Audio Technica ATH-AD700...burn-in required?

[Beagle]

Request to ATH-AD700 owners...

Does the ATH-AD700 mature sonically with a good initial run-in? I don't put a lot of stock in break-in but these sound very "new" and formal out of the box.

I like these 'phones. Very balanced tonally and very spacious. And NO midbass hump! They beat up some of my expensive phones in these categories.

 

[TMM]

If the AD900 is anything to go by, the highs should become less harsh and the bass should increase in quantity AND quality.

 

[jeepman]

I got a pair of ad700 for christmas and i'm really enjoying them too.
They seem a tad lean on the bass, but is a nice change from my grado sr-60's.

 

[ClieOS]

I burnt mine in for 50~80hrs when I received it, can't recall any significant change in the SQ though. I will suggest you use it as usual and let the burn in happens naturally.

 

[Xoen]

Might be placebo, but I noticed the bass got stronger after 200+ burn in. It's not DT770 strong. I have a trance track I use as reference for the bass quality, which is Oceanlab's "Beautiful Together Sigma remix". Also I noticed the AD700's got less sibilant during those 200+ hours.

 

[stewart572]

I noticed a brittle quality at first. They definitely became smoother, but it didn't take very long, perhaps 20 hours. They're now very enjoyable.

Cheers

 

[munkeeboi83]

I agree with most everyone else that a good 50-80 hrs of burn in will help improve the sound. The AD700s are not too bad given it's price compared to other cans. Being open air, there isn't much bass. I wish the highs were a big brighter, maybe a little bit cleaner, but I'm just being picky. You should try them amped if you have the opportunity. Good luck and have fun.

 

[Beagle]

Thanks all. I ran some Strapping Young Lad through them at a decent volume level. They're warming up a tad.

I really like these headphones. An absolute steal for the money. Through a PPA, they sound close to entry-level Stax.

 

[d-cee]

I thoroughly enjoyed them when I owned them, am thinking about trying another Audio Technica AIR series phone

 

[UndercoverPunk]

Burn-in is not a process that needs to be done.

"Burn-in" would be something that just happens.

Coming from a non head phone background I can tell some of you, that what burning in does is loosen the suspension of the driver from use.

This is easy to observe in the car audio world esp with SPL oriented subwoofers. When you first get one, it can be down right hard to move the cone because the suspension is new, after enough use the suspension will noticeably loosen up.

You really don't need to sit down and worry about burning in your headphones, or any other driver for that matter. Just understand that over time they may sound different.

Open them up, plug them in, and enjoy. If you'd like to accelerate the process use a tone generator to create a track at the lower end of you headphones usable band. Set the volume so nothing stresses the driver and walk away.

Everything will naturally loosen up over time. There is really no need to worry about it.

But what do I know, I'm a n00b!

 

[ClieOS]

^^^ we do have a sticky thread by Zanth

 

[d-cee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by UndercoverPunk /img/forum/go_quote.gif Burn-in is not a process that needs to be done. "Burn-in" would be something that just happens. Coming from a non head phone background I can tell some of you, that what burning in does is loosen the suspension of the driver from use. This is easy to observe in the car audio world esp with SPL oriented subwoofers. When you first get one, it can be down right hard to move the cone because the suspension is new, after enough use the suspension will noticeably loosen up. You really don't need to sit down and worry about burning in your headphones, or any other driver for that matter. Just understand that over time they may sound different. Open them up, plug them in, and enjoy. If you'd like to accelerate the process use a tone generator to create a track at the lower end of you headphones usable band. Set the volume so nothing stresses the driver and walk away. Everything will naturally loosen up over time. There is really no need to worry about it. But what do I know, I'm a n00b!

some people just want to reach that matured state as soon as possible, that way they can evaluate headphones at their fullest potential

 

[elnero]

I think the OP is familiar with the process of burn-in. I believe he's more curious in regards to what changes other people have found the phones in question have after a good deal of time has been put on them.

 

[Beagle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by elnero /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think the OP is familiar with the process of burn-in. I believe he's more curious in regards to what changes other people have found the phones in question have after a good deal of time has been put on them.

Yes, that is correct. Some headphones lose a bit of brightness and gain a bit of bottom, others do the opposite. Just wanted to know what AT700 owners experienced. It's nice to know if some perceived initial "problems" tend to rectify themselves over time.

Does anyone have a frequency response graph for the ATH-AD700? If so, I'd really appreciate being able to see it.

 

[UndercoverPunk]

My mistake, won't happen again.