AKG Acoustics K 701 headphones John Marks, December 2007

Well, I finally got a chance to try out these excellent 'phones, and the virtues that have made Sam Tellig and Wes Phillips confirmed fans were immediately apparent. Driven by Grace Design's m902 DAC-linestage-headphone amplifier, the 701s exhibited clarity and detail in abundance, as well as bass that was powerful and well defined. Mechanical noises and stray buzzes and rattles deep within my organ recording Pipes Rhode Island (RIAGO CD 101) were annoyingly apparent, while the majesty of Master Tallis's Testament was gratifyingly present.

The 701s' appearance and build quality are first-rate, and I found them easy to wear. They really are "open-ear" headphones, by the way. Sounds from the outside world could be heard to a degree I can't recall with any other headphones. Perhaps this is related to design features that give them their clarity and agility.

The 701s come at a price advantage over the professional-market fave Sennheiser siblings, the 600 and 650, but to my view the AKG 701s are on the same level of quality—though with a distinctly different sound. Which of the three will appeal most strongly to you will be a result of personal preference and associated equipment. Relying on auditory memory, I'd say that the Sennheiser 650s have the most subtle treble, the 600s have more pronounced treble, and the 701s the most pronounced treble. Highly recommended.—John Marks

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AKG Acoustics US
914 Airpark Center Drive
Nashville, TN 37217
(614) 620-3800
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onebadfishy's picture

And if only AKG gave a rats ass about supporting their customers.  It's a sad joke...  I've had 3 pairs of K701s...  two have had problems...  and it sure as hell isn't like I go around abusing my cans...  Here's an AKG horror story for you:  I bought a pair for $400 bucks and their support staff never replied...  yes...  they avoided me...  so I did it the right way...  i ordered another pair...  called my old pair defective...  and ended with two working pairs of cans rather than a single pair of shit...  as it turns out another pair has died out...  Do I travel with these?  Nope...  Do I try not to let anything hurt my prized pair of cans?  Yes.  And yet I have issues now with audio dropping due to a short in these cans.  So here's my conclusion...  AKG is too stupid to make a decent, reliable pair of headphones.  They are a worthless business that needs to die and be replaced.  Their support won't respond to this.  They have great reviews after all, so they can delude themselves into not competing...  like every other company that half asses their way through success.  I'll have visual images of myself dancing on the AKGs grave when it happens.  I'll share it with the world...  I was trying to be polite, but truthfully, they suck raw cock!

 

Steve

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