Can't go back to DT770 after using XB700
Feb 15, 2012 at 1:41 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 27

GotNoRice

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For over 4 years I used the DT770-Pro/80 as my main headphone and I loved them. I thought their bass was amazing and I personally recommended them to several friends. I couldn't have been happier.

Then along came the XB700. I only bought it because it was cheap and as something to play with. Now I find myself in a situation where it's difficult to go back.

The problem is that every time I go back to the DT770s, they just can't keep up with what I've come to expect out of my XB700s. It's almost comical all of the strange sounds the drivers in the DT770 make as they desperately try to recreate 1/4th of the bass the XB700 is capable of.

The XB700s are just amazing with their clarity. The drivers are capable of creating some amazing bass and do so with very little distortion, either in the bass itself or the rest of the frequency range as the bass hits. I'm guessing this is due to the 50mm drivers.

I looked at the power handling of each headphone today, just out of curiosity.

XB700: 3000mw
DT770-Pro/80: 100mw (?!?!?!?!?!?!)

I guess that explains it? The XB700s have 30 times the power handling capacity of the DT770-Pro/80? Can that be right or did I read something wrong? Bass takes more power than any other part of the frequency spectrum, and as headphones with a reputation for good bass - it's amazing that is even possible with only 100mw.

It just stuns me every time I'm listening to the DT770, I can't help thinking to myself, "Is this really what I used to think good headphone bass sounded like?" and then after the woofer flutters a few more times in a failed attempt to produce low-bass, I toss it aside and move back to my real headphones - that cost half the price.

Yet I definitely went those whole 4 years thinking the DT770 was the best thing since sliced bread when it came to bass. I guess it's just a matter of perspective?
 
Feb 15, 2012 at 1:47 AM Post #2 of 27
I have the DT880 Pro's with a minor mod for more bass (kinda like the DT990) and I don't see the need for more bass than that but I don't listen to rap or anything like that, just some heavy metal/industrial and sometimes K-pop.
 
Feb 15, 2012 at 2:07 AM Post #4 of 27
Well the DT770s are generally known for bass also. I didn't consider the difference in efficiency, thanks for the input.

The main thing for me is that I've never actually heard the drivers in the XB700 struggle, for any reason, regardless of how hard I push them. On the other hand, It doesn't really seem to take much before the DT770 starts begging for mercy.
 
Feb 15, 2012 at 2:40 AM Post #5 of 27
some people don't want the very powerful bass that the xb700 produces, it's a matter of taste
 
one isn't really better than the other (though the DT770 has better build quality overall) imo
 
Feb 15, 2012 at 2:44 AM Post #6 of 27
If you're not a basshead you really won't understand how fulfilling the XBs are. I have some D2000s as my main phones, but I always go back to the XBs for that bass. So good.
 
Feb 15, 2012 at 11:37 AM Post #8 of 27
I'm still quite curious about the XB-700, and may wind up getting one at some point.  I have the DT-770 and XB-500, and much prefer the DT-770, but the XB-700 does have more of the V-curve that I tend to prefer.  The majority of the time I prefer mid-bass to sub-bass, but for some things I do prefer stronger sub-bass than mid-bass, and the brighter treble would be nice.  The SQ would have to be significantly higher than the XB-500 for it to draw me from the DT-770 though.  I also prefer how the DT-770 feels to the XB-500, so I don't know if the larger size would help or not.
 
Feb 15, 2012 at 11:52 AM Post #9 of 27
I don't really understand how you can talk about clarity and then only talk about bass.  To me it just sounds like you like a lot of bass.  There's nothing wrong with that, but give credit where credit's due.  The beyers are way more clear in the mids and highs.  And also, 'good' bass is very subjective.
 
 
The XB700s themselves have quite a bit of distortion throughout their frequency range:
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/SonyMDRXB700.pdf
 
Feb 15, 2012 at 12:08 PM Post #12 of 27


Quote:
DT770s are the better headphones. XB700s just have more bass quantity. If that is enough to make you prefer them, all power to you.


Better is subjective, I remember prefering XB700 over DT770 pro too because I didn't like the distant mids of DT770 while XB700 isn't ideal in this case either it sounded much more "full" than the very thin (but clear) DT770. Fullness wins over clarity (to some extent) for some people.
 
 
Feb 15, 2012 at 1:08 PM Post #13 of 27
I have no idea why, most of my musical preferences lean to heavier and darker styles of music, in that spectrum I don't normally listen to anything lighter than Rasputina or Emilie Autumn but lately been enjoying some K-pop my ex gf is into. I don't like American pop or rap or R&B or dubstep or any of those types of genres so I have no idea.
 
Quote:
that's an...odd mix of music.



 
 
Feb 15, 2012 at 1:13 PM Post #14 of 27
"Thin" isn't at all a word I'd use to describe the DT-770.  Even our sound glossary notes it as "bass-light," which the DT-770s are anything but.  "Scooped" or maybe "hollow" in a negative sense would be more appropriate, though I find the mids still quite clear and articulated, albeit not as prominent as some would like..
 
Feb 15, 2012 at 1:33 PM Post #15 of 27
Well thin is what I use to describe V-shape sound like, lack of "meat" since midrange is pushed back, DT770 Pro and PRO900 are among the most V-shaped sound signatures I know of. xD To me it sounds thin if highs are significantly boosted over mids, I didn't believe that term had anything to do with being basslight and I certainly doesn't concider it basslight.
 

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