Audio Technica ES7/AD700/A700

[Goit]

I have went to a store and listened to the Denon D1000s. The sound was good, with a lot of air, which is what I liked. But I find the sound a bit too "soft" and "dark".

I'm looking for something slightly more bright and warm and tight.

Are any of the audio technicas such products?

It still should have the ambience/air of the Denons, it can be a little less, but I still need plenty of "air" (as described in the glossary).

And it shouldn't have any "weird" sound signatures like the Grados.

What's the difference between the ES7 and the AD700/A700?

What's the difference between the A700 and the AD700?

I listen to classical music by the way.

Thanks.

[Goit]

ATH-A700 vs ATH-AD700
According to this thread Open headphones are naturally better than closed headphones?

So since the denon d1000, es7, a700 are all closed, the AD700 should be the best for music?

[audionewbie]

most people say open headphones are best for classical music so out of those three yes they should be.

[Agnostic]

Originally Posted by Goit

ATH-A700 vs ATH-AD700
According to this thread Open headphones are naturally better than closed headphones?

So since the denon d1000, es7, a700 are all closed, the AD700 should be the best for music?

No, open is not neccesarily better. It is true however that good soundstage and the airy sound you refer to are more easily reached with an open design.

I have the AD900 and I have heard the A900 and A700 and I have to say I prefer the A900, it sounds noticeably better than the A700, which is a bit slower and less detailed.

The AD900 is very airy and quite detailed but it really lacks bass impact. It also sounds a little bit dry to my ears, and almost slightly grainy, though I suspect that is lack of burn in (my ATH-ES7 took quite a bit of burn in to start sounding it's best).

I far prefer my 1980's DT990 to the AD900 so I'm selling the latter.

[Goit]

Originally Posted by Agnostic

No, open is not neccesarily better. It is true however that good soundstage and the airy sound you refer to are more easily reached with an open design.

I have the AD900 and I have heard the A900 and A700 and I have to say I prefer the A900, it sounds noticeably better than the A700, which is a bit slower and less detailed.

The AD900 is very airy and quite detailed but it really lacks bass impact. It also sounds a little bit dry to my ears, and almost slightly grainy, though I suspect that is lack of burn in (my ATH-ES7 took quite a bit of burn in to start sounding it's best).

I far prefer my 1980's DT990 to the AD900 so I'm selling the latter.

The 900s are out of my price range. Maybe they are different than the 700s. Like you said, the A900 sounds noticeably better than the A700.

But how is your ES7? I like what people describe as "brightness", but is it like the A700, which is supposed to be boomy and unclear and a muddy bass? Is your AD900 still kind of bright and warm?

most people say open headphones are best for classical music so out of those three yes they should be.

Yeah, on the audiocubes site, people gave a better review for the AD700, many specifically said it's good for classical/jazz. Many said the ES7 was overpriced, but a lot of people seemed to like it here.

[TMM]

AD900 are bright, but not warm. Warmer then the AD700 though. I haven't heard an AD700 but i'm told that it's pretty much the same as the AD900 but with less detail and weaker bass.

The A900 works very well with some music, and very badly with others. I prefer it for Electronica and Gaming over the AD900. There's a hole in the upper bass really makes Rock/Metal sound hollow. There's also a peak in the upper mids, and the treble is a little weak above 10khz compared to the open A-T's (not many people seem to mention this?). It is quite dark compared to the AD900. I wouldn't call the bass muddy at all. The people who say it's muddy probably haven't burnt them in enough.

I think the AD900/AD700 is the best bet for classical. The ES7 is supposed to be very coloured, and the A900 has 'weirdness' in all the wrong spots for classical

[Goit]

Originally Posted by TMM

AD900 are bright, but not warm. Warmer then the AD700 though. I haven't heard an AD700 but i'm told that it's pretty much the same as the AD900 but with less detail and weaker bass.

The A900 works very well with some music, and very badly with others. I prefer it for Electronica and Gaming over the AD900. There's a hole in the upper bass really makes Rock/Metal sound hollow. There's also a peak in the upper mids, and the treble is a little weak above 10khz compared to the open A-T's (not many people seem to mention this?). It is quite dark compared to the AD900. I wouldn't call the bass muddy at all. The people who say it's muddy probably haven't burnt them in enough.

I think the AD900/AD700 is the best bet for classical. The ES7 is supposed to be very coloured, and the A900 has 'weirdness' in all the wrong spots for classical

Thanks, do you know what exact "color" does the ES7 have?

[TMM]

Weak midrange. Similar to the 'hole' in the A900, but a bit higher up.

[Agnostic]

I love the ES7 but it's not suitable for classical music. It has euphonic coloration in the mids which makes vocals sound wonderful and the treble takes a relatively long period of burn in to really start to sparkle.
If the AD900 is out of your range I'd go for the AD700.

[Goit]

Originally Posted by Agnostic

I love the ES7 but it's not suitable for classical music. It has euphonic coloration in the mids which makes vocals sound wonderful and the treble takes a relatively long period of burn in to really start to sparkle.
If the AD900 is out of your range I'd go for the AD700.

Actually, I decided to up my budget to under 300 dollars. How is the AD900? Does it have

Tight, controlled bass, unboomy, clear
colorful for all frequencies
airy
good voice separation
bright
warm
spiritual (as in bright and warm)

?

Thanks.

[Agnostic]

I think mine sounds a bit dry but that may be due to lack of burn in.

Bass is controlled but very light, in my taste lacking, though it may not be a problem for classical music.
It is very airy and has good separation and nice soundstage.
It is bright but I wouldn't call it warm nor spiritual, in fact the HD580, DT990, SR-Lambda, ES7 and even the HD595 sound warmer and more spiritual to my ears. May be a matter of taste though.

[Goit]

Originally Posted by Agnostic

I think mine sounds a bit dry but that may be due to lack of burn in.

Bass is controlled but very light, in my taste lacking, though it may not be a problem for classical music.
It is very airy and has good separation and nice soundstage.
It is bright but I wouldn't call it warm nor spiritual, in fact the HD580, DT990, SR-Lambda, ES7 and even the HD595 sound warmer and more spiritual to my ears. May be a matter of taste though.

Does it require an amp?

[Agnostic]

I haven't run it without one but it sounds good from a portable amp, didn't hear much difference between it amped from my portable amp or home tube amp. Audio technica's generally are known for not being that dependent on amping.

[Goit]

Originally Posted by Agnostic

I love the ES7 but it's not suitable for classical music. It has euphonic coloration in the mids which makes vocals sound wonderful and the treble takes a relatively long period of burn in to really start to sparkle.

I don't really understand this, if it makes vocals sound wonderful and trebles sparkle, and it's euphonic, then why isn't it good for classical music?

Do you think the AD900 is worth the extra price over the AD700?

Thanks.

[fraseyboy]

I have the AD700's which I love. They only thing they do lack is bass, which bothers me slightly, but apart from that they're awesome. EXTREMELY airy, not too dark like senns but not too bright like Grado's. A good balance IMO.

My review could be helpful. Review: Audio Technica AD700 'Air' (Comparison to HD580 included).