Audio Technica ATH-AD700 Reviews

This is usually my recommendation for newbies looking for open shells in this price range.  They are easy to drive, with excellent imaging and good detail, reasonably neutral reproduction and they are, simply put, THE most comfortable headphones on the planet (the only disclaimer being that the two ladies with smaller heads I recommended these to said they were a little too big).  You hardly even notice that you're wearing them.  I could work for these for hours.  As I noted in the cons, they can feel a little harsh/tinny in the mid-highs and high registers, depending on the source.  They're pretty easy to drive as well, I think these are some of the least amp-sensitive open shells I know of.  What these are NOT is a basshead's dream.  The bass is pretty weak and they don't really have the kind of "oomph," as it were, to make them suitable for anything other than music listening.  That said, for the likes of Jazz or Classical, they're an excellent choice.  Oh, and did I mention they are freakishly comfortable?

I've owned a long string of very cheap headphones (bose earbuds fall in this category because of how bassy they are, and the plug falling apart) so i started to upgrade my sound system. Headphones first.

I did about four days worth of research (including lurking on this site) until i decided i could get the most bang for my buck with the ATH-AD700's. 

 

They came, i listened to them all the way through burn-in and absolutely love them. Some nay-sayers think there's not enough bass, but i'll have to disagree; there's plenty.

 

Next upgrade on the list is a new cartridge for my turntable. I'm excited to hear the differences between my old cartridge and my new cartridge with my AD700's in the near future.

These headphones are great but you will need to be willing to EQ them to get best most natural sound.

 

Itself they're ok but a bit on the bright side.

 

See measured response below. I've posted the correction here:

http://gainphile.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/audio-technica-ath-ad700-correction-eq.html

 

this is a good beginer hifi setup

nice bas and high treble with clean sound

don't get me wrong they sound grate

all in all I would recomined them to anyone on a buget 

 

the only con is that it has funnky coloers

The Audio-Technica ATH-AD700 is a great all-arounder for $100. The soundstage and clarity are fantastic for a headphone in this price range. These headphones are great with genres that are not bass heavy. One can hear the bass notes, but there is no bass impact. They lean towards a more forward sound. The Audio-Technica ATH-AD700 can be run efficiently off a portable player.

Wonderful headphones.  I also have the Grado SR60i and prefer these.  They sound slightly softer than the Grados.  They are very comfortable.  The only con is the size, they are huge and may not fit smaller heads.

Well, my AD700's just came in the mail today.  I've gotten them merely minutes ago and I'd like to post up some initial impressions. 

 

First the bad:

 

- I'm used to wearing closed headphones, not open air headphones, so fitment was a huge issue for me, and its going to take a while to get used to.  The headphones are meant to float on your head, not attach to it, so this was very different than what I was used to.  I don't like how they sit on an angle on your head, and how easily they can move around.  I think I might try the rubberband trick on the headband to tighten it up a little bit.  They do feel light and airy when you wear them though.  You have to wear them lower than standard closed headphones, which will also take a while to get used to.  Once you play around with fitment I found they fit better, its just not as easy as my closed pair of M50's.

 

That's really the only bad thing I found about these.  Everything else is great.  The pads are huge and soft, the sound stage is fantastic, the sound itself is terrific.  I have to agree with others when they say this is the best headphone for $100 or less.

 

In terms of audio quality, the mids and highs are great and clear with only very little sibilance.  The bass is freakishly accurate and clear.  Its great.  I'm no bass head so I don't mind not having overpowered bass like my M50's do.  I prefer these for sound MUCH more.  Absolutely amazing for the price.

I can't add much that other reviews haven't. Maybe I am a closet bass head, but they sound a lot thinner than I was expecting. The good news is, they sound good with my iPod. The bad is, they sound terrible with my Asus Essence STX's heaphone amp.  They give me ear fatigue after a short while during music listening sessions. The one area where they shine is directionality. From Dolby Headphone to straight stereo gaming, if you prize pinpoint direction, you'll get it from these.  

The AD700 are one of the best under $100. Especially if you really don't care about bass.

 

All is said about how good the headphone is, is in the PROS section but the bass really just kill this headphone. Even for non-bassheads, the bass can be considered somewhat weak.

 

However this headphone also has a fantastic soundstage which would make it for gaming. Many users on head-fi use this with a boom mic mod and is a much cheaper and much better solution than many headsets.

 

Overall a great sounding headphone.

Got these originally for the sake of my wife who didn't like my late night gaming sessions with the tv sound, even when I had it down pretty low. I was initially going to get the astro A40's but read the reviews and found that these were better headphones at a better price I couldn't resist. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made. When it comes to FPS gaming it will definitely provide you an advantage when in the midst of battle. The soundstage and detail it provides makes it seem almost unfair at times. There is practically no bass, so if that is what you are looking for, look elsewhere. But that is perfect for games like CoD because explosions can muffle out the more important sounds needed to locate others. As for music, it does a good job of simulating a stage and does a great job of creating an image but I wouldn't use it for bass heavy genres. I love Hip-Hop but these didn't make me feel the music like I would have liked. They are better with classical music that is light on the percussion and various easy listening tracks. Lastly, these bad boys are ridiculously comfortable for someone like me who has a large noggin. They feel light and for long gaming sessions they are almost too comfortable, I forget that I am wearing them and when I stand up, I almost rip the plug out the mix amp.

 

 

 

 

This review is written from the perspective of the Ad700 stock. No amp or DAC used in order to give readers and idea of what to expect out of the box because the average user won't have one.

 

Packaging:

The packaging was a cardboard box with a plastic window once the box door was opened. The headphones came placed on a plastic cardboard stand. The only extra included was a 1/8->1/4 adaptor. For the price this is what I expected. I would expect a bit more given the $250 MSRP, but that's rarely the price anyone will pay for them.

 

Comfort:

I can not express the amount of joy I had putting these on after getting used to my Grado Sr80i. These super aural headphones weren't as comfortable as the Beyerdynamic Dt770 I had tried before I bought these, but I doubt many would complain. The wing technology in combined with the soft velour pads make these headphones feel like they aren't there at all. Even hours after wear there was no sweating, itching, or discomfort. 

 

Some users complain that they are unable to get a good fit, but there is a rubber band mod many users have found useful.

 

Design and Build Quality:

These aren't the most durable feeling headphones, but in my year of use every day for multiple hours they have held up just fine. They aren't designed for outdoor, so using them responsibly inside will definitely keep them in good condition without problems. They do creak slightly, but only when I put them on. The wing design is brilliant to me, they automatically adjust to my head for a great fit. Overall I'm pleased with the feel of these, especially for under $100 most users get them for.

 

My one complaint about the design is the questionable color choice. I listed it as a con, I don't mind, though I know it turns others off.

 

Sound:

My first headphones were the Grado Sr80i, I wound up selling them for the Ad700 due to comfort issues and the bright sound being too fatiguing. The first thing I noticed in sound was that it was much more surrounding than I had imagined. If the Grado Sr80i are similar to being at the front in a concert, these are easily more so towards the back. The sound surrounds you and has a pleasant airy sound to it. For the price I have no found a pair of headphones that compares. This gives the Ad700s great instrument separation.

 

The highs are pleasant. They are clear and prominent without being overbearing nor fatiguing. The mids are also very clear, slightly pushy, but flow into the highs quite well. The lows are the bane of this headphone though. I'm not a basshead, but even I was slightly saddened about the lack of bass. There is bass, and it's definitely tight and accurate, but it doesn't extend far at all, and lacks the impact necessary for bass heavy music. Due to the lack of bass I also found these to be less engaging than I had hoped.

 

Overall these headphones are amazing. The highs and mids are clear, and the sound stage is unrivaled for the price. I found they sound best with clean sounding music, especially female vocals and acoustic music. They are definitely not limited to that though.

 

Value:

The value is rather hard to judge due to the prices on these changing rapidly. For under $100, which they can be found at, they are hard to beat. I feel they lose less value over $100 though, but only because they are regularly found in the $80 range. With that said I highly recommend these for under $100, while suggesting to wait if they are higher than that unless you are really impatient. 

 

 

 

Please keep in mind my ratings are in comparison to similarly priced headphones, not $1,000 headphones.

AD700s have a reputation for being some of the best gaming headphones you can get for less than £200. This is primarily due to their wide and accurate soundstage (how well they position sounds in 3D space). 

While this is undoubtedly true, it would be a gross injustice to label the AD700s as gaming-only headphones. The mid and upper-range are clear and natural. The soundstaging also helps to separate out the different instruments in complicated passages of music. When I put on the AD700s I discover new things about songs that I've known for years and find myself revisiting my entire music collection. Listening to a recording of some Brahms, I wondered whether something might be wrong with my headphones until I realised that the strange noise in the background was actually the pianist's breathing! Listening to Simon & Garfunkel - Wednesday Morning 3am is something quite magical.

 

That said there are a few things about this headphone that divide people. I tend to prefer a headphone with light and precise bass - this is what the AD700 delivers - but I appreciate that other people may be after something more explosive. 

Another issue is the design. These are large, open-design headphones, which means they are not very portable and not ideal for use in noisy places. The headband is wide and doesn't scale, which means it's a bad fit for people with small heads. The purple may also be an acquired taste. For me, none of this is a problem, but again I could understand how some people might be put off.

To put things back in perspective, the AD700 is not a headphone without minor drawbacks, but it delivers on all the things that matter most - sound quality, clarity, and durability. I wouldn't say they're better or worse than my SRH840s, in fact, I think both headphones do different things well and make an excellent compliment to one another.

I have an impression of this headphone made in a blog somewhere on this site, but I will update this review here at some point with my impressions and opinions.

Basically, I've owned this headphone for over 2 years, and it has aged pretty well. Out of all the headphones I've had the time to listen to at leisure, these have been my favorite.

The grille is a royal purple, though not as dark to be definitely masculine I would say it is gender neutral and definitely attractive, but perhaps weird to see on a headphone. The silvery-champagne part compliments it nicely. The support wings and double overarching frame wires are unique. Overall, a very large headphone that looks well-considered, but would attract strange looks in public.

Fit and comfort are good, the pads fit better now that they're broken in, but comfort was always high. I imagine using a rubber band to connect the wings and increase tension would have it's benefits (as long as your hair doesn't get stuck in the band - perhaps a hair-tie would be better), but I haven't found it necessary. The ear pads press more on your jawbone and cheek than at the top of the ear, so it doesn't feel like a perfect or custom fit BUT improved with wearing in the pads. The velour feels like cloth, not silk or microfiber (hey that might be a cool mod...), but are pretty much the most comfortable ear pads I've used besides the Bose quiet comfort 2 (which was that phones' best quality, but my ears got hot quickly). Personally, my ears get hot very quickly in general, but not so badly with these headphones and I can & have worn these for 5-7 hour listening marathons. To get an idea of my head size, adjustable ball caps usually fit me best when the straps are evenly overlapped, & my head is just shy of 6" wide from ear to ear.

Now, the sound.
I've passed listening to a thousand different songs through these headphones, and I've set up a playlist of songs with a range of dynamics for critical listening, but I'll just refer to my general experience here. So, it's very good. I've "broken ear-ginity" for many of my closest friends with these phones, which have genuinely elicited ecstatic expression and even brought tears to a music performing major when he heard Nocturne No. 2, Op. 9 in E-Minor (always long, almost technical names for what can be such beautiful music). When listening, the much-lauded soundstage allows an atmosphere of the performance around the music, and the instrument separation let's one hear the melody AND the harmony distinctly, as music should be heard. Though not my most- listened to genre (which is alt-rock in the vein of Arcade Fire, Wilco, Radiohead, The Decemberists, Muse, and many other little gems), listening to a well-recorded classical piece is a real treat because you get to feel the concert-hall experience and depth, which can make songs with each instrument recorded onto it's own track & mixed later feel flat in comparison. The detail and texture of these headphones, though a touch gritty and dry, is very addictive - listening to Muse's "Undisclosed Desires" on any other headphones or speaker system I have access to makes me wish to replay it on my Ad700s, just for the energetic and textured bass at the beginning... most other speakers mush it together into a tone, while the AD700 lends it so much character and the buzz it's supposed to have.

My one criticism with these headphones is the occasional feeling that the music lacks impact. I'm no boosted-basshead and I don't feel that a lack off bass volume/presence is the problem as I have read others state, I think the headphones literally don't provide the feeling of air pressing air pressure (type that 5 times fast) on my ears and eardrum. That's just a guess though... This just comes from how much I was jamming to the entire "the Suburbs" album while listening with a borrowed pair of Sennheiser HD-202's in a noisy environment during work, and a somber feeling afterwards listening on my headphones at home when, despite the HD-202's obvious lack of refinement, cleanliness, extension, physical heat, etc., I just didn't find the music as involving on my AD700. This may be a sort of thing tied to what genres the headphones are suited for, and giving the cans more juice via volume and an amp to increase the current seems to improve that aspect, but I can't help thinking "if only the design was semi-closed, or maybe if Audio Technica made a high-ohm version, or if I had a better amp..."
That may just be upgradeitis though, so weigh it accordingly. Regardless, this still stands as my overall favorite headphone that I really enjoy with my music.

People have pretty much covered these. I will say that these are the only headphones I have ever used that I have worn 18+ hours straight without any form of discomfort. No sweating, no overheating. They simply float. Wonderful wonderful wonderful! For the price, you really cannot beat them if you're in the market for comfortable, open, circumaural cans.

I used these for gaming, they were perfect, the anemic bass made hearing the details easier and the large soundstage worked well with classical. I really loved these and I regret selling them, maybe I'll pick up an AD900.

Bought these for pc gaming and listening to music from my pc as well as my first foray into more expensive headphones(these aren't expensive by head-fi standard I'm sure).

 

Before these I've been using KSC-75 for home use and a pair of Soundmagic PL-50 (now broken).

 

It's extremely good sound-stage definitely helps with first person shooter for positioning especially when used for games with a decent audio engine like Bad Company 2, countless of times you'll be able to tell where the enemies are just by listening to audio cues alone. Something that wasn't possible with the PL-50 or the Koss.

 

Music; my source is a Xonar DG with Foobar 2k via WASAPI in exclusive mode.

 

When listening to BGM/OST tracks such as the "The World's Enemy (from FFVII "One-Winged Angel")" rearranged by Kazuhiko Toyama for FFVII Crisis Core, I can clearly hear the separate instruments clearly and there's obvious separation. Unfortunately, there is a need to bump up the 30Hz and 60Hz EQ by +10dB and +5dB to get the best from this track as the heavy percussion drums are part of the best part of the track.

 

Other genre that I enjoy such as rock, alternative are also more enjoyable when using this pair of headphones compared to the really in your face feeling of the KSC-75 although compared to some of the earlier Plantronics gaming headphones, the Koss is no slouch either.

 

As I mentioned earlier, these headphones seems to have very good soundstage; so if you are a big fan or orchestra music without having the hassle of paying expensive tickets and getting to the venue (but those are still worth going!). These are VERY enjoyable for orchestra arrangements with multiple instruments coming at you and you can almost feel the space.

 

This pretty much sums up my first review for my head-fi.

(I actually lurked head-fi for many years but managed to keep my wallet sane but I've signed up to response to a trade thread this time)

 

 

 

The ATH-AD700 is an open circumaural can with a wing design for added comfort.

 

Technical specs:

 

• Type: Open air dynamic
• Driver: 53mm Neodymium magnet. Copper clad aluminum wire bobbin type voice coil
• Sound Pressure Level: 98db/mW
• Frequency Response: 5~30000Hz
• Maximum input: 500 mW
• Impedance: 32 Ohms
• Weight: 280g/.62lbs
• Connector: Standard/Mini (gold plated), Stereo (2-way)
• Gold-plated stereo 1/8" (3.5 mm) connector with 1/4" (6.3 mm) adapter
• Cord Length 9.8 feet (3.0 meters)

 

Comfort and Build

The AD700 is very light, and quite large.  The headband design with the wings is self adjusting - you put it on and it fits around you.  Without doubt, they are the most comfortable cans I've worn so far.  You can easily forget you're wearing them.  The only niggle I have is that they can sometimes be 'creaky' - but given that they're not portable (too large), you won't be moving your head a lot anyway - so it is just a minor nitpick.  Overall - solid build, supremely comfortable.

 

 

Sound

The sound of these is quite 'airy' and light.  Definitely tilted toward the upper mids and highs.  They are a joy to listen to with female vocals especially, and IMO excel with classical and jazz.  The only issue with mids/highs  (at times) is a tendency to be grainy, and occasionally sibilant.  Using these with a warm amp though definitely solves these issues.  My current setup E7/E9 adds just enough warmth to be very pleasing.

 

The bass is definitely there with these cans, and it's quite defined as well - it just doesn't reach very low, and definitely takes a back seat to the mids and highs.  A lot of people comment taht the AD700 has no bass at all which IMO is completely wrong.  It has good bass - especially if you're not directly comparing it to another can - it's just not prominent.  It also responds quite well to EQ and bass boost.  I have an E11 with a very good targeted bass boost switch - and it definitely helps.

 

The other major strength with these cans is the sound-stage.  It's pretty large, and this adds to the enjoyment (depending on the music).  For classical - it's very good.  There is a definite feeling of space.

 

 

Other Strengths

This review would not give these cans there full measure of justice without mentioning gaming.  These cans are every good for gaming - especially fps.  Because of the wide sound stage, and having the bass in the back of the spectrum, the are very good for positional accuracy if combined with dolby hp or creative's cmss.  For gaming, they are a lot better than anything else I currently own.

 

Value & Conclusion

The thing I can't get over with the AD700 is how cheap it is (sub USD100).  For the comfort, soundstage, and sound quality - they are extremely good value for entry level.  This is why I've marked them so high overall.  And if you are a gamer and looking for an entry point - these are a must-have.

 

Highly recommend for their price point

 

Excellent soundstage for games, but lack some lower-end bass impact.  They are a bargin for their price, but there are better alternatives for 'musical' cans.

Great pair of open cans at any price, comfortable to wear all day long. You can hear the ambient noise which has pros and cons. I wear these when I want to be able to hear what my kids are up to in the rest of the house or the door bell etc. If you are near the vacuum cleaner or dishwasher, you will hear them. 

 

Strong recommendation for the right environment of application.

hjbnk

Great pair of headphones that I used mainly for gaming and music.  I attached a Zalman mic around the cable and it made for a pair of "gaming" headphones that blew away any actual gaming headsets.  Before purchasing these I was exclusively using Grado SR-80s for 4 years, so part of my motivation for buying these was comfort during long listening/gaming sessions, and these absolutely do not disappoint.

.

These sound similar to the M50 however the sound stage is wider. Compared to the M50;s the highs and lows seem to be a little more rolled off. The great sound stage makes these are great for gaming.

The mids are same qty as  M50 but more spacious.

Audio-Technica ATH-AD700 Over-rated or worthy of praise?

 

We all know the AD700. It's recommended far and wide by literally every gaming community out there, and a lot of audio/headphone communities. But why? Why is this headphone so popular? I've tried a lot of headphones and of course, I had to know. I previously picked up it's little brother the AD500, and was really curious to see if the AD700 was that much different. Plus, I wanted to test the AD700 against other headphones to see if they really are worthy of all the praise and recommendations they receive across the web, or if it's just a cultural thing. Anyone that knows me knows I really don't like it when headphones are blindly suggested when the folk suggesting them don't have them or never even listened to them and are just doing "copy pasta". But that's me being over excited and bitter, so excuse that, and take it as humor. Anyhow, I like to put my money where my mouth is, so I buy headphones and try them out, or borrow them. Whatever it takes. So let's dive into the fabled AD700.

 

Quick reference to what these are, if you're not familiar with them:

 

Note: These are not my recommendations of use here, merely why I wanted to try them.

 

• Open-air headphones
• Sub-$100
• Huge full-size cups
• Focused on highs & mids, very light on the bass, with a wide sound stage
• Often recommended for gaming. Less often recommended for other listening experiences (?).

 

I bought them to check out if all the hype and talk is true, or if it's just a bunch of internet copy & paste type stuff. Plus I just wanted to hear them, I like the look and I love huge cups on headphones, so I naturally wanted to try another Audio-Technica (as I was not overly impressed with the AD500, which I had picked up for a steal of $30).

 

 

What Comes in the Box:

 

• The headphone itself
• 1/4" adapter (cable terminates as a 3.5mm jack)
• Paper stuff that we don't care about (manual)

 

If you care about packaging, the box is attractive. Other than that, there's no carry bag or carry case or anything, so we're definitely not talking about a prized set or package like some brands put out with their headphones. Not that you would likely want these for portables or need a case, because they're so huge. Inside the box you simply have a headphone with a long cord attached that terminates into a 3.5mm jack with the typical (but good) screw-on 1/4" adapter. There is some paper included, but we don't read those do we?

 

 

Construction, Materials & Comfort:

 

The AD700 right away strikes you as being a huge headphone. I mean big. These cups are massive. So if you're like me, and you like big headphones, these will satisfy you in terms of their size. The drivers are open with a simple grill made of a light material and the color isn't too distracting (though some don't like it, I didn't mind, though I prefer black, grey, silver, white myself). The phones are padded with a soft velvet material that is very soft, but backed up with a firm foam underneath. The material can be comfortable, but some people also find this material to be a little itchy or scratchy to them, so that's a relative thing. I would have preferred velour, naturally.

 

The materials used are basically all plastic with some soft metal parts (the grills). They are not built like a tank by any means, they're actually rather fragile headphones. So sitting on them or throwing them into a messenger bag is likely going to result in you buying new headphones or duct-taping them back together. In other words, take care of them, they are not beaters.

 

Per typical Audio-Technica in the line, the same shape and built follows through. It's a floating design where the pressure results nearly all on the cups themselves. The floating pads have a foam which is not remarkable and then the tension bars that create the clamp force (which can be bent to adjust clamping pressure either way). Some are a fan of this design. Some are not. So that is going to be a relative thing.

 

The drivers are angled. This may, or may not, have something to do with the sound stage generation and the relative fatigue-free sound as it takes less pressure to generate volume. This may or may not be accurate, I suggest you verify with the Sound Science folk if you're at all interested in this. I'm clearly not one of those folk, so this is completely speculative on my part.

 

I personally cannot get any of the AD500/AD700/AD900's to fit well on my head and I would think I have a normal sized head. The cups seem to rest with a lot of pressure on the lower side of the cup and I don't even feel them touching (yet they do) on the top of the cup. They felt like they were going to fall off all the time, even when they didn't. So I always felt like they were not fitted well. A few folk recommended I bend the bars, which I did, to make them tighter. That helped a little. But I still felt like they simply were not fitting like a glove the way I wanted them to feel. Some people seem to think these are some of the most comfortable headphones there are. I guess I'm unfortunately someone who doesn't agree. The materials feel ok to the touch, but overall, I didn't feel like they were fitted well and the cups didn't have even distribution of pressure which I find uncomfortable. That said, the headphones are very light weight and the clamping pressure is quite low, so I can see why some would call them rather comfortable (combining materials used and weight and clamp pressure).

 

 

 

 

 

Sound Characteristics:

 

On to the heart and soul of any headphone, how does the thing sound, right? Before ever putting them on, you should definitely be aware that they are not fully balanced or neutral headphones. They are colored. What does that mean? It means they are going to sound like certain parts of the frequency spectrum are more forward and emphasized than others. Knowing this, you won't be sound-shocked by what you hear, hopefully. I say this because going from headphone A to headphone B, when they are drastically different, it can cause very odd hearing perception and one may sound incredibly different simply due to a frequency range being emphasized or not, and your preference to a range will really impact how you listen to a headphone that lacks it. So keep that in mind. You'll understand what I'm referring to here in a moment.

 

Quick Summary of the AD700 for those that can't be bothered reading much:

 

• Emphasized full Highs & Mids, mostly Mids
• Non-fatiguing at moderate listening level, no sibilance noted (at high volumes, it is fatiguing).
• Shy, anemic Bass (this is why the Highs & Mids are emphasized)
• Good for genres that do not need a strong bass presence
• Easy to drive, no amplification is necessary
• Excellent sound stage, but maybe too large for some listening applications

 

Music tested, from my trusty test-group that I tend to use on all headphones (all lossless), included: Ani Difranco (Acoustic, Female Vocals), Regina Spektor (Folk, Pop, Female Vocals), Euge Groove (Jazz, Bassy), Ludovico Einaudi (Classical, Piano), Keith Jarrett (Classical, Piano, Live Concert), The Cranberries (Pop, Female Vocals), Elton John (Classic Rock),  Avantasia (Metal, Fantasy), Buckethead (Alt. Metal), Rusko (Dubstep), Ephixa (Dubstep), JesusDied4DubStep (Dubstep), Robyn (EDM), BT (Trance, Techno), OceanLab (Trance, Techno).

 

Hardware used ranged from a Sansa Fuze, Matrix CUBE DAC, to Schiit Lyr to test amplification needs and benefits. Quick note: no amplification is needed and it doesn't do anything more with massive amplification, merely done for test purposes. Your sound card or portable device or simple DAC/AMP are more than sufficient for this headphone.

 

Even though frequency response graphs do not display any sort of whole picture of the sound of a headphone, it at least helps us to have a common language or grounds to speak from or refer to.

 

 

As you can see, the AD700 is flat from 100hz to 1khz. That's supposedly what you're hearing the most of, when I say emphasis, which is primarily mids in the builk of that range. After that, there is a dip from 1khz down to 6khz which is the upper mids and lower highs. Then a spike up from 8khz to 10khz, which gives a bump in `detail' suggestion. And then back down again right after 10khz to roll off quickly, which likely helps reduce the fatigue effect of higher treble frequencies at moderate to high volumes. What I interpret from this graph is that it actually sounds like what this graph says (for once). The mids are forward and emphasized and the highs are forward, but not fatiguing in general at moderate volumes. The bass is light and anemic though, as the bass rolls off quickly after 100hz. So you'll hear some bass, and it has punch and impact, but it doesn't have that reverb that satisfies someone who wants to hear some long bass tones.

 

Treble (Highs):

 

The highs of the AD700 are pretty detailed, a smoother airy and fatigue free. They're not quite analytical in nature, so you don't have to worry too much about them making things sound harsh or grainy. Just enough detail to give you the perception of a level of detail associated with critical listening, without the overly critical aspect of headphones like that which have more emphasis in the upper mids and highs in general. Overall the highs present themselves very well and are not what I consider too smooth (not like a veiled Sennheiser model), but are smooth enough to avoid fatigue. I did not experience sibilance either. However at higher volumes, I did have some fatigue, mainly due to the volume and likely that spike around 10khz which would be considered normal fatigue and not a fault of the headphone. They can also be described as breathy, not overly bright, clear and transparent, with good definition and detail. The highs do have a little aspect of being mellow, which comes across nicely for long listening sessions.

 

Mids:

 

The mids (250~400hz and up, depending on how you define mids) are essentially what this headphone is all about. They're solid from 100hz to nearly 2khz in a near flat line, so they make the bulk of what you hear and are the most forward combined compared to other frequencies. The sound actually reflects that too.  The mids are detailed, have ambience, balanced and pretty clear with a great resolution and are fast and are the focus. Great transparency here. This is the strongest aspect of the sound of the headphone and why you likely would like these headphones, for their mid-response and emphasis. It comes across clear and without congestion and isn't drowned out by bass nor made harsh with spikes in the highs. It's a good smooth sound, but with detail and character. Nothing to fault here at all, an excellent renderer of the sound.

 

Lows (Bass):

 

Well, we know there's a big drop off after 100hz. So your bass is likely to be lacking. And when you listen to the headphone, it's true. The headphone is pretty anemic. It's not void of bass, as you do have some punch from 100hz to 250hz, but that just gives you that snap, the punch, the impact of bass like sounds be they an instrument or a synthesized tone. You simply won't get that reverbing bass that a lot of music, movies and games have that someone who enjoys good visceral bass would want. This headphone is shy on bass, light on bass. This is a good thing for some people, as it allows the mids and highs to really project forward (note, the highs and mids are not actually forward, they're flat, it's the lack of bass that makes them seem forward). For others, this is a deal breaker (like me), because I want a headphone that is capable in all areas, not just a few. I tried equalizing up the bass a little to see if it could do it, and it did help a little, but by the time I got to levels where I was satisfied with the sound, I felt the overall sound of the headphone had degraded and that the bass distorted and simply didn't reach volumes on low frequencies where I wanted it on some tracks. This is the biggest flaw, next to the comfort/fit, that I found with the AD700. And frankly, I would rather have to equalize down the bass, which won't distort sound, rather than equalize up the bass, which does distort sound. This is why this headphone is not widely received as an all-around listening headphone, as it really does simply lack bass response--but does provide punch and snap. This is good or bad, depending on your application. For me, the overall picture, this is a hard fault.

 

Isolation:

 

They're open-air, so there's no isolation what so ever. This is a no brainer, but sometimes, you still have to say it for someone to realize that their friends, family and folk on the street (if you dare to wear these outside of course) will hear what you hear. That said, they do leak, but don't seem to leak nearly as loud as a Grado, but are not as subdued in leaking as a Beyer I find. Simply my observation there, if it matters at all.

 

Soundstage:

 

This is the other big point of the AD700 in terms of its sound, next to its good flat forward section of mids. The soundstage is actually quite large and wide. It has great separation and imaging. But it literally has an unnaturally large sound stage when compared to some other open-air headphones that I've tried. For music listening, I found this to be distracting, as it took away from some intimate feels of some tracks like some acoustic sessions that I enjoy. It reminded me of how the K701 did the same thing, making the sound stage so wide that it could become a little too wide for some applications. This sound stage is where the gaming application hype really comes from, because few headphones, if any, in this price range, have the wide soundstage that the AD700 has. Again, this can be a good thing, or a flaw. I have mixed thoughts on this, because in some things, I like that huge sound stage (it was fun in some games), but in others, it was distracting and I felt took away from the music (like in some acoustic and piano that I listened to, where I wanted to be up next to them, intimate, not just in the crowd, so to speak).

 

Gaming & Movies:

 

I of course had to test this aspect specifically with the AD700 since it is so widely recommended for gaming. The sound stage does lend to a neat experience in games as I felt it did make you feel more like you were in a space, and not just hearing a sound. That aspect was positive. However, the anemic bass made it seem like a hallow experience. I felt the same way during movie play back as well. The wide sound stage was great for generating a large space, but unfortunately, the lack of the low end just made it seem like a flat and hallow experience that didn't rustle your jimmies. The imaging is good, but most headphones have good enough imaging for gaming--this aspect of positioning which is often attributed to the headphone is actually the processor that does the positioning emulation that the headphone renders. A standard recorded stereo sound signal will not suddenly be 3D or sound like it's "over there." It requires specific recording or 3D emulation processing to produce the 3D effect or positioning effect that is commonly referred to when this headphone is talked about, or when gaming and movies in general are talked about. That said, I enjoyed other headphones much more for gaming and movies than the AD700. I can understand and appreciate the use of the AD700 for gaming where the concept of "competitive-foot-step-listening" critical listening is important (these folk want zero bass, all detail, accurate imaging, which well, this headphone does). These happen to specifically be first-person-shooter games. So if you're not playing those, and you're not an online competitive player, then I don't see any reason what so ever to be recommended this headphone for gaming. And certainly not for movies either. I would say this headphone is definitely over-rated and over-hyped for gaming use in general. The word "gaming" comes up, and without a doubt, a few people are doing to spam "AD700!" which I think is not founded. Again, I think the headphone does have its place in the gaming community where online competitive-foot-step-listening (FPS games) is critical. But even these games are variable, because it's only effective for games that are not team-based, since discerning a team-mate from an enemy is not going to happen without visualization. But in a free-for-all, or death match situation FPS, this is where positioning of competitive-foot-step-listening is important and the only place I agree that the AD700 is good for.

 

Basically, for other applications in gaming and movies other than the situation described exhaustively above, another headphone is a better deal in my opinion. So this headphone gets my "over-rated stamp of approval" for gaming. Note, this is not to say the headphone isn't nice to listen to.

 

Closing Thoughts:

 

The AD700 is a nice headphone to look at. However, I felt the construction, like all of the AD-series could benefit from better materials, and the AD900 does improve in that area with better construction material. The comfort was relative, I think it could be comfortable if it fit better, but overall, I didn't find it all that comfortable. This is merely my preference, as I do prefer a glove-like fit and some grip, not a floppy flimsy setup on my head. The sound is good. I think if all you need are mids, some smoothed highs with a touch of detail, and a little touch of bass impact, this headphone will work for you--acoustic and some single instrument (like violin, reed instruments, etc come to mind). The lack of total bass response however takes away from the headphone in my opinion for a wider application. It was a hallow experience for pop, some bassy jazz, some classical that involved piano & cello and symphonic tracks where low end is quite important and reverb is important. It didn't do any sort of electronic music (EDM, dub, techno, trance) justice with its lack of bass too. I felt it to was also way too weak in bass for progressive and modern rock, alternative metal and metal in general, but was ok for classic rock (which traditionally had less bass anyways).

 

So this headphone isn't an all around listening experience. I certainly didn't feel it was the holy grail of gaming, the opposite in fact, as it has less application in gaming as a whole (let's face it, the bulk of gamers are not competitive online foot-step-listeners). It wasn't the kind of headphone I'd want for movies with its lack of bass. And the span of music genres that it simply didn't render well due to lack of bass was a lot larger than the few genres that it seems to be pretty good with.

 

So unfortunately, I think the AD700 is largely overrated and overhyped. I think it's application is warranted for a specific gaming genre and a few musical genres. But they are quite small and limited. I think other headphones do a better overall job. I would say right away that even in this price range (usually $90ish retail, it fluctuates), there are other headphones that are superior (an example would be the Fischer Audio FA-011 around $118) and in a lower bracket, the Samson SR850 (around $50). But that's simply my take on it.

 

Very best,