ABBA... My partner loves them. She is always making me listen to them, to the extent that I can now appreciate the quality of their recordings, especially the earlier stuff. However, no matter how hard she tries she can't make me like them LOL.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2010 23:47:28 GMT
Attached is an old scan from a paid copy of Hi Fi News and Record Review from back when the reviews weren't all fluff and paid commercials. My aplologies for the quality of the scan.
Alex
|
|
|
Post by PinkFloyd on Nov 5, 2010 0:02:25 GMT
The 1977 edition cost "30 pence".... six shillings.... todays wank mag costs six QUID! Ian, I think it you should read the headphone review in the 1977 copy of HFNARR ..... shows you how this country has gone to the dogs A piece of history. Pinkie
|
|
elysion
Been here a while!
Team Anti M$ AND Facebook.
contra torrentem
Posts: 2,375
|
Post by elysion on Nov 7, 2010 4:11:53 GMT
The auction for that AKG (LakePeople) V6HP headphone amp is still running (see link on the first page of this thread). I've found some informations about that amp (including internal/external pictures) on this page of a head-fi thread: www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/246911/whats-a-used-akg-k340-worth/75Most likely this amp is only something for old AKG 'phones with 600Ohms or generally hard to drive 'phones like the K340. I don't know if that amp sound good at all. It's also a bit off topic, but I mentioned it first in this thread. Should I get that amp? I could get it cheap. I'm sure this one is only usuably with my headphones after modding. It's nothing for low impedance 'phones. After reading that head-fi page, I'm sure it's not really usable out of the box. Probably those things are also very old (1990 or maybe even older). It would be a real suprise if all caps are still in very good condition.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 20, 2010 9:30:36 GMT
Hi all all sing It's my birthday and Xmas soon, fa la la la la lalalala so it's time for some new headphones, fa la la la la lalalala so I've ordered some K701 from thomann.de £169.00 free P.P i hope i like them will let you know i just love this time of year take care
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 20, 2010 10:07:31 GMT
Great news Shaun. You have a Panda as well, don't you?
These things sing on the Panda. I notice straight away now when I connect them to other amps that they have a lack of bass and start to sound thin until I connect to Mr Panda.
Yet, Mr Panda sounds great with other headphones as well, so it's not just a huge bass coming from the amp; it's sending a nice packet of power out which gets them to play music in a way I have never heard the K701 do with anything else.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 20, 2010 10:45:16 GMT
Great news Shaun. You have a Panda as well, don't you? These things sing on the Panda. I notice straight away now when I connect them to other amps that they have a lack of bass and start to sound thin until I connect to Mr Panda. Yet, Mr Panda sounds great with other headphones as well, so it's not just a huge bass coming from the amp; it's sending a nice packet of power out which gets them to play music in a way I have never heard the K701 do with anything else. Hi Ian How's it going? Yes the thought of having something good to drive the 701's with spurred me on. opinion seems to be divided with these phones more than most so i will be interesting to hear how they sound. by the way purchase was made under the usual false pretense. (mole detection device for the garden )switch on the box in the living room, plug in headphones and listen for any activity from the furry critters (could take some time). if i hear anything I'll send her out with the fork. the misses is delighted that we can now tackle that mole problem with confidence. ;D my advice is never be selfish when it comes to presents. it never pays. take care
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 20, 2010 11:13:06 GMT
You naughty boy!! For me the combination of the AKG with the Panda works well and they aren't as clinical. More weight below and I'm able to listen at high volume without singeing my lugs off. It's difficult with the AKG's because they do have a distinctive characteristic sound which many like and others hate. The warmth that the Panda brings is a bonus imo for them, but I imagine that diehard 701 'ers will say that the sound is swamped by the amp........ Thing is, you can't win!! I enjoy that particular combo a great deal. Another one I love is the X-Can V2 with the Senn HD600. The V2 kicks the Senns into life (well, comparative life anyway) The more I listen to headphones, the more I become convinced that the amp/headphone combination is absolutely critical and it's not really worth taking just one component as the one and only for all headphones, or one headphone as the one and only for all amps. That synergy thing is more critical than I ever thought. So when someone says that an amp is neutral, then it's critical to get a neutral headphone. I'd love to hear a neutral headphone!!! If an amp is thin, then maybe they would match the Beyer DT150. If the amp is fat, then maybe a K701? (as long as it has the wellie to drive them) For me, it's the combo that matters rather than one component. And that's not even considering the source. For instance, the Cyrus CD players have a tendency to be a little shrieky but the Naims are smoother but still on the edge of shriek. It's a balancing act that I think many of us ignore and we tend to focus on one component rather moreso than on the final sound!! I must be sick ..... philosophy first thing in the morning!
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 20, 2010 11:53:38 GMT
Hi Ian as my Nan used to say '' it's never to early for philosophy'' so good on ya. yes it's finding that synergy between components and the sound that you want that matters. I've read with great interest your post's regarding the 701 and it has played some part in my decision to go for them. it's nice to see that you've found a sound that you relay like and moves your soul. that's a rare thing and something I'm working toward. i used to work in a second hand hifi shop in London (the film ''high fidelity'' was based on it and written by someone who worked there) AKA the rudest shop in London. we had a base ball bat above the counter with ''customer services''printed on it which tells all there is to know about that place. however when i was there i had the chance to listen to lots of stuff but found that only a few things did it for me. i did like the Naim CD players though they have balls and grace, a nice sound combo IMHO. I'm more of a record playing kind of guy and mostly use a turntable as my source. oh the rituals involved with that (who needs religion ?). anyhow I've enjoyed your postings on the K701 they have been most enlightening. it's just so nice to see someone happy with what they have. i am a long term sufferer of the DIY bug so it goes on for me. (hopefully) ps i know my shop expose is going to p*** of some members here who have been unfortunate enough to be customers. just let me say to them :' SORRY it was the stress of it all that made me rude. honestly guv thanks for the post's re the K701. if my wife don't like em I'm gonna blame YOU. take good care
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 20, 2010 12:00:27 GMT
Oh Shite!! I'm using a Naim 5i CD player, so maybe you should buy one and tell the wife it's a new burglar alarm? The film centers on Rob Gordon (John Cusack), a self-confessed audiophile whose flair for understanding women is less than par for the course.Oh dear. That explains the mole hunt and the central heating. I would think a turntable with the Panda to K701 will be quite warm. I presume it's a posh turntable or are you a secret Garrard owner?
|
|