Here's my Amazon review from Dec, 2014. I definitely recommend them! I saw some were selling it new starting at $60. That is a STEAL at that price.
I was initially concerned about these due to lack of reviews and feedback about these on other sites given that they've been on the market for quite some time. But after trying them out, I think they are seriously worth considering as your 2nd or 3rd pair. Though I wouldn't pay full retail for these. As of now, I'd say ~$100 would be a decent deal. In comparison to the m40x (which I purchased together with these), the re700 are not as well balanced (weak bass, very strong highs) and are less comfortable (on ear design adds pressure and heat to the ears) but excel in non-bass heavy genres (e.g. classical, pop, news, speech, etc). The stylish looks, light weight, and built-in mic / audio controls make this an excellent choice for on the go listening (e.g. bus, subway, library, coffee shop, etc). But if I could only have one pair of headphones, I would pick the m40x over these just because the overall sound, comfort, and build quality is better.
1) Build quality is great, fairly premium feel. The leather is very soft on both the ear pads and head band. Real aluminum is used for the frame (as can be seen in the picture) as well as for the circular accent trim. The brown matte plastic housing the drivers wont attract finger prints but it is a weakness. My fingernails were able to scratch the dial accent groves and having the aluminum scratching against it while adjusting the headband size is a little concerning.
2) Sound quality is great. Fairly well balanced and extremely clear (high fidelity) as advertised. IMHO, these are much better than celebrity brands focusing entirely on bass while tending to muddle everything else. But this is expected from Audio Technica. The highs come out a bit strong and the bass a bit weak, however that is by design and in the item description. If you're looking for some head rattling bass, don't get these (try the m40x, m50x, or ws series). If you're looking for headphones that bring you to the front row or center stage of a concert - these do a good job in comparison, especially for non-bass heavy genres. Sound quality of the mic is also great when tested on skype.
3) Comfort level is good. The headband and ear pads are plush enough (though not as plush/soft as the m40x). And the headphones themselves are really light weight. However, because they are on ear headphones, they apply a bit of pressure and heat on the ears. Though that may be expected for headphones of this type. The amount of tilt/rotational freedom on these headphones are quite minimal (maybe a couple degrees in/out, 10-15 degrees up/down tilt). The headphones do slide up and down quite a bit on the aluminum frame to adjust for head size though.
4) Portability is good. They are pretty small and light weight (175g vs 240g for the m40x). However, they do not fold as the circular joint in the picture might suggest (that is just for decoration/attachment). Also a case/bag is not provided.
5) Sound insulation is great. When listening to music, noise from the outside environment is all but blocked out. Sound leakage is also very low. At at medium to medium high volume, people around you will barely hear any sound unless they put their ears right next to the headphones. I found both sound blockage and leakage performance is noticeably better than the m40x.
Notes: Standard audio cables will not fit in these headphones because ATH designed it to only accept jacks with super slim casings. I got my headphones through "amazon warehouse deals" (for about 1/3 retail) but they failed to mention that the cables were missing! Fortunately, I was able to shave off some of the casing on some extra audio cables I had lying around to test these. If you get these used, double check that they include the cables! I really wanted to test out the audio controls + microphone
=== Update 1/11/15 ===
The original review has been updated to included comparisons to the m40x.
I have to say Audio Technica is an amazing company. I emailed their parts department regarding the missing audio cables. All I had to do was forward them my amazon warehouse receipt and they mailed me both cables free of charge! They are excellent cables with a smooth satin feel and plenty of rubbery protection on the jacks. I really appreciate that both ends use standard 3.5 mm jacks. In contrast, the m40x jack that connects to the headphone is a proprietary thinner (2.5mm?) jack that locks in. As such, you cannot swap any audio cable you like in the m40x but at least you have a chance with these re700!
