I purchased these a few weeks ago, and have only now got round to reviewing them and showing my impressions.
Presentation and Build
The box is awesome looking, as you can see. It's glossy and is very minimalist looking, with a simplistic white background and purple images. I personally like it very much. It's doesn't look like some crappy cheap toy.
The front part of the box can swing open (attached via Velcro) to reveal the headphones shown through a see through window.
The inside of the swinging panel details the '3D Wing Support' system and shows cross-sections of he cups themselves. Very nice.
The opening mechanism of the box is really really cool. You pull back two tabs to allow the sides of the top part to open and enable access to the headphones. It's hard to explain, but its a nice touch.
And then there's the headphones! They are very nice looking in my opinion. The purple and the gold is nice and different, a move away from the black and silver of everything these days. The purple grilles are nice and shiny, as is the gold parts. One negative about the gold parts is that they are plastic, which gives it a bit of a cheap feel. This is partly because of how light they are, but it also feels rather fragile, and creaks when picked up. I wouldn't want to throw it anywhere, although I'm sure it wouldn't break. It just seems a bit fragile.
There is a small bump on the left cup, which is very handy for putting the the headphones on without having to look at the writing.
The cable is nice and seems to be made well. Audio Technica has made the plug well too with its shiny metal exterior, and it has a screw on 1/4 inch adapter that, when applied, is completely unnoticeable.
Overall, I like the presentation of the box alot, and the gold and purple of the headphones themselves is very nice. They just seem a bit breakable and they creak alot.
Comfort
Quite simply these are the most comfortable cans I have EVER worn. Granted, I haven't worn many but I wouldn't be surprised if these are the most comfortable cans EVER. The 3d wing system works extremely well, and manages to put pretty much no pressure on the top of the head. Clamping is not an issue at all, as they are very light. The pads are soft and rest nicely around the ears. Everything about them is comfortable. The only complaints that I would have about the comfort is that the pads heat up the ears a bit, but this is also a plus on those cold winter days
Sound
Now for the most important bit! So what, they look good, and they're comfortable but if they sound like a set of fartcans, that's all irrelevant. Luckily, fartcans these are not.
Soundstage
The soundstage in these is pretty much unlimited. If you look closely at the previous photo, you will find that the drivers are angled, which is probably partly what helps with increase the soundstage. Things can sound like they are completely outside your head.
But it also manages to be quite up front. They are far from the HD580's laid backedness, but the soundstage that they have ensures they are not grado-ish. Sounds can appear in your head as well as outside your head.
Bass
Not much here. They do severely lack bass, mostly due to the extremely open nature. It extends deep, but theres no weight or punch to it. Basshead cans these are not, but if your a fan of the ER6i's you should be right at home.
Midrange
The midrange is ever so slightly more recessed than I would want, but its still quite nice sounding and sounds gradoey.
Treble
These are slightly bright cans, not as bright as grado's but not as dark as senns. The treble is nice and present, but if I really think about it, its slightly 'grainy'. Not sure if that's the right word here.
Detail
No complaints. Ety's they are not, but they're not too undetailed by my ears. They're very very punchy and fast.
I would think these headphones suit rock well, but they also do well with Jazz and Classical, thanks to the soundstage. Rap and Hip-Hop fans are not suited to these at all due to the lack of bass. They have a certain 'Airyness' that makes them sound really nice though, something unique to these headphones I believe. Because of this they also leak like CRAZY and have absolutely no isolation. Not to be used in public.
Comparison to HD580's
The HD580's are a helluvalot darker and warmer. They sound more natural to my ears, but also slower and more boring. Soundstage on the AD700's bests the HD580's by alot. Bass however, carries way more weight on the HD580's than the AD's, which manage to make even the 580's sound bassy. Comfort wise, the clamping of the 580's is just too much. No comparison here.
Oh another thing, the AD700's need no amping at all to sound good (much like the 580's), and the improvements when amped are quite subtle, if anything.
Overall, both these headphones serve there purposes well. The senns would be better on classical IMO, but everything else I would probably prefer the AD's. I'm no audiophile however, and sometimes I think my ears are missing things that other people's ears aren't. This comparison is my opinion only. And my opinion is that these headphones are very nice, especially for the price. You get the fast punchyness of Grado's and the soundstage of, and better than, Senns. The best of both worlds.
Hope you enjoyed my review!
Review: Audio Technica AD700 'Air' (Comparison to HD580 included)
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