Audio Technica ATH-PRO700MK2 review - Take two subwoofers...straight to the head. - Page 5

Just ordered these, as well as two M50 pads.

Looking forward to it. My evil basshead side is poking me again...

Oh, @Karl, are you experiencing any bass bleed with the M50 pads on? I sure did, albeit very little, but on bassier parts of music the bass masks the mids a little too much and ruins the naturality.

I'm also going to try the XB700 pads on these -- that's if they even remotely fit.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katun 

I'm also going to try the XB700 pads on these -- that's if they even remotely fit.

I doubt it, looks more like XB500-size but even that may be a bit on the bigger side (the outer diameter is what's huge for the pads as the thickness of the edges of the pad seems to be like 1.5cm thick).

Quote:

Originally Posted by GN3RAL KARL 

Yes, with a flat eq.  I'm considering getting a Fiio E9 to power the MK2's to see if it refines the sound even more, maybe tighten up the bass (but not lose my quantity!).  Even though to me, with eq, I can live with the sound forever.

 

You'll have a good experience with the E9. It's a great amp that doesn't change the sound coming out of the cans at all, but rather super charges what you would normally hear- Giving it a great kick and really emphasising both the pros and the cons of the cans themselves.
 

I just got these today. Right off the bat, I had to switch off the horrible pads to the M50 ones. Sooo much better! MK2 owners, you MUST buy the M50 pads, they are superior in comfort by a landslide and a half! Sound wise, I actually found it didn't take away much from the sound like everyone had said. They sound pretty darn close to the stock pads, and in my opinion, better. Not to mention the comfort is just awesome now. For some reason, these are honestly one of the coolest headphones to wear on your head, because it really feels like they are hugging you. I've never had this sensation before, but I love the hugging feeling they give me. They stay put, they stay comfy, and they look great! (SRH940's are too big and goofy looking for public).

Sound wise? Well, let's just say I'm loving it so far. MK2 owners, I'd love to hear input from you weather or not these change with burn in, because if they do, they'll be even better and they are already quite good. These are officially my "party" headphone. And also the only full sized one I would take around public, outside, or just generally around places. The bass on these is just fantastic. Not quite the punch or extension of the Pro 900, but it has a lot more quantity. It's like your "swimming in the bass" rather than having the bass hit you in the form of a tidal wave. Don't get me wrong, these still have fantastic punch, but I believe the Pro 900 has a harder hit and also knows it's place more. The bass of these remind me A LOT of the XB700's bass. I actually compared the two briefly, and they are quite similar, but the MK2 is superior all around. It's like the Hi-Fi version of the XB700, without the loss of bass, yet more refined and exciting bass. It's just great, it's making me grin like mad.

As of now, I have my SRH940 and these PRO700MK2. Sitting together side by side, I look at them and think, "This is all I want. Nothing more." They compliment each other perfectly. My HE-500 is in trouble.

mmkay, sounds like it's not worth concidering for me then, sounds like it got quite a bit stronger deep bass than mid/upper bass. Did you compare the bass with stock pads as well? Do the stock pads provide more or less sweat? I didn't like M50 pads at all cuz they got REALLY sweaty for me, usually I don't have a prob with that but M50 got too sweaty for me as I tend to do gaming sessions for hrs in a row.

Not quite. When I first put them on I thought, "Oh great, another XB500". I wanted super deep and extended bass like the Pro 900, but all I got was "just bass" across half the spectrum. I'll have to compare these to my brothers XB500 as well as the XB700 again. But these are much more reminiscent of the Sony XB series than anything else. They just are more refined, and generally improved sound quality wise all around. But they still have that "bass mask" that basshead headphones are known to have, where everything is slightly veiled behind all the bass. It was the most present in the XB500 BY FAR. But I think for any serious basshead, or anyone that loves the XB series; these should be the next stop. And for some, it may just be the last.

Pro 900 is an attempt at Hi-Fi bass.

XB500 is an attempt at 100% bass.

MK2 is an attempt to land in the middle.

Well I have EQ'd my XB500 to remove that "bass mask"-sound. :p Would be great to have a headphone that didn't need that tweaking I suppose though but I still want very strong but balanced deep vs upper bass, about equal of both, the punchyness & impact of the mid/upper bass and the deep rumble from the subbass. What do you think regarding forwardness / "in-your-face" sound of the pro700mk2? I'm trying to find a very forward sounding headphone like XB500, Pro 900 should be a bit laid-back sounding, how would you compare pro700mk2 in this regard? JVC HA-M5X I tried is even more forward sounding than XB500 and I quite like it but it's even more unbalanced than XB500 and requires more drastic EQing and my 10-band EQ isn't quite enough for it either, would need more bands!

Pro 900 is not as laid back as you might think.

I'll have to test it some more to give you more information. I only listened to a few songs, and now it's burning in. But from memory (I'll compare it to both the XB's later), the XB500 sounded extremely laid back to me, but that was mainly due to the bass ruining the midrange and treble. The MK2 is definitely more forward in that regard, and midrange and treble is now intact, yet the bass is still obviously the most present. Like I said, I'll do a more detailed comparison between them so I can give you more accurate and useable information. Mind you, I'm not EQ'ing the MK2 at all, so I may experiment with that as well. But then I'll lose that "party" flavor. If I don't want gobs of bass, then that's what my SRH940 is for.

Also I forgot to mention, I'll have to wear them while playing BC2, so I can see how long I can last before my head hurts or my ears get sweaty. But let's just say, I couldn't get through one song with the stock pads without thinking about them being "there" the entire time. The would be on the verge of painful within 15 minutes I suppose. M50 pads were made for these, and I would hate this headphone without them.