AD700 First Impressions

[donunus]

Actually, I would like to quote kool bubba ice since so many people rebelled against his first impressions of these cans.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kool bubba ice /img/forum/go_quote.gif Music Pros good clarity, especially in the higher frequencies. Remarkable front to back depth. Sound stage as a whole is big. Nice imaging. Cons recessed mids. Not bad, but noticeable. Bass is delicate and lacks authority. Sound seems un natural to me. Sound stage is not very coherent. A lot of smearing. Lacks good detail retrieval

This is almost spot on with what I hear with my brand new pair that I got just now. Now I say almost because for $100 this is hard to beat. In fact, these already sound better than the k701s IMO although not as technically good when it comes to bass detail for example.

These ad700s remind me most of my ad2000s with better soundstage and highs but with less impact. The mids are a little recessed in some frequencies just like the ad2ks but dont have the hardcore extreme boosts in other frequencies like the ad2k does at the same time. comfort is very good but correct ear placement is a must for obtaining the best sound. This is probably because of the angled drivers.

I'll post more impressions later after burn in but for 104 dollars brand new, these are very very awesome even listening out of the box............................................... .................................................. ...................

EDIT: I'm adding some of the posts I've made within the first 6 pages of this thread to give more substance to this first post

Here it is...

I would like to add that my first impressions above were done straight out of an ipod touch 2g playing vbr mp3s with no eq.


Now I'm listening to them with my Mhdt Havana dac using western electric tubes and amped with a glite with dps playing a cd of katherine Jenkins. These cans are blowing my mind in bliss with this music and equipment combo. I'll try other music later but the word for now is....

sparkly, airy, great soundstage with a warm overall sound despite the slight bass leaness. It is the recession in this one portion of the upper mids/low treble that make the AD700s and ad2000s warm sounding IMO. I cant pinpoint the frequency but i feel its a lower treble area recession opposite of the k701s lower treble boost that make these sound warm. Did I mention top end sparkle??? I havent heard this much sparkle in other audiophile headphones

I'd like to add that i did some comparisons of the ad700s between my hd600s and sr60s earlier using 3 pad configurations( flats, bowls, reversed bowls) and the grados sounded like a toy compared to both the ad700 and the hd600 which clearly sounded like more expensive headphones. Now, when it comes to the 2(hd600 and ad700), some music actually sounds better on the ad700s because of the clear highs and not overly warm lower mids. Only when playing semi bass shy 80s recordings does the hd600s excel so far. Theres is a slight plasticky tone to the ad700 compared to the more damped and controlled hd600 but its not such a big deal really. I have to try more complex music tomorrow to see how the ad700s perform because as of now, I'm impressed. I actually prefer these to the more expensive AD2000 regardless of whether they were the same price.... so far...

I would also like to say that I just read the stereophile comments made by Sam Tellig on Sams space June 2008 comparing k701s with the ad700s. I don't agree with him saying the k701 is more extended in highs. Well he did say he wasn't that extended himself either. The k701s are brighter but more rolled off on top IMO. The ad700s like I said in my impressions have a relatively warm sound against the k701s because the lower highs are not emphasized like the k701s. The emphasis of the ad700 is above 10khz which is great for my tastes. They make cymbals shimmer but dont change their timbre like the k701s do.

heres the article...
Stereophile | Jun-08 | Inside | Zinio Digital Magazines

I just got back from a concert just now with a string quartet with a piano player, an oboe, flute, and guitar and I was sitting dead center in the third row where i was about maybe 15 feet away from the nearest musician on stage. After this i was curious to see if the hd600 would sound closer to what I heard than the ad700s while listening to a cd from the tempera quartet... Guess what... with my setup, the ad700 blows the hd600 away with this music. The ad700s sound much more like what I heard in the concert. It is still slightly sharper and more hollow than the real thing though but then again I'm listening to a recording on a $100 can!!!!!! The western electric tube on my dac does help a big ways towards getting that realistic soft touch and body to the real instruments when compared with my cheap solid state sources.

Disclaimer: Think of this as a fanatic raving thread because i struck gold so to say. Please don't get tempted to buy the ad700s because I love them so much. Get them if you like the descriptions I made about them. If I put myself in others shoes, they are really not that impressive. They just happened to strike a chord in me that hasn't been touched in years. Mysterious shyte coming from such a cheap can.

 

[JayB18]

Thanks for the impressions. What parts of the mids would you say are recessed and what would you say is the correct ear placement.

 

[Brighten]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donunus /img/forum/go_quote.gif Actually, I would like to quote kool bubba ice since so many people rebelled against his first impressions of these cans. This is almost spot on with what I hear with my brand new pair that I got just now. Now I say almost because for $100 this is hard to beat. In fact, these already sound better than the k701s IMO although not as technically good when it comes to bass detail for example. These ad700s remind me most of my ad2000s with better soundstage and highs but with less impact. The mids are a little recessed in some frequencies just like the ad2ks but dont have the hardcore extreme boosts in other frequencies like the ad2k does at the same time. comfort is very good but correct ear placement is a must for obtaining the best sound. This is probably because of the angled drivers. I'll post more impressions later after burn in but for 104 dollars brand new, these are very very awesome even listening out of the box

 

[thatwunguy]

actually, I just ordered some ad700's today, so I am anxious to see how they compare to my other 'phones (listed in sig).

Also, per my recommendation, a guy in my house just got some Grado sr325i and Phonak Audeo because he liked my gear so much that he decided to go out and research for himself.

It will be cool to compare all these 'phones. I've never done a review or comparison, but it may be high time I start with so many great pieces of equipment at my daily disposal.

 

[kool bubba ice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donunus /img/forum/go_quote.gif Actually, I would like to quote kool bubba ice since so many people rebelled against his first impressions of these cans. This is almost spot on with what I hear with my brand new pair that I got just now. Now I say almost because for $100 this is hard to beat. In fact, these already sound better than the k701s IMO although not as technically good when it comes to bass detail for example. These ad700s remind me most of my ad2000s with better soundstage and highs but with less impact. The mids are a little recessed in some frequencies just like the ad2ks but dont have the hardcore extreme boosts in other frequencies like the ad2k does at the same time. comfort is very good but correct ear placement is a must for obtaining the best sound. This is probably because of the angled drivers. I'll post more impressions later after burn in but for 104 dollars brand new, these are very very awesome even listening out of the box

Thank you. These are great cans for the price. I don't care for their flavor in regards to music, but are great headphones for gaming. Price to performance ratio is very high. I'm keeping mine. 85.00 shipped is a steal for them.

 

[donunus]

I would like to add that my first impressions above were done straight out of an ipod touch 2g playing vbr mp3s with no eq.

Now I'm listening to them with my Mhdt Havana dac using western electric tubes and amped with a glite with dps playing a cd of katherine Jenkins. These cans are blowing my mind in bliss with this music and equipment combo. I'll try other music later but the word for now is....
sparkly, airy, great soundstage with a warm overall sound despite the slight bass leaness. It is the recession in this one portion of the upper mids/low treble that make the AD700s and ad2000s warm sounding IMO. I cant pinpoint the frequency but i feel its a lower treble area recession opposite of the k701s lower treble boost that make these sound warm. Did I mention top end sparkle??? I havent heard this much sparkle in other audiophile headphones

 

[kool bubba ice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donunus /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would like to add that my first impressions above were done straight out of an ipod touch 2g playing vbr mp3s with no eq. Now I'm listening to them with my Mhdt Havana dac using western electric tubes and amped with a glite with dps playing a cd of katherine Jenkins. These cans are blowing my mind in bliss with this music and equipment combo. I'll try other music later but the word for now is.... sparkly, airy, great soundstage with a warm overall sound despite the slight bass leaness. It is the recession in this one portion of the upper mids/low treble that make the AD700s and ad2000s warm sounding IMO. I cant pinpoint the frequency but i feel its a lower treble area recession opposite of the k701s lower treble boost that make these sound warm. Did I mention top end sparkle??? I havent heard this much sparkle in other audiophile headphones

Yeah, maybe my gear isn't doing them justice. The PS3 isn't that great as a CDP, but not too bad.

 

[donunus]

i'd like to add that i did some comparisons of the ad700s between my hd600s and sr60s earlier using 3 pad configurations( flats, bowls, reversed bowls) and the grados sounded like a toy compared to both the ad700 and the hd600 which clearly sounded like more expensive headphones. Now, when it comes to the 2(hd600 and ad700), some music actually sounds better on the ad700s because of the clear highs and not overly warm lower mids. Only when playing semi bass shy 80s recordings does the hd600s excel so far. Theres is a slight plasticky tone to the ad700 compared to the more damped and controlled hd600 but its not such a big deal really. I have to try more complex music tomorrow to see how the ad700s perform because as of now, I'm impressed. I actually prefer these to the more expensive AD2000 regardless of whether they were the same price.... so far...

 

[JayB18]

Great impressions. Cant wait to hear more. I'm wear mine forward so that the drivers are move toward the front of my head. Would you say this is the correct placement? Wearing them back makes them too bright sounding.

 

[donunus]

I like to position them to get the best blend of mids and highs. it sort of just feels right when you get used to the right placement. They are sparkly but not really too bright for me especially with the western electric tubes so the right position for me is the brightest position without losing mids.

Did some more listening now... Congestion during complex passages is worse than the well behaved hd600s but at the price, couldn'tcare less. These are truly the best value cans out there along with the hd555s at this price point. The 555s might not even be as good

 

[donunus]

Female vocals are awesome with these cans!!! Even better than the ad2000s IMO. What the ad2000s did was give a richer and more impactful version of the ad700 sound but lost the top end and gave more colorations in the mids. The colorations I speak of with the ad2ks might just be due to the fit being too tight though since it sounded like they were earcup colorations. The ad700 is around 80% free of this coloration that I didn't like so much with the ad2000s and now after 24 hour pinknoise burn in its more like 90% free of that same mids coloration. Now if the ad700s could be better at complex passages where lots of instruments are playing at the same time and lose that slight plastic edge, it would be one amazing MF'n can regardless of price!!! As of now I still say these are awesome for what they are and my hd600s are currently parked in the closet

 

[KevM2]

I'll probably get a pair of these next month. I have a pair of SR80 Grados on the way to try out the Grado flavor. I need something more closer and intimate than what the HD600s currently offer. They are a good phone, but a bit too distant sounding.

 

[fraseyboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donunus /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would like to add that my first impressions above were done straight out of an ipod touch 2g playing vbr mp3s with no eq. Now I'm listening to them with my Mhdt Havana dac using western electric tubes and amped with a glite with dps playing a cd of katherine Jenkins. These cans are blowing my mind in bliss with this music and equipment combo. I'll try other music later but the word for now is.... sparkly, airy, great soundstage with a warm overall sound despite the slight bass leaness. It is the recession in this one portion of the upper mids/low treble that make the AD700s and ad2000s warm sounding IMO. I cant pinpoint the frequency but i feel its a lower treble area recession opposite of the k701s lower treble boost that make these sound warm. Did I mention top end sparkle??? I havent heard this much sparkle in other audiophile headphones

NOW DO YOU SEE WHAT I MEAN?

They really are awesome. I've given up on finding dynamics that I prefer to them, so when the dollar gets fixed up again ima go buy some Lambda's and see how they compare

 

[KevM2]

Do you like these better than the 600s? And are they 'clearer'?

 

[kool bubba ice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fraseyboy /img/forum/go_quote.gif NOW DO YOU SEE WHAT I MEAN? They really are awesome. I've given up on finding dynamics that I prefer to them, so when the dollar gets fixed up again ima go buy some Lambda's and see how they compare

As good as they are, I find my modded 650/SA5000/48 to be a step above it. And I prefer the 595s for music over the AD700. I find it hard to believe that you wont find another headphone on this planet that you like better then the AD700. How many headphones in the under and over a grand have you tried or owned?