AKG Debuts New K702 Headphones

Look like the K701's in black, with a detachable cable. Better than those white things they had. Wonder if they sound any better.


http://www.akg.com/site/press_center/powerslave,id,163,nodeid,0,_language,EN,nodeid,33.html

 

Even if they sound just that tiny marginally bit different to the K701, either due to difference in the age (and thus shape) of the pads, or because of a different cable, they'll still sound fundamentally like the K701, and so aren't worth listening to.

 

They look just like the 701s to me, just black.

 

When I first read about these awhile ago, I was intrigued by the detachable cable, and how it would facilitate trying different aftermarket cables. Changing cables on my Sennheisers is literally a snap, but, I've been reluctant to commit to rewiring my 701s (even though I've heard good reports with a swap very recently).

 

A detachable cable is good, if the connection is reliable.

The detachable cable on older Sennheiser headphones (HD580, HD600) often lead to intermittent connection. Problems were so frequent that the HeadRoom store (headphone.com) even had a dedicated page (now removed) with instructions on how to fix it. It was quite a delicate operation that I had to repeat every few months on my HD580. And I wasn't headbanging ...

 

The K702 is pretty much a pro version of 701. More robust design to tolerate being thrown around a studio. I think they sound a bit more monitorlike or detailed aswell. And cost a lot more.

 

If the K701 is so poor/not worth listening to, how come they've received so many positive reviews???? Also, doesn't the host of this site uses a ALO-recabled pair (which I have) with a Woo Audio 6 amp.....? Hmmm.

I have listened to/owned plenty of headphones (ATH-W5000, Markl AH-D5000, HD600, HD650, various Beyers etc.) and these are the ones I keep coming back to. They are picky though:

1) Need serious partnering gear - no cheapo CD players or soundcards
2) Need a dedicated amp that can deliver current
3) Very extended break-in period required to lose initially bright sound and anaemic bass.

After burn-in, they are still not bass heavy phones and some may find the upper mids a tad too hot but proper amping/cabling ameliorates the latter. Great positives are the huge headstage and excellent detail.

All IMHO.

 

It has a detachable cable but design is otherwise as per K701.

 

I got an email from TTVJ today advertising the new 702, then right next to it was an ad for a new aftermarket cable that cost more than the headphones.

What are these people smoking?

 

I know, that cable stuff is pretty nuts! I've even seen iPod cables that cost more than a top-of-the-line iPod...

 

BTW, the official price of the K702 is 475€ / $540, but the street price will probably be significantly lower. That's 20% more than the K701

http://www.musik-service.de/akg-k-702-prx395765412de.aspx

http://www.headwize.com

http://www.abesofmaine.com/item.do?item=AKGK702&id=AKGK702&l=FROOGLE

 

Many people prefer the bloated and fake bass response of the HD600/HD650 headphones... but for real audio fidelity, pure sound reproduction, the K701's are unbeatable. Amazing headphones.

I can understand personal taste of people who might not like them... but saying it's "not worth listening to", that's crazy. These are the most respected headphones in the market, and they sound absolutely amazing.

Loads of bass, quality bass! Anyone complaining about lack of bass in the K701's must have some serious problem with the rest f the gear... or a serious bass EQ addiction which is not by any means healthy.

 

That looks more like the AKG K1000

 

Dunno. Why are the Jonas Brothers so popular? Why is Puff Daddy respected? Why is W President? All things I have yet to figure out.

I almost canceled my subscription to Stereo Review but decided to just ignore one of the reviewers who think these things sound good. Sharp upper mid boost, lean bass, harsh overall tonality... don't get it. I tried to listen to some of my stuff on them and it changed the mixes! They sounded totally foreign to me, something that my Sennheiser 600s don't do.

 

Seriously?

 

I haven't even heard the k701s, but I own the AKG k501 phones. I was initially very disappointed with their bass response, but found that an ample voltage headphone amp made all the difference. I now operate them with a Heed Canamp and they sound well balanced and have become in fact my favorite phones.

 

I haven't heard either at length, but Headroom's measurements do show the AKGs to be a)flatter over a wider range than Senn 650s, and b)+5db from about 50 hz to about 225 hz. The AKG is also elevated in that region, but 1 or 2 db less except around 100 hz, where they are the same.

Also, according to Stereophile, the Sennheisers were deliberately tailored for "audiophile" rather than flat sound. The 600s are flatter except in the bottom octave.

http://www.headphone.com/technical/...raphType=0&buttonSelection=Compare+Headphones

 

I'm not a fan of the 650s either. The low end bump is wrong. Why did they put it there? Still, they're far more accurate than the 701s especially in the upper mids and top end.

Is that like THIS thread on designing Rock speakers and Folk speakers? Never understood that philosophy.

 

Yes Jamie, very seriously. I strongly advise you to test the AKG's again with different amplifier or source... These just put the HD600/650 to shame and show how bad they really are.

The HD600/650 make everything sound compressed, just like some bad mastering engineer took over my CD's and did them all over again. Loud, in your face, really unpleasant stuff... those mid/high sounds are just hard edged, no breath of life can ever be heard through those... but the thing that really started me thinking "OMG how can this be???" was when I realized I was actually hearing bass response not very different from a setup with bad "room modes", with the bass all over the place, no definition, and overwhelming the other frequencies...

The AKG's will give you the TRUE bass. Not bloated and exaggerated bass that does NOT exist in the source. There is absolutely nothing harsh about it... actually I really can't believe anyone could say the AKG's are harsher sounding than the Sennheiser's... I'm really very surprised...

I still remember the first day I tested the HD600 and AKG 701... I used Pink Floyd DSOTM CD. My god... the Senn's made a complete mess of the album, it was like compression was added to the sound! Then I put the AKG's on and the difference was huge, the sound so much more natural and easy to listen to...

The Senn's are the ultimate Harsh sounding headphones...

 

Which pressing? That could be the issue, perhaps...

 

Doesn't really matter, I used the same CD, player and amplifier, the only change was the headphones being used.

I find it quite disturbing when people complain about the "lean" sound of the AKG's... I really struggle to understand why... what could be wrong?

I hear the most natural and rich sound through them.

If you compare them back to back to the Senn's, it is immediately apparent that the Senn's are very colored and adding a lot of EQ to the sound. You might like it, sure, but it is NOT audio fidelity.

 

Folks, I realize some of you love 701's and others cannot stand them. If you check my profile you will see that I have what I consider a very good headphone amp and I have both 600's and 701's each with modified cables. They are both wonderful headphones. Anyone should be happy to have either. FWIW, when I want to do critical listening (like comparing recordings or comparing two different players) I use the 600's, however, when I just want to enjoy and I want a little (just a little) extra punch in my music I use the 701's.

 

I use Etymotic ER4-P...

 

To name one reason, because the majority of those who write review on headphones (especially if we are talking about what will get dredged up if we perform a google search for these reviews) haven't heard even the most basic of planar driver headphones. Any $40 beat-up isodynamic/orthodynamic transducer headphone you find on ebay will sound better than a K701 without the need to drop a grand on an Audiovalve RKV to get the current output the K701 needs to reach down into the bass. Although that powerful amp does nothing to correct the dissonant resonance that the K701 has in the upper midrange/lower treble, just that bit of sound to make them sound sparlly and clean and clear on audition and like a sick pair of HD600 on extending listening.

If you've got a warm sounding rig the effect might be mitigated somewhat.