Would these sound half decent as a system? I listened to K 701's a long time ago and kind of thought they sounded like ass*. Would having killer power on these babies do anything for them, or do they still sound like ass after "burn-in" and Nuculer Power.

* ass as in they could not rock out. They were very dull sounding, even after about 1,000 hours of burn-in when running out of my amp. The sins of the K 701, in my opinion, are sins of omission. Perhaps Wes Phillips' ears are made of tin...

You thought the k701s sounded dull? I thought they were erring on the side of bright/fatiguing, but different strokes for different folks. Perhaps you are referring to something other than frequency response?

Dull as in slow and non-energetic response in dynamics. They are slightly bright, but I suppose that might work with people who are looking for "soundstage cues" in the AKG flagship headphones.

Overall, I think they're somewhat neutral, but I found them a crashing disappointment at the time.

I dunno about the 702, but I like the gs-x and k701 combo. I think it sounds pretty sweet.

If you thought the K701 was dull-sounding after 1000 hours, I think you might want to look into other headphones, or at least a tubey-sounding tube amp (like the Zana Deux). Audio-Technica and Grado headphones typically rock out better than AKG, or Sennheiser models. Running a K701/K702 in balanced mode improves bass response though in my experience, which kinda does help it rock out more.

The Beta22 did wonders (veil was gone, better dynamics, and deeper sound stage as well iirc) with my HD600. Maybe it can bring similar magic to the AKG.

I don't know about the K 702 but the K 701 benefits from a dual entry recable as well as moar power. The GSX/recabled K 701 make a good combo. Not as nice a midrange compared to the K340 but better treble clarity and bass control (both balanced).

I can't recall what amps I heard the 701 with at a meet but it still sounded meh to me. Not necessarily pure bad, certainly not fun or exciting though, just bland... and then there's that lumpy headband.