[Clarksonius]

I am considering picking up a pair of ES7s for portable use but I'm not sure if I would like their sound and all the comparisons I've found on head-fi are between the ES7s and headphones I haven't heard...

So, can anyone shed light on how they sound compared to a Shure SRH-840 or ATH-AD700 for reference?

 

[K_19]

ES7 sounds more upfront than either 840s or the AD700, especially in the mids area. They have a compact soundstage so you're not going to be getting anything close to the soundstage of the other two, but they are obviously much more portable and their isolation is somewhere between 840s (very good) and AD700 (non existent). They also got the stronger midbass than the other two but they don't extend as well in both ends of the spectrum. They're all designed to be efficient without being amped, but ES7 is the most efficient out of the three if you are going the ampless route.

It's simple as this: For home use, 840's or the AD700's are clear choices; if you are going portable, ES7 is much more practical.

 

[dweaver]

K 19 has summed them up very well. I owned both AD700 and the ES7 at the same time. The Es7 was great for alot of rock because it put you closer to the stage so to speak due to it's more up front mids. My only issues I had with the ES7 were comfort (I ended up doing the headband bend mod plus I put on HD25 velour pads but it still hurt my ears due to my glasses. If you don't have glasses the headband mod would probably make these more comfortable. The isolation was enough it blocked out some noise but not so much I couldn't hear people at work.

You might also want to consider the Shure 440 as they would be more comfortable to where I think.

 

[Clarksonius]

Thanks for the feedback! I already own a pair of M50s so getting a 440 would be a moot point. From what you guys said I think I would like they way they sound, but since I do wear glasses and there seem to be some potential comfort issues I'll hold back until I try a pair on my head.

 

[catachresis]

A detail that people used to note with respect to the ES7s was that its 'improved' bass was over-pronounced or incongruous with its treble and mid frequency response. I purchased my pair used over a year ago, and due to limited opportunities for portable use, I ended up using them for exercise with the Rio Karma and a Creative Zen Touch 20gb. I'm very happy to note that, as has been the case with many other AT portables I've owned, long-term use and burn-in have really brought the drivers into full, seamless integration. They _are_ impactful through the mid-bass, but they sound natural and melodic up through the high frequencies. Of course, you won't get very deep bass from these smallish portables.

As an aside, I wear glasses, and I find that by comparison with other full-sized headphones with tighter grip, these phones with their small band are really very comfortable.

 

[dweaver]

I think it will depend a bit on what type of glasses a person has whether they are OK with these or not, the pair I had when I had these had very small round arms that killed me but flatter wider arms would not be so bad.

I think the OP has the right idea, in trying on a pair before buying.

 

[K_19]

And with ES7 with glasses, I would say it's pretty much a must that you do the headband mod. This will relieve further clamping on your ears and will look MUCH better to boot. But it's all going to depend on how much you can tolerate supraaurals in general.

 

[Clarksonius]

Comfort wise does anyone know how they stack up against the Sennheiser HD-25 SP IIs? I used those for a while and found them very uncomfortable. The fit on my ear just felt weird and the clamping force was bothersome.

 

[WarriorAnt]

.

 

[dweaver]

The black ones are very shiny and look very nice. I can't say anything about the white as I have never seen a pair up close and personal.

 

[Clarksonius]

I'm aware that the Grado Sr-80i is an open can and different from the ES7. But sonically, how does it compare to the ES-7? Which do people generally prefer?

 

[realmassy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dweaver /img/forum/go_quote.gif I ended up doing the headband bend mod plus I put on HD25 velour pads

How you replaced the pads? Do they have the same dimensions? With the pleather pads my ears become hot after 30 minutes: any benefit using the velour ones?