[xSnowmaNx]

Well, my birthday is coming up and I'm thinking about treating myself to some REAL headphones. This would be my first foray into the high quality sound world (should I choose to buy one of these headphones). I came here just around the same time last year to see what was good for gaming and learned of the A900. But I've narrowed down the choices to the A500 and A700 seeing as how they are closest to my budget.

Primary use will be gaming and moderate amounts of music listening, with gaming being the priority here. I play competitively in CAL for Counter Strike: Source and would like to have something top notch in the sound positioning department. As far as I know, the A500 and A700 are pretty similar in this regard (but maybe I'm wrong? This is why I am here). I've read from a few people that the A700's are actually worse than the A500, while other people have claimed that the A700 is leaps and bounds ahead of the A500 and is very similar to the A900 in sound quality but not in price, making it the best value.

What's the real deal here? Sound quality is very important to me as is the soundstage/positioning. If the A700 has better sound quality but retains the soundstage of the A500 or improves upon it, I will go for the A700. But if the A700 proves to have an inferior soundstage, but still yet better sound quality, I may go for the A500.

Clear things up for me fellow Head-Fi'ers? I want to get the best possible value for my particular needs. Please, no suggestions for other headphones. I am looking strictly between the A500 and A700.

 

[nytmarezz]

I have the A500s and from what I have seen very few people have the A700s so you may not get too many replies to this thread. I can't speak from personal experiance but I think the general consensus is that the A700s are a very minor step up from the A500s and not really worth it over the A500s. I do pretty much the same as you, some scrimming against CAL clans, a little music and movies on the side. For me the soundstage has been pretty darn good and I haven't had any problems distinguishing footsteps or situational sound ques. In terms of music quality I am looking to upgrade. The mids are a bit lacking and I personally could use more bass (both in tighter quality and in greater quantity). The highs are fairly detailed but have occasionally been a bit shrill to my ears but overall are quite good. Having heard my friends headphones, I think the A500s are a very good budget, closed headphone. I don't regret having bought this headphone one bit for my needs, I'm just ready to upgrade

thanks head-fi

poor wallet.....

 

[xSnowmaNx]

Yeah, I've been leaning towards the A500 simply because I have heard so many people say that to someone first getting into some good headphones or people with untrained ears probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the A500 and the A900.

 

[warubozu]

I own a pair of A500s, A700s, and A900s. Since you'll be using your set of cans mostly for gaming with some occasional listening to music I'd suggest you go for the A500s and save some money. The A700s has a sound signature closer to A900s than the A500s. Sound positioning on the A500 is on par with the A700s making them ideal for gaming. It's in the level of detail and a bass that's a bit tighter or more controlled where the A700s excels over the A500s, making the A700s a bit more pleasurable when used for listening to music. As you have mentioned, unless you have a keen sense of hearing or ears that are honed to notice the differences between the two cans you may not notice any difference at all.

 

[xSnowmaNx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by warubozu I own a pair of A500s, A700s, and A900s. Since you'll be using your set of cans mostly for gaming with some occasional listening to music I'd suggest you go for the A500s and save some money. The A700s has a sound signature closer to A900s than the A500s. Sound positioning on the A500 is on par with the A700s making them ideal for gaming. It's in the level of detail and a bass that's a bit tighter or more controlled where the A700s excels over the A500s, making the A700s a bit more pleasurable when used for listening to music. As you have mentioned, unless you have a keen sense of hearing or ears that are honed to notice the differences between the two cans you may not notice any difference at all.

Thanks, this was exactly what I was looking for.