The HD700 is boxed up and ready to go to the next person; I just need the shipping address from Justin. My feedback on the headphones is below.
Equipment
- Amp: Audio GD Master 8 or Apex Arete/Volcano
- Source: Audio GD Reference 8
- Transport: KingRex UC384/UPower
Comfort and Build Quality
I have no complaints about the fit and finish on the HD 700. The headphone is lightweight and has very plush velour pads. The pad surface is higher quality than that on the HD 600/650 and close to the microfiber on the HD 800. Comfort is exceptional except for the tiny bit of clamp, which I'm sure will go away with repeated use. While the use of 2.5 mm locking cable connectors instead of the HD 800's custom plugs are a nod a lower price point, it will likely result in better pricing for aftermarket cables and gives you the ability to use other Sennheiser cables in a pinch.
Sonics
Like most Sennheisers I've heard, the HD 700 is laid back. Whlle they do not have the giant soundstage and pinpoint imaging of the HD 800, the HD 700 has more forward mids and boosted midbass. It's still not a basshead headphone by any means, but it will please people who felt the HD 800 was too cold or sterile sounding.
Although technicalities are dialed down from the flagship model, the HD 700 is still higher res than my HD 580, with better layering in the bass and better instrument separation/vocal clarity. While the HD 580 would occasionally smear with faster paced or large ensemble tracks, the HD 700 has no such issues.
My one quibble with the HD 700 is the somewhat uneven treble presentation. When I first plugged them them to my Apex Arete, I had been mainly listening to my SR007MKI for about a week and the sudden boost in the high frequencies made me want to put the headphones down after a few tracks. I found this strange as I can normally switch between the SR007MKI/HD 800/HE-6 with no issues and most of us would put the last two headphones are in the neutral or bright camp.
While the overall tonality of the HD 700 is definitely darker than that of the HD 800 and HE-6, the treble is a bit more uneven and can go from subdued to somewhat piercing depending on the track.
The next day, I plugged the HD 700 into my Master 8 instead of the Apex Arete and it seemed a bit smoother sounding. While both amps are quite neutral, the Master 8 tends to be slightly fuller sounding than the lean and punchy Arete. As the hours passed, my hearing started to adjust and the treble spikes happened less often, but they never really went away. Maybe the HD 700 just needs a very tubey amp to sound it's best?
Conclusion
While I like how Sennheiser is trying to present a audiophile take on a less polarizing sound signature, the highs are too hit or miss. If you have $1000 and need an upgrade from mid-fi, the LCD-2, HE-500, and Stax Lambdas are still your best options. However, given the top-notch ergonomics and a sound signature that is very agreeable must of the time, Sennheiser only needs a few tweaks to turn the HD 700 into a winner.
HD 750, anyone?