AUDIO TECHNICA ATH PRO700 mk2

I've seen alot of PRO700MK2 reviews labelling them as "Bassy" headphones and "uncomfortable", please stop. These aren't meant to be for your "casual" listening, Audio-Technica designed these headphones with "utility" in mind. A exclusively for DJs and I will elaborate why.

Unboxing

I have heard complaints about the Pro700Mk2s' clamping issues. Audio-Technica has advertised these headphones as DJ "Monitor" headphones they are supposed to be worn with one ear. If you need a comfy headphone for your two ears, you should look into AT's "Earsuit" series or the WS55/WS70s.

Value: For a DJ headphone retailing at $159-$209 with a build quality of a tank, solid isolation, and detailed mids and highs, and well-extended punchy bass, these headphones are well-recommended in the DJ world.

Audio Quality: DJs in noisy environments will enjoy this, the bass is really punchy and extended you will not miss your bit counts. BPMs are very important to DJs and this headphone offers you them in thundering style. Mids and highs are well detailed good for doing those cuts and drops on the fly. The sound signature is accentuated bass, then flat mids and highs.

If you do not understand the demands of being a DJ, you really need a very good isolating, secure clamping headphone which is why AT designed this headphone to really give your head a bear-hug. For audiophiles, I will recommend XB500s instead of the Pro700mk2s, if size is not an issue.

Design: Audio-Technica designs this as a "utility over aesthetics" headphone. There's really nothing eye-popping with these headphones, but their sheer size. They are technically smaller than the M50s, but they look bigger. They are built solid with high quality military-grade plastics. You are also given two (2) 1.2m cables. 1 straight cable and 1 coiled cable which extends for about 9 or 10 feet.

Comfort: Wearing them with 1 ear, they are comfortable than most DJ headphones, I have used. The ear pads feels circumaural with the large opening. With 2 ears, they will clamp hard, but they are not designed to be worn like your usual headphone. If you aren't a DJ, keep out. But, if you are a hard-core audiophile who doesn't care about comfort issues, then go for it.

Update: How to make it comfy, add 5mm of memory foam pads. Resting them on 22cm boxes does lessen those clamping force. Audio-Technica has noted that the base of the headband are indeed aluminum and can be bent.

Overall: Very solid DJ headphones, one of the best. I would definitely recommend them for the isolation and the solid bass. It will really help DJs not to miss any beat. Are these audiophile headphones? Definitely not. If you want an audiophile headphone, there's a lot of options Audio-Technica is offering. Would I recommend these for casual listeners? Never, if you want a bassy headphones for casual listeners go for the Sony XB500, you will have comfort and very tight-bass extensions.

Again, these are DJ headphones designed for DJ monitoring on live-performances! If you need a headphone for mixing or recording get the M50s.

If I am to review these as your audiophile/casual listening headphones, these would fail for one big reason. Comfort wearing these on two ears will destroy your listening pleasure. As your are more concentrated on the head-clamp rather than the music.

Update: Audio-Technica confirmed that just like the M50, the Pro700Mk2's frame is made out of aluminum so I wrestled with them and bent them into the shape of my head. They are now very comfy just like the M50s; however, they don't fold-up tightly anymore. It is fine with me as long as it will fold-up and fit its bag.

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  • How do I reduce the tightness of my ATH-PRO700MK2 headphones?
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  • http://eu.audio-technica.com/en/support/questions/question.asp?id=219

   

   

   

Here's some pictures:

The original clamp had the two pads touching each other, after I bent them it looked like this, but I'm quite satisfied with the comfort. Something just have to go and comfort is better than foldability.

Update: With TBSEs' pads the PRO700MK2s isolation improved, since the pads were softer it conformed more with your face, blocking out spaces. Also, comfort improved a bit with the softer pads. But at what expense? The mid-bass got muddy and it messed up the mids as well.

So i bought the ath pro 700 mk2 only because my friend had a set and i tried them, they are my first really good quality headphones i have ever owned, and so far loving them :). The headphones have very good bass but need to be amp to get the full experience a good amp will run for about ninety nine dollars us currency, i will soon be buying a class a b i believe for that price and will use them on my pros. As far as comfort goes i did have to adjust the headphones allot the first two weeks to get them just right for my head and comfort i desired. The headphones them self are very sturdy and need extra padding for the ears so i cut out a old torn up mic cover out of memory foam like material and put it in the ear pads to increase comfort and i believe it increased the bass. on another note the band is adjustable it is made of aluminum and can be bent to fit you head that's what i had to do and the headphones are really comfy and fit my head now. I have ordered replacement pads that are like velor material and will do a mod and will do a update when i get them. Other wise these headphones are a steal and you should buy them while the price is down and before i forget they are modular so you can take the cable on and off and they collapse to be carried in a small case.

Hi all, this is my first review on Head-Fi.  I would be talking more on the physical properties of the headphone than the sonic quality.

I have been looking for a portable circumaural headphone to replace my AKG Q460.  I found the AKG Q460 lacking in isolation, and for it to sound OK to my ears I need to use my iPhone's Bass Reduction.  On the go, I drive my headphone solely using my iPhone.

After a long search, I finally decided on this pair.

What I Like:

1. It is compact and doesn't look too bulky on the head
2. It folds, and I can keep it in my messenger bag
3. It lays flat so you can wear it around your neck and it won't bump your chin
4. Earcups rotate in many different ways
5. It comes with 2 detachable cable: coiled (1.2m extendable up to 3m) and straight (1.2m). The headphone side of the cable is 3.5mm and screws-in securely to the earcup.
6. Possibility of making the headphone iPhone compatible!
   I figure I can use a V-MODA cable with iPhone 3-button remote and mic either by plugging it straight or getting a 3.5mm-threaded-male to 3.5mm-female connector.
7. Sensitive enough to be driven direct from iPhone
   When demoing HD25-1 II, I had to turn up the volume to max, but with this headphone, 50% volume is good enough.

What I Don't Really Like:

1. Earpads are a bit on the thin side and could be larger, more to M50 size
2. Headband hurts the crown of my head (but could be due to my SRH440 which is infamous for the pain inducing headband)
3. Headband adjustment is made of plastic where on M50 it's made of metal

Sound Quality

This headphone never made my shortlist before as it's been called by many a bass-head phone and my experiences with bass-head phone had been pretty bad. Out of curiousity and desperation I decided to give it a try and was I surprised.

The bass is the most powerful among other cans I tried, and it's tight. Comparing it to XB700, the XB700 sounded very loose.  Some people said this has earth-shattering bass, but I don't find it to be the case.

The mids and highs are a bit recessed, but I can still get enough detail.  I found other bass-heavy phones to be muffled, but not the case with the Pro700 Mk2.

I recently got these headphones from buy.com for $170 after deciding the m30's werent enough. i decided to go with the Pro700mk2's instead of the m50's because i knew i'd always wonder what the bass felt like on the pros.... and these headphones are amazing! i listen to a variety of music, but most of the time i listen to death metal and underground hip hop, and these headphones are great for both! for death metal, these headphones really highlight the drums, and the blast beats/ double bass sound great! especially for technical bands. the guitars sound amazing and arent recessed like some other headphones. For rap, the bass is awesome, everything sounds awesome for rap.. unless you listen to lil wayne, because he's gay and sucks.. on to comfort... im still breaking these in and the fit is a little tight but its still pretty comfortable for me. the cups are kind of shallow and for some people they fit on the ear (they must have huge ears). my ears are fairly small so they fit around my ears and are pretty comfortable for me for a few hours then it starts freaking me out man! im certain they'll loosen up a little... man im doing bad on this review haha. anyways, i highly recommend these. i use these on an HP Dv6 with beats audio (it actually sounds really good!). get these and dont look back!!!.... although i do wonder what those m50's sound like...

I have been reading about the ATH-PRO700MK2 for awhile and have been curious to try them.  When I found one refurbished for $104, I decided to go for it.  I have been looking for a headphone with spectacular bass that will also serve as a great all-arounder.  While the PRO700MK2 isn't the all-arounder I hoped for, it is great at what it does which is produce powerful, deep, tight and punchy bass without bleeding into the mids.  It is a keeper that I will use with selective genres.

Comfort

Most of the shortcomings you have read about these is true, but to me, not as bad as described.  The pads are thin, but adequate.  The cups are too small for my ears which I consider to be average size.  The fit is tight, but I'm okay with that as I plan to wear these while exercising.  The overall build quality seems excellent- rugged and durable for active use.

Bass

There are many adjectives I could use.  I will simply say this is the most powerful good bass I have ever heard in a headphone, ever so slightly besting the M-Audio Q40 which was my previous bass king.  With the samples I have tried, the bass does not bleed into the mids which is very important to me.

Mids

The mids are decent- smooth and pleasing.  However, they are recessed and lacking detail, but have reasonable detail for their price range.

Highs

The high end is probably the biggest shortcoming of the 700 MK2.  They are slightly dark, but not as dark as other bassy "DJ" headphones I have tried such as some Pioneers and the Aiaiai TMA-1.  Highs are not as well extended as I would like and accentuate the lack of detail.  On a positive note, there is no sibilance as I have heard with the Q40, but the Q40 has superior extension and more accurate reproduction on the high end.  Another positive is that the PRO700MK2s are non-fatiguing.  If deciding between the PRO700MK2 and Q40, I will definitely take the PRO700MK2 after EQing.  See edit below.

Conclusion

While these can be adequately powered with a smartphone, they definitely benefit from (and can handle) an amplifier.  Since I primarily listen portably, I sampled with and without my FiiO E11.  Despite the fact that I don't consider the ATH-PRO700MK2 to be my "holy grail" headphone, I am pleased with them and will enjoy them when I listen to dance/club/hip hop.  My musical taste includes almost every genre and I will still be searching for a headphone that is more comfortable with highly detailed mids, well-extended highs that are neither bright nor dark and with the bass these offer which is perfection at a price I can afford (under $500).  I am holding out hope for new and upcoming releases from V-Moda and Denon.

Please note my value rating is based on my purchase price as refurbished.  New at $200 or so, I would rate value as a 3.  There is also an anniversary edition with gold accents available for about the same price new.

EDIT:  They are growing on me as my ears adjust to their signature, but I would still describe them as dark.  It just feels like something is missing from the high end.  After downloading an equalizer program (Denon's free music app), I was able to correct nearly all of my perceived shortcomings of these headphones.  With a tweaked U-curve, I was able to even further enhance the bass without becoming muddy or distorted and correct the darkness on the high end.  These are excellent cans with high quality drivers that are fully capable of responding to any input given.  While their detail is very good, if you are a stickler for detail, you will want to look further.  I consider these to be the best sounding "fun" can that I own.

The Audio Technica ATH-PRO700MK2 are like the winey, annoying little brother of the ATH-M50s.  The sound is tremendously bass heavy, and its only real highlight is good panning and mids and highs that are decent, if overwhelmed by the bass.  The headphones are far too tight.  Audio Technica claims this is for passive noise isolation, but I have tried plenty of passive noise-isolating headphones that do not give you a searing headache after an hour of use.  The hinges are not particularly sturdy, and do not swivel to the side of the head.  Honestly, besides the massive bass and noise isolation, it is difficult to see why exactly these are classified as "DJ Headphones."  The cords are good, though not amazing.  They are good tipped and thick, but the metal within is copper.  One bonus is that the cords are detatchable, unlike the M50s.  The ATH-PRO700MK2s also have very thin earpads and after a few hours of listening my ears get pressed against the metal of the drivers.  If these headphones had a little less bass, better earcup swiveling, a wider headband, and thicker ear pads, they would be a great alternative to lousy consumer cans like Bose and Beats by Dre, because they look good enough to attract common consumers, and sound goo enough to introduce consumers to the land of head-fi.  However, the abovementioned simple asthetic flaws effectively doom the ath-PRO700MK2's to uncomfortable failure.  Bottom Line: Don't Buy Them!

P.S. The only bright side is that Audio Technica fixed a broken hinge for free after my warrenty expired. So bad headphones with good customer service, I guess!