AKG K702 & The Toobs(?)

[HiWire]

For the purposes of scientific discovery, I am tempted to acquire a set of K702 to hear if you can get blood from a stone. The K701 that I have heard at meets are strangely resistant to presenting a lifelike sound. I know that these cans have many (deluded) proponents, but, like Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa, I trust my feelings.

Is anyone running a K701 or K702 out of a beating valve-based system? I wonder if the only way to get a lame duck to fly is to feed it sweet, sweet harmonic distortion.

TL;DR - curious headphone cat is curious

Edited July 16, 2011 by HiWire

[Torpedo]

On other forums I've read raving comments about the combo K701 plus Musical Fidelity V8. Never managed to try it, and the V8 isn't a tubes amp, so go figure, but if anything known to man can make those bitches sound like music, it must be that amp

[HiWire]

True - why won't anyone make an amp with a flux capacitor for the AKG K700-series?

The only other option is to go nuclear - Mr. Fusion can't come soon enough.

Also, I enjoyed a toob job from an Audio Research CD5. Once.

Edited July 16, 2011 by HiWire

[morphsci]

I like the K701 out of the BA. Back when I used to actually carry equipment to meets I found a lot of people that really liked the combination of the K701 and GSX. My K701 is recalbled to dual entry and balanced. The dual entry probably makes more difference than the balanced.

[Torpedo]

I tried at my place a balanced pair (Cardas wire if that means anything) out of the Gilmore Reference and it still sucked IMHO.

[HiWire]

Dual entry sounds like something professionals and talented amateurs would try after a few drinks or a lot of cash.

The GS-X probably would sound good with K702s. It's easy that way, like my sister, but not cheap.

Edited July 16, 2011 by HiWire

[Hopstretch]

Dual entry sounds like something professionals and talented amateurs would try after a few drinks or a lot of cash.

One in the silky man purse, one in the ham wallet? Oof!

[HiWire]

That's what she said.

[livewire]

I love listening to my K702's through my tube amp.

It takes the clinical edge off and makes them seem more musical.

Ok I guess if one enjoys the euphonic sig and is willing to ignore the inherent distortion.

Since my toober aint one of them $2K and up models and is made in China

I wont say what it is here because cheap chinese tube amps dont get no love on this forum.

Edited July 16, 2011 by livewire

[Torpedo]

You nailed it. A euphonic amp will add pleasant coloration to the sound, but won't remove the inherent distortion and response peak those damn AKG things have.

[morphsci]

Yep. It is definitely not for everybody.

[Torpedo]

I comment this because one of the guys who loves the K701 with the V8 thought the GS-1 is an overly cold and analytic amp so maybe the OP would think the same.

I think the 701 are decent for the price and may work for many people with the right amp and source, but once you know "better" there's no way back.

[mypasswordis]

Filburt's setup is pretty good and it uses solid state DAC and amp (GLite). The DAC is probably modded up the wazoo, though.

[morphsci]

Yep. I should have noted that IMO the source makes a bigger difference with the K701, in the overall sound, than with other phones.

[HiWire]

I've heard the K701 and the GS-1, but not together. People have implied that it would be a clinical experience, kind of like a prostate exam.

Are you guys saying a euphonic (not Ebonics) source would elevate the K702 to a decent level of warm fuzziness, like a Furry convention?

A decent set of NADs, Wadia or Naim could do the trick... maybe even a Meridian.

[rhythmdevils]

You need to realize that the AKG's are just revealing what is actually in the recording. Every album that has and will ever be recorded was done using miniaturized plastic toy versions of the real thing made by fischer price (the singers also sing through a plastic box called a "verimotion transformer") and recordings are always made inside an igloo in a snow cave filled with ice crystals at the top of a snowy icy mountain on the coldest day of the year in the Antarctic.

Or am I missing something?

[Torpedo]

This was officially my laugh of the day

[HiWire]

Yes, you forgot the Underpants Gnomes, but everything else is correct.

The pristine Antarctic sound (like virgin snow, but more so) is then beamed instantaneously through the Mirror Universe, warped through flatwire spacetime and unfolded to erupt in glorious goatee musical 3D-form vision for our listening enjoyment.

Toobs can only make this better.

Edited July 17, 2011 by HiWire

[Torpedo]

Toobs can make virgins moar betta?

[HiWire]

Toobs are magic, like the Virginity Fairy.

I am the Re-Animator of headphones.

Edited July 17, 2011 by HiWire

[dcpoor]

I found the k701's to sound pretty bleh out of cheaper OTL tube amps. Sounded "ok" with a Zana Deux.

I enjoy them out of a M^3 or Dynalo. I remember them sounding fairly good out of SSMH and CTH hybrid tube amps as well.

Edited July 17, 2011 by dcpoor

[CarlSeibert]

I enjoy my 701s on a WA6SE, and my pair sounded nice on Vicki's SinglePower. But different folks mileage varies widely with these cans. Given the wrong circumstances, amp, cables, break in, and phase of the moon, they are capable of sounding pretty un-pretty.