I replaced the pads on my AKG Q701 headphones today for the 4th time. It made me realize that I’ve used these headphones for at least 40 hours a week for 14 years straight. I’ve had to repair the left side speaker solder joint a few times, but they’re designed to be easily torn down and repaired. Truly BIFL headphones.
I’ve heard that the newer AKG K702 headphones are identical but I can’t vouch for that. They go for around $250.
Plot twist: they listen exclusively to Russian shortwave numbers stations.
Close. I originally got them exclusively for ASMR listening, when ASMR was a brand new concept.
Did you also burn your tongue because you ate pizza before it was cool?
Huh?
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Oh. :( That wasn’t very friendly.
I was just goofin’, friend :)
Aw ok, much love ❤️
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I recalled that joke from a teenage memory long ago. You’re 100% right
That was a lot longer before 10 years ago.
The term ASMR was coined in 2010. I think it didn’t really catch on until 2011.
I would have sworn you were wrong, but I guess I assumed that it was around long before I learned the “correct” term for it. Turns out I just learned it at the same time everybody else did, basically.
I see. I was thinking of binaural audio. My mistake.
The first time I saw the term online was in 2006/2007, long before people started making videos to try to trigger it.
That’s impossible, the term didn’t exist until 2010 when Jennifer Allen created it because she wanted a “scientific sounding” term to describe the sensation.
I remember where I lived and what computer I owned when I first read about it. I definitely didn’t live there in 2010. I don’t know who Jennifer Allen is, but is it possible she read the same web page I did and borrowed the term?
I have a set of nearly-10 year old Q701s (same headphones, just lime green and branded Quincy Jones)
Other than the elastic suspenders weakening (looks like yours did the same; they all do!) and the plastic sliders cracking, they’ve been great. I replaced the elastics and the pads, but I wish the sliders were easy to do.
Do you happen to have a link to the replacement elastic? I had no idea that it could be replaced
I used hair elastics, based on a repair tutorial I found on Youtube; let me see if I can find it.
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Dental rubber bands end up being better/longer lasting in my experience.
I have those ones too! Complete with the broken elastic and clips. We need someone who’s into 3d printing AND audio to make a batch of clips.
TIL that you can replace the pads. My AKG headphones pads are worn out and I thought I must buy new ones. Where is the best place to do it?
I got these pads for under $10 on Amazon. You just rotate the pads counter-clockwise and they pop off, no tools needed.
Thank you! Have to try that with mine 😊
AKG K702, $600 Canadian. Too bad. 🤷♂️
You can order them from thomann but you’d have to pay for international shipping. Probably still cheaper though.
https://www.thomannmusic.com/akg_k702.htm
There’s also the k712 if you like more bass:
As a Canadian, I can say with certainty: check eBay, they’re usually listed for a lot less.
Damn. Maybe snag a used set on Ebay?
They used to be quite cheap. It’s crazy to see them priced that high.
I left consumer gamer headset world when the new steel series replacement wanted to use software to do what hardware did on a previous gen where no software was required. I got a pair of these for $250 years ago. Absolutely the best move.
Wow, that’s a lot of time listening. Some headphones can be fatiguing, but these must not be!
Do you listen to music mostly?
It’s a toss-up between music (almost entirely Lofi Hiphop), ASMR, podcasts, movies, and gaming. I originally got this set specifically for ASMR because I figured the soundstage would be great (it is) but found them to be well-rounded for every use case.
AKG has fantastically comfortable headphones.
I’ve got some Audio-Technica ATX-M50 headphones that are probably about that old. I’ve replaced the pads a couple times and the cable once but they’re still going strong.
I got my wife a pair of the newer ATX-M50x about a month ago because she got tired of her cheap sets dying all the time. We’ll see if the quality is still there on current models.
I got the M50x after my M50s broke, the plastic that holds the ear cup snapped. It’s been about 7 years and they’re still doing great, haven’t had to replace the foam yet.
AKG 553 MKii checking in. I’ve had mine for years. Just replaced the pads and they’re good as new
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It’s crazy how good headphones can be when you just buy a good set from a good audio brand. I am ashamed of how much money I spent on “gaming” headsets that wouldn’t even make it a year and had shit microphones and audio quality in general. About 10 years ago I bought a pair of AudioTechnica open air headphones and I love them so much, and they still work exactly like the day I got them. Comfortable to wear all day too.
I spent $15 on a cheap Chinese Bluetooth headset that has lasted longer than any other set. I don’t know why.
They are gorgeous too
Impressive
I recently treated myself to these Hifiman Arya Organic headphones along with a balanced cable and a proper audiophile DAC. Really hoping they last as long as yours, because I’m so extremely happy with them.
As a fan of Hifiman headphones… good luck. Their reputation is more or less the opposite of AKG and Beyerdynamic for this sort of thing. I baby my HE-6 because they are irreplaceable.
Any headphones without a replaceable cable is just trash.
Usually the phones last forever. Its the cable that’s the weak point
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Pardon my ignorance, please.
What are those connectors?
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That’s quite interesting. I can see the benefits offered by each arrangement, curious to me that they opted to swap pin functions from 3-to-4 (as opposed to adding the extra ground on the extra pin and keeping everything else the same,) but I suppose this also ensures that things don’t ‘half-work in a weird way’ if someone uses the wrong connection method.
For sure, I’ve replaced the cable on this set a few times due to getting tangled in chair wheels or my kitten chewing on the cord
The faux leather on my Beyerdynamic DT770 started chipping off the moment the Chinese bought Beyerdynamic. Go figure
Oof. The headband on mine isn’t stock - it came with a bumpy headband that wore down over time. I swapped to this leather headband made from a scrap of recycled leather a few years ago and it has held up perfectly.
Yknow you can just say the specific company that bought Beyerdynamic that caused the quality dip and not “the Chinese”
ATH-AD700 from 2009.
Still using it when playing FPS games. Still with original pads since using generic pads will change the sound. Can’t find pads replacement with original shape. Never have problem with cable and driver.
How do you do it? Wired headphones never last too long for me. The cable starts breaking after a while. What’s the trick?
I’ve never had a cable from a quality pair of headphones break.
@cristian64
Possibly the quality of the cables *_and how you treat them_*.No special treatment. It’s good quality cable I guess. Cable lable ArtLink Titan Japan
