[Graphicism]

These are pretty sloppy, very accentuated bass ~ a couple of volumes louder than the rest of the spectrum. Bass depth they aren't as deep as most Ultrasone models but for the price they are hard to beat for any bass head.
 
Yeah these are really easy to take apart all the way down to the driver ~ not sure how good a YH-1 driver would fit, or sound due to the tight seal.

 

[khbaur330162]

Sounds promising.  I would imagine the tight seal will be a plus. Looking for ear thumping bass so hopefully these housings can deliver. I'll probably just use epoxy putty to mount the drivers, but we'll see. Only downside is that these are closed cans, but I'll probably drill some holes in the back and add some wire mesh/damping to open them up. Maybe even try to angle the drivers... Hopefully a fun and fruitful project. Thanks for the info Graphicism.
.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

OP asked about no love for the XB700s? Here's some love: They are my absolute FAVORITE headphone for music, without a doubt. Ironically, I sent it back to Amazon because the pads have a stitch ring that just irritates the hell out of the side of my head after they heat up with use. But I miss their sound TERRIBLY. I could get lost in all that lovely, thunderous and godly bass.
 
edit: This post was made a long time ago. I no longer love the kind of sound the XB700 has, but I would still enjoy them immensely as a guilty pleasure.

 

[chrisssssssss2]

Just received the XB700s. I must say... I am very impressed. However, the label "extra bass" can be very misleading, as I don't find them having too much of a thumping, thunderous bass that I expected. The bass is boosted just a bit and "emphasized", but the mids and highs are still very much present. I've listened to the XB500s, and although a lot of people here say the XB500s are better, I find the XB700s just completely dominate them. Sorry XB500 owners, there's just no comparison. I found the XB500s to be a bit laid back in presentation and a bit tamed. The major difference in the two headphones is soundstage, where I find the XB700 to have a much wider soundstage. the XB500s are good, but I was just not as impressed with them as I am with the XB700s.

I also own the HD595s, and I do like the XB700s a bit more. They are so easy to drive, and have a wide soundstage with a superb, balanced sound presentation.

 

[earerror]

Looks great! I love the big pad... anyone tried it with the HA160?

 

[dxanex]

This thread hasn't seen a lot of action in a while, so I thought I'd give my 2 cents. I was very curious about these ever since I first read about them. I was fortunate enough to try them out at the ChiUniFi meet a few weeks ago. I tested them out on my little dot I+ and I thought the bass sounded incredible in terms of quantity, and it was very well controlled. Even the owner of the headphones was impressed.  Was surprised me was the fact that through the monstrous bass (monstrous IMO, I'm no basshead though) the mids and highs were still very clear.
 
I just ordered a used pair and got a very good deal on them. Definitely the most fun can I've tried out in a while, and at the price it's an absolute steal!
 

 

[Syliano]

I own the xb500, they don't sound as clear as my ue700 in ears or my senn hd 600. But when I want raw headsplitting bass they deliver.
And they keep my ears warm when its cold outside.

 

[snip]

Hi,
 
Have been looking at the XB700 for a giggle bass headphone.
 
Does anyone know if two wires from each driver goes to the plug? I.e is it as easy to convert to balanced drive as it looks with flat cable coming from both drivers.
 
//J

 

[129207]

I got the XB700 secondhand for $45 last week. They look ridonkulous. Not as ridonkulous as my ATH-AD700 though. 
 
I must say the sound is quite pleasing. It's warm, laid-back and boomy. They work well with electronic music that isn't too layered. Just pleasant but definitely not for the audiophile. I wouldn't pay more than $50 for them. I don't think they're very comfortable either. The headband irritates the top of my head after about 30 minutes. I think I will mod these with some HD202 foam. They isolate pretty well. A bit less than my HD25-1 II. Did I mention you look like an idiot while wearing these? They're perfect for the winter though. Super nerdy earmuffs. 

 

[ethan3686]

i have just ordered these and i wanted to know whether they sound better with Fiio E9 amp or E7?? and is it a major difference?? coz these are low ohm pairs and easier to drive...so i wud assume E9 wud not make much difference? need expert advice..

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

A few of people say the XB700 scales well with amping, even if they are ridiculously easy to drive. I didn't have anything but an E5 back then, so I can't answer, but the E9 is known to tighten up and control the bass of really bassy cans, and I have heard nothing but good things about pairing it up with the XB700.

 

[ethan3686]

u mean the sound comes much cleaner,natural and no distortion of bass??..so i guess i shud go for E9 then...

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Do you listen to music off your computer, and have a stock soundcard? If so, the E7 is a more worthy purchase because of it's really good DAC. A DAC should come first and foremost over amping. In this case, the E7 would be more beneficial, and once you have the extra cash, the E7 docks to the E9, making the combo use the E7's dac and amping power of the E9. The cleaner signal of the E7's DAC is better than the E9 amping a crappy source like a stock soundcard.
 
The XB700 is incredibly easy to drive, almost IEM sensitive, IMHO. If I had to choose one over the other for the XB700 first, I'd say the E7.

 

[ethan3686]

^^no i dont have a great soundcard...so i guess i shud get one...but will e7 work well with ipod nano or lappy? and which soundcard wud u suggest as i am about to get a new PC as WELL

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

The dac is pretty much an external soundcard. Made to work with pretty much any and every computer. As soon as you plug in the E7 to your computer (laptop, netbook, doesn't matter), it will self install some plug ins, and from then on as soon as you hook up the E7 it will automatically bypass the soundcard, and use the DAC of the E7.
 
As for Ipods, you are suposed to get an LOD cable which will bypass the weaker internal amps on Ipods and use whatever amp you have it plugged into (the line in on the E7 in this case). I'm not sure if the Nanos accept LODs.
 
 
I don't know much about soundcards, but if you buy a good soundcard, you won't really need a DAC as it defeats the purpose. DACs are mainly if you have a basic/stock soundcard.