What is the opinion of Reddit about the
AKG Q 701 Quincy Jones Signature Reference-Class Premium Headphones (White)?

Ah okay, I’m considering buying some audophiles over the summer. I currently have these saved here.

The entire subreddit though made things a little confusing for me however and didn’t understand why or when I need an amp.

You don’t Need a dac. You only need an amp. DAC will improve the sound if the source is bad. But if you have a decent computer, the source should be fine.

Other than that, if you don’t want an amp, the 990 32ohm is available. 32ohm can be powered by any smartphone etc. Only difference is that the bass isn’t as “tight” and the highs suffer a bit compared to the 250ohm version. Also because they don’t make an Limited Edition one for 32ohm, it’s going to have a coiled cable which can be heavy compared to a straight one.

Outside of the 990 spectrum, Ehh… You’re going to lose some quality/dollar ratio. I’m not sure if the AKG 701 requires an amp. But those would be comparable aswell for this price range.
http://www.amazon.com/AKG-Signature-Reference-Class-Premium-Headphones/dp/B004444OFK

edit: ~~Looks like they only need 62 ohms. They will sound quieter than normal headsets at the same volume-level on your phone, but doesn’t look like they need an amp. They also have allot more balanced reference sound compared to the “fun” 990’s.~~

I’ve heard good things about the M50X, so not trying to sway you from those, but Amazon has an amazing deal on the AKG Q701s right now ($169). They’re open back, so they won’t block outside noise, but I picked up a pair for mix referencing and they’re phenomenal at that price.

http://www.amazon.com/AKG-Signature-Reference-Class-Premium-Headphones/dp/B004444OFK

EDIT: I also own Shure 840s which are closed back. They’re great for mixing and would be at your price point (just to throw another hat in the ring)

Location: USA

Budget: I’m pretty flexible if I need to go higher but $150-$200 not including AMP/DAC if needed.

Source: It’s going to be plugged into my PC mostly for gaming but also music/movies.

Requirements for Isolation: I’m mainly looking for open-ear headphones since they are better for gaming.

Preferred tonal balance: Never owned any headphones before so don’t really know what I preffer.

Preferred music: Indie/Alternative

I’m mainly looking for an open-ear gaming headphone that is durable, sounds good, and is comfy enough to wear over a long period of time. Looking at the recommended headphones listm, I decided that the AKG Q 701 would probably be the best for me but before I make the purchase I’d like to get opinions from you guys. I’m willing to go above my price range if it means I get more bang for my buck. Also, I’ve already purchased the Antlion ModMic as my standalone mic.

I’d still take AKG Q701 – for just $50 more they are a steal http://www.amazon.com/AKG-Signature-Reference-Class-Premium-Headphones/dp/B004444OFK

I’ve upgraded to them from Sennheiser 555, which are already decent headphones, and I was just sitting there with my mouth open for half an hour when I first got them.

M50x would be better if you didn’t have any headphone amp – they are easier to drive and have louder bass.

Very light clamp on the AKG’s.

For comfort purposes I usually tell people to sub out the thin pleather pads for velour.

If you can swing it, the Q701’s are the nearly the same design, but vastly superior. Amazon has a great price on them.

I wouldn’t go for a headset, even the Hyper X Cloud. I would recommend the Sennheisers as they are open which means a bigger sound-stage, so you can hear people running behind you for example. I would also recommend these and a modmic.

I think the main problem is most headphone/headsets come in black. My girlfriend is pretty girly, she picked this up when she was looking for headphones. Like others have said get a good pair of headphones and then get a modmic or something else. http://www.amazon.com/AKG-Signature-Reference-Class-Premium-Headphones/dp/B004444OFK/ref=pd_sim_sbs_23_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=07HNHVYXHFYAVXR8Y2KE Honestly, I think she just got them cause they are really good and they come in white and lime.

Take a look at the AKG Q701s. The white version is within your budget. There’s used ones for around $160ish.

I would recommend taking the chance with buying the used ones. If there’s anything wrong with them, just return to Amazon. They should cover the return shipping since there’s some wrong with the item.

That way, you can at least listen to see if you like them or not.

Thank you for those. I will look into them.

My father has a pair of AKGs from the 80s when he was in college, which made me do a little research into them (obviously they are higher priced) These seem to fit my price range. Are they any good for the money?

EDIT: Would those need an amp? Is there some sort of metric that can be used to determine whether the headphone needs an amp or not?

I almost fell out of my chair when I saw Rodrick’s headphones. I literally just bought a pair a couple weeks ago. AKG Q701 for anyone interested. Great set of headphones, albeit a little pricy.

Hmm. Without a preferred sound signature, I’m not entirely sure what direction to send you, here. Presuming you go with something along the lines of DMZ’s build (though you’d need a new one, given the amount of time that’s passed, and might also want to invest a bit more in the mouse), you have about $230 free. This being the case, there’re two headphones which immediately come to mind for me:

Beyerdynamic’s DT880 ($160 after $25 mail-in rebate via Adorama) would be the first. It’s quite famous for its excellent comfort and very detailed, accurate sound signature. The treble is fatiguing for some, but nobody disputes that they’re incredibly detailed headphones. I’m quite fond of Beyers of all stripes for metal, which is why this is where my mind goes first, and that’s a hell of a price for them.

AKG’s Q701 ($183 via Amazon) would be the second. The K/Q700 series are absolutely famous for their performance as gaming headphones, and the Q701 is no exception, holding a 9.5/10 for competitive usage on MadLustEnvy’s gaming headphone guide. The Q701s are also a fairly bright-leaning headphone, though I consider them fairly neutral myself, and their soundstage and imaging is absolutely stellar for that price. Their headband bumps are rather infamous (and, indeed, some users have claimed that they’ve left grooves in their heads), but their comfort is quite good in all other respects.

Now, both of these headphones are fairly hard to drive, so if you went with either, I’d recommend pairing them with either a dedicated amplifier, or an amplifier-DAC combo. FiiO’s E10K for $65 on Buysonic should be able to drive both of them (though the Beyers are pretty damn power-hungry), and packs a pretty decent DAC to boot.

These are, of course, just two headphone options, and there’re a lot of good alternatives out there, particularly if you want a more bassy sound. If you like, I’ll be happy to offer more if you want them.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^GNU Terry Pratchett

HEADPHONES – AKG Q701 Reference Headphones

• Very detailed (especially treble), bass is high quality but lacking much oomph

• Huge sound-stage that allows you to hear enemies behind you or the orchestra surrounding you.

• Ear pads are very comfy, headband is torture device (but fine after I added a $7 headphone band cushion)

SPEAKERS – AudioEngine A2+

DAC – HiFiMeDIY Sabre DAC 96khz/24bit

AMP
– SCHIIT Magni V1

I have quite a few suggesstions but as u/Dalarrus said it’s very dependent on price and whether or not you want a mic. Personally I would stay away from wireless headphones, more hassle than they’re worth.

My personal setup:

https://www.amazon.com/AKG-Signature-Reference-Class-Premium-Headphones/dp/B004444OFK (black)

https://www.amazon.com/FiiO-E10K-Headphone-Amplifier-Black/dp/B00LP3AMC2

https://antlionaudio.com/products/modmic-5

http://www.akg.com/pro/p/k702
http://www.akg.com/pro/p/k701
https://www.amazon.com/AKG-Signature-Reference-Class-Premium-Headphones/dp/B004444OFK

Obviously there are some slight differences between the models, but I don’t know enough about AKG’s lineup to explain them.

AKG Q701’s

This is what it is basically. They are stereo headphones…

AKG Q701s & ATH M50xs paired with Asus Essence STX soundcard.

https://www.asus.com/us/Essence-Hi-Fi-Audio/Xonar_Essence_STX/

https://www.amazon.com/AKG-Signature-Reference-Class-Premium-Headphones/dp/B004444OFK

https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-Professional-Headphones-Certified-Refurbished/dp/B016YJDV74/ref=sr_1_1?

s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1473959323&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=ath+M50x&psc=1

Looking for advice.

I Have these AKG’s

https://www.amazon.com/AKG-Signature-Reference-Class-Premium-Headphones/dp/B004444OFK/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1469218922&sr=8-7&keywords=akg

And this Mother Board would anyone suggest getting these?

https://www.amazon.com/MSI-Enthuastic-Z170A-Motherboard-M7/dp/B0131GA4PK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469218985&sr=8-1&keywords=msi+z170a+gaming+m7

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

So this is what I’d get.

For audio get a separate mic and set of headphones. Where you do live, with family, family in your room, where is your PC? Is your door closed, are you alone? If alone get this set of headphones http://www.amazon.com/AKG-Signature-Reference-Class-Premium-Headphones/dp/B004444OFK They are amazing for the money and overall great.

If you are also alone and like a bit of bass get these http://www.amazon.com/Beyerdynamic-DT-990-Pro-250-Professional-Acoustically-Applications/dp/B0011UB9CQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1458271803&sr=1-1&keywords=dt+990.

If you live with family and don’t want them to hear you get these http://www.amazon.com/beyerdynamic-DT-770-Pro-ohm/dp/B0016MNAAI/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1458271827&sr=1-2&keywords=dt+770.

For the mic get one of these, http://www.modmic.com/collections/modmic. Overall better sound quality all the way around.

Hello /r/headphones I would really appreciate some help making an informed decision on which headphones to get.

I will be mainly using them for gaming on PC with some light console gaming, also some music listening and to listen to be able to play my electronic piano quietly.

I’ve narrowed my options down to 4:

The AKG Q 701’s

The Audio technica ATH-M70x (Or M50x)

The Sennheiser 598 HD

Or

The Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro Plus

Price isn’t really a concern as long as it’s not >300$

I don’t care THAT much about the design, but the ATH’s are a little bit ugly, they are closed back though, which would be my preference.
I will probably get a decent amp, probably an Astro Mix Amp Pro Tr or something along the lines, if that helps

I was really hoping any of you guys could give me insights or share your experiences with these headphones, I’m also open to similar priced alternatives.
I’ve already read a lot, and I’m still undecided, mainly between the Audio Technica’s and the AKG’s

Thanks a lot. 🙂

Aaaaaand they’re $314 in Canada. RIP.

dsx will be more than enough then. Get DAC/AMP (like the one I’ve mentioned above) when you need one.

For the time being I’ve made some small edits to your build:

• Dropped cooler – stock is good enough (but not very quiet – feel free to add it back if you care about that)
• Xonad DSX instead of STX
• dropped extra fans – case comes with 2 preinstalled
• replaced PSU with a “smaller” one
• added IPS monitor – you realy, really don’t want to do any photo editing on TN panel 😛
• if you feel you don’t need that 2nd monitor get http://www.amazon.com/AKG-Signature-Reference-Class-Premium-Headphones/dp/B004444OFK instead. Getting those was almost a religious experience for me.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

What’s the difference between these two? Should I buy the cheaper one?

http://www.amazon.com/AKG-Signature-Reference-Class-Premium-Headphones/dp/B004444OFK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1442545634&sr=8-2&keywords=AKG+K701

http://www.amazon.com/AKG-Pro-Audio-K702-Headphones/dp/B001RCD2DW

The Q701 or AD900x are about the best you could get for your budget.

Q701, HD598 and AD900x. If you buy open headphones you will not get sound isolation, as they are designed to leak sound.

http://www.amazon.com/AKG-Signature-Reference-Class-Premium-Headphones/dp/B004444OFK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1430850453&sr=8-1&keywords=q701

http://www.amazon.com/Zalman-Zm-Mic1-Sensitivity-Headphone-Microphone/dp/B00029MTMQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1430850471&sr=8-1&keywords=zalman+mic

Nice AKG Q 701s. I use the 701K’s and I love em.

http://www.amazon.com/AKG-Signature-Reference-Class-Premium-Headphones/dp/B004444OFK

Best I can manage without relying on them to price match is this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

It’d cost about $40 less than it’s listed for due to the CPU+motherboard bundle, which is why I selected the unlocked CPU. If you’re not interested in SLI capability, we can cut that a bit, but as stands it’s $1,200ish with OS, a fairly significant price increase.

On the headphone front, the two $150 area open, neutral headphones that would immediately come to mind for me are the AKG Q701 ($185 at the moment) and Sennheiser HD598 (currently $147). Both are very open headphones with great soundstage, the AKG in particular, which is a pretty serious advantage in gaming. The AKG has been criticized for its lack of bass in past, though I’m of the faction that considers it to be accurate, rather than bass-light, while the Sennheiser has a warm, slightly bassier-than-neutral sound. A third option (and the third of the Holy Trinity of Sound Whoring) is the ATH AD900x ($145). It, like the AKG, is a bright, detailed headphone, though it’s the one out of the three I feel least qualified to speak on, so I’d recommend that you look into reviews of the three if you want more context on how it compares.

I’m going to use this.

http://www.amazon.com/AKG-Signature-Reference-Class-Premium-Headphones/dp/B004444OFK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1384323013&sr=8-1&keywords=AKG+Q701

If you buy it, buy it uses Amazon Warehouse Very Good. It pretty much is as good as new. Buy amp for the headphones, mixamp/FiiO whatever.

I’m going to stick this into the Dualshock 4 and see how it works. Run headphones to an amp. I’ll either use my FiiO E09K or FiiO E7.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004SP0WAQ/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The mic I’ll be using is this.

http://www.modmic.com/

I’ve read a lot of good things about these. Supposed to really comfortable.

http://www.amazon.com/Beyerdynamic-DT-990-Pro-250-Professional-Acoustically-Applications/dp/B0011UB9CQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1384323241&sr=8-1&keywords=dt990

For $330 you could have done better OP
HD650 Q701 DT880

I use this!