# Guide to the Balanced AKG K701 recabling



## cotdt

People say that the AKG K701 headphone lacks bass, but the reason is because they are not using the right amp. This headphone needs a lot of power, and will impress you with her might when you make her happy.

 Many people who have heard a balanced amp never go back to the single-ended version. Balanced amps really do sound much better to my ears. Take the example of the Dyna amps. The balanced Dynalo (Dynamid) sounds more detailed and has stronger bass slam than the unbalanced Dynalo. It is also warmer and more liquid. Why? It has double the slew rate and output, and slew rate induced distortion is the predominant form of distortion for these amps. The bass is deeper and tighter due to lower output impedance's effect on the Q of the headphone drivers. Then there's the Dynamight which is the balanced Dynahi, and it was wider soundstage, greater warmth and transparency, and insane bass slam. As you can see, balanced amps have great benefits, and the AKG K701 is a power-hungry monster of a headphone so she will make great use of the extra power. Besides, what's not to like about 4x the power output =)

 Opening
 =====
 Opening the K701 is easy. Just use a pen or scissor or anything that is pointy, and poke it into a hole in the cap. Give a counterclockwise twist and the cap falls out:






 This is a closeup of the cap.





 Now unscrew these two screws and pull out the plastic thing.





 Connecting the Balanced Cable
 ===================
 The wiring scheme for the AKG K701 is:

 orange = right +
 white = right -
 yellow = left +
 black = left -

 There are already four wires in the cable, so all you need to do is cut off the 1/4" phone plug and attach two XLR cables. XLR has three connections labeled "1", "2", "3". Only "2" and "3" will be used. The "2" is the positive and the "3" is the negative.

 I prefer the Y-cable over the single-sided cable. It pulls down on both sides of your head with equal force. The cable is a lot more manageable since it's thicker. I also put together an adaptor for use with single-ended amps (yuck!). I didn't make it that nice since I don't plan on using it much.

 Here is how I did mine. This cable is made from Mogami starquad, and is about 8 feet long. It has two gold plated Neutrik XLR's at each end:


























 I upgraded my source and amp at the same time I balanced my K701s, so while there is a massive improvement in sound quality, I don't know what is responsible for it. Perhaps it is all of them.


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## DigiPete

I concur with your assessment of the Dynamite


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## mb3k

I would be interested in some details of making it dual-cabled, assuming you drilled into the other ear piece to fit the wire in.


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## cotdt

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *mb3k* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_I would be interested in some details of making it dual-cabled, assuming you drilled into the other ear piece to fit the wire in._

 

You can open it by giving the silvery plastic cap a twist and it will fall right out. Unscrew the two screws and remove the plastic mold. Now you have access to the wires.


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## Nandro

I bet they sound amazing. I wish I could afford a balanced amp. I guess I'll have to just enjoy my Jolida as much as I can with my K701's. I can't imagine them sounding much better than they do, must truely be amazing, stock I think they are better than my HD600's with Cardas cable.


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## cotdt

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Nandro* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_I bet they sound amazing. I wish I could afford a balanced amp. I guess I'll have to just enjoy my Jolida as much as I can with my K701's. I can't imagine them sounding much better than they do, must truely be amazing, stock I think they are better than my HD600's with Cardas cable._

 

I've heard the K701s out of a Dynamight at a meet, and every note hits hard and with great weight. There is so much bass slam and bass extension. Also the transparency and detail was amazing. It was a whole new kind of experience! I'm currently building a Dynamight and they are really cheap. You can build one if you like DIY.

 And they say that the balanced tube amps are every bit as amazing, with a flavor of their own. There is something special about balanced amps!


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## Nandro

I dont know the first thing about DIY, so I would need to start with something alot simpler as a first project although I wish I could build one of them.


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## NiceCans

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *cotdt* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_You can open it by giving the silvery plastic cap a twist and it will fall right out. Unscrew the two screws and remove the plastic mold. Now you have access to the wires._

 

Did you buy the Left-Side plastic piece with the cut-out for the wire and use it on the right side? Or did you 'chop' into the original to make way for the wire? (can't see it in the photos, looks unfinished there best I can tell)


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## cotdt

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *NiceCans* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Did you buy the Left-Side plastic piece with the cut-out for the wire and use it on the right side? Or did you 'chop' into the original to make way for the wire? (can't see it in the photos, looks unfinished there best I can tell)_

 

either way works fine. i used my solder iron to melt a hole for the wiring.


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## mb3k

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *cotdt* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_either way works fine. i used my solder iron to melt a hole for the wiring._

 

Ahh, that's what my question was going at too. Thanks for the insight.


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## cotdt

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *mb3k* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Ahh, that's what my question was going at too. Thanks for the insight._

 

not the safest technique but it works =) don't smell the fumes.


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## hYdrociTy

good job _cot_tage boy!
 I'm about to get some wire off patrick to recable my 501s...


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## cotdt

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *hYdrociTy* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_good job cottage boy!
 I'm about to get some wire off patrick to recable my 501s..._

 

i thought you sold yours! Well glad you still have it. i think i'll get one of these K501s and see how well they work balanced.


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## hYdrociTy

actually i had two, one with the blue dragon (though single entry). Sold that one. The one I have now is a stock wire but there are rips so im thinking of recabling them with some nordost solar wind cable (if patrick every responds to my pms). 

 Right now I'm torn between trying out a dynahi or β22... the pathetic looking lolmeta i built is quite unsatisfactory.. I dont know if I should finish making a steps for it or just leave a tread in and elpac that crap and use the money on some pcb boards and parts...


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## cotdt

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *hYdrociTy* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_
 Right now I'm torn between trying out a dynahi or β22... the pathetic looking lolmeta i built is quite unsatisfactory.. I dont know if I should finish making a steps for it or just leave a tread in and elpac that crap and use the money on some pcb boards and parts..._

 

lol! your pimeta looks awesome! here's an idea: build the dynahi, then finish your pimeta and use it to power LEDs that pulse with the music. Then you will have a Solid State/Opamp hybrid amp.


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## lcp12345

I have bulit a Dynamid to power my HD600 w balance termination using Canare cable. The sound from it is better than the origonal cable. I do agree it has wider soundstage and more bass. I am now considering to recable my SA5000 in balance termination as well.


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## cotdt

Updated with directions on opening the K701s.


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## hassan14a

Nice! Thank you for that update


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## vegaman

Thanks, I've been wondering about this while I've been thinking of buying some K701s. But I don't completely understand balanced cabling yet, what is the function of the ground if only two wires are being used?


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## cotdt

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *vegaman* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Thanks, I've been wondering about this while I've been thinking of buying some K701s. But I don't completely understand balanced cabling yet, what is the function of the ground if only two wires are being used?_

 

it's used up to the amplification stage. when the signal enters the headphones, it's no longer balanced. so there's technically no such thing as balanced headphones.


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## johnsonad

These look great! Thank you for posting!


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## lcp12345

I have made a balanced cable using Canare L4E6S for my HD600. I have same feeling from my Dynamid - deep bass and impact. I am considering to recable my SA5000 as well.


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## cotdt

Sounds great!


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## Dan the man

For a DAC, how does the DAC: Zhaolu 2.5 zapped with Zapfilter compare to the PreSonus Central Station which has balanced output?


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## n_maher

IMPORTANT UPDATE TO THIS THREAD

 While working on a pair of K701s tonight I experienced something very odd. After balancing the cans worked fine single ended but sounded downright awful when I tried them balanced. All I had done was reterminate the stock cable using this guide so it took a bit to figure out what was wrong...

*Not all K701s are wired as indicated in the first post of this thread.

*The pair that I have has the ground colors switched (black = right, white = left). This is impossible to check without removing the left cup of the headphones to verify how they are wired. So I would strongly suggest updating the first post of this thread to indicate this anomaly since there is the possibility that if you were simply reterminating the cable like I was that you could no notice this until it was too late. Luckily I tend to err way on the side of caution and check things pretty carefully so I avoided a toasted amp or pair of cans.

 Your humble DIY'er,

 Nate


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## slowpogo

n_maher, since you have done this recently...is there any strain relief built into the cups? Or did you just knot the wire on the inside or something?

 I'm thinking about doing this (Y-style) with Cardas cable, unbalanced.


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## warrior05

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *slowpogo* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_n_maher, since you have done this recently...is there any strain relief built into the cups? Or did you just knot the wire on the inside or something?

 I'm thinking about doing this (Y-style) with Cardas cable, unbalanced._

 

There is an off-center plastic brace that has a fork to hold the exiting cable housed in a rubber bushing to provide strain relief. That is why the exiting cable out of the left ear chamber is oriented towards the back. Therefore, on the right side this brace is oriented towards the front of the right ear chamber. You can spot glue the cable to the brace and make a hole towards the rear of the right chamber but I would recommend using some adhesive lined heatshrink to provide the actual strain relief.

 The above is easier to imagine if you take off the chrome grills. They twist off counter-clockwise. I used a large pair of tweezers with sharp ends so I could insert them into the holes of the grill for leverage.


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## n_maher

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *slowpogo* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_n_maher, since you have done this recently...is there any strain relief built into the cups? Or did you just knot the wire on the inside or something?_

 

I didn't rewire them, I was just reterminating the stock cable. But yes, there is a an integral strain relief as warrior05 describes.

 If you go with a dual entry setup (full recable) you'll need to devise a way to provide something similar which can be anything from a knot (not recommended by the way), zip tie, hot glue, heat shrink, etc.


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## slowpogo

Thanks guys, all helpful info. My other question is, what's the best method for making a hole in the right ear cup? It seems you'd have to be very careful/lucky with a soldering iron to make a hole that looks decent.

 And it's hard to see taking a big drill to that plastic piece; and Dremel drill bits only go up to 1/8".


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## ethebull

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *cotdt* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_
 Opening
 =====
 Opening the K701 is easy. Just use a pen or scissor or anything that is pointy, and poke it into a hole in the cap. Give a counterclockwise twist and the cap falls out:


 This is a closeup of the cap.


 Now unscrew these two screws and pull out the plastic thing.


 Connecting the Balanced Cable
 ===================
 The wiring scheme for the AKG K701 is:

 orange = right +
 white = right -
 yellow = left +
 black = left -

 There are already four wires in the cable, so all you need to do is cut off the 1/4" phone plug and attach two XLR cables. XLR has three connections labeled "1", "2", "3". Only "2" and "3" will be used. The "2" is the positive and the "3" is the negative.

 I prefer the Y-cable over the single-sided cable. It pulls down on both sides of your head with equal force. The cable is a lot more manageable since it's thicker. I also put together an adaptor for use with single-ended amps (yuck!). I didn't make it that nice since I don't plan on using it much.

 Here is how I did mine. This cable is made from Mogami starquad, and is about 8 feet long. It has two gold plated Neutrik XLR's at each end:

 I upgraded my source and amp at the same time I balanced my K701s, so while there is a massive improvement in sound quality, I don't know what is responsible for it. Perhaps it is all of them._

 

cotdt - thanks so much for the detailed photos and explanation of how to access the inner workings of the K701's. I am not going balanced at this point, but I made some new cables out of Mogami 2893 mini quad and installing it was easy with your helpful photos and descriptions. 

 The sound is richer and has better impact right out of the gate! Additional burn-in should prove to make things that much better - Thanks again,

 Cheers,

 E


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## ethebull

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *slowpogo* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Thanks guys, all helpful info. My other question is, what's the best method for making a hole in the right ear cup? It seems you'd have to be very careful/lucky with a soldering iron to make a hole that looks decent.

 And it's hard to see taking a big drill to that plastic piece; and Dremel drill bits only go up to 1/8"._

 

I used the cut-off wheel on my grinder to slice a quick notch, then dressed it with a medium/fine rat-tail file. 3 minutes work.


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## carmatic

guys i dont know where to ask this, so pardon me if i bring it slightly off topic... you said that the orange and white are the + and - for the right side, and yellow and black for the left respectively... since we are dealing with a balanced system wouldnt it be called 'hot' or 'cold' instead?


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## pidesd

i guess yes? anyway it s just names...

 i just did the mod sigle ended with mogami starquad.

 better soundstage, detail, bass, extension and less edgy. simply awsome


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## ephrank

Sorry for digging up an old thread. I'm trying to re-cable my K 701 but run into trouble. The plastic cup (the one with "Reference Headphones K 701 Made in Austria" printed) is SOOO difficult to remove! I need some advice on how do it without damaging the parts. Thanks!


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## soloz2

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *ephrank* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Sorry for digging up an old thread. I'm trying to re-cable my K 701 but run into trouble. The plastic cup (the one with "Reference Headphones K 701 Made in Austria" printed) is SOOO difficult to remove! I need some advice on how do it without damaging the parts. Thanks!_

 

there's a clip on each side that you have to get free. If you get one side free you'll be able to wiggle enough to get the second side free... don't pull the first side out too far or you won't have a good angle of approach.


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## ephrank

Hi soloz2, I was able to free one side of the clip out but it seems that the other clip is stuck no matter how little I pull out the freed side of the plastic cup. I tried to squeeze the plastic cup really hard but the clip is still stuck.


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## soloz2

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *ephrank* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Hi soloz2, I was able to free one side of the clip out but it seems that the other clip is stuck no matter how little I pull out the freed side of the plastic cup. I tried to squeeze the plastic cup really hard but the clip is still stuck. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


_

 

they both come off the same way.


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## aos

It really is insanely difficult to remove the plastic cup. I actually damaged my pair trying to take them off (broke the little plastic bridge on top, no biggie but annoying). Even opening an Acer Aspire One is way easier than this.


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## cantsleep

then, use two hands, one on top of the other one..


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## Junliang

Just a question to those that recabled your k701 with a 4 pin xlr.

 May I know which wires goes to which pin ?
 Thank you


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## pistolsnipe

1 - left channel +
 2 - left channel -
 3 - right channel +
 4 - right channel -

 i would also like to offer another suggestion for removing the silver caps without scratches/damage. use the anti skid mats that you line kitchen drawers with (like this http://img.alibaba.com/photo/5021632...Slip_Liner.jpg), this will give yo enough leverage and grip to just push down and rotate


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## Junliang

Thank you.


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## Junliang

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *pistolsnipe* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_1 - left channel +
 2 - left channel -
 3 - right channel +
 4 - right channel -

 i would also like to offer another suggestion for removing the silver caps without scratches/damage. use the anti skid mats that you line kitchen drawers with (like this http://img.alibaba.com/photo/5021632...Slip_Liner.jpg), this will give yo enough leverage and grip to just push down and rotate_

 

Btw, the wires that you labelled are updated right ?

 Because at the 2nd page, some of the head fiers claim the wiring was different on their k701.

 And when i open the cups of the k701(that metallic grills), it was different..
 and I cant detach the white piece in order to give me space to solder..






 Compared to OP's one


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## Junliang

Need help..


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## ephrank

Hi Junliang,

 My pair looks exactly like yours after removing the grill. It's next to impossible to remove the white cup without breaking. No luck here...


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## ekano

Mine were wired differently. (black = right-, white = left-). You have to open the left cup to check the wiring. In my case, the black one connects to the headband, and comes out as white in the right cup. Only opening the right cup will fool you, just as I was fooled


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## hardnrg

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Junliang* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_And when i open the cups of the k701(that metallic grills), it was different..
 and I cant detach the white piece in order to give me space to solder..




_

 

You need to undo the screws:



 




 You can pull off the small white part quite easily as it only has very slight tabs on each side, and the top "hands" pop off of the grey part of the headband very easily. I basically gently prised it up from the bottom and removed the "hands" last.



 





 

 

 


 I'm not going to disassemble it all again, so I'll just say that I undid another screw:






 did some various desoldering and cutting of wires, and ended up with this:






 I really would have thought I'd have posted in this thread before, since I followed it (and the AKG exploded diagram/service manual) for disassembly... hope I'm not breaking any rules with more thumbnailed pics:



 

 

 

 

 

 

 




 Yes, it's not balanced (starquad terminated with TRS), but it shows that balanced rewiring is possible with the "different" K701 earcup assembly


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## Junliang

Wow !
 Nice post man, and thanks for the pm 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Thank you very much !

 *If only there is some sort of +rep or thank button =/*

 thank you !!


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## Junliang

Man, I just cant seem to pry open the white part !
 the left side of my left cup open slightly, but its tedious to open the entire cup >.<


  Quote:


  Originally Posted by *hardnrg* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_You can pull off the small white part quite easily as it only has very slight tabs on each side, and the top "hands" pop off of the grey part of the headband very easily. I basically gently prised it up from the bottom and removed the "hands" last.



 

_


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## g5tar

junliang said:


> Man, I just cant seem to pry open the white part !
> the left side of my left cup open slightly, but its tedious to open the entire cup >.<
> 
> 
> ...






Any luck?


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## jeffreyfranz

Search for his user name and post positive feedback. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



*EDIT*: _Oops, I just noticed that his last post was *4-11-10*, not 4-11-11_. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



  Quote: 





junliang said:


> Wow !
> Nice post man, and thanks for the pm
> 
> 
> ...


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## superchan

any online shop recable this to balanced 4 pin xlr ???
   
  prefer inside europe instead of the USA


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## sanakaku

Very informative might try these one. props!


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## eiouwa

I got a K701 with Cardas cable which is going to be reterminated to balanced. The stock cable was replaced by the Cardas one from Moon Audio with dual entry. So there is nothing more left to do then to snip off the 1/4 plug and replace it with 2 3-pin XLRs, right?


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## jayce996

Hi there,
  
 I would need to recable my K701 as the default cable is too short when i'm sitting in the living room.
  
 by thinking of recabling it, other questions came:
 do i make one cable by side or just replace the existing one?
 do i make the cable(s) detachable?
  
 i'm located in France, and wanted to order the cable on the Audiophonics website
 which one do you recommend me?
  
 thank you in advance for you help!


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## Joostp

A few months ago I recabled my AKG701 with Moon audio silver dragon straight to the drivers and a Jack plug. It was a real improvement in detail and stage.
  But since my Audio-GD NF-6 is a fully balanced head amp i just got around to attach the needed 4pin XLR. My balanced AKG701 sound way better than i expexted. I'm very happy with it and the posts in this topic really helped, thanks for that.


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## maarvold (Dec 28, 2021)

The 2 curved rods that attach the ear cups and keep the headphones on your head are the conductors that carry the left side wiring to the right side's driver; on my Made in Austria pair, where the wires jumper from the rods to the drivers, they changed the color code from the way it is in the cable.

But, FAR MORE IMPORTANTLY, my pair--and presumably all pairs (if mine are constructed correctly)--are out of absolute polarity.  Explained simply, that means that positive air pressure at the microphone diaphragm becomes negative pressure coming out of the earphone; although it sounds like a joke, trumpets suck instead of blow and this makes a difference sonically.  To me, it is a fairly audible improvement when switched to be correct: the bottom end becomes more extended and things sound more natural and better.

Also, yes: the white ear cup housing is very difficult to get apart... after doing it twice, it's still one of those disassembly projects that makes me wonder if I will break it before I can get it open.  The one disassembly video I found on youtube made it look so easy that I'm quite sure the ear cups were redesigned at some point--maybe when they moved production from Austria to China(?).  They also compromised the sound of the headphones significantly when they did this unfortunately.


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