So yeah, I got my black Q701 in the mail yesterday. I took a picture. Sorry for the potato quality (my main camera is at work).
I'm quite pleased. I'm not an audio professional, nor do I have a lot of experience with different headphones, amps, or DACs, but I can safely say that the Q701 paired up with the Aune X1 Pro Amp/DAC (also from Massdrop) is a very excellent combo. Currently I'm using a USB connection from the computer to the X1. I was using a coaxial connection previously, but after doing a bit of side-by-side comparison, I think USB seems to be a bit cleaner (I will likely experiment more with this in the future).
These things are huge. They are ridiculously comfortable too. I haven't worn them long enough to say anything about pain/fatigue, but I can't imagine having any such issues. The large, soft pads rest lightly on my head and completely encompass my ears with little pressure. I also don't have any issues with the supposed "bumps" on the inside of the headband, in fact that part of the headband doesn't even touch my head. I suppose it might be an issue for those with larger heads though.
I know everyone has been talking about how these don't have a lot of bass, they are purely "reference" headphones, they won't rattle your skull or anything, etc, etc. Yeah, I mean, it's true. This actually worried me a lot (I like my low-end), but after listening to them, I realize I had absolutely nothing to worry about. Truth is, these things definitely have low-end, and it sounds great. It's very tight and balanced. Very accurate. If the track you're listening to is bassy, then it will sound bassy. It's simple really.
I am a big fan of electronic music. Trance and house are pretty much 90% of what I listen to. An interesting observation that I've made, however, is that with electronic music, it seems like you reach a point of diminishing returns... faster than you would with other genres of music. Regardless of how good your equipment is, you can only get synthesizers to sound so good. Don't get me wrong, electronic sounds great on these headphones, but... it's still just electronic, you know?
But now, I am beginning to take notice of other, more traditional types of music; stuff that's more acoustic and organic in nature. I stepped outside of my boundaries for a little bit and threw on a 1990 digital remaster of Nat King Cole's "Love", and I think that was the very first track I listened to on these headphones that actually made me go 'woah'. It sounds so real. So I'm trying to expand my horizons a bit and find some other good music that's a little more dynamic and interesting.
Sorry for my rambling. (I wonder if any of that makes sense).
These things are huge. They are ridiculously comfortable too. I haven't worn them long enough to say anything about pain/fatigue, but I can't imagine having any such issues. The large, soft pads rest lightly on my head and completely encompass my ears with little pressure. I also don't have any issues with the supposed "bumps" on the inside of the headband, in fact that part of the headband doesn't even touch my head. I suppose it might be an issue for those with larger heads though.
I know everyone has been talking about how these don't have a lot of bass, they are purely "reference" headphones, they won't rattle your skull or anything, etc, etc. Yeah, I mean, it's true. This actually worried me a lot (I like my low-end), but after listening to them, I realize I had absolutely nothing to worry about. Truth is, these things definitely have low-end, and it sounds great. It's very tight and balanced. Very accurate. If the track you're listening to is bassy, then it will sound bassy. It's simple really.
I am a big fan of electronic music. Trance and house are pretty much 90% of what I listen to. An interesting observation that I've made, however, is that with electronic music, it seems like you reach a point of diminishing returns... faster than you would with other genres of music. Regardless of how good your equipment is, you can only get synthesizers to sound so good. Don't get me wrong, electronic sounds great on these headphones, but... it's still just electronic, you know?
But now, I am beginning to take notice of other, more traditional types of music; stuff that's more acoustic and organic in nature. I stepped outside of my boundaries for a little bit and threw on a 1990 digital remaster of Nat King Cole's "Love", and I think that was the very first track I listened to on these headphones that actually made me go 'woah'. It sounds so real. So I'm trying to expand my horizons a bit and find some other good music that's a little more dynamic and interesting.
Sorry for my rambling. (I wonder if any of that makes sense).