AKG - Quincy Jones Signature Series Q701 Headphones

I've been a purchaser of higher end ($500 and below) headphone and earphones for over a decade and tend to "go through" many over my course of finding the right one (or replacement after failure). I've gone through many Shure, Ultimate Ear and other well regarded models while trying to find it all in head/earphones to please a wide range of music listening, movies, games...etc. In looking for Studio headphones (where size/portability do not matter), I came across these and after debating for a while given the price, took the dive. These headphones sound amazing - both clean and clear, very airy and yet spacial sound reproduction. Bass reproduction is both tight and deep bringing new "sounds" out of your old music. As with most serious headphones, listening to these longer and breaking them in will only make them sound better. While I haven't done so yet, I would imagine running these through a headphone amp (instead of the iPad) will only help drive these speakers all the better. They are big but very well constructed - very comfortable and airy - you will get background noise due to the design, but what it brings to the overall listening experience is worth it. They come with 2 cables - 1 long and one super long...I'm usually struggling with a short cable that breaks down in short order - here I have 2 that are long, durable, and with pro grade plugging. I actually like that the packaging and box contents were relativey spartan aside from the functional (see cables). The money you spent has gone towards a high quality/constructed audio reproduction device and not into a fancy box/case (or 2) or a CD....ie...fluff...like some are bringing.

These were my first AKG headphones I've ever purchased, and let me just say, I am impressed! I use them for listening pleasure and for music production where accurate reproduction is key. They are a nice set of cans! The only bad thing I've experienced is with the clarity of these headphones, it makes compressed music more intolerable. They are also pretty big. The padding is pretty firm which concerned me at first because i have a big melon, but after extended wearing, they maintain a nice level of comfort. They definitely compete with similarly priced sennheisers, and i would recommend a headphone amp with anything higher end like this, it makes a big difference.