Sennheiser HD 700 Appreciation Thread - Page 10

Not trying to set anyone's hair on fire here, but I'm genuinely curious. I've just come from another forum site (which shall remain nameless) that totally dismisses the HD700 as over-bright crap. Here on Head-Fi there's a well attended appreciation thread. Even given that we all have different tastes and hear differently through different equipment using different music, I still wonder at the diversity of opinion; it's like there's two different HD700s. Somebody above mentioned sparkly treble but to others here it seems to be a non-issue, which is the more surprising when the 700 is being compared to phones like the HD650 and LCD-2.

Note that I have no opinion whatsoever as I've never heard the HD700; I own the LCD-2. However, the FR does seem to indicate a certain imbalance. (I wouldn't want to sit on that spike at 6.5khz, for instance).

Quote:

Originally Posted by streetdragon 

here taxes cause headphones to routinely get priced about X1.5 more than their US MSRP counterparts after currency conversion
thats bad 

That and there's not many audio store here (only one popular store) they can jack up the price however high they want. If you're serious about headphones I suggest you buy them at Mingo in HK or Amazon. The prices are day and night. Or Jaben SG, much nearer but the price differences are only a tad cheaper.

Quote:

Originally Posted by madriz 

Auditioned HD700 few days ago. Like Canadian411 said, I too am turned off by it's build quality. The plastic feels weak, especially the part that connect/holding the headband and the cups together.

 

However I like the sound of HD700, I find it's a nice change from my DT880. I especially like the bass quantity and decay while having good amount of treble. I can live with the mids, it's not as thin as DT880. As for the hot treble peak people have claimed I found none of them, though a friend of mine complained about it. The comfort on HD700 is probably the best I've ever experienced though I haven't tried HD800 myself. If there's any kind of complain I could bring up in terms of sound quality I find it to be somewhat...scratchy? I hope that will be gone with burn in.

 

Currently I am looking for an upgrade and I'm liking HD700 a lot but there are some factors that are holding me back from purchasing it. First; the build quality as I mentioned earlier. Second; the price. Over here HD700 is only $60 cheaper than T1 and the T1 have way better build quality and more micro details (everything else is probably on par with HD700, maybe except the bass). I wish HD700 to be slightly cheaper (maybe by $100) or have better build quality as I really like them. Though right now I am more inclined to purchase the HD700.

 

The next time I visit the local audio store (sometime this or next week) I'm going to audition the HD700 and T1 again. I hope the HD700 will win me over.

I wouldn't take the T1s :P

Personal preference.

They're also harder to drive!

But I'm really disappointed that every headphone that's over 700$ has series flaws....  Its mad... I've got good bloody money, but no bloody headphone to buy?!?!?

HE-500 is amazing sounding, but they're heavy, build quality is not the best, and they still require quite alot of power.. 

Ditto He-6

LCD-2s are heavy..  sweaty pads and too dark for my tastes. Hinge and gimbals cannot be weaker

LCD-3s cost a whollop. STILL not enough treble for my tastes. Heavy as well!!. The hinge part still does not breath confidence into long term durability.

HD800s are probably one of the better picks, but some (not me) think they're bright with a lack of overall bass power

Beyer T1s are just waay to thin, brittle and harsh sounding to me.

Ultrasone's edition 10 are just as harsh, insanely expensive and to me is a one trick pony (nailing classical like no other)

Edition 8's have shoddy build quality, wobbly pricing and overall I think their earpad padding is cheaply made and poorly designed.

I'm not a fan of high end, expensive Grados. At all..

I guess this leaves the Fostex TH900. Malaysia isn't the place to own a biocellulose membrane driver. They'll die in 10 years like the Sony R10.

Quote:

Originally Posted by streetdragon 

here taxes cause headphones to routinely get priced about X1.5 more than their US MSRP counterparts after currency conversion
thats bad 

'Taxes'.   More like capitalism...  trust me the 'taxes' aren't all of that.

Think about it. The same item in a store in Melbourne costs cheaper than ones in Malaysia. Import taxes in Australia are similar or higher.

Not only that, the retail assistant gets paid AUD18.50 per hour (the minimum wage). The store's rental is probably also insanely high.

In Malaysia, retail assistants can get paid as low as RM5, or AUD1.50 per hour. Store rental is expensive, but that highly depends on location. And overall still not as expensive as say in Melbourne.

Who's raking in the money???!?!?!?!? 

Quote:

Originally Posted by wilzc 

 

I wouldn't take the T1s :P

 

Personal preference.

 

They're also harder to drive!

 

But I'm really disappointed that every headphone that's over 700$ has series flaws....  Its mad... I've got good bloody money, but no bloody headphone to buy?!?!?

 

HE-500 is amazing sounding, but they're heavy, build quality is not the best, and they still require quite alot of power.. 

 

Ditto He-6

 

LCD-2s are heavy..  sweaty pads and too dark for my tastes. Hinge and gimbals cannot be weaker

 

LCD-3s cost a whollop. STILL not enough treble for my tastes. Heavy as well!!. The hinge part still does not breath confidence into long term durability.

 

HD800s are probably one of the better picks, but some (not me) think they're bright with a lack of overall bass power

 

Beyer T1s are just waay to thin, brittle and harsh sounding to me.

 

Ultrasone's edition 10 are just as harsh, insanely expensive and to me is a one trick pony (nailing classical like no other)

 

Edition 8's have shoddy build quality, wobbly pricing and overall I think their earpad padding is cheaply made and poorly designed.

 

I'm not a fan of high end, expensive Grados. At all..

 

I guess this leaves the Fostex TH900. Malaysia isn't the place to own a biocellulose membrane driver. They'll die in 10 years like the Sony R10.

 

 

 

 

 

'Taxes'.   More like capitalism...  trust me the 'taxes' aren't all of that.

 

Think about it. The same item in a store in Melbourne costs cheaper than ones in Malaysia. Import taxes in Australia are similar or higher.

 

Not only that, the retail assistant gets paid AUD18.50 per hour (the minimum wage). The store's rental is probably also insanely high.

 

In Malaysia, retail assistants can get paid as low as RM5, or AUD1.50 per hour. Store rental is expensive, but that highly depends on location. And overall still not as expensive as say in Melbourne.

 

Who's raking in the money???!?!?!?!? 

That's because it's built by man, for man.  So of course it's imperfect and of course it will not be accepted by every one.

Stop focusing on the imperfections (unless every thing else in your life is absolutely perfect) and focus on what your ears like.  Build quality is one thing, but to expect there to be the perfectly built headphone is another.

Every thing on Earth has imperfections.  So don't let that keep you from enjoying it. :)   I know one thing for sure....an imperfect headphone is better than no headphone at all.

I've seen lots and lots of comments in this thread (and others) talking about build quality and the way the headband and ear cups are attached to each other - words like 'flimsy' and 'weak' have been banded about but how many have broken?

I've not heard of anyone having an actual problem with a pair yet (I do own a pair myself) and besides, if you pay £600 for a pair of headphones, are you really supposed to be chucking them about?

goverment is racking all the excess money, corruption here is immense, prices jack up by 50% for electronics

Quote:

Originally Posted by streetdragon 

goverment is racking all the excess money, corruption here is immense, prices jack up by 50% for electronics

I think Indonesia is pretty much the same. When we went on honeymoon to Bali a few years ago you couldn't actually buy anything in the shops because you might sell it to the locals so it would be waiting for you at the airport. AND the only place I've ever gone to where you had to pay an Airport tax to actually leave (cash only too!).

Quote:

Originally Posted by garysan 

 

I think Indonesia is pretty much the same. When we went on honeymoon to Bali a few years ago you couldn't actually buy anything in the shops because you might sell it to the locals so it would be waiting for you at the airport. AND the only place I've ever gone to where you had to pay an Airport tax to actually leave (cash only too!).

well actually indonesia is somewhat more severe than malaysia in different ways. but both countries are in bad shape

Quote:

Originally Posted by garysan 

if you pay £600 for a pair of headphones, are you really supposed to be chucking them about?

Accidents happen. And with Sennheisers history with HD5xx cracking problem despite how careful their owners are, I'm not gonna bet my money on the build quality.

Quote:

Originally Posted by madriz 

Accidents happen. And with Sennheisers history with HD5xx cracking problem despite how careful their owners are, I'm not gonna bet my money on the build quality.

I gotta be honest - no they don't. Accidents happen because someone was careless, end of... The only types of accidents that really are accidents are volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, etc. :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by garysan 

I gotta be honest - no they don't. Accidents happen because someone was careless, end of... The only types of accidents that really are accidents are volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, etc. :)

Those aren't accidents.  A volcano doesn't accidentally erupt.  There are countless factors that lead to erupting and in most cases, no one who is educated is surprised when a volcano does what is natural for it to do....which is erupt.

Same for Earthquakes, which kind of go hand in hand with volcanoes. 

And accidents are not always because someone is care less.  Accidents CAN and OFTEN DO occur because of someone being care less.  However, due to our imperfect nature, our minds, bodies, and therefore our reflexes /  thought process are not always up to the task of preventing us from making mistakes which we then label as accidents.

That's just briefly touching on it, but no, one CAN BE both careful and in an accident.

Well I got a used pair of HE-500s. Hopefully I wont' get taxed.

For all their flaws, I loved the HE series and will be having them shortly

I'm just angry at Malaysia because I'm getting accustomed to living here and just not used to this..  corruption and capitalism....

Quote:

Originally Posted by tokendog 

 

Those aren't accidents.  A volcano doesn't accidentally erupt.  There are countless factors that lead to erupting and in most cases, no one who is educated is surprised when a volcano does what is natural for it to do....which is erupt.

 

Same for Earthquakes, which kind of go hand in hand with volcanoes. 

You misunderstand me, perhaps I should have clarified by saying that the aftermath caused from a volcanic eruption or earthquake is labelled as an accident as there is no one to actually blame - same as a meteor smacking into the planet or Katrina for that matter, down in your neck of the woods.

hmm question: in general are cheap headphones or expensive headphones more durable?

Quote:

Originally Posted by streetdragon 

hmm question: in general are cheap headphones or expensive headphones more durable?

From personal experience most cheaper headphones are less durable than more expensive ones. There are always exceptions to this rule however. You get what you pay for is usually the case - some super-expensive cans are quite fragile but then again, are really only meant for careful listening, inside the home.