Latest Thread Images

hd700l.txt.jpg
pirate-laugh.gif
graphCompare.png
graphCompare.png
a8542cac_motivatorfaec1ebe58685f93b07c441a51b484a170bbaad61.jpg
Hitler_and_Mussolini_June_1940.jpg
graphCompare.png LOL.jpg hangitshat2.png hangitshat.png Derailed-train.jpg acaeaef3_hd800.jpg 292cfb97_ideal.jpg b4179d28_flowchart.jpg
See full thread gallery...
Sennheiser HD 700: Officially Unveiled at CES 2012!
Jan 10, 2012 at 9:04 PM Post #271 of 3,545
No one is putting a gun to anyone's head here. If you think its not enough for the money, then don't buy it. Last time I checked we had a free market economy. I'm personally not a fan of the $1, 2, ...5k headphone trend...but that's life in high end audio.
 
That said, the LCD-3s come in at $2k and are the best headphones I've heard to date and I'm thoroughly enjoying them...more so than any of my other headphones. So everyone's mileage may vary at these levels. I think Sennheiser needed a $1k headphone to compete with the LCD-2s and a few others in the $1k market (a previous hole they had in their line up). Whether the HD700s fit the bill, time (and your ears) will tell.
 
Jan 10, 2012 at 9:13 PM Post #272 of 3,545
Quote:
catscratch said:
Do these have ring drivers or traditional dynamics? Can't seem to find the info.

I hate peaky treble, generally don't care for dynamic headphones and don't have a great [dynamic] amp, so the chances of getting one firsthand are low. I would like to hear one though, and claims of good performance on the move are enticing.

The HD600/650 are persistent favorites and it would be sad to see Senn abandoning the virtues that made them so good, sonically speaking at least. But I'll reserve any judgement until/if I do hear these.
Click to expand...


Traditional. 40 mm Duofol, like the HD 580/600/650, with further refinements.
 
 
 
Jan 10, 2012 at 9:17 PM Post #273 of 3,545
Think you're a bit off here--after all, Sennheiser probably set the bar for $1,000+ headphones with the HD 800, and look how many manufacturers followed their example and introduced competitors?
 
Plus, in this case, it seems to me like Sennheiser is being the follower rather than the leader--after all, this price-range in their headphone line-up has been empty while numerous other companies were selling flagship and sub-flagships in this same price range like they were hot cakes. Only makes sense (to me, and I admittedly don't have much business sense) that they'd want to get in on the action as well.
 
Quote:
rithrin said:
Well, gotta say. Sennheiser is being frankly stupid with $1,000.
 
They're trying to single handedly hope the industry follows them. It won't happen. People will buy what's cheap and what they can afford. There's no proof the HD 700's are any better than say an HD 600 anyways. And I personally doubt they come close to a pair to HE 500.
 
Sennheiser's been a a big bucket of fail in recent years. Now that we've got companies like Hifiman and Audez'e, Fostex and even the other old gaurd, I can't see any reason for HD 700 to be exsist. It's trying to fill a gap but everyone can see how the Sennheiser molesting business strategy really is.
 
And people can see it. The LCD-3 was a similarly huge fail.
 
I hope they crash and burn. I don't think anybody should buy this product. Not without realizing these kind of business strategies they're ignorantly subjecting themselves to.
Click to expand...



 
 
Jan 10, 2012 at 9:20 PM Post #274 of 3,545
Wow, these seem very interesting. Are they a worthy upgrade over the HD650? Not sure yet, still love the warmth and smoothness of my HD650, and it seems like the HD700 really isn't that.
 
Jan 10, 2012 at 9:22 PM Post #276 of 3,545
HE90/HEV90 went up from $11k to $16k as it got older. Granted, that's an extreme example, and it took Sennheiser years to sell off all 300 of them. Stax O2 Mk2 saw a price hike over the Mk1, and there were a fair bit of other examples.
 
Jan 10, 2012 at 9:24 PM Post #277 of 3,545
My two main cans are the HD 650s and the AKG  K701s, and I'm actually eying these to potentially replace my 701s... Really looking forward to further impressions.
 
Quote:
austin morrow said:
Wow, these seem very interesting. Are they a worthy upgrade over the HD650? Not sure yet, still love the warmth and smoothness of my HD650, and it seems like the HD700 really isn't that.
Click to expand...



 
 
Jan 10, 2012 at 9:34 PM Post #278 of 3,545
blackbeardben said:
Are you trying to distinguish planar magnetic versus orthodynamic headphones?  It's a bit unclear with your wording.
 
"Orthodynamic" originally was Yamaha's marketing term for a push-pull planar magnetic headphone driver.  Obviously now it's applied to planar magnetic designs in general, although I would argue that the term probably shouldn't apply to single-sided magnet arrays (like the HE-4, Magnepans, or the Infinity EMIT-R tweeter).
 
I don't like the term "orthodynamic" myself anyway out of prejudice, but regardless I would say it is a subset of the much older term "planar magnetic", and that all of the headphones you listed fit into both terms and not one or the other.  In fact, the only single-sided planar magnetic headphone I know of is the HE-4.
 
But that's just me nitpicking.
Click to expand...


No worries bout the nitpicking as your elaboration cleared up things a great deal for me. Truth to be told I know very very little about these planars and orthos and what-not, still pretty much stuck in the age of dynamic drivers...

Had edited my post a few minutes after posting to properly reflect what I have in mind, since I've just realise I was pretty confused what are actually orthos and planars. Will try to properly digest your post once I am free from work. :D
 
Jan 10, 2012 at 9:43 PM Post #280 of 3,545
Quote:
rithrin said:
Well, gotta say. Sennheiser is being frankly stupid with $1,000.
 
They're trying to single handedly hope the industry follows them. It won't happen. People will buy what's cheap and what they can afford. There's no proof the HD 700's are any better than say an HD 600 anyways. And I personally doubt they come close to a pair to HE 500.
 
Sennheiser's been a a big bucket of fail in recent years. Now that we've got companies like Hifiman and Audez'e, Fostex and even the other old gaurd, I can't see any reason for HD 700 to be exsist. It's trying to fill a gap but everyone can see how the Sennheiser molesting business strategy really is.
 
And people can see it. The LCD-3 was a similarly huge fail.
 
I hope they crash and burn. I don't think anybody should buy this product. Not without realizing these kind of business strategies they're ignorantly subjecting themselves to.
Click to expand...

 

This is exactly the sentiment I'm not understanding. If anything, Sennheiser is the company that has least gouged its customers when it comes to their true high end line up. A whole decade separated the 580 and the 650 and then another 8 years between the 650 and the 800. Now, a year on they are releasing a model clearly below the 800. It's not going to making any 800 owners cringe that they just dropped a 1500 USD for an 800 and its not making any 650 owners feel a legitimate reason to upgrade. There's enough info here for a head fier to make their purchasing decision. For the un-initiated there's a clear discrepancy in price to convey the difference. I'm not hating on Hifiman because I have never truly heard one of their products for myself but I find their strategy of releasing new products on a quarterly basis and dropping the prices or discontinuing their old products to make space for the new ones much worse. Ya I'm wondering now if the people who bought HE-300s last quarter are now wondering if they should have waited for the HE-400s which went on pre-order the same time they were announced.
 
Also I don't see an issue with the LCD-3 unless you're arguing that it does not offer enough of an upgrade over the LCD-2 to warrant the price, but that is a decision for the purchaser. The release of the LCD-3 does not affect the price/performance ratio of the LCD-2 in anyway.
 
Sennheiser would be gouging us if they released an HD900 for 1800 dollars and screwed all the people who bought HD800s this year but that's not what is happening here.
 
 
Jan 10, 2012 at 9:43 PM Post #281 of 3,545
Hi Guys! I'm one of the last "sneak peek" members to check in...on the treadmill now and will post some notes later tonight when I get home (which will probably be late).
Most of what I have to say has already been shared though!

Will check my notes and see what I can add...

It has been a great experience having a chance to hear a new pair of important phones, thanks Sennheiser!!!
 
Jan 10, 2012 at 9:45 PM Post #282 of 3,545


Quote:
metalsonata said:
My two main cans are the HD 650s and the AKG  K701s, and I'm actually eying these to potentially replace my 701s... Really looking forward to further impressions.
 


 
Click to expand...


 
That's true. Trade off my Q701's and save up for the HD700.
 
Jan 10, 2012 at 10:03 PM Post #284 of 3,545


Quote:
Originally Posted by atomiccow /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
 
This is exactly the sentiment I'm not understanding. If anything, Sennheiser is the company that has least gouged its customers when it comes to their true high end line up. A whole decade separated the 580 and the 650 and then another 8 years between the 650 and the 800. Now, a year on they are releasing a model clearly below the 800. It's not going to making any 800 owners cringe that they just dropped a 1500 USD for an 800 and its not making any 650 owners feel a legitimate reason to upgrade. There's enough info here for a head fier to make their purchasing decision. For the un-initiated there's a clear discrepancy in price to convey the difference. I'm not hating on Hifiman because I have never truly heard one of their products for myself but I find their strategy of releasing new products on a quarterly basis and dropping the prices or discontinuing their old products to make space for the new ones much worse. Ya I'm wondering now if the people who bought HE-300s last quarter are now wondering if they should have waited for the HE-400s which went on pre-order the same time they were announced.
 
Also I don't see an issue with the LCD-3 unless you're arguing that it does not offer enough of an upgrade over the LCD-2 to warrant the price, but that is a decision for the purchaser. The release of the LCD-3 does not affect the price/performance ratio of the LCD-2 in anyway.
 
Sennheiser would be gouging us if they released an HD900 for 1800 dollars and screwed all the people who bought HD800s this year but that's not what is happening here.
 
Click to expand...

 
I was neutral on the argument until reading this. Couldn't agree more. Even so, I do feel like Sennheiser is just filling a gap in the market. The HD700 wasn't created out of passion - it's like a cut down HD800 to try to muscle in on the LCD-2 market. I get that that's just business, but it doesn't make me want to love them. 
 
 
Jan 10, 2012 at 10:07 PM Post #285 of 3,545


Quote:
radio_head said:
Click to expand...




Agreed, but thusfar it would seem that the HD700 does not possess a refinement of the HD580/Jubilee/HD600 sound signature, which is what I personally had hoped for.  Instead it is being touted as close to the bright HD800.
 
With the new players on the scene (e.g. HiFiMan, Audeze, and even Shure), maybe I can also dream that Magnepan comes out with a planar can given my love of their speakers and their recent desktop opus :) 
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 3 (members: 0, guests: 3)
Back
Top