AKG K-701

After all the fun of making your own music, producing a final mix can often seem a thankless task. Especially annoying is to fine tune everything to perfection, only to find it becomes a totally different piece of music as soon as played on any other sound system, like home audio, in the car, or worst of all on your phone!

We don't all have acoustically perfect rooms or speakers to mix with, and this was my solution - step up the budget a bit and see what I can do with a decent set of reference headphones. What a difference!

Basically mixing in these cans creates a soundscape that almost always sounds near identical, even on tiny laptop speakers, and definitely recognisable on anything better. No more lost instruments, fuzzy, boomy tracks caused by trying to get a great bass sound in inferior headphones etc.

Pros:
Great value for the price.
Very comfortable to wear for long periods.
No feeling like your ears are sealed in a plastic bag.
Strong cable attachment if you stand on the cable while moving around.
Fantastic results for mixing down complex tracks.

Cons:
They're white - doesn't stay white long in my environment.
The case they ship in is like an altar to bow down and worship in front of. Super sturdy, but made me feel I could have saved 20 bucks if they came in a normal box.

The AKG K-701 headphones are a notable addition to the world of high-fidelity audio, offering a compelling mix of design, comfort, and sound quality. As an avid audiophile, I've had the opportunity to explore a wide range of headphones, and the K-701s certainly have their merits.

Comfort:
AKG has prioritized comfort with the K-701. The self-adjusting headband ensures a comfortable fit on various head shapes, and the plush velour ear cushions offer a soft and breathable experience. Extended listening sessions are a breeze with these headphones, as they minimize discomfort or fatigue.

Sound Quality:
The AKG K-701 headphones excel in delivering a spacious and detailed soundstage. Their open-back design contributes significantly to the sense of immersion, making you feel like you're right in the midst of a live performance. The headphones exhibit excellent detail retrieval, with every musical nuance and instrument rendered with clarity. The midrange reproduction is particularly noteworthy, showcasing vocals and acoustic instruments with warmth and precision. While the bass might not satisfy those seeking a pronounced low-end punch, it is tight and well-controlled, resulting in a balanced and natural sound signature. These headphones are particularly well-suited for genres like classical, jazz, and acoustic music.

Amplification:
It's essential to mention that the AKG K-701s have a relatively high impedance, and they truly shine when paired with a dedicated headphone amplifier. With proper amplification, these headphones reveal intricate musical details that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Isolation:
One limitation of the K-701s is their open-back design, which means they provide little to no isolation from external noise. Consequently, they are most enjoyable in quiet listening environments, which can be a drawback for those looking to use them in noisier settings.

In summary, the AKG K-701 headphones are a testament to AKG's commitment to delivering high-quality audio experiences. They provide an immersive listening experience with their expansive soundstage and precise midrange performance. While their suitability in noisy environments is limited and their bass response might not satisfy everyone, these headphones offer a compelling option for discerning audiophiles who value clarity and detail in their music.

These headphones sound excellent when driven by a good amp and look quite stylish in a retro kind of way. They are only 62 ohm impedance so they need plenty of current. A decent solid state amp with low output impedance is ideal (I use the open source O2 from Epiphany Acoustics) - a tube amp with high output impedance could interact with the low impedance of these headphones and cause anomalies.

The only criticism I have concerns the headband as many have commented on before. The underside has eight hard bumps which start to dig into my bald head after a while and become uncomfortable. I corrected this by sticking some light foam over the central few bumps which contact the head and they are fine now. Comfort rating is 2 stars vanilla and 5 stars after my low tech mod. Non baldies probably won't notice anyway.

The sound signature is very different from my Sennheiser HD650 - the K701 is much "clearer" to me. They have a reputation for being bass shy but if properly driven (see above) there is plenty of deep bass when needed. Both headphones sound great, just very different. I like the K701 particularly with smooth jazz, acoustic guitars and vocals. They are also good for games as the transients have great "punch" for gunfire and explosions. Sonically the K701 is the same as the K702 and Q701 just different aesthetically and with a fixed cable.

Hope this helps Christopher

I've had this pair for years now and absolutely fell in love with the design in the first place. It was said to be very comfortable and I wasn't disappointed, even though the bumpy headband could cause some pressure at times if not properly adjusted.

The soud definition was asounding, and the frequency response great, even if it sometimes felt like the lows could benefit from a small bump.

My major concern was the lengthy, undetachable cord, which I replaced with a detachable custom one at some point.

It lasted me 7 years before one of the drivers failed, but for the money, I'm happy and I WILL buy the same model again.

AKG K701 (Open)
Powerful amp required to make these come alive. No EQ / colouration - Pure flat-line reference phones ; what you hear is what’s on the CD / music.
Very capable of giving high impact bass, sub-bass, and treble. Mids and vocals are excellent too. Separation of instruments is amazing, you can sense the space between the different instruments / sounds.
Due to no colouration they may seem dull compared to other non-reference, more coloured phones as these are reference in the truest sense of the word.
Due to their precision and lack of colouration other genres may sound more clinical, harder to enjoy, I put this down to the mastering process of music simply mismatched for these headphones. Suits ALL genres provided they are well produced, with jazz, classical and vocals it is supreme.
Music has a crystalline sparkling clearness and power that engages and enthralls, and is the closest headphone I have ever heard that makes me feel actually there with the artist/s. Just for perspective I have tried the Sennheiser HD800’s and they are given a run for their money by the K701’s. Considerably less expensive at about ? of the Sennheisers.
I have trouble finding an adjective to sum them up, the closest I can get to a description is spacious, crisp, punchy, phenomenally articulate / lively and an absolute pleasure to listen to.
I think they are from an advanced alien civilization, absolutely awesome!

There are many hyped reviews about this model in particular.Headphones are classified as reference level which in reality means if your all chain wont be in reference level you wont hear what you expect to hear.First time I heard them in 2012 y. when they were still made in Austria and easily fell in love with silky sound and decaying notes.So when headphones arrived last week I was ready for eargasm but it couldn't be so far from the truth.Sound was painfully lean with no signs of bass or at least mid-bass.Were was nothing like that.High frequencies were annoying and irritating.So I decided to left them on their own for at least 50-60 hours connected to portable player.Yesterday after few days I tried them again and situation improved a bit.Bass reminded about his existence,less emphasis on higher frequencies- more balanced sound.Still not sure if its a keeper.Already tried 3 different sources and not happy so far.Wearing comfort is great hands down here.Sound is more spacious in compare with AKG 240,probably because of open design,Feels good,looks great but sound is with big question mark.Headphones are very unforgiving and abnormally lean.Im guessing that only tube amp would be able to put some meat on bones here :)

I will confess that I've not used any other posh headphones, but, these ones certainly are good. They give an incredibly detailed account of the music. At first, it was a little unpleasant to hear things with such clarity, but now, a couple of years later, I'm so accustomed to it, anything else sounds muddy and wrong. I'm agnostic about the "burning in" theory, but at first they did seem quite shrill. Not any more - just really detailed, and there's plenty of bass if it's there in the mix to begin with.

They're extremely comfortable even for longer sessions, and the cable is nice and long. Really well made, I've dropped them several times and they don't complain.

Be aware that, in order to achieve their sound, they are open-backed, and hence not suitable for recording, because they leak a lot (you end up recording what you're playing along to, which is a problem if it's a metronome). With a guitar on high gain, you can actually take them off and use them as speakers in a small room (if playing alone, I mean).

Anyway, for what they're intended as - mixing headphones - they're fantastic.

The original asking price is more than 200€ so I am flabbergasted by the lack of a detachable cable. If this thing ever breaks the headphones are gonna be rubbish or need an expensive repair. On top of that the box this thing comes in is way more bulky and sturdy and it probably needs to be while there is no pouch included to store the headphones in. The headphones are comfortable to wear but not perfectly comfortable.

The sound of these boys is great though and since I got them for just 90€ I'm very happy with my purchase.

I just think a top class product like this should include some features ensuring it'll last a lifetime and be comfortable to wear for anyone.

Just to start with, I can say that I know fair bit about headphones.
I do build my own headphone amplifiers for many years and do own more that few various headphones to spoil myself.
I have to say that these are my favorite to the date.
Believe me, that even my HD800 are not used that often as these here,they K701 are just fantastic.

One thing need to be said though, you do have to drive these properly, without enough juice you will not hear its full potential, but just providing enough current and these do sound phenomenal, its a class for itself.

These are no new to the market, and have proved to be trusted choice for many. Providing you can give them what they need, and you will love them.
The bottom end of the spectrum is where these can show their true capabilities when you can feed them with enough power. Highs, and middle are just majestic, and every type of music and recording sounds just natural and organic. Can't fail them for anything.

I also believe that they are fantastic value, to the date these are best you can buy, not spending crazy money for the pair of headphones. I own/ed many far more expensive headphones, and some of them are not even close to these, where it comes to the sound quality and tonal balance. You will not be disappointed with these, they are just worth the listen.
I have also K7xx (limited edition) but 701 are far more natural and organic for me and my accompanied headphone amplifier.

Give them a try and have fun, out there.