So I recently got the itch to try some nicer headphones. Aftering doing *way* too much research over on Head-hi, I decided to order a pair of Sennheiser 650's and a pair of AKG 701's. The plan is to listen to both for a couple weeks and then return one pair. Spent the weekend comparing these two cans vs. my Axiom setup as a reference. All of the listening done from SACD source via Receiver headphone jack, or MP3 & Lossless AAC via iTunes + PC headphone jack. I have a dedicated headphone amp and better interconnects are in the mail (and so it begins....)
While the 650's have a B&W sound to them (quite warm and rich, but lovely), these K701's sound remarkably like our beloved M80's. They are extremely well balanced. Gorgeous, crystalline, revealing highs (MP3 compression never sounded worse). Beautiful and controlled mid-range. Accurate and tight bass that's just as it should be. They're really quite amazing headphones. I can't wait to hear them with decent amplification. They are very much like strapping a pair of M80's to your head. I've never experienced anything like these headphones. Really fun, and totally awesome. I think AKG engineers might be Axiom owners!
Anyway, just thought I'd share!
