Aside from minor cosmetics and a celebrity endorsement, is there ANY real difference in sound quality/signature between the Q701 and the K701?
844378
They are of (pretty much) the same design and use the same drivers, so they should sound the same.
844379
Yes. They are different. I purchased both to confirm this for myself. The Q701 is more musical, meaning a little more bass, a little less harshness to the highs. Get the Q701 for everyday use, and the K701 is your primary application is gaming.
844380
I can only speak to my personal experience. my k701s are older I would say at least five years old. Not very worn though. they look brand new so they haven't had rough life. my q701s are the ones assembled in China. they both have the signature akg sound but they are distinctly different. all I had to do was play some zedd and with the q701 not only could you hear the texture of the electronic bass it had body and oomph. just enough. the k701 had no lower extension at all. the q701 sound more musical and fuller without that hardness of the k701. Sometimes I feel the k701 has a better Soundstage but that just might be a difference of hours used. My amp is a little portable amp but I think both would sound world's better with a really nice tube amp. but in answer to your query in my case yes they sound very different. In fact I was shocked how different. But remember my k701s are of a very different vintage.
844381
For one thing, the connection to the headset is a detachable/replaceable mini-XLR. I bought some K701s to find that they were hard-wired, and I had to send them back because a short occurred in that spot, mainly because the way it was crammed in the box smushed the wire right on the spot where it met the headphones. Also, the default connector on the hard-wired cable on the regular 701s is a quarter inch, so you must use a loose fitting quarter-to-eighth adapter (I know it's not an eighth), but on the Qs, it's a threaded eighth, so you can screw on an adapter.
1678310
Let me be frank with Q701 i wouldn't recommend songs with an emphasis on bass and so far i dont like listening dubstep with this headphone,and i wouldn't reccomend 598 for dubstep either,maybe ATH M-50 would be better for all arround music,while Q701 and HD 598 are similar for having an emphasis for Jazz,instrumental or just general pop music where clarity for each note takes priority.
658196
they are completely different. M50 are closed, transportable, rugged - better for dj, on the move... K701 are for home use only. max comfort, open (=of course much better sound). Adam, in-ear.com
430073
I currently have that combination (running Synology USB-out &gt; NAD 7050 USB-in &gt; KEF LS50). It works really well and the sound is great. But my setup is near-field in a small space. But even there, I almost find 7050 to be a bit under-powered. Depending on the type of music I am listening to, at times I need to turn up the volume on, for example, some classical music way up, going into +dB side on the meter. For my space this combination works well and the sound I am getting is stunning. But the speakers can easily handle much much larger space -- just not with the 7050. If I needed more flexibility to be able to also use the speakers in larger space, I would get more powerful amp. BTW, the 7050 also has a plug for headphones -- that was one of the reasons why I got it. Unfortunately, that headphone amp seems to be completely different from the speaker amp and way under-powered -- it can't drive my AKG-Q701 phones. I still have to use a separate DAC/Amp for headphones. Luckily, I am enjoying the sound from LS50 way more, so the headphones don't get too much use these days. :-)
894155
Of course that K702! The strip of leather is smooth and does not bulge, which makes the headphones more comfortable.
103348
It appears that you've been doing your research. With that, I could only add my own opinion. If you intend to use the cans for a prolonged period, go with AKG; their large ear cushions do not hurt the ears and the clamping force out-of-the-box is mild. However, if you want a more compact set of cans with just as much comfort and a bit more clamping force, go with the DT990. This is a subjective choice, as both should be comfortable to use (K612PRO has similar design features as Q701). For overall build and sound quality (Made in Germany), I would prefer the DT990. But the Q701 looks more cool and artsy (Made in China). I have over 40 cans, and I love using the AKG's for leisure listening, and the Beyers for recording and critical listening. I'm not an expert, but that's my take.
658195
It's a totally different headphone experience with the open-backed AKG's. I don't have the M50s, but I do have the ATH M40fs, and the K 701's are noticeably superior in sound reproduction quality. I've loved my M40fs's for years, but they sound compressed when A/B'd with the K 701's. When I mix with the AKG's and then re-listen through my monitors, the translation is very close across the entire frequency range. YMMV of course. I hope this was some help.
163475
I have not heard the K702, or the K712. A friend of mine owns the Q701. It has a wider soundstage than the K612, and has more treble brightness. I would choose the K612 over the Q701 due to it having a more neutral sound signature. If you can afford it though, the K712 is well known to be the best of the bunch.
2054010
Although I have heard the 7506 a few times, from what I heard the 7506 is much brighter that the V6. The V6 to some May sound a bit rolled off, but I think the highs are very detailed and accentuated just above acceptable levels for me. I also have a pair of AKG k702 and I prefer the V6 for female Jazz vocals like Dinah Washington and Billie Holiday. But these are my impressions, so you would need to listen to the cans yourself. Buy both and return one that you don't like.
577483
I spoke with Sennheiser I asked them what the difference was and they said they were very Similar. I guess that means no difference besides the color, and of course the price. I would get the green ones I love mine.
1390837
I think the specs are very similar, if not the same. As I recall, the frequency response graph at the Headroom Web site shows perhaps a slight rise in the bass over the K701. Subjectively, the sonic signature is very similar, with perhaps a tad more bass. I like both 'phones, but have a slight overall preference for the K702.
1887780
The best headphone for gaming is hands down the $135 AD700/AD700x. By far. Nothing else comes close. Not even $400+ headphones. I'd honestly be surprised if a $1000k headset could match it.I read that the $200 q701 was a close 2nd. So I tried it. If I didn't know better I would have said the q701 was a $60 headset, and the ad700 was a $1000 in comparison.
209886
I don't own P7 but loan from a friend who does. I will say that P7 is a Different can compare to this. Beyer is more open as it is a open design but P7 will have more define mids n low
635528
Several Head-Fi'ers have asked AKG representatives about the reported differences in sound response. There is officially currently none whatsoever. According to the representatives, the only difference is in badging and any differences seen in graphed results and heard in listening sessions are merely because of positioning during testing and manufacturing variation. Due to the rather large, angled earpads, the Q/K70X's sound response can experience variations of 10 decibels or more in some areas from extremely slight changes in positioning. In fact, a cited common problem among users is that many of them extend the headphones very far down and forward on their cheeks, which results in a boring, undynamic sound. Now, having said all this, this is not to say there is not a difference between the vintage, first generation crop of K701 when it first came out and the newer Q701 and K701/2 that are currently in production. As a matter of fact, many users have reported that the grit in the older K701 is there no more in the newer models.
647613
I do not know if there is a significant distinction. However, the sound on my R + is outstanding.
1761618
Since I have both and tried them out, they are the same thing (regarding the sound quality). the only difference as you said is the mic.
1115219
I tried both in store and there wasn't much difference between them with noise cancelling next to an enormous fan. The QC15 have better quality sound reproduction due to the larger drivers, but honestly I have no problem with my QC20s. They sound great, the noise cancelling is amazing and I've slept for 10 hours straight on a flight from LAX to SYD sitting over the wing next to the engines.