The HD700 has been on the market for some time now, so most of its strengths and weaknesses have long since been covered. To my ears, this is one of the strangest headphones out there, and so I’ll try to explain why this product is so polarizing.
First off, Sennheiser is a giant in the world of HiFi headphones. There one of the older manufacturers, and they produce some of the most coveted headphones on the planet. Seriously, they make the benchmarks that all other headphones are measured by. Many of their products have been on the market for decades, and they’re still at the top of most people recommendation list. So why are the HD700s regarded so poorly?
The answer to that question is the subjective nature of our perception of sound. Our ear are all unique, and so are our taste. Some folks like cherry jelly beans, and others like those foul black ones. Some folks like Taylor Swift, and others Beethoven. While a few of us like one thing or the other, most of us are somewhere in between. Our tastes are broad. In my opinion the HD700 was not made for broad tastes. It serves a very limited slice of preference. If your likes fit into what it’s serving, you’re in for a treat, otherwise your going to despise the 700s.
After trying every type of genre, I feel fairly confident saying that the HD700 works best with instrumental music. Music made with real instruments that are not enhanced or synthetic. Genres like Classical and Jazz are a dream on these things. Genres where the vocals are the focus fall short.
All this comes from the sound signature Sennheiser has built into the 700s. The one thing that has confused me with 700s is they seem to shift in quality based on what genre or even song within a genre I’m listening to. One minute I’ll think these things are terrible, and then when the next song comes up, I think I’m hearing sonic greatness. It’s strange.
Before we dive into sound though, let’s talk about build and comfort. In this category the HD700 is in a league all by itself. Especially for the sub $500 price. All the material are high-quality. Much nicer than what’s found in the HD6xx line. The construction is primarily plastic, but it still feels premium. The weight is blissfully light, and it’s easy to forget you’re wearing them. The clamping pressure feel is almost non-existent. The ear pads are soft and plush, and the ear cups are enormous. Just about about any ear shape or size should be accommodated. About the only complaint I have is with the cord, which is well made and braided, but too stiff and thick. It feels very durable, but it often gets in the way, and I would probably replace it if I was going to own a pair of these.
Lows:
The low end is punchy, but it doesn’t dig deep into the sub bass frequencies. It rolls off like most dynamics. With the bass, the graphs all show a slight bass extension, but with the way the treble is presented, I hardly notice. I found it adequate to render instruments accurately, but nothing beyond that. It’s quick, and detailed, but it’s not full and rich.
Highs:
The treble on HD700 is superb! That is if you enjoy sharp treble, which I do. I want to hear all the detail of my music, and in this area HD700 does not disappoint. It’s a very capable headphone, and the driver provide holographic imagine. Seriously, it’s an experience. These things are very positional, and even though the sound stage is not enormous like the HD800, it’s still much larger then the HD6xx models. They’re so detailed that it actually works against them on some recordings. If a live recording as a little noise in the microphone you hear it. It’s not subtle, and sometimes it becomes so distracting it’s hard to appreciate the music you’re listening to. Still, it’s impressive how resolving these things are. They may lack all the attributes required for a complete HiFi package, but when it comes to detail they are very competitive at any price point. If unrelenting detail is what you’re after, you will be pleased with HD700.
So what’s wrong with it? The problem stems from dip( more like a hole) in the response from 1k to 4k. This makes vocals seem distant and thin. All the smooth vocal presence that the HD600 is famous for, is completely missing here. I suspect, when most people try to raise the volume in order to hear the vocals, they end up pushing the treble to uncomfortable levels. Like I said before though, if you’re listening to instrumental music, you’ll never notice what’s missing.
Can you fix them with EQ? I couldn’t. Nothing I did seemed to bring the sounds of HD700 back into balance. These things are an acquired taste
Comparisons
HD 600
Vocals on the 600 are much better than the 700. This is not because of a lack of clarity. It’s because the position of the vocals. They’re upfront with the 600s, and recessed with the 700s. From the graphs you might think that the 700s have more bass, and perhaps they do. I hear more with the 600s though, this is probably due to the excellent mid-bass of the 600s.
Audeze LCD2.2
There’s really no comparison between these two. LCD2 is a far superior headphone. The bass of the 700 is not even in the same league of the LCD2. The highs are much more pronounced on the 700s, but they’re sweeter and easier to listen to on the Audeze set. The two areas where you might prefer the 700s are in sound stage and comfort. In these areas the 700s are the winner.
Hifiman HE560
I would say that the HE560 is much more musical, and it definitely has deeper bass response. That said, I may prefer the 700, as its detail is so much better.
