Sennheiser HD 700: Officially Unveiled at CES 2012! - Page 229

Quote:

Originally Posted by MickeyVee 

x2 Thank you! Pretty much my experience and the reason I purchased them.  I don't think that the HD700 are the monsters some make it out to be.

To me, there is enough improvement over the HD650 to warrant the purchase (SQ and especially comfort).  I was hoping to add sparkle to the HD650's by upgrading my amp, DAC and was considering a silver cable.  

On the other side of the coin, toning down (I'd like to think of it more a synergy than toning down) the HD700, I already have the hardware.  I pulled my PSAudio DLIII out of my main system permanently (detailed and warm DAC) and am playing around with the three sets of tubes I have for the Lyr.

With good recordings, the system is stunning but is not as forgiving as the HD650 for some of the poorer recordings.  I have the HE400 for that. I'm finding that the HD700 and the HE400 compliment each other nicely.

 

I've been going back and forth between the HD700 and HD650 with some of my favorite well recorded tunes and the HD700 is always my preference. I just find them more exciting and engaging. 

My only problem is the price/performance, especially compared to the HE400 bang for the buck. If they were $750-$799, I'd feel a little better.

 

I've got until Saturday to return them for a full refund. If I can find a local Toronto dealer that stocks the LCD2, I'll give them a audition.

Otherwise, I'll probably be keeping them.

 

 

Interesting observations, and you're likely just who Senn made the 700 for.  From your descriptions you're in the crowd that didn't really like HD650 for what it was and preferred a more sparkly treble and were trying to "fix" HD650.  That seems to be a large crowd, and isn't the core HD650 crowd.  650 is unique, and strong fans of it prefer it to most anything and won't jump on a new headphone until someone can offer a "better" version of its signature including the reduced dynamics and highly rolled off treble.  But there is a large group of folks, like you, who like it but prefer something more sparkly...and it seems that's the target group the 700 may be aimed at after all.  The ones who say they like HD650 but actually don't and prefer a more lively presentation. IMO HE-400 and HD650 also compliment each other nicely.  HD650 is quite specifically not exciting and that's why it's liked, the famed "laid back" sound that delivers smooth presentation to just take in the music.  HD700 seems to scream "we've got your treble sparkle right here...." It's the "doughnut hole" of headphones.   It has its own treble plus the treble pieces left over from cutting it off the 650's at producction    But you've nailed it it's the price.  It's a good idea to offer two different sounding cans to the same audience...it's a bad idea to segment them at 100% price differences. 

For my money, if I were to upgrade, I'm thinking HD800 or LCD-2, and conveniently ignoring the DT-700...err....SR700i...err...HD700's existence .  But both would be more likely to replace HE-400 than HD650 which is firmly fixed as my main listening headphone.

Looks like a mini 800 to me.  The bumps are more exaggerated but still very similar.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MickeyVee 

...

I've got until Saturday to return them for a full refund. If I can find a local Toronto dealer that stocks the LCD2, I'll give them a audition.

Otherwise, I'll probably be keeping them.

 

 

Fulcrum Audio is the local official dealer.  Maybe call/e-mail and ask for an audition?

http://www.fulcrumaudio.ca/Audeze.html

Umm... no.

This may have changed but when Tyll left HeadRoom the agreement was he got the measuring gear but would provide them with the graphs.  Ie those are Tyll's measurements.  The scales are different though.  The HeadRoom scale makes dips and peaks more obvious.

It always amazes me how people judge headphones by charts,graphs,waves etc.without having heard them at all.

We all have different,subjective hearing abilities,preferences etc those objective charts translate into.It is a bit like having the ultimate recipe for a highly complicated dish and it would taste the same to everybody sampling it.

Just doesn't happen!
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by silversurfer616 

It always amazes me how people judge headphones by charts,graphs,waves etc.without having heard them at all.

We all have different,subjective hearing abilities,preferences etc those objective charts translate into.It is a bit like having the ultimate recipe for a highly complicated dish and it would taste the same to everybody sampling it.

Just doesn't happen!
 

I'm by no means a strict objectivist, but if you're allergic to peanuts treble peaks, then the measurements in this case tell you all you need to know to be perfectly frank.

That being said, the vast majority of negative opinions concerning the HD700 have been subjective impressions by people who have in fact listened to them. Even the folks providing measurements aren't simply pointing to those measurements, but rather offer them in addition to their subjective takes. It can just as easily be said that because we all "hear things differently," an objective standard is important. It's one of the few safeguards against runaway hype. It's not being championed as the end-all-be-all but is simply another tool at the disposal of an informed consumer. 

Let's face it: not everyone can go to a meet or afford to fork over $1000 to experiment by the seat of their pants.

Measurements aren't the boogeyman some people make them out to be. They simply display the characteristics of a headphone, and it's up to each individual to determine the worth and meaning of those characteristics. If you LIKE peaks in certain areas of your treble, then that's perfectly fine, and no one is trying to say that's wrong or invalidate your tastes using graphs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Magick Man 


I have heard them all, in succession, no less... well, I have Q701s, but they're close enough. From my listening, the HD700s and Q701s are much closer in SQ than HD700s and HD800s.

Sound signature, or SQ?   That's kind of sad if a $350 headphone is close in SQ to a $1k headphone.  Not that the K70x isn't an excellent headphone.  It positively is!  But AKG understood that prices move down the ladder eventually  

I wonder how sales are doing so far compared to expectations.  It seems a shame that they have the venerable 650 on one side for the mainstream hi-fi kit, the HD800 on the other for the avant-garde "extreme audiophile" with it's recognized tech achievement....and then plopped 700 in the middle.  I'd love to have seen the effect it would have had if it entered the market at a much lower price point.  Though I wouldn't want it to harm HD650's security either.

Here two three questions:

1. How tight and dry is the sound in the bass department of the HD700s? (compared to K701/702/Q701/K550, some higher Ultrasones, HD800, Philips L1 ... which all have a relatively tight and dry bass)

2. How does the HD700 compare to the closed K550? Same league, different approach?

3. Still waiting for the HD700 vs. T90 battle. When will it probably happen?! [Impatience!]

I really really really love the built-in recessed 2kHz-area, because I hate all headphones that have no recession there or even bump it up a bit, like the Fidelio L1, who is here at least 5db too loud.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Magick Man 


Well, the three are actually quite distinct in signature, the HD700s sound like faster HD650s with somewhat weaker mids and too much upper treble. However, yes, in terms of overall sound quality the Q701s and HD700s are fairly close, and that's rather embarrassing.

How can HD700's sound like a faster HD650 but with weaker mids and too much upper treble when HD650 is a headphone with strong mids and a heavily rolled off upper treble?  It sounds like an HD650 FR chart turned upside down by that description!

That is pretty embarrassing.  Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of the Q/K70x, I really like mine.  It's last in my lineup of headphones, but I like it all the same.  But I wouldn't want to pay $1k for them.  I wouldn't pay $500 for them.