[paddo]

Hey

I was looking at getting some AD700's for gaming and music. Genres I like are pretty typical teenager, Rock, D&B, Hardstyle, some hip hop etc. Bit of everything. Then I found out amazon.com dont ship to NZ and it was going to be NZ$250+ to get them here. A group of us down here are looking at getting RX700's and I'm wondering if they would suit my needs and music genres etc and they are a bit cheaper. As i see it, they have added bass and a slightly smaller soundstage but are cheaper. Thoughts? Wait for AD700 or jump on the RX700 groupbuy bandwagon.

P.S. I don't think we have found anybody to help us get them here so if you're from the US or EU and could help us then look here: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/gro...x-700s-415779/

 

[nullstring]

I don't think that RX700's are all that great... still good for the money though..
many agree with me..
many strongly disagree with me..

In any case, they are very different. RX700's are closed. AD700's are open.

But really, they are so cheap that I would suggest you just get them. If you aren't satsified, then you can figure it out from there. They aren't terrible, for sure... and so, you'll just end up using them as spares.


.. actually.. I am getting my AD700's tomorrow.. and my friend has the RX700's

I was planning on barrowing the RX700's so that I could do some comparisons between them and my D1001's. I could do some comparisons with the D1001's as well..
That said, I expect them to be very different..

 

[Adreneline]

Most people who don't like them haven't heard them fully burned-in.

But some people just don't like them - audio is all subjective.

I love them. They are great. I see no point in spending hundreds of dollars for headphones for myself, as this is great enough for me IMO.

I have tried out AD700, D1001, and D2000. Each are great, I preferred the sound of the RX700 however. D2000 was good but not worth it for the price tag for me. AD700 is great, but did not like the lack of bass, nor the fact that it was open (I got headphones so no one can hear ANYTHING coming from my room).

So, everything is very preference. Someone might say the exact opposite of me, just give them all a listen if you could and decide from there. Some people will stop at the RX700, others will go for the HD800

.

 

[fraseyboy]

Check trademe. They pop up every so often.

Because of the crappy NZ dollar, $250NZD isn't really that bad of a deal.

 

[Rex81]

I agree 100% with Adrenaline.

Take it from us guys who have owned a lot of popular mid-fi phones: Buy the RX700 and be done with it. I feel it far outshines the AD700 (wimpy sound, too lean, not enough bass and presence) and D1001 (similar to the RX700 but not as refined and can't compare in soundstage). The D2000 is better than the RX700 in some respects, but I always find myself going back to the RX700 which is 10 times cheaper.

Pass on the AD700. Don't get me wrong, its a decent phone, but it doesn't have a chance against the RX700 especially when you consider value. People who rave about it (and as I'm sure you can see, there are plenty) haven't heard a fully burned in RX700.

I've spent well over $1000 on headphones and at the end of the day, all I want are two pairs of RX700s. One for home, one for the office. Could've saved myself $950 or so if I only knew then what I know now.

 

[lucky]

For me, one isn't better than the other; they're both good at different things. I do consider the RX700 to be the better value, and can't see myself spending more than $100 on a pair of phones for the foreseeable future when there's such good stuff to be had for cheap.

 

[RallyMaster]

Quote:

Originally Posted by paddo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hey I was looking at getting some AD700's for gaming and music. Genres I like are pretty typical teenager, Rock, D&B, Hardstyle, some hip hop etc. Bit of everything. Then I found out amazon.com dont ship to NZ and it was going to be NZ$250+ to get them here. A group of us down here are looking at getting RX700's and I'm wondering if they would suit my needs and music genres etc and they are a bit cheaper. As i see it, they have added bass and a slightly smaller soundstage but are cheaper. Thoughts? Wait for AD700 or jump on the RX700 groupbuy bandwagon. P.S. I don't think we have found anybody to help us get them here so if you're from the US or EU and could help us then look here: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/gro...x-700s-415779/

From my experience, the HARX700 is not well suited for your genres of music. While the sound is enthralling and the value is absolutely amazing for what you get, I'd really have to say the bass from the RX700 doesn't hit as hard as I would want them to hit. Also, when the bass does hit, you'll likely find that the highs and mids lose a ton of their definition and feel like the power gets sucked out of those frequencies. The best music to play on the RX700 would be classic rock and live performances (e.g. Eagles).

The AD700 is an open can and from what all of these folks say, the consensus is that open cans don't have as much bass as you would want them to. Open cans also don't block out outside noise so if you're on the bus listening to them, everybody will hear your music (if turned up loud) and you will hear the bus, not to mention everybody will look at you and go "Why are his headphones so big??"

 

[fjrabon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adreneline /img/forum/go_quote.gif Most people who don't like them haven't heard them fully burned-in.

Ever notice how everybody says this about their favorite headphones?

 

[Adreneline]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fjrabon /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ever notice how everybody says this about their favorite headphones?

No, I haven't actually - a lot of people have said night and day differences between out of box and burn in with these phones. Check out the RX700/RX900 thread.

I also said some people just may not like them, in contrast.

 

[fjrabon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rex81 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I agree 100% with Adrenaline. Take it from us guys who have owned a lot of popular mid-fi phones: Buy the RX700 and be done with it. I feel it far outshines the AD700 (wimpy sound, too lean, not enough bass and presence) and D1001 (similar to the RX700 but not as refined and can't compare in soundstage). The D2000 is better than the RX700 in some respects, but I always find myself going back to the RX700 which is 10 times cheaper. Pass on the AD700. Don't get me wrong, its a decent phone, but it doesn't have a chance against the RX700 especially when you consider value. People who rave about it (and as I'm sure you can see, there are plenty) haven't heard a fully burned in RX700. I've spent well over $1000 on headphones and at the end of the day, all I want are two pairs of RX700s. One for home, one for the office. Could've saved myself $950 or so if I only knew then what I know now.

um, one of the demo pairs of RX700's I tried in probably had a few hundred hours of burn in time and the other was NOB (New Out of the Box). I think you're going a bit overboard by saying "but [the AD700] doesn't have a chance against the RX700". If you think its a better value, sure, fine, the RX700 is 30 bucks. But the RX700s have a fair bit of reverb, which really hurts clarity. Furthermore, I don't think they're more "refined" than the D1001. I thought that the RX700 often just sounded muddled and lacked focus. It's soundstage might be wider than the D1001, but I also found it telling that you didn't mention that the AD700's soundstage slaughters the RX700's, while not being as confusing and muddled as the RX700.

I've also never understood why you seem to have no issue with EQing up the highs on the RX700, but wouldn't boost the bass on the AD700's. I also found it weird that you say that the RX700 has more presence, when you're EQing up the presence frequencies (upper mids). I don't have a problem with EQ, but I think it drastically colors (no pun intended) your reviews of the RX700.

I think the RX700 is a fantastic value, and I've thought about buying one, just because, well, hey, its 30 bucks. I also may order some for the studio I work in to have a couple of cheap sets of closed 'phones. But I also realized after trying it that I'd have no real reason to ever own it personally. The only reason I really ever need a closed phone for isolation purposes is on the go or at the studio, and the RX700 is too bulky for on the go. $30 for a phone that would just sit hanging on my wall at home is $30 I don't need to spend.

I also don't mean to hate on the RX700, I think its a fine 'phone, and maybe the best value in headphones. But I'm also someone who has tried it for over 15 hours, own a D1001 and an AD700, and I would use the other two far more. I wanted to like the RX700, because it would make a lot of things easier for me, and I liked it, but I just didn't love it at all.

 

[lucky]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fjrabon /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ever notice how everybody says this about their favorite headphones?

Actually, lots of folks here (myself included) don't believe in headphone burn-in. Personally, I think that if you like a pair of headphones, you either like the phone signature off the bat or acclimate to it through brain burn-in.

Case in point: I loved the AD700 right out of the box. I had mixed feelings about the RX700, but grew to like it after removing the felt and spending many hours listening to it exclusively to get my brain tuned in to its sound.

 

[fjrabon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lucky /img/forum/go_quote.gif Actually, lots of folks here (myself included) don't believe in headphone burn-in. Personally, I think that if you like a pair of headphones, you either like the phone signature off the bat or acclimate to it through brain burn-in. Case in point: I loved the AD700 right out of the box. I had mixed feelings about the RX700, but grew to like it after removing the felt and spending many hours listening to it exclusively to get my brain tuned in to its sound.

eh, I mean "everybody" was obviously an exaggeration. But case in point, there have already been two posts, just in this thread, saying that people who don't like the RX700 probably haven't heard it properly burned in.

 

[Rex81]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fjrabon /img/forum/go_quote.gif um, one of the demo pairs of RX700's I tried in probably had a few hundred hours of burn in time and the other was NOB (New Out of the Box). I think you're going a bit overboard by saying "but [the AD700] doesn't have a chance against the RX700". If you think its a better value, sure, fine, the RX700 is 30 bucks. But the RX700s have a fair bit of reverb, which really hurts clarity. Furthermore, I don't think they're more "refined" than the D1001. I thought that the RX700 often just sounded muddled and lacked focus. It's soundstage might be wider than the D1001, but I also found it telling that you didn't mention that the AD700's soundstage slaughters the RX700's, while not being as confusing and muddled as the RX700. I've also never understood why you seem to have no issue with EQing up the highs on the RX700, but wouldn't boost the bass on the AD700's. I also found it weird that you say that the RX700 has more presence, when you're EQing up the presence frequencies (upper mids). I don't have a problem with EQ, but I think it drastically colors (no pun intended) your reviews of the RX700. I think the RX700 is a fantastic value, and I've thought about buying one, just because, well, hey, its 30 bucks. I also may order some for the studio I work in to have a couple of cheap sets of closed 'phones. But I also realized after trying it that I'd have no real reason to ever own it personally. The only reason I really ever need a closed phone for isolation purposes is on the go or at the studio, and the RX700 is too bulky for on the go. $30 for a phone that would just sit hanging on my wall at home is $30 I don't need to spend. I also don't mean to hate on the RX700, I think its a fine 'phone, and maybe the best value in headphones. But I'm also someone who has tried it for over 15 hours, own a D1001 and an AD700, and I would use the other two far more. I wanted to like the RX700, because it would make a lot of things easier for me, and I liked it, but I just didn't love it at all.

Hopefully you've kept in mind that sound is subjective and anyone in this forum is stating their own preference and opinion, nothing more.

It is my opinion that the AD700 doesn't have a chance against the RX700 and the fact that it is my opinion should be obvious.

I'm also referring to a felt modded and stuffed RX700, which dramtically clears these up. If you need more info, just look at any of the RX700 or 900 threads. I feel very comfortable saying that an RX700 burned in, felt modded and stuffed is a much different animal than one out of the box. There are many head-fiers with similar opinions.

I'm sorry if you "find it telling" that I didn't mention the AD700 soundstage. I was under the impression that everyone knows the AD700 has some of the widest soundstage in this price range. I didn't mean to mislead anyone. Just to be clear, AD700 wins the soundstage war.

I don't have any problem with EQing and believe me, I tried everything to coax out some lows from the AD700. Wasn't cutting it for me. The problem I had was with the basic sound signature. The AD700 was too weak in the lows and too grainy and shrill in the highs. The RX700 flat is much more to my liking. The RX700 has presence without EQ, I just like to add a bit to the mids and highs for more clarity and presentation.

This all comes down to personal opinon, as does EVERY comment on this forum. Please don't attack my opinion (or the way I reach my opinion) because it's different than yours. Just state your opinon afterwards and let the other readers decide. I'm trying to help some noobs save some money and find a great headphone so they can get to the bottom of this whole thing: The music.

 

[jageur272]

Personally not a big fan of the RX700's, but at low-fi, be different, try a planar:

Fostex T50RP

Just dampen them a bit.

Also, about the whole sub-$150 headphone thing, its all opinion. Don't believe what other people tell you, just try them and if you don't like them, return. Get them based off of what sound signature (bassy, detailed, laid back, etc.) you think you want to hear. Not "What is the best?".

Between the two the OP wants compared, for gaming, the AD700 is considerably better than the RX700.

 

[Sw33t.Shuga.Ray]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fjrabon /img/forum/go_quote.gif xxx If you think its a better value, sure, fine, the RX700 is 30 bucks. But the RX700s have a fair bit of reverb, which really hurts clarity.xxx I thought that the RX700 often just sounded muddled and lacked focus. It's soundstage might be wider than the D1001, but I also found it telling that you didn't mention that the AD700's soundstage slaughters the RX700's, while not being as confusing and muddled as the RX700.

I own both. I seem to agree with this too(not verbatim / xxx). RX700 does tend to be muddled (amped/unamped) with the music I play. Great TV/movie hp nonetheless