Which headphones ?

[Mike M]

I'm thinking of getting a pair of these uber pimp ones....

I wouldn't mind getting me one of then. And the headphones are not too bad either.

[dotVIBE]

The white ones are also cool, but I prefer the brown, or "bourbon", leather ones.

[BigWoodenSpoon]

Is the model included in the price ?

[Hi-Phibian]

I'm thinking of getting a pair of these uber pimp ones....

SOD the cans, i want a stand or 2 like that for my cans.

[GradoMan]

I'd audition that.

With regards to the cans..., way too feminine looking for my tastes. 

[dotVIBE]

yep, I prefer the brown ones.

though for that kinda money I'd probably rather buy some Senny 650's. Make a cool prezzy though.

[MorneDJ]

Ordered the AKG's. Will let know when it arrives and my impressions.

[kamikazi]

I got Sennheiser PX200-ii for use at work a while back. I find them to be quite brilliant, in some respects they are better than my Sennheiser HD595s, when it comes to picking out details and midrange. Quite amazing if you look at the size and portability of those cans. They are also light enough on your ears to wear them for quite some time and provide a surprising amount of isolation (though definitely not as much as IEMs).

I am sure you will enjoy the AKGs though! Before settling on the PX200s I looked at a set of AKG HD272s, but they were too bulky (and geeky?). Think I would have gotten a few weird stares from co-workers!

[MorneDJ]

OK. I got my AKG701 yesterday morning. Delivered at my house/work (work from home). Cost about R2,600 delivered. Bought online on ebay last week Wednesday, so it took. Since I do not have a headamp I used my Audigy PC sound card, and to be honest I cannot really hear a huge difference between the AKG and my 5 year old Sennheisers. It is significantly more comfortable I have to admid, and the sound seems "larger" somehow, especially listening to Il Divo. I have not really tested it thoroughly though. Bass is definitely better. However if I consider the R860 Senns vs the 3xthe_price AKG's, I have to admit I am slightly disappointed. Now to wait for the headamp and will give new opinion. 

[Mike M]

OK. I got my AKG701 yesterday morning. Delivered at my house/work (work from home). Cost about R2,600 delivered. Bought online on ebay last week Wednesday, so it took. Since I do not have a headamp I used my Audigy PC sound card, and to be honest I cannot really hear a huge difference between the AKG and my 5 year old Sennheisers. It is significantly more comfortable I have to admid, and the sound seems "larger" somehow, especially listening to Il Divo. I have not really tested it thoroughly though. Bass is definitely better. However if I consider the R860 Senns vs the 3xthe_price AKG's, I have to admit I am slightly disappointed. Now to wait for the headamp and will give new opinion. 

Hi

IMHO, you are not being fair to either set of headphone by rating their performance based only on a sound card. I have found headphones to be very sensitive to the amplification used. Synergy in a headphone setup is extremely important and unless one has the right combination, a headphone with huge potential can be totally disappointing.

Please note I have never heard the AKG701's and the aforementioned comments are general and not specific to any make.

Regards
M

[Rodney_gold]

I agree with mike , you need good synergy right throughout - headphones often way more revealing than speakers and good ones will be quite ruthless in showing up that weak link.
Headphones also need quite a bit of running in , not just the drivers but more importantly the way the earpads take a "set" to your skull and as they compress -my hd 800's with well over 600 hrs  sound better in the bass dept the longer I listen - initially I felt they were hugely lacking in the lower midbass...
where did you get yours ? I woudnt mind trying a pair of them myself..

[kamikazi]

You'll definitely be doing those AKGs a disservice by running them off an Audigy soundcard with no amplification. Must say thats a nice price you got on those headphones. I got quoted R3400 for a pair of AKG K272s here recently.....

From what I've read at head-fi.org a lot of those guys reckon amping the K701 is a necessity, but you'll also need a decent source. If you want to knock two birds with one stone may I suggest getting something like the Asus Essence STX/ST as they also have an integrated headphone amp (though not perfect, but better than no amp at all). I upgraded to one after for about R1200 after buying Sennheiser HD595s and trying to listen to them through an Audigy 2.. The Essence imo makes for a fantastic DAC and if you don't like the sound you can swap out opamps to twist the sound a bit to your preferences. In SA we are also lucky as the Essence cards are actually priced very competitively in comparison to overseas markets. And later on you can use the RCA outputs into a dedicated stand-alone headphone amp.

[MorneDJ]

Heya Kamakazi. Thanks for this. Reviews of this card is actually brilliant. Tell me, where did you get your card?

Regards.

[kamikazi]

You're welcome! Got the card from these guys, but I see their site is currently down for maintenance http://www.ikonicit.co.za/

[imark]

Hi Morne, I got mine here http://www.prophecy.co.za/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=asus+essence+st&x=48&y=9