AKG K702's what should I expect

Eastham

More Class-A than ever!
So my beloved and faithful Superlux (Frankenluxs) HD668's are on their last legs, I've replaced the cable twice, resoldered both drivers more times than I can remember and now I think it's time I finnaly let them die.

As for the replacements, I bought a used pair of AKG K702's for a pretty decent price, they should be here some time next week, I was wondering what I should expect from these headphones. From what I've read online they have a pretty flat sound signature which is personally what I prefer but I was wondering if I could get the impressions of those who've owned them in terms of build quality and sound detail. I'm guessing these are going to be a huge step up from my humble Frankenluxs.

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Said Frankenluxs, aren't they glorious?
 
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I have AKG-702, 601 and 500 as well as various others. The AKGs are all superb headphones.

The differences between the AKG601s and the AKG702s are small, but the build quality on the older 601s is better IMO. The cable on the 702s is cheap and skinny and it comes with a stupid 3.5mm plug. Also, the headband plastic pivots can creak a little at times which is disconcerting in quiet passages of music. Personally, I think they could have done better build quality wise, but I am a bit fussy.

That said, their sound is absolutely phenomenal and you will not be disappointed. If you want to hear differences in your signal chain- these will show it, warts and all. They are not silly bass-heavy doof-doof headphones preferred by the great unwashed masses. They are simply sublime and comfortable for extended periods. Be careful with the level as they are so clean, you will play them loud..

I'd definitely get a nice fat (but not heavy) and flexible new mini-xlr headphone lead with a 6.35mm (1/4") plug on the end. All serious HiFi has a 1/4" plug- all else is toy stuff. Get an adaptor to go down, not up IMO. Just makes for a more positive plug experience. :)
 
I have AKG-702, 601 and 500 as well as various others. The AKGs are all superb headphones.

The differences between the AKG601s and the AKG702s are small, but the build quality on the older 601s is better IMO. The cable on the 702s is cheap and skinny and it comes with a stupid 3.5mm plug. Also, the headband plastic pivots can creak a little at times which is disconcerting in quiet passages of music. Personally, I think they could have done better build quality wise, but I am a bit fussy.

That said, their sound is absolutely phenomenal and you will not be disappointed. If you want to hear differences in your signal chain- these will show it, warts and all. They are not silly bass-heavy doof-doof headphones preferred by the unwashed masses. They are simply sublime and comfortable for extended periods. Be careful with the level as they are so clean, you will play them loud..

I'd definitely get a nice fat (but not heavy) and flexible new headphone lead with a 6.35mm (1/4") plug on the end. All serious HiFi has a 1/4" plug- all else is toy stuff. Get an adaptor to go down, not up IMO. Just makes for a more positive plug experience. :)

Ohhhh I'm excited now I can't wait to hear them! I just saw how much they still retail for and I got them for half price, mayaswell spend that other half on new ear pads, maybe a head band and a new cable as you suggested, I can't stand the little 3.5mm jacks, it's part of the reason I hardwired a cable with 1/4" jack to my Frankenluxs, I like my male jacks long and thick!.. I wonder if I could make my own cable, know if anywhere sells the proprietary jack for these cans? This is the only way I can ensure overkill reliability!
 
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You can buy mini XLRs and make up your own cable.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/3-pin-F...451556&hash=item25cb981501:g:EXYAAMXQO21RwXci


I used Canare balanced mic cable as it is beautifully soft and pliable with a cotton stringer for those inevitable times when you stand up with your foot on the cable and it yanks off your head... :)

Use whatever 6.35mm plug that floats your boat. (clear heatshrink over the top so it doesn't mark your gear if it swings into a front panel)

There you go, indestructible now.
 
You can buy mini XLRs and make up your own cable.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/3-pin-F...451556&hash=item25cb981501:g:EXYAAMXQO21RwXci


I used Canare balanced mic cable as it is beautifully soft and pliable with a cotton stringer for those inevitable times when you stand up with your foot on the cable and it yanks off your head... :)

Use whatever 6.35mm plug that floats your boat. (clear heatshrink over the top so it doesn't mark your gear if it swings into a front panel)

There you go, indestructible now.

Oh, they're just mini XLR, that makes things a lot easier. I was thinking any 2 core shielded cable would do the job but now you mention it I may want to get something that a little more flexible than the average cable. I think I may save the 1/4" jack that's attached to the cable on my Frankenheisers, It's pretty nice quality. Also, that idea with the heatshrink tubing is ingenious, I've had this connector almost hit the faceplate of a few pristine receivers.
 
My K702's were a substantial upgrade from Grado SR-80's. Cleaner non-fatiguing sound, accurate mids, good detail, and miles ahead of the Grado's for comfort (no more ear burn!). I could listen to them for hours. However, I found the 702's to be a bit light in the bass. I've wondered if a cable upgrade might help that, but as yet haven't pulled the trigger on an aftermarket cable.
 
My K702's were a substantial upgrade from Grado SR-80's. Cleaner non-fatiguing sound, accurate mids, good detail, and miles ahead of the Grado's for comfort (no more ear burn!). I could listen to them for hours. However, I found the 702's to be a bit light in the bass. I've wondered if a cable upgrade might help that, but as yet haven't pulled the trigger on an aftermarket cable.

I've read they're a little light on the bass, there's a mod you can perform to these headphones which involves removing a sticker thats covering the port on the side of the drivers.
 
I've read they're a little light on the bass, there's a mod you can perform to these headphones which involves removing a sticker thats covering the port on the side of the drivers.
Cool! I'll have to check that out.
 
First--they need an amp. They won't sound as they are designed from low powered battery devices, such as most phones.

When properly powered, they will have a large sound stage, clearly separating the musical voices in your recording. They are polar opposites the Grado SR-80 in this regard. With the Grado you are sitting on stage with the band--very small sound stage but good slam.

Like the Grado SR-80, many will find them to be too bright.

They have quality bass, but not a great deal of it.

The 65th Anniversary edition prove more bass, a bit less harshness on top, but a smaller sound stage than yours.
 
First--they need an amp. They won't sound as they are designed from low powered battery devices, such as most phones.

When properly powered, they will have a large sound stage, clearly separating the musical voices in your recording. They are polar opposites the Grado SR-80 in this regard. With the Grado you are sitting on stage with the band--very small sound stage but good slam.

Like the Grado SR-80, many will find them to be too bright.

They have quality bass, but not a great deal of it.

The 65th Anniversary edition prove more bass, a bit less harshness on top, but a smaller sound stage than yours.

I think my Yamaha CR-620 should prove sufficient enough to power them. I don't mind bright sounding cans and speakers, I tend to actually prefer bright sounding devices as they tend to sound a little more detailed whereas warm sounding devices just tend to sound muffled and muddy, to me at least.
 
Yes--1970's vintage receivers (in your case putting out 35 watts RMS per channel) should be more than enough to drive the 702.
 
I think my Yamaha CR-620 should prove sufficient enough to power them.

It's not about power, it's about available voltage swing from a low impedance source. Vintage amplifiers use large value 500+ ohm series resistors to limit power to headphones so they don't get burnt out.

The issue then becomes a high drive impedance which limits low frequency damping. Also, the higher than normal residual noise on vintage gear, plus the high sensitivity of the AKGs means you may hear hiss/hum with your CR-620.

A high quality preamplifier with a headphone socket is a better option than most of the silly overpriced headphone amplifiers being peddled to the masses.
 
It's not about power, it's about available voltage swing from a low impedance source. Vintage amplifiers use large value 500+ ohm series resistors to limit power to headphones so they don't get burnt out.

The issue then becomes a high drive impedance which limits low frequency damping. Also, the higher than normal residual noise on vintage gear, plus the high sensitivity of the AKGs means you may hear hiss/hum with your CR-620.

A high quality preamplifier with a headphone socket is a better option than most of the silly overpriced headphone amplifiers being peddled to the masses.

The Yamaha seems to have a lot less hiss than some of my other devices but it can become an issue at times. My biggest problem currently is the noisy sound card in my pc, getting a lot of interference. Maybe I should invest in a DAC.
 
Absolutely, if your primary source is a PC, that would be a good option.

Yep, Flac on PC, records when I have the time, being a person who's constantly on call I'ts nice to just be able to pause my music and then come back to it a few hours later. But when I know I'm not going to be needed it's nice to plop an album on the platter and jam.
 
You might want to look into a new sound card.

My 701/702's work fine and without hiss--even when powered by a modern multi-channel receiver. But I don't use any of it to listen to audio by way of a computer.
 
You might want to look into a new sound card.

My 701/702's work fine and without hiss--even when powered by a modern multi-channel receiver. But I don't use any of it to listen to audio by way of a computer.

This DAC is a USB DAC so it bypasses the sound card and takes the digital audio signals straight from the southbridge chip on the motherboard rather than having to go through the soundcard where it picks up the noise, bad EMI sheilding on this motherboard, not what I'd expect from a higher end motherboard. (Asrock Fata1ty P67 Performance for those curious.)
 
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