[Romani]

Thank you all for your impressions.



Can you maybe test the microphone / voice quality / noise rejection during calls?

I know Romani said he had this issue even with a second replacement pair but I'm hoping it's some sort of fluke or somehow depending on the phone... how could Yamaha release a product with such an obvious flaw?

I'm looking for a pair of headphones that I can also use for work calls (phone, skype etc).



Romani, if you don't mind me asking, what phone did you use when trying out calls?


Thanks

Sorry, I never had a notification sent to me that you had quoted me. I was (and am still) using an Oppo Find X2 Pro.

 

[Romani]

So I took a leap of faith and purchased the YH-L700A yesterday.

Zero issues with call audio, with people complimenting how clear my voice came through. No echo on their end either!

I barely have to extend the headband to get the cans to fit my head. Their form factor when worn on my head is also miles ahead when compared to the YH-E700A.

The sound is a little bassy out of the box (just like the YH-E700A) but is settling down. They were also a little rough/sibilant out of the box (which I'm very sensitive to) but that is almost gone already. I experienced the same with the YH-E700A.

All the features work as advertised, even if their noise cancellation is not on par with the likes of the Sony XM3, but definitely effective nonetheless. Excluding the firmware updates, the features are accessible either as buttons on the cans or via the Yamaha app.

In the Yamaha app, I was prompted to update their firmware when I first powered them up with improvements to call audio, noise cancellation and 3D. A very difference experience to YH-E700A which kept yielding errors in the app, to the point it couldn't even check for updates.

The button placement on the earcups is where I expect them to be. I am still getting used to the play/pause and forward & reverse buttons, and pressing them in exactly the right spot. While the controls are not touch sensitive, the great news is the forward & reverse buttons don't have to be pressed for long to skip tracks, so they are efficient when pressed.

AptX Adaptive and the built-in antennas are resulting in the best uninterrupted bluetooth range I've ever experienced. I am able to go to the furthest room in my house, with 2 doors closed in between, with zero break up with my mobile.

They are not heavy headphones so they don't create any hotspots on top of my head but out of the box, there is some side pressure which I expect to lessen or disappear as I wear them in. It is not extreme but it's there.

They completely surround my ears, so they are not pinching my ears anywhere, nor are my ears touching the driver's. Without noise cancellation on, they seem to naturally eliminate a lot of surrounding noise.

The battery life I'm still testing. One thing I do know already however is the annoying battery warning I used to get at the 30% level on my old Yamaha cans is not replicated here. I'm down to 19% and thankfully have not heard any warning messages or beeps yet.

They come with a good quality hard case. The cables included are average at best.

A thing that worries me for their longevity is the amount of fabric used at the top of the headband as well as on the ear cups, and how waterproof that makes them.

To me, it feels like the YH-L700A is what the YH-E700A was meant to be. To my eyes, they also look and feel like a serious piece of audio gear.

 

[ramordep]

Pulled the trigger and bought it as it was on sale at JB Hi-Fi. Man, these pack a lot of bass.

 

[Romani]

Pulled the trigger and bought it as it was on sale at JB Hi-Fi. Man, these pack a lot of bass.

I'm the same, assuming you're referring to the YH-L700A. They're back to full retail price today. They definitely pack a punch but hopefully they will settle with some break in. Most of the cans I've owned seem to.

 

[tombrisbane]

I grabbed the L700A as a JB near me finally got stock in. I’ve been using the E700’s a lot. They weren’t on sale but oh well!

 

[Romani]

After using these for a while now, I can safely say their treble and bass has settled. Their sound is full and enjoyable. One thing I'm not getting is the claimed battery life, given I have all the extra bells and whistles switched off, including noise cancellation. I'm having to charge them every 3 days, rather than fortnightly.

 

[tombrisbane]

Mids seem a little more forward than the E700’s. Bass is certainly boomy out of the box as expected lol, not as much as the E700’s were (or my ears are more used to them). They’re very comfy, headband position is interesting!

Can’t figure out how to take the pads off (or if it’s possible…?). Have emailed their support to ask, I don’t want to break anything!

 

[tombrisbane]

$84.40 AUD for replacement pads for the L700A, pretty much same price as E700A. Have ordered a pair, will figure out how they come off when I see the replacement!

 

[Romani]

On the E700, it twists off. Haven't tried on the L700 as I also have a fear of breaking them. On a different note, Yamaha Australia is currently investigating with their head office in Japan in relation to the battery life I'm seeing compared to what they claim on their site.

 

[tombrisbane]

Yamaha Australia is currently investigating with their head office in Japan in relation to the battery life I'm seeing compared to what they claim on their site.

Will see what I get, I’m running with ANC /3D off, listening stuff on. Interested to see what Yamaha say.

They have some really great imaging, particularly for a closed back. They have a dark, detailed sound. Throwing a few different genres at them today to see how they go, so far everything is sounding good.

Kudos to their support as well - they have been really quick at responding for both pads I’ve bought, guy on the phone for payment was really friendly both times as well.

 

[tombrisbane]

Updated on battery life - I’ve done about 20 hours and the app says they are on 50% so feels about right. This is using AAC from my iPhone.

Received my spare pads as well - this is how they look on the back:

I think they should lift up and out (right side is bottom of the pad).

Edit: tried it out, push up and away from the bottom:

 

[Romani]

Awesome news on your battery life. I'm using Aptx Adaptive with my Oppo Android phone. I have no idea whether AAC consumes less than APTX Adaptive does. Might have to read up on that.

I'm now trying to measure battery life more accurately too. I'm up to 8 hours of use and down to 80%. Having said that, the battery drainage on my pair has never been linear. There is a sudden dip in battery when they reach the 60% mark then they seem to hold on for their dear lives the last 20%. It is hard to tell, so I'm trying to measure it properly. I'm still sticking with the fact I've been charging every 3rd day (at 20%) while my prior Audio Technica M50XBT would be every fortnight, even though they were only rated for an extra couple of hours of battery.

Great job with the pads by the way. Someone has finally shed light on how they come off, as well as what these cans look like on the inside.

 

[Romani]

A response from Yamaha finally came in, and there is good news. They were able to replicate my battery life, they know the cause and they plan to release a fix!

"I have just had our engineers in Japan come back to me in regards to the enquiry I made with them on your behalf and they have found a bug that causes the default ON setting of the headphones to route the power through the circuit as if the '3D Sound Field' feature is turned ON (Which has the most power draw), even if it appears that the feature is turned OFF.

They have told me that this is only the default ON state setting, if you then use the app or the button on the headphones to turn OFF 3D Sound Field, the power should be directed through he correct circuit and the run time should be improved.

This is only a temporary measure because of course this is not how the headphones are supposed to work and will now be corrected via a firmware update, of which I am afraid they could not provide a time frame on but i'll be pushing from my end to make sure it happens as soon as possible as this is a absolutely critical to the performance and customers experience with these high end headphones.

Thanks again for your support.
kind regards"

 

[tombrisbane]

Great news! I toggled it on and off so maybe that’s why I haven’t noticed it. Thanks for sharing the update

 

[Romani]

So I did a more accurate test of my battery life. With all the bells and whistles switched off, 50% volume, using Aptx Adaptive, and NOT using the workaround Yamaha provided so it doesn't default to the 3D circuitry, I got 26 hours from 100% down to flat. Having said that, I don't know why, but this is the longest run I've had with them, with 9 days to run them flat versus an average of 3 every other time.