Sennheiser HD 700 Impressions Thread
May 26, 2017 at 8:36 PM Post #7,846 of 9,276
Hi guys,
Coming back from a shop after listening to HD650 and HD700.
My Plenue D was unale to drive 650 properly. 700 was easier but sounded slightly flat and laid back.
Plenue D + Fiio E12A made my music come to live on both cans. I liked HD700 more because of slightly better clarity and separation in heavy tracks (e.g. some Nightwish).

But I haven't planned to listen to them from portable player anyway so I brought my laptop with integrated ESS ES9016K2M dac + 9601K amp the other day to listen from it.

Limited time for listening and 1 day between sessions may have affected my judgement, but I feel the PlenueD+E12A did better than pure laptop for both cans.
The 700 on laptop retained better clarity and separation over 650 but some extra uncomfortable sharpness in high frequencies appeared.

I would prefer to make hd700 work good for me. Assuming I want to fit the cans itself and additional amp/amp+dac into total 1k$ budget, what would be the suggestions?
I saw some ppl advising tube amps, but I'm quite cautious about it because, as I read, they need some solid time to warm up, and I usually feel the desire to listen something spontaneously.

Also, am I understanding correctly that if I go for an amp only, I want to connect it to laptop via line out (it has one) using 3.5 jack to RCA cable?
 
May 26, 2017 at 10:44 PM Post #7,847 of 9,276
Hi guys,
Coming back from a shop after listening to HD650 and HD700.
My Plenue D was unale to drive 650 properly. 700 was easier but sounded slightly flat and laid back.
Plenue D + Fiio E12A made my music come to live on both cans. I liked HD700 more because of slightly better clarity and separation in heavy tracks (e.g. some Nightwish).

But I haven't planned to listen to them from portable player anyway so I brought my laptop with integrated ESS ES9016K2M dac + 9601K amp the other day to listen from it.

Limited time for listening and 1 day between sessions may have affected my judgement, but I feel the PlenueD+E12A did better than pure laptop for both cans.
The 700 on laptop retained better clarity and separation over 650 but some extra uncomfortable sharpness in high frequencies appeared.

I would prefer to make hd700 work good for me. Assuming I want to fit the cans itself and additional amp/amp+dac into total 1k$ budget, what would be the suggestions?
I saw some ppl advising tube amps, but I'm quite cautious about it because, as I read, they need some solid time to warm up, and I usually feel the desire to listen something spontaneously.

Also, am I understanding correctly that if I go for an amp only, I want to connect it to laptop via line out (it has one) using 3.5 jack to RCA cable?

Assuming the current price of the HD700 has been around $450 it leaves you $550 for an DAC/amp, my suggestions:

1. Schiit Modi MB $250 and Project Polaris amp ($250) and its SS so you don't need to worry about tubes but even SS amps take a minute or so to warm up.

2. Schiit Modi2uber $170 and Project Ember amp ($350), uses a single tube and comes with a decent tube if you talk to Jeremy when at Garage 1217 when you order for a recommendation

3. Teac UD-301 DAC/amp around $400

4. DIY BH Crack+speedball amp ($415) and $125 for TS-5998 or similar tube and better 12AU7 driver tube.
 
May 26, 2017 at 11:01 PM Post #7,848 of 9,276
Maybe the Modi MB ($250) and the Vali 2 tube hybrid amp ($170)
 
May 27, 2017 at 6:00 AM Post #7,849 of 9,276
Assuming the current price of the HD700 has been around $450 it leaves you $550 for an DAC/amp, my suggestions:

1. Schiit Modi MB $250 and Project Polaris amp ($250) and its SS so you don't need to worry about tubes but even SS amps take a minute or so to warm up.

2. Schiit Modi2uber $170 and Project Ember amp ($350), uses a single tube and comes with a decent tube if you talk to Jeremy when at Garage 1217 when you order for a recommendation

3. Teac UD-301 DAC/amp around $400

4. DIY BH Crack+speedball amp ($415) and $125 for TS-5998 or similar tube and better 12AU7 driver tube.
Thanks for suggestions!

But, as, for prices, not quite that way for me. I live in eastern europe, hd700 is ~600$ here, and shipping something from USA (like garage1217) will cost significant sum (shipping + taxation).
I was looking at Schiit products mostly, but it seems that consensus here is that Schiit's ss amps are too bright and won't do well with hd700.
 
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May 27, 2017 at 6:16 AM Post #7,850 of 9,276
Thanks for suggestions!

But, as, for prices, not quite that way for me. I live in eastern europe, hd700 is ~600$ here, and shipping something from USA (like garage1217) will cost significant sum (shipping + taxation).
I was looking at Schiit products mostly, but it seems that consensus here is that Schiit's ss amps are too bright and won't do well with hd700.

If you live in Europe I would look at Lake People G-109 ($600), Feliks Audio Espressivo ($450) or Teac UD-301 ($400). Schiit amps like the Vali2 or Lyr2 are also good but with the cost of tubes will make them go up in price a bit. The SS amps from Schiit and the Valhalla2 are a touch on the bright side to me also.

A few others on this thread have mentioned the Little Dot 1+ and Little Dot II as being a good pairing with the HD700 but I've only heard a modded LD 1+ with the HD700 and it was quite good from my memory.

Here is a picture of my listening table with the HD700 of to the right side with the Teac UD-301, Ember, Lyr2 and BH Crack (left to right).
Listening table-Mar -planars.jpg
 
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May 27, 2017 at 9:00 PM Post #7,851 of 9,276
I use the Little Dot 1+ and the Little Dot MK III with Upgraded tubes. They are a great match for the HD 700's.
 
May 27, 2017 at 9:02 PM Post #7,852 of 9,276
See Below:
9933246_m.jpg

9933245_m.jpg
 
May 28, 2017 at 8:16 AM Post #7,853 of 9,276
Thanks for suggestions!

But, as, for prices, not quite that way for me. I live in eastern europe, hd700 is ~600$ here, and shipping something from USA (like garage1217) will cost significant sum (shipping + taxation).
I was looking at Schiit products mostly, but it seems that consensus here is that Schiit's ss amps are too bright and won't do well with hd700.

The Valhalla 2 can basically be whatever you want it to be; just roll the tubes to your sound signature preferences. Lot of ideas for that here.
 
May 28, 2017 at 9:21 AM Post #7,854 of 9,276
Or the Vali 2 at $169.00 with only one tube to roll for a change in sound signature...

:)
 
May 28, 2017 at 11:55 AM Post #7,855 of 9,276
Yep...don't think they can go wrong with either. I went with Valhalla simply because I had a few sets of high impedance cans that benefit from an OTL design.
 
May 28, 2017 at 3:50 PM Post #7,856 of 9,276
Thanks everyone
Ordered HD700 and Vali 2. Since I had no opportunity to listen this combo, or any tube amp at all, I decided to go for the cheapest option, just in case I won't like tubes.
Vali will probably take some time to deliver and burn in. I'll share my impressions once it's all settled.

The journey to audiophile world begins... :)
 
Jun 8, 2017 at 8:18 PM Post #7,857 of 9,276
It's been some time since I've got my new setup, and I'm ready to share some thoughts. The post might be too long, sorry for that.

Since I got HD700 almost a week earlier than the Vali 2, I had a good chance to listen to HD700 directly from my laptop.
First thing that I have to say is that those are the most comfortable headphones I've tried so far. I thought you can't get significantly better than 598, but the cups size and shape on those are superb for long sessions. Those are actually the first headphones I fell asleep in while listening.
Now onto the sound. I've been listening to my HD598 for a good 3-4 years now, so I can say I'm pretty familiar with how it sounds. When I first tried HD700 I was amazed by the clarity and soundstage. 598 are considered to have a very good soundstage, even for their initial ~$300 price. But HD700 is completely another level. The difference in clarity is more significant in bass and mids. I put on my 598 on once, did A-B on a few songs and I don't see any reason to wear 598s anymore since then. Compared to HD700, they sound like I'm being locked in a wooden drawer. It was pretty obvious that HD700 is not just different, it's class above in terms of capabilities.
First day I was happy as never before. But...

On the second day I encountered something I've never experienced before - listening fatigue. HD700 are sharp by nature. And my laptop's internals didn't make it better. In fact, i think it amplified the drawbacks even more. After the second day I felt irritated with music, some samples of electronic music made me want to climb the wall. This sharpness in upper mids and treble was making me quite mad. EQing near the famous 5.5khz spike and generally tuning treble did help a little, but didn't solve the issue completely. And, unfortunately, after getting the taste of the capabilities, there was no going back to HD598. I had to make HD700 work for me.

Then my Vali 2 finally came. And, after 4 days of using this combo I can definitely say I'm happy with what I have, and don't regret anything at all.
Now I know for sure that integrated laptop amplifier is crap. In fact, I did some extensive googling later on and found out it costs ~$10.
The things Vali 2 changed*:
1. The highs are not piercing anymore, though remaining perfectly precise.
2. Now I know what sub-bass is, first time hearing it.
3. I've finally got some nice and sweet mids rumble I was hoping to hear.
In general, with Vali 2 my listening fatigue issue is gone, I really like the tonality I've got and really enjoying my music since Vali 2 came. There's been quite a few tracks in my library that I had to re-evaluate and move up in the pecking order, I will probably have to re-listen everything now)

*I found Vali 2 takes ~1-2h since startup to sound at its best. It feels slightly flat in the lower end when cold.
 
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Jun 8, 2017 at 10:03 PM Post #7,858 of 9,276
They are definitely bright. The Little Dot MK2 helped reign in the trebble some. They did sound whiny or something un-amped. Will be moving on soon to the Project Solstice or Valhalla2. The amp used really helps smooth them out a bit

However, bright or not, its fault can be forgiven for their fantastic detail
 
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Jun 8, 2017 at 11:35 PM Post #7,859 of 9,276
@DataTutashxia , the choice of amp really is the key for the HD700 IMO, tubes are preferred but there are a few SS amps that will also go well them. Agree with the part about the HD700 being one of the most comfortable headphones around, the only other headphone that matches the comfort level is the SRH-1840 only because the ear pads are softer and they are a bit lighter.
 
Jun 13, 2017 at 11:12 PM Post #7,860 of 9,276
My main cans are HD800S and I think they're great, no complaints.

I'm putting together a 2nd system to work with a QP1R and ordered a pair of HD700 and HD650.

First, the HD700 - insanely comfortable. They look so much better in real life than they do in pictures. In pics they look kind of large and goofy. But in real life they're quite compact. Very impressive. Love the way they feel in your hands, love the way they fit.

Sound is great, with caveats. The 3d soundstage is lots of fun on some recordings.... but I wonder if I'm it's a little 'too spacey'. I don't get that from my HD800S.

Very detailed, very nice midrange, great bass. Fun and punchy to listen to. There's a ... don't know what to call it... 'glare' sometimes that I'm noticing. Not bothering me much (yet) but I do notice it.

But the truth is I'm enjoying the HD650's more (so far). LOVE the midrange on them. Vocals are amazing. They are nowhere near as comfortable as the 700's. The 'clamp' on them is pretty serious, I'm hoping it will fade with time.

All in all.... two great headphones and it's really hard to pick a favorite. The 700's have that amazing comfort and the 650's have that amazing midrange. If you could get the sound of the 650 in the form factor of the 700 I'd buy a pair in a New York minute.
 

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