I Found My Holy Grail of Headphones: AKG Q701
Finding the perfect earbuds can feel like an endless journey. And since everyone has different tastes, no one can recommend the perfect jars for you. But damn the world, I found mine, and I will never give it up.
The path to headphones is different for every audiophile, but it usually goes something like this: Buy a cheap pair of on-ear headphones. Be overwhelmed. Dive into the world of headphones by purchasing something a little more expensive. Then maybe your tastes will change, or you will get bored and buy something even more expensive. Then maybe you buy a headphone amplifier. and so on, and so on, until the end of the century and to the bottom of your wallet.
But my search is over. I’ve tried more headphones than I can name thanks to various purchases and Head-Fi meetings , and I can’t find one that I like more than my coveted AKG Q701 . I’ve owned it for two years and while it wasn’t perfect initially, I’m not going to ever move on to anything else.
My goal in this post is twofold: to share what I consider to be my holy grail – headphones – and to help you find yours.
Why Q701 Rocks
The Q701 ( currently selling for $ 180 ) isn’t just a great set of headphones, it’s a very unique set of headphones. This is unlike anything I’ve ever heard, and probably not like anything you’ve ever heard (even if it’s not good for you). Here’s what I like about him:
- Light on your head. Unlike some earbuds, which can have a strong “hold-down” force, the Q701 is very lightweight on your ears. The cushions are made of this strange, hard foam. You may not think this is convenient, but it is. It also has a self-adjusting headband, which is so cool I don’t know why it’s not on every headphone ever made. You don’t “calibrate” the headphones with a series of mouse clicks, you just put them on your head and they adjust themselves. What only contributes to its lightness – every time it seems that it is the perfect size. (The headband is uncomfortable, but we’ll come back to that in a moment.)
- It’s “flat” . By that, I mean that it doesn’t have a lot of bass, mids, or treble that is particularly emphasized. Compare it to something like the Audio-Technica ATH-M50 , which has a V-shaped sound (heavy bass and treble recessed in the midrange) and you will hear a very big difference. This is not a bass guitar headphone. The most popular among lovers of classical music and jazz are flat headphones. But although I listen to metal and electronics, I have found that it works with just about any music. After all, “flat” sound aims to reproduce the music as it was originally mixed and processed, so very few things will sound “bad” on it.
- This is with an open back . Most people are familiar with closed-back headphones that isolate you from background sounds. You cannot hear what is happening around you and other people cannot hear your music. On the other hand , open the headphones, let the sound pass through the cups – you can still hear external sounds, and if someone is sitting nearby, they can hear music coming from your headphones. Open-back headphones aren’t ideal for a library or airplane, but they usually provide the best sound – and the Q701 definitely falls into that category.
- It has a huge soundstage . If “soundstage” sounds like an audiophile’s silly word to you, then you are not alone – I thought the same thing. Until I heard Q701. It was the headphones that finally made me understand what this word means. It gives the music a very real sense of space, which gives your music a whole new dimension. Someone will like it, some will not like it. By the way, the Q701’s soundstage is also great for gaming because you really get a feel for where the sound is coming from.
The last point is what really sets the Q701 apart from other headphones. There are many great, comfortable ‘flat’ headphones out there (Sennheiser has some phenomenal ones), but the Q701 has a unique sound that you simply won’t hear anywhere else. To some, this may seem too analytical or robotic, but I feel the exact opposite. Compared side-by-side with the Sennheiser HD600 and the Beyerdynamic DT880 – its most often compared siblings – the Q701’s soundstage just made my music feel “alive”. It made me bang my head and wish every time I put it on. And two years later, I can still feel it.
Note. Since the AKG Q701 has an impedance of 62 ohms, it works best when paired with a headphone amplifier . I drive mine with the Audioengine D1 , although there are cheaper options available.
How I fixed the Q701’s shortcomings with DIY modifications
No set of headphones is perfect. I think this is partly what makes people switch to a “redesigned treadmill” when it seems like you are always looking for something better. But there is a lot you can do to improve a pair of headphones if you want to get your hands dirty .
The Q701, in my opinion, had two flaws: the bass is a little anemic, and the headband is extremely uncomfortable. I solved both of these problems with DIY mods.
The bass was pretty easy to fix thanks to Head-Fi user mms6 . His mod, detailed here , is to put a few pieces of felt or microfiber behind the ear cups. It is very simple, takes only a few minutes and is completely reversible, so the warranty is not void. Here are the basic steps:
- Use two toothpicks or nails to remove the “Q” plate on the back of the Q701. Just stick them into the holes and gently turn them counterclockwise as shown here.
- The Q701 already has a piece of felt. Take it and cut one or two circles of the same size from a piece of microfiber. I used the black cloth that comes with my Mac and iPhone.
- Place one or two circles over the existing piece of felt and close the headphones again. The more elements you add, the more bass you’ll get, although this will reduce the soundstage a bit. I’m not a serious bass player, but I needed a little more energy in my music – so it was worth the compromise.
Fixing the Q701s headband was a little tricky. The standard headband has terrible bumps along the top. I have no idea who thought it was a good idea, but they dig into your skull and make the headphones really uncomfortable after an hour or so. So what’s a dumb-headed nerd to do? Inspired by several fearless DIY craftsmen on Reddit , I replaced the entire headband with a piece of old leather strap.
It was not an easy task. I basically had to remove the “L” and “R” plugs from the headband side, then drill out the rivets that held them in place (my drill broke, so I poked them with a screwdriver for about half an hour. I cut my finger in two places. I do not recommend this method.) After that, I cut open the leather with sharp scissors, made a couple of holes in it, and screwed on the headband with a few nuts as shown below. …
There are other ways to deal with the roughness , but I chose this method and it worked great. And now my headphones are perfect for both head and ears.
Cheap (and expensive) alternatives to the Q701
The Q701 is great value for your money. $ 180 may sound expensive, but in the area of $ 10 to $ 1,000 products, $ 180 is not bad, and the Q701 easily competes with banks in the $ 300 to $ 400 range. But if you have a very different budget, there are other similar headphones.
The most obvious will be the Q701’s cousins: AKG K612 , K701 , K702 , K712 and K7XX from Massdrop . All AKG “x7xx series” headphones are very similar, but may differ slightly in comfort and sound. This Head-Fi post is a great example of the differences between the two. Choosing the best model for you is all you need, but I think the Q701 is the king of its mod and a great price under $ 200.
If you really want to keep the price down, a brand called Superlux is known for making low-cost versions of popular branded headphones, including the K series. The Superlux HD 681 ($ 30) and HD 668B ($ 40) are clones of AKG models, and the 681 are some of the best headphones. less than the $ 50 I’ve ever heard . If you’re willing to spend a little more, the AKG K240 ($ 70) is a 681-based Superlux headphone, and it sits at a decent price in the middle.
If you don’t like AKG’s wide soundstage but want good flat headphones in a similar price range, the most common AKG competitors are the Sennheiser HD600 ($ 350) and the Beyerdynamic DT880 ($ 200). In particular, the HD600 is probably related to my all-time favorite headphones, but it costs significantly more. The Beyerdynamic DT880 sounds, in my opinion, almost identical to the HD600, but for less money and less comfort. You can also try the Sennheiser HD598 ($ 150), which is a stepping stone in Sennheiser’s product line.
Find your Holy Grail
The moral of this post is not only that “the Q701 is great and you should buy it” (but it is, and you should at least try it). After all, headphones are extremely subjective. Another thing I really want to illustrate here – aside from my overly deep love for this particular pair of headphones – is that you can ditch the revamped treadmill . Not every headphone search ends after decades of flushing money down the toilet until you finally give up and buy the LCD-X for $ 1,700. All it takes is the following:
- Know what you want . Explore the different headphone models. Try to come to a Head-Fi meeting or something similar so you can listen to as many couples as possible. Maybe you find that you are not the bass player you thought you were, or that you really like Grados, despite what some dude on the Internet told you. The more you try, the more confident you will be in your final decision, because you will know what else is there.
- Set your budget . You don’t have to spend $ 1,000 to get a great set of headphones. High-end headphones are great , but if you’re on a budget, you can also get some pretty good headphones for $ 20 . Once you know what you want, look for a similar model in your price range. Remember the Q701 alternatives that I listed at different prices? You will find that the same “lines” exist with most brands of headphones.
- Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty . If you are confident that you have found the closest to your Holy Grail in your price range, proceed to void this warranty. Buying the right pair of headphones will give you 85% of the path to flawless sound, and the right modifications will take you 10% further. Plus, they’ll also relieve you of that itchy desire for something new. Making a mod is like playing with a new set of headphones again. And if your headphones are in any way popular, there are probably tons of documented mods out there on the Internet.
Of course, I cannot know exactly what will happen in the future. Maybe in 10 years my tastes will change. Maybe my Q701 will finally break down and I’ll find something better. But the more I try other headphones, the more I fall in love with what I already have. And if they died on me today, I would buy another pair in no time.