steroiduser 0 Report post Posted November 1, 2007 Need help selecting a good headphone amplifier to drive my AKG 701 cant get the full potential outta them Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sghound 0 Report post Posted November 1, 2007 (edited) not easy huh? what's your budget? u might have to spend a little more trying to amp this bugger. try the Higher Fidelity HA-01 at Stereo E. or even the Harman Kardon AVR145 wide-bandwidth receiver. both have ease of drive with the 701. with the Harman receiver to can use its treble contour to tame a little of the highs. AKG belongs to the Harman family and somehow their products have a certain synergy with each other. when u get the right match, very few current production headphones can touch the 701 for soundstage, timbre, transparency & musical immediacy. but it's a bi-tch to amp. Edited November 1, 2007 by sghound Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
steroiduser 0 Report post Posted November 2, 2007 YES agree with the Bi*** to amp part. how about the cayin ha1a i tried these and they sound quite good. not as good as lavry but good any suggestions out there? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Musicwhore 0 Report post Posted November 11, 2007 How much you willing to spend? A sp extreme can drive anything in the dynamic range. I'm driving them with a Platinum w/bg output caps using a Raytheon 6414 gain and RCA 6880s. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
milkpowder 0 Report post Posted November 11, 2007 I've heard the K701 (stock and recabled w/ Jena Labs) driven out of a SP Platinum Extreme and Meridian G08. Great sound. The headphone amp of the DAC1 (recent revision) and Graham Slee Solo sounded pretty good with the K701 too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Musicwhore 0 Report post Posted November 11, 2007 Is it bad of me to let the dog damage the stock cable to sneak in a Jena or RAL cable? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
milkpowder 0 Report post Posted November 11, 2007 (edited) Haha. Actually some person I spoke to didn't like the Jena cable. His reason was the Jena Labs recable made it sound slightly harsher than before. A quick listen confirmed his observations. The K701 was faster and more responsive than before and that might give the impression that it is harsh. Personally, I'd have to do a more extensive comparison first. It would be in your best interest to buy an additional pair of re-cabled K701 for comparison purposes Edited November 11, 2007 by milkpowder Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mamboman 0 Report post Posted November 18, 2007 YES agree with the Bi*** to amp part. how about the cayin ha1a i tried these and they sound quite good. not as good as lavry but good any suggestions out there? I tried it with the HA1A and stock tubes but there was audible hiss past the 9 o'clock position Is it bad of me to let the dog damage the stock cable to sneak in a Jena or RAL cable? Poor mutt! But I guess as long as you don't punish him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cankin 0 Report post Posted November 18, 2007 Heed CanAmp ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Musicwhore 0 Report post Posted November 18, 2007 Poor mutt! But I guess as long as you don't punish him. You kidding, he would get a treat. Good boy. No scoldings. I just have to make sure he gets no access to a new cable. Being that the k701s are so forward, a tube amp will round off the digital harshness and add warmth to the lean presentation. No knock to a SS amp, they are great for Senns, they add a forward presentation. Of course, this is just my opinion. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bkling 0 Report post Posted November 19, 2007 brother, please try Diva amp, it pairs nicely with AKG501 & AKG701. personal experince. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
swmaxxx 0 Report post Posted November 19, 2007 I would head over to headamp.com and get yourself the Gilmore Lite Headphone Amp. It is a very nice amp. I just wish they still had it in black. haha Share this post Link to post Share on other sites