Well, my review. I think now DBI got good burn-in & I can say something about it.
Comfort & build
Great! They are undestructible, very light (exept this armored cable) & very comfy (much better then my HFI-580). Some troubles would appear if you are bighead - 700 do not have much adjustments. Pads are very soft - y0u can even wash it under water. One more thing - this headphones get good fit after 30 seconds when vynil becomes warm. You can weat this cans for 2+ hours without any troubles.
They are not portable. They are bigger & uglier then HFI-580 & cable is very uportable. You can cut this metal shield on cable, but then you need to replace the jack.
Sound & everything else
This headphones doesn't need extensive burn-in. When i got them - they sound distorted, but after 20 minutes on good volume sound became good & the same as after 50 hours of usage with "Ultimate burn-in" track.
I do not find this headphones suitable for player. My Kenwood HD20GA7, Ipod Nano 1stgen, 4gen, Samsung Symphony (B&o serenata analog) can't drive them properly - total lack of bass, edgy highs. When you use equalizer - sound distords. Haven't chance to try it with Cowon.
E-MU 0202 USB drives them good, but even such cheap thing as art headamp4 gives them more power & fullness.
I can describe the sound of this phones as fun & flat - yeah, that's the best word for them.
Bass
Their bass is very low (without equalizing) compared to hfi-580, but very clear & detailed. Reminds my somehow Ety 4p, but it's more full-bodied & big. I like it very much for live music - bass-guitar in Oceansize, Tool, Staind - they sound great & very real. I also like how Madonna sounds on this cans. Absolutely didn't like some contemporary rock stuff like 30STM on this. Also Ultrasones are much heavier in bass & i think, they go deeper then DBI in bass department. Probably, more people would prefer it to DBI. Though DBI go deeper then AT ES7 & it's bass more real-sounding to me. AT A55 also have more bass, but it's not so controlled. DBI have nothing in common with Trple.Fi 10 in case if you are interested.
MIDS
Great, Nothing more to say!!! On HFI-580 i feel like they were recessed a little bit. DBI are great for vocal & very transparent here. They do not have any boost in this department (like ES7 to my ears, or shures scl3) - great for mixing tv-programmes where the voice is the most important.
Highs
That's why i called this headphones fun. I thought HFI-580 had too much highs, but DBI smash them!!! Someone may find it's highs dirty & uncontrolled, sometimes sibilant, but that's big plus sometimes. They are very rich & "meaty" as previous post says. On live recording highs sound very natural, especially on rock tracks. Music DVDs sound fantastic. If you find that highs are too much - you can use equalizer - 700 reacts very well on it.
Soundstage
Modest. HFI-5808 do much better here. Good separation of lest & right, but music doesn't sound wide. Even A55 are much better here. ES7 is on par, i think.
Overall
Great cans for 40$ I payed for them. But really benefit from an amp. DBI market them as ideal for compressed music - but i don't like how mp3 sound on it. Only DVD & CDs with live recordings or very accurate mastering. This phones do not forgive bad recordings.