2w ago

AKG Q701 - These headphones just won't die

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.

73 comments

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?
  
  That was a lot longer before 10 years ago.
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.
- 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.
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:
  https://www.thomannmusic.com/akg_k_712_pro.htm
- 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?
- 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.
- They used to be quite cheap. It's crazy to see them priced that high.
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'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.
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.
AKG 553 MKii checking in. I've had mine for years. Just replaced the pads and they're good as new
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.
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
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.
Any headphones without a replaceable cable is just trash.
Usually the phones last forever. Its the cable that's the weak point
- Pardon my ignorance, please.
  What are those connectors?
- 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
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.
My modded Fostex T50RPs are ancient too!
I have zero intention of replacing them.
I'd had a pair of K702s, and yes, the whole family is more or less just slight tweaks (K701, K701, K712, K7XX, Q701). I did have a part that kept wearing out though, the little elastic bands that let it auto adjust. They sell the part cheap, but since you need to order them from AKG, the shipping was killing me. I ended up modding them to not longer auto adjust but just fit my head specifically.
Edit: I'd like to shout out to Beyerdynamic for also being on this "headphones that just won't die" train. My DT-770s are easily as old as OPs.
- Bad news: Beyerdynamic was purchased by another company this year, so that may change.
  
  That is sad news indeed. The good news is that I already own two sets of Beyers and they will hopefully outlive me.
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.
Waow ! Only 4 times in 14 Yr life span ‽
I replaced the pads on my akg k371. I don't listen much anymore but they're still ok
I have Beyerdynamic DT990 Pros because they're so repairable. Changed the pads a few times and recently, after over a decade, I modded it to have a removable cable as the old cable's connector started to misbehave.
I used to use steelseries headsets but they kept breaking in similar ways and just wanted some decent quality, repairable headphones.
Can definitely recommend. Sound is amazing.
- When I was playing Counter-Strike a lot, I got into Steel Series because a lot of the players used it and EVERYTHING broke sooo fast... Like I would play around 30 hours a week so that was... a lot but still. My Steelseries mice would last me a couple of months, my headsets half a year. I would RMA them and the RMA would break super fast too... Only good thing about them nowadays are the XL Mouse Mats...
  Nowadays, in terms of gaming stuff, I'm back to a mix of Corsair & Logitech.
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.)

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