ATH A700s, Beyer 770's, Bass... aaand I'm confused.

[linesandspaces]

Alright, so here we go:

Obviously, making a choice in headphones is all personal flavor. Unfortunately, I don't really have the opportunity to try every single headphone I may be interested in.

Right now, I own some sr80's. Fantastic. They sounds great, I love em, and now I want some closed cans, too. I like bass, and (maybe I'm alone?) I like some of the sound of what you get in closed cans. I want attack, thump, slam. Obviously, not looking for muddy, but while I love my grados they definitely don't have that thumpy bass attack I kinda like.

I may use the cans for gaming too, but probably music for the most part.

Enter my "

" situation: Beyer 770s. Ok, so I have consistently heard "Bass Monsters". Word, sounds good. 80 ohms. Alright, doable. Considering I don't have an amp and don't plan on getting one (at least for while, I already have way too many expensive habits), I'd say it may be right on the cusp here. I'd be driving it from my ipod, laptop, stereo, etc.

ATH-A700s. Reading, reading.. OK, under 70 ohms. Better drivability. A little more affordable, good value for the dollar, good soundstage... great all around sound... lean on the bass, Ok... and wait, what? Bass is overbearing? No wait, It's well defined. Ok.. oh wait a second, no it's got weak/little bass... uhh no actually it's really thumpy and big.

Ok, so I understand having slight difference of opinion, but how is it some people find the bass "overbearing", and some are like "wow wheres the bass!?"

Any input? I listen to it all: Radiohead, Sonic Youth, Beck, Brahms, Kottke, Zep, Maiden, anything 80's, etc.

Thanks!

 

[linesandspaces]

Nothin?

 

[juni0r]

Well, I can really only give you like a temporary response until someone gives you a better one, but as an owner of the bass-heavy Sennheiser HD 590 and Ultimate Ears super.fi 5 EB, I can say that the Audio-Technica's aren't bass-light. I personally plan on getting an A900 sometime.

 

[linesandspaces]

Hey well that's something! Thanks, Junior!

 

[rossboy]

you're not alone being stuck on these two..I think I'm gonna try to find some used 770's and if I don't like I'll try the a700's. I think the beyer's show up often on the for sale/trade thread.

 

[warubozu]

I own both the DT770/80 and the A700. Many members here have different listening needs as to how they want their bass. Some like their bass to be tight and fast but not bloated to the point where it dominates over everything else. Others like their bass to be deep and with some slam behind it. You'll have to determine which bass description in the numerous reviews here on both cans best fits your listening needs.

The DT770 has a warm sound to them with a great soundstage. They also have a bass sound that extends deep. Some find the bass out of them to be too much and sort of dominates over everythings else on certain recordings. Although they do sound ok without an amp, I would recommend that you do get one in order for them to sound their best. Without an amp the DT770 doesn't really show it's got slam. With an amp they sort of wake up and really show you the bass.

A700 has a great sound stage and level of detail. They aren't as warm sounding like the DT770 and can come off sounding bright on some recordings. They also have their mids recessed which many find unacceptable. The bass out of the A700 doesn't go as deep as the D770 nor do they have the bass slam like the DT770. It's bass is more balanced in line with the rest of it's sound, it's fast and tight. Those who like their bass with a thump will be rather disappointed at the A700 and feel that they are lacking bass which they aren't. Both cans to my ears does well with rock music.

 

[linesandspaces]

Thanks for the info. I tend to push the mids down slightly on my EQ anyway, so I don't think that'd be an issue for the A700.

The primary issue is probably amping. I'm just not going to be getting one in the foreseeable future. If the 770's didn't really need amping, I'd jump on those in a second. I just want to make sure I'll be happy with the Bass on the A700's.

I also don't have a lot of experience with other headphones. Recently the only other things I've put on my ears has been the Bose on ear and some senn HD25-1 II. The senns sounded really flat and boring to me. Not a fan of the bose, but I did like the oomph on the bass. Any comparison of the bose bass to the a700 or 770?

 

[linesandspaces]

I know. I'm full of questions.

But...

I understand the 770's will sound better with an amp. Do they sound "meh" off an ipod, macbook, or stereo without an amp? If the difference is HUGE, I may stick with the A700s. If it's still a fantastic sound regardless, I may go with the 770's.

 

[warubozu]

Overall to my ears the sound of the 770's straight out of an ipod unamped sounded ok. Soundstage and level of detail are there, however they lacked punch that they're known for when they're amped. Bass out of the 770's sounded a bit undefined without an amp to my ears. Reading on your previous posts, you like to have bass with a bit of slam and not muddy. Then I would advise you to get an amp if you plan on getting the 770's to have them sounding at their full potential.

 

[Kernmac]

Ultrasone Pro 550.

They have the bass slam and depth you seem to be looking for, and do not require an amp. Great fon totaly overlooked because of the need for everyone (Ultrasone buyers) to jump to HFI 780 and Pro 750.

 

[st4r0c3an]

Tried out my friend's A900 and they sound really good with radio head straight out of my laptop. I found there to be a good amount of bass but it does not extend too low. The headphone was new too. The bass was none existent when he first got it, but the bass really came out after a few hours of burning in with pink noise. I've heard the A900 is really close to A700 so I hope this will help you.

 

[mookowz13]

Hmm, funny. Me and a friend went divergent on this issue when we first both got into cans. He went the DT770 route, I opted for the A700s.

We've both tried both and our impressions were in line with waht our choices were. But I'll give you my 2 cents on both.

The DT770's, while they don't require an amp, definitely benefit greatly from even the slightest amp source. The bass on them is indeed very deep and very boomy; to the point where it was overwhelming for me. They are quite warm and have an OK soundstage. I found in terms of position they're great but they don't have the air to give it a true feeling of soundstage. The highs are somewhat laid back and without and amp kind of blanketed but regardless allows for a fatigue free listen. I found the bass to be completely overwhelming though and could just not handle it after more than 10 minutes or they just made me sleepy. These phones require significant burn in too.

The A700's are less warming sounding but are still a tinge on the dark side. The reason some would find them bright is the highs at times can become shrill and sibliant, although I rarely find this. Tight and punchy bass, I find it to be plenty enough for any rock song though they may be light on some rap songs (for me its still more than enough). Mids are DEFINITELY recessed. I normally don't notice it but sometimes it can be unbearable for me. I found these really don't benefit too much from an amp but still improve, just not to the same mark as the DT770's. More balanced off the board with a "fun" sound to them. They also have a bigger soundstage and is about on the same level in terms of detail as amped DT770's. BIGGER, so if size is a concern keep that in mind. My buddy finds these to be horribly bass lean however.

Personally I don't see how you can go wrong with either. As long as you're not a basshead you should be satisfied with the bass of either of the pairs.

 

[slick1ru2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mookowz13 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hmm, funny. Me and a friend went divergent on this issue when we first both got into cans. He went the DT770 route, I opted for the A700s. We've both tried both and our impressions were in line with waht our choices were. But I'll give you my 2 cents on both. The DT770's, while they don't require an amp, definitely benefit greatly from even the slightest amp source. The bass on them is indeed very deep and very boomy; to the point where it was overwhelming for me. They are quite warm and have an OK soundstage. I found in terms of position they're great but they don't have the air to give it a true feeling of soundstage. The highs are somewhat laid back and without and amp kind of blanketed but regardless allows for a fatigue free listen. I found the bass to be completely overwhelming though and could just not handle it after more than 10 minutes or they just made me sleepy. These phones require significant burn in too. The A700's are less warming sounding but are still a tinge on the dark side. The reason some would find them bright is the highs at times can become shrill and sibliant, although I rarely find this. Tight and punchy bass, I find it to be plenty enough for any rock song though they may be light on some rap songs (for me its still more than enough). Mids are DEFINITELY recessed. I normally don't notice it but sometimes it can be unbearable for me. I found these really don't benefit too much from an amp but still improve, just not to the same mark as the DT770's. More balanced off the board with a "fun" sound to them. They also have a bigger soundstage and is about on the same level in terms of detail as amped DT770's. BIGGER, so if size is a concern keep that in mind. My buddy finds these to be horribly bass lean however. Personally I don't see how you can go wrong with either. As long as you're not a basshead you should be satisfied with the bass of either of the pairs.

Try 12 hours of listening level Pink noise on the A700s, increased the bass and sounded warmer, more rocking then my Grado 80s now.