well frankly enough, if i have the money i would get the GS1k. RS1 has the same earpads which i don't really like.

So screw you K701! You're the most affordable one that time so don't be so proud of yourself!

wow, i thought he is going for the MS2i? Geez walabies, your powers are weak

same here, if i have RM4k i would dump it to trust funds instead.

oh man, its Day 1 of CNY and this forum looks so damn quiet... only me spamming here. Haiz, i miss my AKG... she's crying in Malacca now.

not tempting enough. If i were to upgrade the cables (which is less than 1% chance), i'll opt for 1/4" termination instead.

Yeah, the Grado's cord is really troublesome. So far i still haven't hit the 500 hour mark for my K701, but i'm liking it more and more as the strong memories of my SR80's sound signature slowly fades off from my memory. Best purchase or not, that needs to wait till 500 hours

should be the Orpheus?

---

Added on February 21, 2007, 4:59 pmFinally i came back to Malacca. Took a nice warm bath, hugged my girlfriend for half an hour, and i'm back to my cozy room. Turn on my LD2+ and put my K701 on my head... ahh... this is what i call Chinese New Year

you know, everything sounded much better after you stopped listening to your setup for a while. Bass is strong, details are every where; all i need to do is to lie down, cross my arms behind my head, close my eyes and enjoy.

who cares about angpow nowadays anyway?

This post has been edited by yrh0413: Feb 21 2007, 04:59 PM

eargasm become orgasm? ijan's upgrades really are all at the extreme ends.

i don't mind if someone give me an Orpheus even if i only have 64kbps mp3s in my collection.

wah, RM1.4k angpow? This year's angpow only enough for me to get another LD2+

Hug her in my room, having double-gasm. One from the ears another from the bottom

audio equipments are lousy investments. Just like buying luxurious cars.

PcWork i don't have any equipments that uses the 3.5mm plug My amp and my 2 headphones are 1/4". Besides, my bed is just next to my audio setup. Even the SR80's cord is kindda "too long" for me.

but then if you think another way round, the K701 is very worth it consider the price you paid. RM1.4k and you get a decent pair of cans.

justone no reviews on your newly acquired K701?

PcWork why not we (me and you) have a headphone exchange program? K701 exchange with your 890, for one week perhaps?

But then, i'm more worried with the lost of parcel during transit

lolz i'm at Malacca. Notify me if you're free to meet when you're at KL. I'll try to rearrange my timetable so that i can travel North to meet you.

sure sure... few days more to go.

Link to AKG Acoustics K701 Review - Part 1

Burn-in period: 500 hours
Source: Creative EMU0404 PCI (ASIO strip and main mix was set to 0DB)
Headamp: Little Dot II+ [Power tubes: 4P1S-J. Preamp tubes: Mullard M8161
Cables: PcWork's Canare ¼" EMU custom breakout, Midi Specialist's Belden ¼" to RCA
Software: Foobar2000 v0.9.4.2 on ASIO
Comparison cans: Well burned-in Grado SR80

Yay, finally 500 hours has passed, and it took me more than one month's time to hit this target. Anyway here's my review on the AKG Acoustics K701. Do note that I have not listened to my Grado SR80 since the burn-in was started. This is to ensure that the comparison is fair as the Grado's sound signature was printed deep inside my head.

Slowly unplug my K701 from my LD2+, dig up the SR80... blow off the spider webs and dusts from it... here comes the review.

I'll be using 5 tracks that I'm very familiar with.
1. The Eagles - [Hell freezes over #06] Hotel California
2. Dock Of The Bay (Lincoln Mayorga) - [The Absolute Sound 1997 #08] The Sheffield Pop Experience
3. 蔡琴 - [民歌蔡琴 #10] 恰似你的温柔
4. London Symphony Orchestra - Goossens - [Tchaikovsky: Manfred - Goosens- LSO #02] Manfed Symphony In B Minor, Op. 58 - Vivace Con Spirito
5. Arne Domnerus - [Jazz at the Pawnshop CD2 #04] How High the Moon

Oh man, first time I put on my SR80 I was a little shocked... wow, did my Grado shrink? All the sudden the donut pads are not as comfortable as they used to be.

1. The Eagles - [Hell freezes over #06] Hotel California
Initial 18-25sec was quite horrible on the SR80. I can actually hear as if the guitar strings are tangled, whereas the K701 manage to produce it accurately, every guitar stroke can be heard clear and distinctly. At the 32sec where the bass come in, no doubt the bass impact on the SR80 is stronger than the K701. The impact is strong, but it fades off a little faster than the AKG. Just visualize: It hits your eardrums just for a split second, and then it fades. The AKG's bass lasted longer, and it hits deep. As for the vocals, it's rather irritating on the SR80 when the singers pronounce the "Sh..." in words like "she", "show". As of Grado's sound signature, the vocals are presented forward which sounds just beside your ears. On the K701, you'll feel as if you're listening from a distance away from the performers.

2. Dock of the Bay (Lincoln Mayorga) - [The Absolute Sound 1997 #08] The Sheffield Pop Experience
I would say, this song is presented much livelier on the SR80. But when I pay more attention on the details, K701 still wins in soundstaging. The saxophone and the guitars are close to the center, and during the 1:23sec - 1:35sec interval, the saxophone is sounded rather harsh.

3. 蔡琴 - [民歌蔡琴 #10] 恰似你的温柔
This is one song that I enjoyed listening on both headphones. It sounded quite the same, but K701 has a little more details especially if you pay close attention on the guitar.

4. London Symphony Orchestra - Goossens - [Tchaikovsky: Manfred - Goosens- LSO #02] Manfed Symphony In B Minor, Op. 58 - Vivace Con Spirito
Weee~ this is what I call immersing classical listening. The K701 manage to present a hell more details than the SR80. Again, soundstage is well present on the K701. The imaging is excellent on the K701.

5. Arne Domnerus - [Jazz at the Pawnshop CD2 #04] How High the Moon
Now now, this track sounded better on the SR80, really. It's lively, and it has the jazzy feel in it. On the K701 it sounded a bit dead. And also, K701 is very detail, too detailed until the sound of forks and spoons hitting the plates, and the audience's voice created an annoyance to the entire jazzy environment.

Overall, I would say K701 still performs better than the Grado SR80. It's a lot more comfortable than the bowl pads on the Grado. If you ask me whether I'll get a K701 if I doesn't own one now, I would tell you: I'll think about it. The price difference of RM1000 is a lot, yet the sound it produces isn't really a worthwhile upgrade from the SR80. But please remember, the LD2+ isn't a good match with the K701, thus this review may be flawed in many ways.

This post has been edited by yrh0413: Mar 2 2007, 03:28 PM

i wonder why no one read this paragraph? I hate to say that i bought my SR80 as it synergize with my LD2+ very well, but i don't think its a good match with my K701. That's why i'd made the decision to keep the AKG, and liquidize the Grado setup.

My new setup will be 0404 -> xyz headamp -> K701. Since K701 is neutral in its sound signature, i guess it will pair well with most amps, be it solid state or valve. Still in the process of sorting out what should be in the "xyz".

It'll sure be well over RM1k for the new headamp
My main considerations include:
1. gonna be a valve amp still
2. must be using popular valves, maximizes the tube-rolling opportunity.

Currently in my consideration: Darkvoice 336i, Little Dot III+, Musical Fidelity X-Can V3... and a handful more.