AKG 7xx

Discussion in 'Headphone Measurements' started by ultrabike, Dec 3, 2015.

  1. ultrabike

    ultrabike Measurbator - Admin

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    Here is what I said before about these:

    I'll be a bit more specific.

    There is a little more bass to these than the HD6x0. Probably that's why I felt bass was cleaner. Some things, like female voices may seem to come out clearer perhaps due to small peaks in the treble region. This, in some cases, may result in slight sibilance. IMO these cans exhibit some coloration. That said, it is easy to adapt and like these headphones as they are not overly bright and have relatively good balance. The cans are capable of rendering binaural recordings, and so can many phones that don't have many issues. As for the particulars of the coloration, I feel these cans are lively and have slight "hands in the cups" sound.

    Again, presentation of the cans is pretty nice and so is comfort. Relatively speaking I feel this cans are fairly priced.

    From now going forward, I will make measurements using sealed baffle configuration which seems to match my perception of cans better than the open baffle approach. Here are the measurements:

    Frequency Response
    k7xx_fr.png

    Distortion Right
    k7xx_dist_right.png

    Distortion Left
    k7xx_dist_left.png

    CSD Right
    k7xx_csd_right.png

    CSD Left
    k7xx_csd_left.png

    HD600 comparo
    k7xx_hd600_cmp.png

    Distortion in % (relative to fundamental) here:
    http://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/akg-7xx.711/page-2#post-21280
     
    Last edited: Dec 13, 2015
  2. Shaffer

    Shaffer Acquaintance

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    Very interesting. Thank you for taking the time.

    I own K7XX along with two K702s (Austrian and Chinese), and until about 2 weeks ago I owned HD600. Working under the assumption of a good front end and source material, I thought the HD600 was a more transparent headphone. In every way. A class above the K7XX. It just wasn't a whole lot of fun to listen to, for me, hence the sale. Spatially, I thought they ranked about the same. Where as the HD600 is hardly the champion of the soundfield, the K7XX does not exhibit, say, K702's dimensional characteristics; it's more closed-in, less expansive.

    Those who've read a number of my posts likely gathered that I looove the K702. So much, that I have a backup. So much, that I'm not really interested in other headphones (as a purchase). I really wanted to love the K7XX, as well. Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike the cans and use them when a more forgiving headphone suits the music, but I was hoping for more resolution.
     
  3. ultrabike

    ultrabike Measurbator - Admin

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    Yes. The K7XX and the K702 may have more appeal to some than the HD6x0 depending on your source material and your preferences. Most folks that have read my crazy rants proly know by now that I find the HD600 suiting my preferences bestest. And indeed, it is the headphone I use the most while at home.

    But an HD600 is around $250 on a crazy deal day and mostly around $350 or so. k7xx are $200 and not many cans in that range are awesome. There are the Beyers. But I might take the K7xx over the DT880, which is the only full size open Beyer I sort of tolerate. And the DT880 is not always ~$200.

    I feel the k7xx is decent and so are the k702s relative to their peers.
     
  4. spoony

    spoony Spooky

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    Ultra, do you still have these in your posession? If so, would you be able to test the shower mod I posted in the mods subforum? I'd love to hear your impressions.
     
  5. ultrabike

    ultrabike Measurbator - Admin

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    I'll see what I can do. I cannot permanently mod these headphones as these belong to Massdrop and will be put into the loaner program though.
     
  6. spoony

    spoony Spooky

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    No permanent mods needed, the rings can be shipped along with the headphones for the curious ones if the scope of the loaner program allows.
     
  7. Klasse

    Klasse Friend

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    What would you say about that 3 kHz dip?

    From memory, my HD600 was a bit raw in that region, but that K7XX looks too soft/dark around 3 kHz
     
  8. ultrabike

    ultrabike Measurbator - Admin

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    Possible the 3 kHz dip is at fault of the slight "hands in the cups" sound I heard with some songs.
     
  9. spoony

    spoony Spooky

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    The dip isn't as bad as it looks, though it is a good 6-8 dB lower than midrange level as the CSD shows. This is somewhat alleviated with mods, it remains a bit dark & smooth, but the hollowness is mostly gone.

    About the mat, I found it in the supermarket, in the bathroom stuff aisle.
     
  10. Klasse

    Klasse Friend

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    Looks like it's more than 15dB according to FR plots
     
  11. spoony

    spoony Spooky

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    What I meant is, it isn't as bad as it looks on the FR, the CSD gives a better idea of the behavior of the headphone, if there's energy there, you will hear it, and the 'hole' there gets 'covered' quite quickly. I own the pair and several other headphones, it doesn't sound like a 15 dB dip. I think Hands' measurements better showcase the behavior (he uses in-ear mics).
     
  12. keanex

    keanex Martian Bounty Hunter - Friend

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    Thanks for the measurements. I really enjoyed the 15 minutes or so I spent with these. I prefer the HD600 and R70x, but I could see someone preferring these for their own tastes.
     
  13. Klasse

    Klasse Friend

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    Fair enough. Thanks.
     
  14. ginsbu

    ginsbu New

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    I picked up the K7XX from the first drop a year ago and I just bought the HD600 during the recent Amazon sale ($239). I’m basically in agreement with the takes by ultrabike and Shaffer above, but figured I’d chime in anyway. (I’m running both headphones off the Schiit M2/M2 stack.)

    Overall, I think there’s a lot to like about the K7XX: fairly balanced sound, quite detailed, great comfort, good (not great) soundstage. They’re generally very enjoyable to listen to and IMO offer good value — an easy recommendation. But as I’ve listened longer, I’ve noticed some places where they sound just a little off to me:

    ~250Hz — a bit of excess energy in this area can make some tracks sound muddy and congested.
    ~1kHz — a few dB recessed here relative to lower mids and 2kHz; most noticeable to me with female vocals.
    ~3kHz — I agree with spoony: the dip here “isn't as bad as it looks”, but there’s definitely something missing that I find particular noticeable as a lace of vocal presence.​

    That’s the K7XX’s coloration as I hear it, though only the ~250Hz muddiness is something I found actively bothersome during my listening (and then only with certain tracks). Fiddling with EQ makes clear that these are the problem areas (for me), and I had been planning to try some of the suggestions from the modding thread to better them — but then I got the HD600, so I’m not sure I’ll bother. :) I’m not bothered by some of the treble peaks that bother others about the K7XX (the DT990 treble I found intolerable, OTOH).

    One further comment: The K7XX lack the airiness I remember from the K501 or ATH-AD700 — I wish they had a bit more air, but I also remember finding too much air sometimes distracting with those headphones; the K7XX tuning is safer in that respect.

    Comparing to the HD600, I agree with Shaffer that the Sennheiser is simply better: more transparent, revealing, and even, especially in the midrange. The many descriptions I’ve read of the HD600 as “relaxed” or “laid back” seem quite wrong; though it does leave some tracks sounding boring, that isn’t the same thing. If anything, the HD600’s relatively more forward midrange (especially upper midrange) means music is more demanding of my attention when listening than with the K7XX. The HD600’s 3.5kHz peak is sometimes a bit much, but otherwise they do little to offend my ears.

    That said, I do prefer the bass extension of the K7XX, which I think give their bass a bit more depth and texture. I also prefer the K7XX soundstage: it’s a bit broader then the HD600, but the HD600 has an annoying tendency to make hard-panned instruments sound like they’re coming from over my shoulder that the K7XX avoids. And I find the K7XX so much more comfortable.
     
  15. spoony

    spoony Spooky

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    Thanks for the comparison!
     
  16. Psalmanazar

    Psalmanazar Most improved member; A+

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    Frankly, the 3 kHz dip is very bad and the main flaw of the headphone. Notice how small the HD 600 shoutiness in the area is compared to the K7XX dip? The HD 600 is a little shouty with female voices, falsettos, noodly electric guitars, and violins. The K7XX massively dips the presence region for a euphoniously wide but artificial AKG soundstage that separates guitars from their distortion. The picking of the string and the distortion are staged at drastically different depths.
     
  17. Rasselbande

    Rasselbande New

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    Many interesting observation, thanks!

    I use a k712 and the main coloration is at 2,4kHz, same as the k702 but less bothersome. A dip around 3 kHz suits me quite well, that's an area I always disliked with the HD600. It's too much with the AKG though.
    I've been playing around to EQ (foobar graphic eq) the k712 without totaly changing the soundsignature and what I like so far is:
    -2,7 at 2,5kHz
    +4,4 at 3,15 kHz
    +2,2 ar 4 kHz

    I've also tried:
    -2 at 250 hz
    -1 at 315 hz

    It works quite well on classic recordings now.
     
  18. spoony

    spoony Spooky

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    BTW, the K70X doesn't have such a low dip, and it's due to the pads, you can always try the K70X pads on the K7XX, only problem is the bump at 2 KHz will get worse, so you will have to resort to other mods to lower it. The main problem with the K7XX line are the pads, they are just too roomy.
     
  19. JayC

    JayC Resident Crash Test Dummy

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    I've been using a similar EQ setting. +3 ar 3.1kHz and +1.2 at 4kHz. Didn't want to boost it too much, even though it did sound a little better boosted to about +4 and +2 (like you have it set up)

    and when there's harshness on some recordings I've got a preset that does a -1dB at 6.3k and 12k
    for a little more bass impact (my so called "fun" preset) i added a few dB at 125Hz

    its itchy to go check out more expensive headphone offerings to see how much better it gets from here, but i'm holding off as long as i can because i'm not going to buy anything more until i get my masters degree and get back to working
     
  20. spoony

    spoony Spooky

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    Try the shower mat mod before you move forward ;)
     

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