sejsel

Just to make sure, I was merely ... well, mildly sarcastic when making comparison in suckiness... I believe both cans are great when paired with good headphone amp. HD800, for the price, years of R&D, etc. should better be improved version of almost any(thing) (dynamic can) that came before them...

Wish I pulled that one on any of my university exams... Interesting, I have heard the same phrase about HD800 before... What is also funny is that, according to some sources, K812 do not measure as good as HD800, yet many people swear (almost) that those fixed everything lacking (supposedly) in HD800. The jump in the pricing that HD800 (if memory serves me well) initiated when they were released was probably one of the worst things (IMHO) that happened in the audio-fi world. This thread (the subject) is, even in all honest admiration of the thought of the no-bars-held approach by Sennheiser, the ultimate proof of the concept... one can only hope that the technology implemented will one day find the way to the market while reasonably priced... yet, seeing the spritzer's reflection on the quality of the amp design itself, well... Well, I guess, then that HD800 must suck more than anything that has ever sucked before... (B&B)

Somehow, I'm having hard time believing that engineers developing (for some years) the K7XX line didn't make those measurements and seen those results, long time before the cans were finally released... which could lead me to believe that they could have known a bit more than what is presented in those graphs. As or K701s, I guess the opinions on them will stay divided... as a side note, or paragraph, funny how it feels listening to the both digital and modern analogue recordings , how well they scale up and grow with today's recording technology, almost as if they were ahead of their time. Wouldn't mind the translation to English (or any other spoken, semitic language, for that matter).

DT990 were described from many who own both them and K701 as inferior in (sic!) sound quality to K701, and this coming from people who are sound engineers, working professional in that field. Furthermore, I have had chance to test Philips Fidelio X1, praised by both innerfidelity and headphonia as far more fun headphone than K701. Guess what, that headphone was by far the crappiest, muddiest headphone that doesn't even deserve to be mentioned as anywhere close to mid-fi. So, all those graphs mentioned, it is really funny that in audiophile circles K7XX line is often regarded as somewhat of the... well... well known "secret" so to speak... As for DT990 or any Beyerdynamic, I have never owned one or felt the need for much else after owning K701 for couple of years. Funny, I had the correspondence with the guy owning Weiss D202 and Senns HD800. He said that he doesn't give rat's ass to any subjective reviews of how thing sound, but only respects measurements. He put K701 in well regard relative to HD800, talking about the measurements. Speaking of graphs, where are HD600, in your opinion(s) put relative to K701, in that regard (graphs, fake freq. response, etc.). I agree that measurements are not matter of opinion. One thing sorely missed in that line of reasoning is how human hearing responds and relates to the subject of the measurements, and how closely CERTAIN measurements reflect all aspects of how we humans perceive sound quality of different cans. An interesting view on that can be found at the one webpage where the guy who was working as an engineer for the US defence industry debates tube vs. solid state amps and devices in relation to human hearing. Even funnier thing was that his contemplations were started due to the dialog he had with his wife... who happen to be highly educated, and speech pedagogue (i believe) by profession. The subject of debate was the perception of the sound, indeed. Comparing HD600 to K701 over the period of time, what struck me the most is (perceived) better articulation and separation and better scalability (equipment- and soundwise) of the AKGs. As for the graphs per sei, I'm not buying into that line of thought fully neither. Well trained and experienced ears are by far (when owner is cold and unbiased) far superior measuring equipment. I believe that we are, with all our faults, able to perceive what by far exceeds (by number of parameters of different measurements) what is presented in the .pdf attached in one of the posts above. The funny thing is that i had the chance (almost by accident) to listen to some recordings (from the same source) of the Daft Punk album from 2006 and some modern recordings (EDM) made this year. It is incredible, soundwise, to witness the progress of the recording technology made in 10 years. Almost anything engineered this year beats the crap (sound quality wise) out of the tracks of the DiscoVery album made in 2006. K701 reveals that in almost eery fashion.

duplicate post, removed.

Regarding the K701, well, I happen to own them. What might be regarded as interesting is that I use them to listen to EDM FM recordings (weekly). The resolution, plasticity, definition, tightness, nuances and the overall quality of the bass (if the bass is there in the recording, and it is very recording dependent - and recording are made by humans) the way it hits is, on the headphone amp I am using, with somewhat good source - breathtaking. Senn HD600 have different qualities, and are more of a blunt tool so to speak, in comparison, although very often put in the same box together with the AKG K701. Often neglected in reviews and opinions is how are these paired (and with what), burn-in time, as well as one small detail: the impulse response. It is not my intention to divert this thread to the debate about these cans, just a small digression. It's very easy to think of these as overly bright, lacking bass, etc. Although a bit off the subject, I cannot escape thinking about numerous opinions citing Staxes as not suited for the EDM music or anything with bass emphasis... ... well, guess what - I happen to believe that for exactly EDM the soundstage, airiness and well defined, well articulated tight bass and precise response is really almost more important.

It is LM 41.2 indeed ... odd staff... This is still being sold in EU, at least in one store that I am aware of (never visited it) : http://www.röcklinger.se/hpa1.html

I don't know in detail how EU regs look like (especially if they apply to products currently sold, or retroactively), but there are tube amps in stores without fully enclosed tubes. Would be interesting to know since when is EU directive or reg is effective. There could still be some advantage to that EU reg ...

The amp gets turned on by its' owner...