[echineko]

Since owning the HD700's I've had the Audeze LCD-X, HiFiMan HE-560 and Fostex TH900 in my system and none of those were a step up sonically or comfortwise.

What source/amp are you using to drive all these, or do you have multiple setups? Personally I've got the LCD-2 as well, and i do seem to prefer them for now (driven by my Lyr 2). I've been pondering the TH900 and a higher Audeze as a future purchase

Comfort wise you really realize how good the 700s are when you put on something else, they seem to weigh a ton by comparison

 

[DavidA]

   
The only part that feels very premium is the cable, imo. The grilles are dentable with your finger like a plastic bottle...

The cable?  doesn't it get tangled up / kinked a lot?  Maybe Sennheiser heard all the complaints about the cable and made a new one.

 

[PETEREK]

The cable?  doesn't it get tangled up / kinked a lot?  Maybe Sennheiser heard all the complaints about the cable and made a new one.

I doubt they made a new one. The cable for these and the (all?) the Oppo headphones are made by the same company I think. I had them apart to balance one of each and they were pretty much the same, but the sennheiser cable was thinner wire that was silver plated and the Oppo had thicker copper wire. Oppo cables would be a good upgrade from the sennheiser cable IMO.

 

[xSwifty]

   
Yeah it would just be temporary, since I already own it and use it as a DAC and to occasionally pair with my 598's

Ok depending on how long you would have to save up for the new setup, you may as well get the 700's now. The only advantage I can see through doing this is that once you get a higher end setup, maybe something like a Schiit stack, you will will notice a phenomenal difference and probably end up loving the 700's. How long would you be using the E17 for? What is your price bracket for a new amp and dac? Have you got your eyes on any setups? I would be happy to help you

 

[xSwifty]

Since owning the HD700's I've had the Audeze LCD-X, HiFiMan HE-560 and Fostex TH900 in my system and none of those were a step up sonically or comfortwise.

This is heavily dependent on your setup. The LCD-X is planar magnetic and therefore needs specific amplification. The TH900 however is a amazing sounding headphone. I have listened to it with my Meier Audio Classic Amp and my RWAK120-S (which is better than my desktop DAC) and the sound of pianos and vocals was mind blowing. I would put it will that setup; leagues ahead of the HD700. I myself find the hifiman headphones to be extremely uncomfortable due to clamping force and have a neutral feeling towards their sound signature. The HD700's are defiantly some comfortable headphones and so are the TH900's. I myself love the Beyerdynamic sound signature and comfort as they practically have zero clamping force and gravity is the only thing holding them on. 

 

[donlin]

This is heavily dependent on your setup. The LCD-X is planar magnetic and therefore needs specific amplification. The TH900 however is a amazing sounding headphone. I have listened to it with my Meier Audio Classic Amp and my RWAK120-S (which is better than my desktop DAC) and the sound of pianos and vocals was mind blowing. I would put it will that setup; leagues ahead of the HD700. I myself find the hifiman headphones to be extremely uncomfortable due to clamping force and have a neutral feeling towards their sound signature. The HD700's are defiantly some comfortable headphones and so are the TH900's. I myself love the Beyerdynamic sound signature and comfort as they practically have zero clamping force and gravity is the only thing holding them on. 

Very true about the discomfort of the HiFiMan phones. Very painful, I'm glad I wasn't crazy about the sound either. I figured my preference for the HD700's over some other more expensive phones would cause some disagreement but I just really love the 700's particular tonal balance. I'm familiar with the needs of Audeze phones as the LCD-2's were my main phones for two straight years and then the LCD-3's for a year after that.

 

[KopaZ]

HD800 could be a consideration because the 700's are halfbreed of 650 and 800...
if you want (even) bigger soundstage with (even) more precision/imaging, 800 is the bet.
except the HD800s are even brighter then 700s, with not-so-much bass.

 

[donlin]

Had the HD800's twice. They are excellent but prefer the 700's.

 

[xSwifty]

Very true about the discomfort of the HiFiMan phones. Very painful, I'm glad I wasn't crazy about the sound either. I figured my preference for the HD700's over some other more expensive phones would cause some disagreement but I just really love the 700's particular tonal balance. I'm familiar with the needs of Audeze phones as the LCD-2's were my main phones for two straight years and then the LCD-3's for a year after that.

I have never auditioned anything from Audeze and your preference of HD700's over LCD 2/3 shows how every perceives audio differently. 

 

[rogerthatmand]

Is the HD800 seriously brighter than the HD700? If so, there are probably not for me. I couldn't stand the treble with the HD700.
Does the Crack really help that much with the brightness? 

 

[elwappo99]

  Is the HD800 seriously brighter than the HD700? If so, there are probably not for me. I couldn't stand the treble with the HD700.
Does the Crack really help that much with the brightness? 

with my pairs the hd700 is definitely brighter than the hd800... going from the hd700 to the hd800 almost makes the hd800 seem... neutral

 

[Spenty]

Sennheiser outlet had them at a reduced price then you could use a 35% discount code to further reduce the price. Just wish they had the 800's on would of got them for around £400.

 

[DavidA]

  Is the HD800 seriously brighter than the HD700? If so, there are probably not for me. I couldn't stand the treble with the HD700.
Does the Crack really help that much with the brightness? 

As I stated before to me its a different kind of brightness/treble between the HD-800 and HD-700, just by looking at all of these responses that contradict each other and the amp used plays a large factor in how either of these headphones will sound (some may say what amp or dac or even music they used so its important to read the context as how that person perceived the sound based on many variables), not to mention that we all hear differently so what someone says is bright to them you may consider it neutral.  I know for some like me its really hard to demo a headphone so you try to read and ask questions on these forums but its still best to hear them for yourself and on equipment similar to what you will be using.  If I had based some of my purchase decisions on what was said on these threads I would have never gotten some great headphones like the HD-700. 
 
I'm a little different in that I don't seek a perfect headphone or the most neutral one, I like variety so I have most of the headphones that I have purchased and like each for their own unique sound.  This thinking also goes with tubes that I use in Lyr2, Ember and BH Crack, I like what the different tubes bring to the table which only multiplies the combination with different headphone.
 
For me the Crack works great with the HD-800, its still a bright headphone but its not sibilant/harsh, and you also need to look a the quality of the recordings, the saying "Garbage in Garbage out" applies to all but it is more critical on the HD-800 and HD-700 because of their already bright signatures and resolving ability.  The Ember is a better match for the HD-700 from my experience but some may say other wise.
 
Good luck on your quest

 

[Rob80b]

With my set-up and my ears I find neither the HD800s nor the HD700s bright per se, extended yes with a very clear uncolored insight into the recording, the HD800s being slightly a bit more clinical but both offer glorious layering, excellent timbre (therefore neutral),  pin point imaging and a wonderful sound stage that does not sit strictly between the ears but floats outside the head.
Again I question those who do criticize that the HD700/800s are “unbearable” bright and what their aural reference is outside of headphone listening with a digitally processed medium. (the so called peaks I’ve yet to hear).
I’m not disagreeing with what they hear but with over 40 years in this hobby the HD700/800s currently offer IMHO some of the best transducers with regards to hearing what was actually recorded while offering for once (as far as headphones) a properly delineated sound stage with excellent dynamics (therefore uncompressed)…… to reject what they are conveying is a false premise….don’t criticize them…. the 700/800s are just telling as it is … if that’s not your cup of tea.. just move on.
But if you’re like me and appreciate/get what Sennheiser has finally accomplished with a pair of headphones…great.

 

[vrln]

Price seems to have dropped to around 500 euros here in Europe. Had to give them an extended listen at a store and ended up getting them to complement my HD 650´s (hyped + easy listening = best of both worlds). Less harsh than I expected after seeing all the frequency response charts. Maybe they toned down the peaks somewhat - this is a brand new production run one. Tuning is excitement-oriented as advertised, but to my ears these sound less peaky than a Beyer T1. I guess it´s pretty subjective how we react to treble spikes as to me this isn´t that bad at all.
 
Way less critical of upstream components than the HD 800 (which seems like an art form to get sounding right, not getting into that anymore). Also easily the most comfortable headphone I´ve ever used and perfect for gaming/movies with the extended treble and angled drivers. The polarized reception these have had here actually made me more interested in them. Different sounding than what Sennheiser is usually associated with. Good "PRAT" and driver speed especially. Very fast decay and impressive instrument separation. With the new price I think these will become another Sennheiser mainstay. Also nice to see that they are still made in Ireland too (same factory as HD 650 I think).
 
I´ll post more as I´ve had more time with them...
 
Edit: could not get along with the treble spike in the long term... Great headphone for some genres, but not an all rounder.