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.

I did. I tested it on the first day i got my K701. But i guess now its much better due to 600 hours of burn-in

well then, u can poison ppl by telling how much better the 0404 (since its now perfect and better than stock) is compared to the AV710

heck, that LD2+ is with me now and i still wanna sell it off

maybe its just not suitable for our K701

another PPAv2?

Justone, I just found a MS2i. Anyone want this come grab it...

soundstage is already there regardless of new or old.

airiness is also there regardless of new or old.

bass is nil on a new pair.

vocals are muffled on a new pair.

details are less obvious on a new pair.

imaging is less obvious on a new pair.

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Out of 6 criteria above, the new and old K701 shares 2 similarity. Other than that i can tell you, the K701 evolves from caterpillar into a butterfly. I would say the well-burn in K701 is 70% different from a fresh pair.

no point keeping the inferior setup. Selling them off to fund for a better setup is a wiser move. If i go for the MS2i last time, i'm pretty sure the LD2+ will stay

oi don't try to start a war here. My inferior setup is SR80 + LD2+

K701 is the highest level i'll go. And i won't spend RM2k on an amp over this limit and i'll be seriously considering a good speaker setup

I was... But now I don't.
I totally changed my mind.
These small little stuffs do produce miracles...