Headphones, AKG 701 / 702 baffle

[rainstick]

Hi, im getting new headphones soon but im struggling to see the difference between the AKG 702's and the 701s.... ? Is it literally just a detachable cable? I originally thought that the 702s were open backed and the 701s were closed but a lot of the links that i've seen seem to have the 701's as open backed as well so i don't get it.... Different drivers or something like that, ? hmm..

[shivermetimbers]

http://www.akg.com/forum/index.php?topic=3895.0;wap2

[fisherking]

http://www.akg.com/forum/index.php?topic=3895.0;wap2

site down? link not working here. thought they were pretty-much the same (was thinking of getting the 701's...)

[boaf]

Would LOVE to know this as well.

+1 on the dead link

[shivermetimbers]

See if it fits ...

[fisherking]

that text is pretty useless (no offense to you of course). the K 702's are optimized for mixing (etc) but NOT FOR PLAYBACK.
that's a giant LOL.

in my own humble research, it seems the 701s are just branded with quincy jone's name; am gonna get these (right after i pay my rent...)

[shivermetimbers]

Not really.
What it is implying is that some people will hate the 702's because it lacks bottom end.
What it really means is that the 702's are more realistic for mixing and not listening to music on an ipod.

Many of the consumer hp's are designed to color in a low end. You will hear the low end in the 702's but they are not as boomy as a consumer model.

[rainstick]

I kind of thought that the 702's were meant to be geared towards monitoring and such... But apparently the only difference is the cable...? Could they both have exactly the same drivers but tuned differently? Or if they have the same drivers, materials etc, can you expect them to just sound, the same.

Always confuses me when companies do things like this, i guess thats the point though.... its also really hard to get a straight up a/b comparison of the two....

here's a couple of screenshots though which imply their both exactly the same (bar the headphone cable)

702

Screen shot 2012-08-21 at 13.48.33.png (275.1 KiB) Viewed 375 times

701

Screen shot 2012-08-21 at 13.53.05.png (176.66 KiB) Viewed 375 times

The only thing id wonder about is whether the cable on the 701 is really crap and they'd manufactured in the reason to get the 702 that way... the 702s are abou £50 more

[shivermetimbers]

I had a pair of Fostex T-40's a long time ago and they eventually fell apart. They seemed to allow for a clear mix (provided one could mix clearly). If I tried to push the low end the speakers would distort and I had to back off. The company has 'updated' that model and I don't think they will sound the same. I would have to try them in order to find out.

That is one of the issues in my area. Mic's and headphones (like software) are not able to be returned if used. They don't want some greaseball with lice trying on headphones and rendering them unsell-able. Once you buy a mic and leave the store, they assume you spit into it and won't take it back. So things like mic's and headphones have to be researched to death and you have to hope you'll like it.

However, I guess the main point is what ever you get is something you will need to get used to. Just like speakers, your mix will be determined by how well you know your equipment. It is those little adjustments you will need to make in order to prevent your mix from going bad. Getting a set of headphones that sound great because they 'enhanced' the sound with color isn't good for mixing.

Even the most expensive HPs and HP amps won't guarantee you a great mix unless you are great at mixing. So no matter what you end up with will require you to adjust and compensate to get a great mix.

[rainstick]

Even the most expensive HPs and HP amps won't guarantee you a great mix unless you are great at mixing. So no matter what you end up with will require you to adjust and compensate to get a great mix.

completely agree....

Im trying to find out off AKG at the moment though and this is something i got back the other day (if its of any interest) -

The main differences between AKG Q701 and K701 are:
The Q 701 have a detachable cable socket and are supplied with 2 high quality interconnection cables: one is 3m long and the other 6m long. The K 701 does not have this option as its cable is fixed.The Q 701 uses a slightly different (K 702) shell (case) material when compared to the K 701. The Q 701 have been re-voiced when compared to the K 701, and currently now provides the best high end performance from an AKG consumer headphone. All other technical specification is the same.
Unfortunately we can not provide you with a sonic differences between K 701 and the K 702, as the K 702 headphones are professional products and, as Consumer Technical Division, we do not offer support for them.

[Eriksimon]

Im trying to find out off AKG at the moment though and this is something i got back the other day (if its of any interest) -

The main differences between AKG Q701 and K701 are:
[...]
Unfortunately we can not provide you with a sonic differences between K 701 and the K 702, as the K 702 headphones are professional products and, as Consumer Technical Division, we do not offer support for them.

Wow, that's a bureaucrat mentality... I would not accept that answer if I were you. Sounds like a lazy PR-person.

[rainstick]

ha, stupid i know! they gave me an email add for the 'professional department'.... what are the odds the professional dep doesn't know anything about the consumer??

[rainstick]

got a reply off someone else -



Thank you for your e-mails that I have been looking at.

I have a few comments that might help.

The AKG K 702 are the studio/pro version of the K 701. Other than the removable cable for on the K 702 (which is essential for studio use) and slightly different case material the K 702 and 701 are very similar in basic specification. However, the K 702 are voiced for studio monitoring and therefore are designed to be used more as a listening tool rather than for long term audio playback.

If your requirement is for audio listening at home, then the K 701 or Q 710 should be your option.

The difference in voicing between the K 701 and the Q 701 is that the Qs are a little more relaxed and warmer to listen to. The detail is still there but it is presented in a comfortable fashion, making the Qs one the best headphones that I have listened to over long time periods ever – no matter what the music source is.

On another point all three headphones need to driven well to able to perform well, so please consider a good quality headphone amplifier when looking at these models.

Also all three model have a long running-in period of 100-150 hours plus, before the serious listening can start.


hmmm hmm.