[NRWalker]

Disclaimer
This is my first attempt at a review so please don't be too harsh and, as ever, these views are my own and anyone is welcome to disagree!
 
The candidates
First up is the Audio Technica AD700, a pair of headphones regularly mentioned on these forums and especially noted for its wide soundstage and airy presentation. I got mine as B-Stock, but they came in perfect condition for a good price (£80) The pair used in this review at stock and have had some 200 hours of burn-in. Before this review they were my preferred headphones - I'm not going to say anything about the outcome at this stage.
 
Next is the Sennheiser HD565 Ovation, which I recently picked up on ebay for about half the cost of the Audio Technicas (£40). It's received far less attention than the AD700, primarily because it's an older model, but according to the  few accounts there are it is described as being close in sound to the HD580 or HD600. The stock cable, which broken, has been replaced with the cable from the HD650 (£25).
 
The source
Unfortunately the blocky 6.3mm-3.5mm adapter I've got for the HD565 doesn't fit into the USB soundcard that I have (which, I realise, itself probably isn't the ideal source). That means I'm going to have to run both headphones straight out of my Gateway p8705-u laptop. At least I'm going to be testing both with 320kb/s mp3 or FLAC files running through Foobar.
 
Methodology
I am going to do an AB comparison of the headphones listening to some songs with which I'm familiar. This won't cover all genres and for the most part it won't use the technical language that many people on head-fi adopt. Sorry if this means it isn't the most objective review, but I'm a bit of an amateur! 
 
Rock and Indie comparison
 

1. The Strokes - Under the Cover of Darkness - on listening to this song with the HD565 I immediately noticed the aggressive guitars on the intro and the way that the vocals were brought to the forefront of the presentation. That's the way a Strokes song is meant to sound and the whole experience was very engaging. In comparison the AD700 sounded laid back. The guitars didn't have the same clout (maybe the sound signature, or maybe a lack of attack). The vocals slipped into the surrounding background. It was enjoyable, but not as good for this song.

 

1. Arctic Monkeys - Cornerstone - on the HD565 this song plods along quite happily, all the details are there, but nothing jumps out at you. However, this is where the broader soundstage of the AD700s shines to create more space between all of the instruments. Again all the details are there and nothing is unduly emphasised. A slight draw-back is that I can hear artefacts on the acoustic guitar, which may be a problem with the file or the recording, but ultimately comes back to the fact that the AD700 is very revealing of defects.

 

1. The Black Keys - Tighten Up - this is a very different song to the previous one with heavy emphasis on the drum, bass and vocals. It reveals a similarity of the HD565 and AD700 in that both are quite bass-light (if anything the AD700 has more). For most songs this isn't a problem for me, but on this one it detracts from the experience. Comparing either to my SRH840 they'd both benefit from some extra thump to get the toes tapping. Returning to the question at hand, I think the story is similar to the Arctic Monkeys above, while both recreate the song accurately, the AD700s wider soundstage creates better separation and makes the listening experience more enjoyable.

 
Electronica
 

1. Four Tet - Love Cry - I listened to this song with the AD700s first and it raised the bar very high. When the drums kick in they have a lively thump that gives the music a pulse and when the looped vocals start they sound sweet and musical. The separation is perfectly suited to this sort of heavily layered music allowing every detail to be discerned. I listened to the whole 9 minutes and found every second engaging. In comparison the HD565 sounded flat and workmanlike. It's not that there were any serious faults, but for this song it didn't surpass the AD700 in any respect.

 

1. Miike Snow - Animal (Mark Ronson remix) - the HD565s did a good job on this song by bringing the vocals to the front and adding some funk to the organ. The lack of bass was a drawback, but otherwise the narrower presentation suited this song well. Here, the AD700 did not do so well as its strengths became weaknesses. The wide soundstage actually created so much space that the song no longer felt cohesive and the tight bass failed to fill these spaces.

 

1. Adele - Rolling in the Deep (Jamie xx remix) - I think the section in this song where Childish Gambino raps clearly reveals a major difference between the headphones. The HD565 brought his reproduced his vocals flawlessly, brought them to the front of the presentation, and did an excellent job of capturing his energy. However, that was all they did. The AD700 did a good job of recreating the vocals (albeit with a tiny bit of sibilance). But where they improved on the HD565 was by giving presence to the other sounds in the mix. I was hearing the whole song rather than just the vocals.

 
Soul
 

1. Ray Charles - Bye Bye Love - this song is another example of something that is becoming a trend. The HD565 put in a solid performance, but there were a few minor gripes in that it overemphasised the backing singers (as opposed to Ray) and didn't really reproduce the bassline. In comparison  the AD700, which brought every detail to life and I felt like I was really at the centre of the band (as opposed to merely hearing a recording of one).

 

1. Norah Jones - Don't Know Why - here the differences between the two headphones were quite subtle. Both did an excellent job on the vocals giving them their sweet musicality. The AD700s were slightly better at giving the backing instruments a sparkle that added slightly to the overall experience.

 
Classical
 

1. Johannes Brahms - Klavierstucke, Op. 188, No. 12 - the HD565 suffered from a slight veil on the piano which took some of the life out of the performance. This was not a problem for the AD700. However, initially, I thought something else was wrong as I noticed an odd background noise. Then, to my surprise, I realised that it was the sound of the pianist breathing! You cannot fault that detail reproduction (although you might question whether people really want that distraction)!

 

1. Franz Schubert - Marche Militaire No. 1 - I think this piece is suitable to be the final one of my review. It was an opportunity for the headphones to impress me with the full range of instruments in an orchestra and a song based heavily on dynamics. Both did a good job of recreating the timbre. I'd have to give a slight edge to the AD700s for violines, oboe, and flutes; whereas the HD565 did a better job on the cellos. Overall, I'd have to give it to the AD700s which had an airier presentation that suited the piece well.

 
Conclusion
 
I think that the price at which I managed to pick up these headphones is a fair reflection of their overall performance. The extra £40 spent on the AD700s was rewarded with a wider soundstage, greater detail, and a more balanced sound signature (it may not have the bass of other headphones, but that doesn't stop it being very enjoyable). Certain moments, for example, the acoustic outro to Love Cry were recreated with a sparkle and flair that the HD565 could never achieve.
 
But that is not to say the HD565 was a bad headphone. When it occasionally appears on ebay it can be picked up inexpensively (one went the other day for only £20) and I can't think of many other headphones in that price range that can go toe to toe with the AD700 and not come off too badly.
 
Thank you for reading.

 

[pp312]

Nice first review. I've owned both those phones, albeit at different times and with different equipment. I didn't like the AD700 at all; thought it was rather bright and coarse. Very much liked the 565 and used it for a couple of years. I've since seen it described as one of the most accurate and balanced of the Sennheisers, even compared to the 580/600 series. None of this of course invalidates your view; many prefer the AT sound to the Senns. I would however encourage you to take another listen. The sparkle and flair you describe can sometimes be initially alluring but may not necessarily be present in the recording. IOW, the phone with the apparently greater wow factor isn't always the most accurate or the most satisfying in the long term over a wide range of material.