Customer Reviews

AKG K 701 WHITE HEADPHONES

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The AKG K701 is the latest headphone from AKG which takes place at the top of their line. Their previous top end headphone is the K1000 "ear speaker" which has now been discontinued. This headphone has some fancy new technical features, such as their new Varimotion diaphragm and flat wire coil, which is unique to this model and its baby brother K601, features that are supposed to give it better sound.

Let's get to the meat of this review. The two most important things: the comfort and the sound.

Comfort:

The headphone is very comfortable, the soft ear pads surround your ear. The headphone top headband is made out of leather, and self adjust to the size of your head. Even with my size 7 1/2 hat size, I find the headphones comfortable for more than 2 hours of listening, the clamping force is strong but not overly so. In comparison to the popular Sennheiser HD580/600/650, I find the clamping pressure to be more tolerable. However, I do find the pressure of the knobs under the top of the leather band to give the top of my head a burning sensation due to the pressure. The headphone is lighter than it looks, overall I rate this headphone among the top candidates for comfort, with only the headband issue detracting.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Sound:
This headphone has a very neutral "audiophile" sound, there is no part of the frequency spectrum that sounds overly forward, that is, the bass is balanced with the midrange, and the treble is not overly prominent or dominant. I do feel the bass is a tad bit light. If the recording is bass light, these headphones might sound a bit thin. The depth of bass is very good, the headphone has good bass response down to 25Hz as I verified for myself by running test tone sweeps, so the bass is there, just not as much "in your face". The midrange sounds excellent, and the headphone does vocals really well, especially female voice, with good body, airiness, and clarity. The headphone does a reasonably good job of handling sibilance, without emphasizing it unduly. This is the headphone's primary strength, clear luscious and fluid sounding midrange, it seems to work well for female voice and recovers the detail and texture in the singer's voice. If your recordings are harsh sounding, the headphone doesn't try to hide it, the headphone isn't really well suited for low quality MP3 listening. Unlike some of the Sennheiser headphones like the HD600, I find this headphone to have a more "airy", "lively" sound with cymbals with a more convincing metallic shimmer, but without too much treble energy that gives me a headache after long periods of listening. It's somewhere in between the Sennheiser and Beyerdynamic models for treble presence. Strings and acoustical instruments are very well rendered, with good details that lets you here every nuance of the music. Piano sound very realistic, carrying the richness of the harmonics very well.

Soundstaging/imaging is something that is quite contrived with headphone listening in general, but for the most part, there is less of that "in your head" feeling with these headphones. The performers seem to be more well spaced in good live recordings, and you feel like you are sitting further back rather than being right in the middle of the band.

The only real issue is that the bass is about 10% too lean from what I perceive as perfectly neutral tonality. Maybe turning the bass control up a couple of notches is all that is needed to get perfect sound.

As far as sensitivity, these headphones do require a decent amp. It might be too much of a stretch for some portable devices to handle the load, but out of an iPod even, the sound is still quite pleasant, altough it is a bit weak in volume. These are headphones that work better with a home stereo system or a separate headphone amplifier.

As this is a premium product, most people who aren't critical listeners might be better off with some of the cheaper and still very capable headphones like the Sennheiser HD580, but for a person who has a great high grade stereo system and takes their music listening seriously, these are the real deal. If most of your music is 128kbps MP3s, I say don't bother. I'd suggest that the rest of your system should be of a pretty high grade also, these capability of these headphones is a bit wasted unless you listen to good quality recordings regularly and have a good CD/SACD/DVD Audio player. Also look into buying an outboard headphone amp with this headphone.

Overall sound quality: 9 out of 10.

Conclusion: one of the best headphones under $500. If you are a discriminating listener, these are well worth it. I personally prefer it to any other dynamic headphone under $1000 (includes all the current Grados, Sennheisers, Beyerdynamic, Sony and Audio Technica models). Just
be aware that these aren't very bassy headphones.

How much do you like music? Do you ever shut off your life entirely so that you can listen to your favorite music alone in a dark room for hours at a time and let your mind float away to a more perfect world?

If music is your joy, your balm, your solace, your raison d'etre, then I can't think of a better way to spend 270 bucks. In fact, after owning the 701s for a year, I'd say that I would gladly pay a grand for these and not mind at all.

I was a Sennheiser man for over 25 years, as AKG cans always sounded a little too processed for me. I preferred the open soundstage and realism of the Senns. But these 701s quite frankly blow away the Senn 650 and 600, the other top-end audiophile phones that, along with Beyer, comprise almost all of the headphone market for those who demand the very finest musical reproduction available. At that level, these are beyond a bargain. They are a gift.

I look forward every single day to putting these on. They are not for ipods unless you have a decent little pre-amp, like the HeadRoom series. But plug 'em into a good component system and they will change the way you think about recorded music. They have deep, tight bass...real bass, not a simulacrum. I can hear Jaco's callouses on the strings, no joke. Classical recordings come alive to the extreme, as the mids are so sweet and rich that a good string section becomes a sensual delight. The top end is likewise astonishingly present and forward but always relaxed and welcoming. In short, these present perfectly balanced musical sound. The better the recording, the more they shine. My best pieces of vinyl have never sounded better. They are also the quietest cans I've ever (not) heard; nary a hum or crackle to be found.

One major caveat: they MUST be broken in for at least 300 hours before their true glory becomes apparent. I put my 701s in a drawer, covered 'em with sweaters and left Oregon's Out Of The Woods on repeat, loud, for 10 days when I got them. The harsh, brittle sound that made me cringe when I first heard them out of the box was replaced by shimmering joy. I was in heaven (that sublime album had something to do with it as well). Little did I know that there is an upper deck in heaven, and it showed up at about 500 or maybe 600 hours of playing. My friends the 701s now have over 1,000 hours on them, and as I listen to them at this moment I can truthfully say that only seeing a band live or playing my guitars gives me the same visceral musical thrill. I love good speakers, and a sub will give you bass that headphones never could, but the intimacy and sparkling detail of the 701s is untouched by even the finest electrostatic speaker.

Speaking of e-s, in the 70s and 80s e-s 'phones were the ne plus ultra. I heard many models, and not even the best pair for thousands of dollars sounded as clear and clean and warm and above all enticing as the 701s. These headphones remind me why I love music so much, and why it makes me so happy. And they do it every day, for hours. They also make dvds sound absolutely incredible; 24-bit recordings sound even more indescribably luscious. They sound great with all music, but well-recorded acoustic music, jazz, classical, bluegrass, opera, doo-wop, etc, truly comes alive in a way I had not experienced until I heard the 701s.

And did I mention that they are easily the most comfortable cans I've ever worn? I often forget I'm wearing them, even after 4 or 6 hours at a stretch. They look ok too, but who cares what headphones look like? It's all about the sound, and the magnificent engineers at AKG dialled it in right this time around.

I think that not only are the 701s the finest headphones you can find, but that at 270 dollars they represent value that is almost non-existent these days.

My very highest recommendation.

The competitive mid-range in stereophile headphones includes fine products like the Sennheiser HD-650 and the austere Beyerdynamic DT-880. The AKG K-701 fits between these two headphones sonically, and as you can imagine, each product has its vocal adherents. The 701 has enough outstanding points to deserve careful consideration when shoppoing for a mid-price headphones.

The K-701's white exterior has a white iPoddish look - which some may not care for - but the construction is solid. It's distinguished by the two radial adjusting bars along the top of the phones (making for an automatic fit), and a contoured leather strip underneath. The outside of the ear cups have a wire mesh center, allowing for some free flow of sound - and creating the phones' typically bright, crystalline sound signature. The cups are lined with a comfortable velour, which can be worn easily for hours without fatigue. Indeed, there are times when you forget you're wearing headphones, though there can occassionally be pressure on the top of your head. They come with their own custom headphone stand for easy retrieval. Their straight gray cable terminates in a 1/4" jack, though a 1/8" adapter jack is included for use with portable gear.

Because of their semi-open design, they aren't your preferred design if sound leakage is an issue.

Personally, I think the 701 are an extremely attractive headphone, but ultimately it's all about sound. These headphones require an unusually long break-in period of 300 hours (or longer) to achieve their best sound. (I just tossed them in a drawer for a few days with my iTunes collection playing through them.) At first, the 701s will lack bass articulation and smoothness, and will have some sibilance; with break-in, these faults gradually vanish as the phones settle into their mature sound.

Preferences for a particular headphone sound are as individual as a pair of ears. The AKG K-701 headphones have a sound that combines characteristics of the HD-650 and DT-880. It has a preferences for the upper range, with a sweet middle and an integrated bass sound. You won't get the smoky, deep bass feel of the Beyers, nor the visceral lows of he Senns; instead, there's a feeling that bass is an natural and integral part of the recording. Still, it's fair to say that confirmed bass-heads need not apply.

The 701 exhibits a respectable soundstage, pleasing but never "in your face."

The AKG K-701 have a nice balance out of the box, but profit handsomely from a complementary headphone amplifier. Favored amps include the Woo 3 tube amp, Larocco Pocket Reference II, and Meier Aria, all of which have proven synergy with the 701. As the 701 doesn't have a powerful output without some kind of amping, it's something you'll want to think about investigating down the line. On the other hand I'm listening through the sound output of my iMac (which has iTunes as an equalizer), and the volume is perfectly satisfactory. (Headphone amps not only increase volume, but increase articulation and punch.)

If you like a clear, sparkling sound with good articulaton and a somewhat light, integrated bass, the AKG K-701 may be the headphone you're looking for. Each headphone has a serial number, and there can be a waiting list. This limited supply only adds to the 701's mystique, and it's doubtful you'll ever find them in your local stereo store.

Buyers have abundant options for mid-priced headphones, and at $300, you should expect stereophile quality. The AKG 701 is thought by many to be one of the very best all-purpose headphones. While they can handle pop music well, they really shine wth classical, where their elegance and smoothness of tone come to the fore. At the same time, they're extremely detailed - some feel too much so - allowing you to hear details in the music missing in some comparably priced headphones.

Strictly speaking, this headphone works best with a headphone amplifier. At the same time, it's one of the more comfortable headphones around, with pads that you almost forget you're wearing. The ingenious desgn automatially adjusts pressure for different heads, and the open design allows for a pleasing sense of space. That latter feature means that you won't want to wear these when you can disturb others, because sound does leak.

LIke many top headphones, these have been noted to improve with use as its diaphragm relaxes with use. While these headphones sound just fine out of the box, they improved markedly after a break-in period of up to 300 hours. (This is likely a function of the diaphragm's dual-layer design.) You can speed up the process by playing pink and white noise through the headphones at a solid, comfortable volume for a day or two.

I've owned a number of headphones, but the K701 leaves me comfortable with all types of music. At this price level, it's not so much finding the "best" headphone as getting the one that suits your tastes and needs most satisfactorily. After a long, hard search, the K701 does the trick for me. In its short time in production, users have rated it as tied for top headphone in its range. (The Senn HD650 is the other headpone, which boasts a lush sound, albeit with an overabundance of bass.)

The AKG K701's produce a nimble, well-balanced and well-integrated musical experience. The bass lacks some punch and slam, but it's there: deep, accurate and solid. For an introductory price of about $279 from Todd the Vinyl Junkie, the AKG's were well worth the expenditure.

I listen to the K701's through a SinglePower MPX3 headphone amp with NOS 6SN7 valves, and the RAM-modded Samsung HD-841. The 701's have both a delicacy and immediacy that most other 'phones I've listened to simply can't put together quite as well as the AKG's.

I do have comfort issues, mostly with the over-the-top-of-the-head leather strap, that presses down abit too much. I've had the (plastic) swivel joint creak abit, too, but not to the excessive degree that another reviewer notes. If they were offered in something other than white, say a gun-metal gray, I would rather they were another color. White only exaggerates their already conspicuous size. . . . and then there's the accute "headphone hair" effect of these bulky cans.

Contrary to what the disgruntled reviewer stated, the K701's, for me, definitely respond better--"rise to the occasion"--with better upstream components. Better (more detailed and neutral) with the Gilmore V2-SE than with the Pimeta Home; better (more expansive with better retrieval and reproduction of transient information) with the MPX3 than with the Gilmore.

Hopefully, someone will develop a worthy cable upgrade for the K701's to fully develop all their sonic strengths. I've owned the Sennheiser HD-600's, the HD-650's (both with the Cardas cable upgrade), and the Etymotic ER-4S canal phones, but I've used the K701's more than all of the aforementioned put together.

This was my first venture into the AKG line, but a fortuitous one.

UPDATE 07/12/06:
I just got the Moon Audio "Silver Dragon" (silver) cable upgrade for the K701's, which brings out more of what was already good with the stock cable, and more. You get deeper, more accurate bass, lots more detail, air and harmonic richness--the K701's really sing with the Silver Dragon upgrade! Moon Audio also offers the "Black Dragon" (copper) cable upgrade.

These headphones are the closest that most people will come to hearing what would cost 10's of thousands of dollars in stereo equipment. One more time, these headphones are "dirt cheap" for the quality of music they create.

Most people I know have never really heard what their music really sounds like and have trouble believing from verbal discriptions what these headphones can do. I have heard a LOT of mini-reviews from my co-workers when I brought these in. Every last one of them was extremely impressed, including the guy with hearing loss from too much time with Harrier Jet who doubted he would notice anything.

I personally use mine most of the time at work with the Total BitHead amplifier. This device connects to your laptop's USB port and bypasses your computers audio section. It has it's own D/A converters and headphone amplifier.

When using iTunes, I pull in my CD's using either the higher 256kbps compression or Apple's Lossless compression tool. For non-iTunes options, audiomonkey has a nice audio file organizer and uses FLAC another lossless audio codec. While 128kbps is the lowest rate at which you can't hear compression artifacts, but it doesn't mean you didn't lose information that these headphones can resolve.

One of the great things about the 701's are its amazing imaging abilities. It has a very wide soundstage for a set of headphones. The difference between 128kbps and 256kbps is very noticable with well mastered music. I have since gone to AAC 320 kbps as my standard encoding rate. AAC is superior to MPEG3 at similar bitrates.

What really surprised me were all of the AKG 701 reviews on the Internet that talked about breaking these headphones in for 300 hours or more. Usually I consider that audiophile BS, but my subjective impressions are that they were right. Initially the headphones seemed a bit harsh and the bass seemed lean. I left them connected to an amplifier at high volume with various music playing in repeat mode for over 100 hours. When I listened to them again the bass felt like it had come in and the harshness was gone. At this point I lost my patience because they sounded so good that I didn't care if they would going to continue improving and I started to use them.

I've heard Martin Logan Statements with Krell amplifiers and a total system cost north of $100,000 and while I couldn't say these headphones can match that level of equipment, they are utterly amazing and at their price point have to be the best audio bargain I have ever heard.

Get these headphones and some proper amplification and you won't regret it. Also keep in mind your iPod or Computer won't drive these properly without help. Plus you really won't hear what they can do unless you drive them well. The Total BitHead is also an amazing value at $150 and it does great job of driving these headphones, and for most people is all they need to turn their computer into a portable theater/audio heaven.

However there are better headphone amplifiers that have 24 bit D/A's for DVD-A and SACD formats and cleaner amplifier sections. Like all other audio equipment the costs go up exponentially with each small increase in performance and diminishing returns.

I bought these cans based on the reviews everywhere that said they were magnificent. And they are - for the most part. They represent an incredible value at the price listed on Amazon (~$250). Soundstage is marvelous, and the sound quality IS extraordinary. So why the "but?"

Well it seems that during the week they were designing these puppies, the ergonomics department was on vacation. The sonics are great, as noted above, and the appearance is also first rate. But the comfort - not so much. Some reviewers have said that after a few hours these headphones get uncomfortable. I think they are being way too kind. After about 5 minutes wearing these things, it feels like someone is pressing down in the middle of my head with their thumb. It's really uncomfortable - almost painful. (And, no, I don't have a really big or small head - just your average noggin.)

And it's not surprising to see why. They seem to be manufactured using all the best materials and knowledge from the 1950's. Have these folks ever heard of memory foam (vs. hard leather)? Or distributed pressure? The leather looks good - but it is fashioned just the way headset cushions were designed in the 50's - a series of hard bumps attached to a pretty leather backing. Each of these hard bumps actually exerts greater pressure on the head than a simple flat headband would.

I could go on all day, but I won't. What's most annoying is that these are great cans for the money. They really do perform. But since comfort is such an integral part of listening to headphones, it is disappointing to have to cringe every time I think about having to wear them. It's not pleasant at that point - it becomes work... And that's not good for high end headphones, IMO...

This audiophile offering from AKG may be the top all-arounder in the $300 price range, and has been the focus of enormous attention and interest. But a few things need to be explained to the prospective buyer:

- The K701, like some other top headphones, need to be broken in for them to reach their best sound. The diaphragms gradually loosen, and produce their ideal sound after 300 hours of listening. (You can also drop them in a closet while you send medium-volume music through them.)
- The K701 sound is remarkably versatile, able to handle anything from classical to pop. However, their "clinical" sound reveals detail in music, and is less suited for those who like a bass-rich (or bass-boost) sound.
- These headphones are extremely comfortable - one of a handful you can wear almost continuously without ill effect. Their generous fit around the ear has another benefit: a surprising sense of aural roominess.

I've owned a couple dozen highly regarded headphones, including products by Grado, Audio-Technica, Sony, and so on. The AKG K701 delivers time and again, and has prevailed over products costing twice as much.

I read the Stereophile review last year and it peaked my interest in these. Then my significant other moved in and naturally, I lost some of my stereo time. She doesn't always want to rock out when I do. So, I decided I wanted a great set of phones for times when I couldn't use the stereo.

Most people think these are ridiculously expensive. Normal people will look at you like your insane when you tell them what they cost. After all, even having spent a small fortune on audiophile equipment, I think they sounded expensive too! I thought it over a long time and looked at lots of phones. In the end I went with all the great things I'd read online and bought the 701s.

I am so glad I did.

Out of the box these headphones sound awesome. Which surprised me, as I know they need to break-in to sound their best. I did notice that listening to them at first was a little fatiguing, like the high end was slightly harsh. After a few hundred hours of playing; however, that is all gone - the highs silky and the midrange is some of the best I've ever heard. No, it IS the best I've heard. The soundstage opens up (and you thought it was already) and the naturalness of the vocals will just leave you speechless, breath taken - struck with awe.

They're that good. They really are. Bass is excellently defined, tight and there to all but the lowest octave. I think most of the concerns here are coming from people who don't realize you'll never get bass like from a speaker - after all, you don't *FEEL* headphones when the bass drum kicks.

If you settle for lesser headphones, you'll only wonder what if. Don't do that - at least not for this product in your life. If you love music, you absolutely will love these headphones.

The only drawbacks to these headphones I've found so far is - 1. it's easy to realize a whole bunch of your music wasn't recorded so well and 2. you'll lose some sleep staying up late listening. You won't be able to take them off to go to bed. Really!

When I was waiting for them to be delivered I was having some concern I'd spent too much on simple headphones. That feeling went away immediately. These phones are amazing and will let you hear your music in a way you haven't before. They are awesome. I love em!

The new(ish) flagship from AKG is a tricky beast. Out of the box, the sound is underwhelming, flat, small, but detailed. As the cans loosen up (2-300 hours), bass fills in, but not a whole lot, and the midrange liquefies. Also, soundstage improves dramatically. The bass never comes in as much as I would like, but it reaches down deep, if not with great SPL. After 1000 hours, these cans have a soundstage a mile wide, and really shine with classical and female vocal.

These cans are extremely source and amp dependent, so be sure that your system will have good synergy before going out and buying. I personally like them with tube amps, but a good M^3 or Gilmore Lite really makes these phones sparkle.

I wouldnt reach for these if you want to rock out, but want to have a more engaging listening experience with some more intimate music. I currently use these phone for reference, classical, and female vocal music. For rock and electronic, go the way of the Beyer DT990 or Senn HD650. For the other applications, these phones are simply incredible.