Headphones to start with? ATH-AD700s?

[ExplosiveDuck]

Hey - I'm just getting into this high-end audio listening, and right now I only have one pair of headphones, HD280 Pro's. I'm borrowing a pair of K701's, and after listening to them, I don't know if I can ever go back to a closed set of headphones again because of the incredible soundstage and space that they provide. (I'll still use my HD280s for dialog editing / video gaming though)

Now I don't want to spend that much money on a set of headphones, because I just bought an amp and that was quite an amount of money, and I'm just starting.

I've seen some good things about the Audio Technica ATH-AD700s, and a lot of people say you can't beat them for the price. And the price on Amazon right now is only $76.

Can I expect a comparable soundstage to the K701's with the AD700s?
Keep in mind that I don't have audiophile ears yet, so a 10% difference in "soundstage quality and space" won't matter to me.

I know they're "lower-end" than the K701's, but how do they stack up against them?

The K701's feel a little bit too airy for me and the music I listen to. A lot of music sounds great on them because I love the high-end when there's a lot of cymbal play, but for heavier rock music, I just don't really like their sound. (Compared to Sennheisers that I've listened to, I think they were the 650's..)

Thanks a lot!

Any and all opinions welcomed and wanted!

 

[hifidk]

Seems like there are so many threads talking about ad700 these days.
I never had K701 so I can't compare but AD700 do have airy sound. I would definitely start with AD700 (well, that is what I did).

 

[CFabian]

I have never heard the K701 either, and while I mostly like the AD700, it does have what I would describe as an airy sound. If you can spring a little more money I would definitely consider the DR-150 which isn't *too* dissimilar to the AD700 but with a more forward sound presentation. The DR-150 particularly goes better with rock and metal to my ears. I wrote a more in-depth comparison of the two phones here.

 

[Busta9iron]

You can't go wrong with the AD700's for $80. These are amazing cans, IMO. If sound leakage is a concern, maybe look elsewhere. If sound quality is a concern, go ahead, you won't be disappointed.

 

[lucky]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ExplosiveDuck /img/forum/go_quote.gif I know they're "lower-end" than the K701's, but how do they stack up against them?

You don't know this; you've just read this. Several folks here have owned both phones (incuding yours truly) and have ended up selling the K701 for the AD700. Both are good phones, but one is not an upgrade to or downgrade from the other; they do different things differently. I preferred the AD700, and kept it and sold the K701 some weeks ago.