The AKG Q701 are comfortable headphones that are well-suited for audiophiles. They're the Quincey Jones Signature line equivalent of the AKG K7-series, but with the detachable cable of the AKG K702 or the AKG K712 PRO. They have an open-back design, meaning they don’t block noise by design, but their soundstage is spacious. They're quite bulky but are relatively lightweight for their size. They were designed to appreciate high-quality audio in a quiet environment.
Our Verdict
The AKG Q701 are mediocre-at-best for mixed usage. These open-back headphones are impressive for neutral sound but are simply not designed for any other specific type of usage. Their open-back design won’t be good for commuting and the office, and their large ear cups aren't made for exercising.
- Great audio reproduction.
- Comfortable design.
- Poor isolation, by design.
- Big and bulky headphones.
The AKG Q701 are great neutral listening headphones. The sound quality is good and their open-back design offers a great soundstage. They reproduce tracks with great fidelity and are comfortable enough to wear during long listening sessions. Your ears also don’t get too hot thanks to airflow of the open-back designed cups. They're well-built headphones that should last you a few years.
The AKG Q701 are bad for commuting. They're open-back headphones, which means they don’t isolate much noise and they leak a lot. You won’t be able to appreciate your music and people around you will be bothered. They're also very bulky headphones that don’t come with a case, which isn’t ideal if you’re always on the move.
The AKG Q701 are sub-par for sports. They aren't made for physical activity. They're bulky and not stable for sports. Also, if you work out in the gym, they don’t isolate any noise and leak a lot.
The AKG Q701 are sub-par for office. Due to their open-back design, the isolation and leakage performance is bad. You won’t be able to isolate much noise and concentrate on your tasks, and your music may annoy people in the office.
Since the AKG Q701 are wired headphones, they can't be used for wireless gaming.
The AKG Q701 are mediocre-at-best for gaming. They don’t have any latency thanks to their wired design, which is great for gaming. They're also comfortable enough to wear for hours without too much fatigue and the open-back design helps with ear breathability. Unfortunately, they don't have a microphone and will only provide audio when plugged into your PC or console.
Changelog
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated Oct 31, 2018: Review published.
- Updated Oct 29, 2018: Our testers have started testing this product.
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Compared To Other Headphones
The AKG Q701 are open-back, over-ear headphones that are great for neutral sound and mediocre at other everyday uses. They have great audio reproduction and they're comfortable, so you can listen to your favorite tracks for continuous hours without too much fatigue. Performance-wise, they're very similar to the K7-series, the Quincey Jones collaboration with AKG. However, by design, they don’t isolate any sound and leak a lot.
The AKG Q701 are AKG’s collaboration with record producer Quincey Jones (of the AKG K701 model). This means they are practically identical, but with slight improvements like a detachable cable to make them more durable. Their frequency response are practically the same, so most people shouldn’t hear a difference between these two models. The Q701 have a lime green color scheme that is a bit flashier, but that’s about it.
The AKG Q701 are basically the same headphones as the AKG K702, but with slightly better sound performance. However, the Q701 are more expensive for such a marginal difference. The Q701 have bumps on the headband and come with an extra 20-foot cable. Another small difference is that Q701 comes with a Quincy Jones line logo on the earcups that close the cups, but that doesn't seem to make any noticeable difference in our measurements.
The AKG K712 PRO are slightly better headphones than the AKG Q701. Sound-wise, they perform better in the bass and treble range, while the Q701 have a more even mid-range. The K712 also have better frequency consistency, especially in the bass range. People wearing glasses shouldn’t hear any loss in bass. The K712 also come with a pouch and a coiled cable, but not a 20-foot cable like the Q701. They are still very similar headphones, but the higher price on the K712 might not be worth the investment for the little differences.
The AKG Q701 are better critical listening headphones than the Sennheiser HD 650. The Sennheiser have a disappointing soundstage for open-backs, and their treble range depends on the positioning of the headphones and ear shape. The AKG also has an extra 20-foot cable. The Sennheiser are more expensive, making the AKG a better pick.
Test Results
The AKG Q701 have practically the same style and build as the K7-series. Their style is retro-oriented, with large circular ear cups and a self-adjusting strap headband. Their cups are well-padded and covered with a suede-like fabric that gives them a premium appeal. You can also get them in a flashy green color, on top of black and white options. However, their bulky design isn't meant for every day outside use.
They're very comfortable headphones thanks to their well-padded and deep ear cups. The strap headband self-adjusts itself on your head and doesn’t put too much pressure, so they can be comfortable enough for long hours of listening. Some may find them too bulky, and the added bumps on the headband aren't for everyone. They're also a bit tighter on the head.
Unfortunately, these headphones don’t have any type of controls on the cups or an in-line remote.
They're decently breathable. They're over-ears, so the heat gets trapped inside the ear cup, but their open-back design helps with airflow.
The AKG Q701 are well-built headphones, but they have a lot of moving parts. The ear cups are dense and the headband is very flexible. However, the headband has a self-adjusting strap design that could be a potential weak point where the headphones could get damaged through wear and tear. Like the AKG K702, they have a detachable and replaceable cable.
These headphones weren't designed to be used for sports and will slip off if you are doing mild physical activity. They stay in place during stationary and casual listening sessions. The cable is detachable, but it's locked into the headphones, so the wire will pull the headphones off your head if it gets stuck or hooked on something.
The frequency response consistency is very good. In the bass range, we measured about 6dB of deviation in delivery at 20Hz across our 5 human subjects, which is not great. The bass delivery becomes a lot more consistent above 60Hz. It seems that the bass is not very sensitive to the quality of the seal, but it may be a bit sensitive to the tightness of the headphones on the head. The treble delivery, however, is very consistent across multiple re-seats.
The AKG Q701 have good bass. The LFE (low-frequency extension) is at 71Hz, which is below-average, but relatively common with open-back headphones. Also, low-bass and mid-bass are lacking by 5dB and 2dB respectively. This results in a bass that lacks a bit of thump, rumble, and punch, but this will be rather subtle. High-bass, responsible for warmth, is within 1dB of our neutral target. Overall, the bass is good, but may not be heavy enough for the fans of bass-heavy genres.
The mid-range is great. The response throughout the range is even and flat, which is important for clear and well-balanced reproduction of vocals and lead instruments. However, low-bass and high-bass are a little bit overemphasized, which makes the mid-range slightly prominent and forward.
The treble is very good. The response throughout the range is even but slightly overemphasized. Low-treble is over our target by more than 2dB, and mid-bass is overemphasized by 4dB. This makes the treble of the AKG Q701 a little bit bright and sibilant (emphasized on S and T sounds). This will be mostly noticeable on vocals and cymbals.
The stereo imaging is great. Their weighted group delay is at 0.15, which is very good. The group delay graph also shows that the entire response is well below our audibility threshold. This ensures a tight bass and a transparent treble reproduction. Also, the L/R drivers of our test unit were very well-matched in frequency, amplitude, and phase response. This is important for the accurate placement and localization of objects (voices, instruments, video game effects) in the stereo image. However, these results are only valid for our test unit and your experience may vary.
The soundstage is good. The PRTF graph shows a good amount of pinna activation with good accuracy, but there is a notch present at the 10KHz region. This suggests a relatively large and natural soundstage but may be experienced as located inside the head as opposed to in front. Additionally, due to their open-back design, their soundstage may be perceived as more open and spacious than that of closed-back headphones.
The AKG Q701's noise isolation is poor. Just like the AKG K701, these headphones barely provide any isolation, which is expected and part of their open-back design. Therefore, they don't provide any isolation in the bass and mid-ranges and achieve only about 12dB of isolation in the treble range which is below-average.
The leakage performance is poor. This is expected of open-back headphones and part of their design. Just like the AKG K701, a significant portion of their leakage is spread between 300Hz and 20KHz, which is a very broad range. The overall level of their leakage is quite loud. With the music at 100dB SPL, their leakage at 1 foot away averages at 60dB SPL and peaks at 82dB SPL.
The AKG Q701 don't come with a microphone. For a wired headphone with a good in-line microphone, check out the Bose SoundTrue Around-Ear II, the Bose QuietComfort 25/QC25, or the Apple EarPods.
They don't have a microphone, so the recording quality hasn't been tested.
The AKG Q701 don't have a microphone, so the noise handling hasn't been tested.
They're wired and don't have a battery.
They don't have a compatible app for customization options.
They don't have Bluetooth connectivity. Being wired, the AKG Q701 practically don’t have any latency, which is perfect for watching videos or gaming.
They have a simple 1/8” TRS audio cable with no in-line remote or microphone, so they will only provide audio if connected to a phone, PS4, Xbox One or PC. They also come with a ¼” adapter.
The AKG Q701 don't have a dock. If you want a headphone that's versatile and has a dock, try the SteelSeries Arctis 7 Wireless 2017.
