brconner
Head-Fier
- Joined
- May 28, 2009
- Posts
- 86
- Likes
- 11
So I had been looking for some over the ear headphones for a few months and hadn’t ever had a good pair over the ear headphones. I have a pair of Triple.fi 10’s that I had custom fit by Fisher audio, but I was eager to try a get set of cans. I didn’t want to spend too much money on them since I already have the TriFis and like those a lot. After reading a lot online, I found the Audio Technica ATH-AD700. I had originally been planning on getting the Shure SRH750DJs but they were a bit more than I wanted to spend at the moment. At $86 I didn’t feel guilty getting a pair.
The two main features I was really looking forward to on the AD700s was the soundstage and the fit. I kept reading how comfortable they are and that the soundstage was exceptionally good. The only thing I was really worried about was the bass response. A lot of people kept saying that these cans are not for bass-heads. I’m not a bass-head, but I appreciate good bass in my music.
So I ordered them from a store on eBay and have gotten probably 80 hours of listening to them by now. Now I had seen pictures online, but couldn’t find any pictures of someone wearing them. These things are big. I had read they were big, but I was still surprised at how big. Even though they are big, they are extremely comfortable. I was also surprised how light they feel when I wear them. They’re not very tight on my head, but I’m not worried about them falling off.
So the sound...it’s awesome. When I first opened them up and started listening I was hearing a few things that concerned me a bit, but keep reading. They sounded a bit sibilant and I noticed some distortion on the peaks of the music.
Turns out the distortion was coming from my source, an Alesis MultiMix using the USB audio. I switched to my iPhone and the distortion went away. I’m working on a headphone amp so once that’s done I’ll let you know about any differences. Anyways, as I used the headphones the sibilance disappeared. After probably 30 or 40 hours I didn’t notice any sibilant sounds.
So what do I like about the sound? The soundstage is excellent. When I listen to my TriFi’s it sounds like I’m right there in the studio. When I listen to the AD700s it sounds like I’m on stage. Listening to a good recording of a live jazz or classical concert is just awesome. I think you could actually point to where each instrument is being played with a good amount of accuracy. Listening to acoustic instruments and vocals is wonderful. While they sounded sibilant in the beginning, the sound has really evolved to a very sweet sound. Now I feel like the vocalist has maybe taken a step back from me in comparison to the other instruments, but everything is still very clear and articulate.
So about the bass…The bass is definitely there, but these cans really are not for the bass heads. You’ll still feel the bass pumping but it’s a little softer. They interesting thing I noticed about the bass was how far it extended though. The bass response actually extends lower than my TriFis. That’s not to say the AD700s have more bass or better bass, the response just extends a bit further. The bass does sounds good though, maybe a little further away in comparison to the rest of the sound. I think the bass is well defined and you can certainly feel it because of the extended response.
If you’re looking for something with isolation then I wouldn’t suggest these since there isn’t any isolation I can notice. I think that this helps with the spacious feel, and while they’d sound awesome in a library you probably shouldn’t listen to them there. The sounds leaks quite a bit.
Overall, I’m really happy I bought these cans. They sound great and I think for the price they sound even better. I love how you feel on stage with the musicians. It’s easy to get lost in the music. I haven’t watched any movies with them, but I think it would be pretty awesome. When there’s a sweeping sound from side to side you just want to turn your head and follow it, its just sick how cool it sounds haha. If you’re looking for a set of cans in the sub $100 price range I would highly suggest you consider these headphones.
Anyways, I’ll try to post some pics later. Hopefully you’ll find that this was a useful review!
The two main features I was really looking forward to on the AD700s was the soundstage and the fit. I kept reading how comfortable they are and that the soundstage was exceptionally good. The only thing I was really worried about was the bass response. A lot of people kept saying that these cans are not for bass-heads. I’m not a bass-head, but I appreciate good bass in my music.
So I ordered them from a store on eBay and have gotten probably 80 hours of listening to them by now. Now I had seen pictures online, but couldn’t find any pictures of someone wearing them. These things are big. I had read they were big, but I was still surprised at how big. Even though they are big, they are extremely comfortable. I was also surprised how light they feel when I wear them. They’re not very tight on my head, but I’m not worried about them falling off.
So the sound...it’s awesome. When I first opened them up and started listening I was hearing a few things that concerned me a bit, but keep reading. They sounded a bit sibilant and I noticed some distortion on the peaks of the music.
Turns out the distortion was coming from my source, an Alesis MultiMix using the USB audio. I switched to my iPhone and the distortion went away. I’m working on a headphone amp so once that’s done I’ll let you know about any differences. Anyways, as I used the headphones the sibilance disappeared. After probably 30 or 40 hours I didn’t notice any sibilant sounds.
So what do I like about the sound? The soundstage is excellent. When I listen to my TriFi’s it sounds like I’m right there in the studio. When I listen to the AD700s it sounds like I’m on stage. Listening to a good recording of a live jazz or classical concert is just awesome. I think you could actually point to where each instrument is being played with a good amount of accuracy. Listening to acoustic instruments and vocals is wonderful. While they sounded sibilant in the beginning, the sound has really evolved to a very sweet sound. Now I feel like the vocalist has maybe taken a step back from me in comparison to the other instruments, but everything is still very clear and articulate.
So about the bass…The bass is definitely there, but these cans really are not for the bass heads. You’ll still feel the bass pumping but it’s a little softer. They interesting thing I noticed about the bass was how far it extended though. The bass response actually extends lower than my TriFis. That’s not to say the AD700s have more bass or better bass, the response just extends a bit further. The bass does sounds good though, maybe a little further away in comparison to the rest of the sound. I think the bass is well defined and you can certainly feel it because of the extended response.
If you’re looking for something with isolation then I wouldn’t suggest these since there isn’t any isolation I can notice. I think that this helps with the spacious feel, and while they’d sound awesome in a library you probably shouldn’t listen to them there. The sounds leaks quite a bit.
Overall, I’m really happy I bought these cans. They sound great and I think for the price they sound even better. I love how you feel on stage with the musicians. It’s easy to get lost in the music. I haven’t watched any movies with them, but I think it would be pretty awesome. When there’s a sweeping sound from side to side you just want to turn your head and follow it, its just sick how cool it sounds haha. If you’re looking for a set of cans in the sub $100 price range I would highly suggest you consider these headphones.
Anyways, I’ll try to post some pics later. Hopefully you’ll find that this was a useful review!
