Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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44 of 48 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Closest thing to the sound of live instruments, November 4, 2007
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.
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23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the very best mid-priced headphones, November 11, 2006
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.)
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A top all-arounder, May 22, 2008
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.
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