AKG K701
AKG’s analytical open-back: wide, airy, and famously lean in the bass. A revealing monitor that takes EQ well.
Our take
The K701 is fast, spacious and analytical, with a lean low end and a slightly forward upper midrange. It wants real power to wake up, and it responds cleanly to EQ if you want more low-end body: a good way to meet it halfway.
Measured on a Head Acoustics HMS II.3 artificial head — raw response, left/right averaged, normalized to 0 dB at 1 kHz. From the Sonic Temple Archive(2008–2014, one unit per model). Honest limits: seating variance runs ±0.4 dB in the mids to ±3.9 dB above 12 kHz, and open headphones read bass-light on this fixture — don’t read fine treble detail as settled. How we measure →
Common questions
Straight answers — the same ones our measurements support.
Does the AKG K701 need an amp?
More than most. At 62 Ω but low sensitivity it likes current and clean power; a weak source leaves it thin and quiet.
Is the K701 bass-light?
On the graph, yes: a lean, neutral-to-bright tuning. A few dB of low-shelf EQ fills it in without muddying the mids.
K701 vs K702 vs K712?
Close relatives: the 712 adds bass, the 702 is the detachable-cable 701. Same analytical DNA.
If you like the K701
Close on the graph, or a deliberate step in one direction.