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.
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.
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.
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.
Any headphones without a replaceable cable is just trash.
Usually the phones last forever. Its the cable that’s the weak point
Little bit of dremeling and most headphones can be changed.
Stock K550’s didn’t have a detachable cord. Later variants did. I usually recable them so I can use them with all my amps.
Not the prettiest cause my hand slipped and made a gouge and time has scuffed it from plugging/unplugging but it’s been fine for 10+ years.
I also swapped out the 3 pin for 4 pin on a similar set as the OPs as well.
Pardon my ignorance, please.
What are those connectors?
They are 4-pin mini-xlr on my headphones. The Q701 had a 3 pin variant originally. Most headphones wire the ground wires from both drivers together. 4 pins instead keeps them separate. I can then use different cables to either keep them 4 pins or merge them again into three pin.
The reason for this is I have certain amps that only work with them being separated.
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
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:
Damn. Maybe snag a used set on Ebay?
As a Canadian, I can say with certainty: check eBay, they’re usually listed for a lot less.
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.
AKG 553 MKii checking in. I’ve had mine for years. Just replaced the pads and they’re good as new
I have the Chinese clone version of these, Superlux HD681-AIR. They’re only $25-30 but have flat mids, deep (but not overwhelming) bass that extends below 20Hz, and slightly siblant highs that can be fixed in EQ—but what really sells them for me is the perfect soundstage and imaging. You get amazing 3D audio from two drivers with no fancy software gimmicks required. In games you can pinpoint sounds with millimeter precision. And naturally this (along with the excellent bass response) makes them ideal for music and movies as well. It’s A near perfect headphone for the gaming/entertainment PC.
No joke, I’ve bought and returned $500 planar magnetic headphones that didn’t sound as good as these. That said, I’d recommend getting a good pair of velour earpads because the ones in the box are flimsy and cause ear pain. But for the price it is impossible to do better.
https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/measurements/brand-superlux/hd681-air/
https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/superlux/hd-681 (this review is for the older, non AIR model but the two headphones are identical, other than a resistor added to the drivers in the AIR version to help address the siblance issue.)
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 😊
I found some K501s on the side of the road a few years ago. The only thing that needed to be fixed was the rubber band in the head band which was easy to replace. Apart from that these things are still perfect and I can see them working for another few decades. Truly great 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.
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?
It’s a joke about you being a hipster since you hopped on ASMR “before it was cool”.
The full joke goes “Why did the Hipster burn his tongue? He ate his pizza before it was cool.”
Oh. :( That wasn’t very friendly.
Fwiw, as a fellow long time listener to ASMR and fan of good headphones, I think you’re cool!
I was just goofin’, friend :)
Aw ok, much love ❤️
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.
My modded Fostex T50RPs are ancient too!
I have zero intention of replacing them.
That’s awesome. I’ve had my AKG K371s for about 5 years now. I replaced the ear cups once because they were in such bad condition. Otherwise, they’ve been the best headphones I’ve ever owned.
I have a set of K553 PROs that don’t die. I’ve had to epoxy the audio cable back into the can and replace the foam twice, but they’re still going after 10 years. Love these things.
Those are basically a closed-back version of mine, right? They look badass.
Yours have that sweet leather strap and a different connection. I am not sure if the drivers are the same. Either way, I got these off of MassDrop before it was enshittified.
Damn, those look sick! Are they over the ear or on-ear? Hard to drive? I might pick up a pair to use at the office since open-back isn’t a great choice for that environment.
Btw the leather band on my Q701 isn’t stock. It’s just scrap leather that I cut to shape when my old headband wore out. Got the scrap for free on a recycling group.
These are over-the-ear monitors for studio recording. I use them in conjunction with standard desktop monitors and a few other things to mix audio. They’re not hard to drive, but they do have a lot of headroom and clarity. I have also used them with my cell phone occasionally without issue.
The band looks sweet. Good work.
Holy shit I completely forgot about massdrop. Man. What a throwback.
They are still around as “drop”. massdrop.com redirects to their new site, but they aren’t what they used to me IMO.
They are gorgeous too
My Q701 and K550 both recabled to have a 4 pin mini XLR connector. They’re both over 10 years old and still going strong. They don’t really leave this room so wear and tear is minimal.
Waow ! Only 4 times in 14 Yr life span ‽
