[DavidA]

  Can I buy a life insurance policy on you??? 

Sure

 

[Xeculus]

Took some time and compared the 650 to the 700. I was a bit busy this weekend studying for finals however, so I will continue my impressions and do a more comprehensive comparison later.
 
 
Regarding detail retrieval, there really no comparison here. The 700 is a much more detailed headphone. Switching between the two headphones, it's like I'm switching between a 1080p and a 4K screen. I totally get the "veiled highs" complaint of the 650 now, when I switch back to the 650 I feel like I'm losing out on a lot of details. 
 
Part of this though, is because of the tilted forward treble of the HD700, which is the complete opposite of the rolled off highs of the HD650. In fact, the 700 treble is so bright (harsher than the HD800, ouch) that it verges on sounding unnatural. I don't know how many times I winced during an "s" sound. The HD700 is for sure the most sibilant headphone I've ever tried, and by far at that. The rather bright M2U stack doesn't help it either. I may stop by my local hifi store and try the 700 with a warmer amp to give it a fairer listen. As of now, I can't handle listening to the the 700 for too long because it's actually painful**. The HD650 on the other hand, is so so smooth and romantic sounding and I could listen to it all day without fatigue.  The warmth makes it a really fantastic headphone to use in bed before sleeping 

. 
 
Compared to the 650, the 700 certainly is more neutral however. Soundstage is a bit wider on the HD700 and I am able to tell the position of instruments better than I can on the HD650. Bass punches tightly and more accurately; the 650 bass sounds muddy in comparison, but it does have more impact than the 700. Furthermore, the HD700 also wins on comfort. It clamps much less hard than the 650.
 
I got my HD700 for $430 shipped brand new and sealed. At that price, it's a really sweet deal for someone who is tolerant of its tilted forward treble. I do feel like my young ears may be much more sensitive to high frequencies than someone who is older. I may get my parents to audition my lineup when I drive back to visit after finals. 
 
**I would like to add that I can tolerate the HD800 treble, which is also tilted forward. The HD700 treble however, gives me a lot of trouble

 

[sygnus21]

I hope you have a bullet-proof vest for your "unpopular" view here. Get ready 

 
 
 

 

 

[Guidostrunk]

Having owned the 650,700,&800, I agreed with your findings. Although it was the 800 that seemed more sibilant to me. At the time I was using a Valhalla, and moved on to a Lyr. Listening sessions grew shorter because of fatigue setting in quickly. So I dumped everything I owned and moved on to the HE500 , running off a speaker amp. Although the 500 sounded good, it just didn't have the depth of the senns. And completely lacked air and Soundstage that the 700& 800 delivered.
I got frustrated once again and dumped everything. Lol.
Then , I aquired a Woo Audio Wa6, and for the second time, HD700. Every qualm I had with them with my Schiit rigs, went right out the window. The synergy with the Woo, is insanely good. The Woo takes the 700's, to another level imo. What I expected, from previous experience, and what I was hearing were miles apart. I can listen to the 700's, for hours now , with absolutely no fatigue whatsoever. They are far from the can, that I spent time with on my Schiit , rigs.
After that journey, I'm even more of a believer in system synergy. I absolutely hated the 700's last year. Now they leave me speechless after long sessions. It's an insane hobby and very subjective. This is just my experience and opinion.
If you happen to have access to a local shop with various amps , or a nice tube amp, give it a whirl before you ditch the Senns. Just my .02

Cheers

Took some time and compared the 650 to the 700. I was a bit busy this weekend studying for finals however, so I will continue my impressions and do a more comprehensive comparison later.


Regarding detail retrieval, there really no comparison here. The 700 is a much more detailed headphone. Switching between the two headphones, it's like I'm switching between a 1080p and a 4K screen. I totally get the "veiled highs" complaint of the 650 now, when I switch back to the 650 I feel like I'm losing out on a lot of details. 

Part of this though, is because of the tilted forward treble of the HD700, which is the complete opposite of the rolled off highs of the HD650. In fact, the 700 treble is so bright (harsher than the HD800, ouch) that it verges on sounding unnatural. I don't know how many times I winced during an "s" sound. The HD700 is for sure the most sibilant headphone I've ever tried, and by far at that. The rather bright M2U stack doesn't help it either. I may stop by my local hifi store and try the 700 with a warmer amp to give it a fairer listen. As of now, I can't handle listening to the the 700 for too long because it's actually painful**. The HD650 on the other hand, is so so smooth and romantic sounding and I could listen to it all day without fatigue.  The warmth makes it a really fantastic headphone to use in bed before sleeping  . 

Compared to the 650, the 700 certainly is more neutral however. Soundstage is a bit wider on the HD700 and I am able to tell the position of instruments better than I can on the HD650. Bass punches tightly and more accurately; the 650 bass sounds muddy in comparison, but it does have more impact than the 700. Furthermore, the HD700 also wins on comfort. It clamps much less hard than the 650.

I got my HD700 for $430 shipped brand new and sealed. At that price, it's a really sweet deal for someone who is tolerant of its tilted forward treble. I do feel like my young ears may be much more sensitive to high frequencies than someone who is older. I may get my parents to audition my lineup when I drive back to visit after finals. 

**I would like to add that I can tolerate the HD800 treble, which is also tilted forward. The HD700 treble however, gives me a lot of trouble

 

[DavidA]

Having owned the 650,700,&800....
Cheers

My experience with the HD-700 is similar to yours but I was lucky that I had the Ember when I got them, if I only had the Asgard2 I might have dumped the HD-700 also.
 
 

 
**I would like to add that I can tolerate the HD800 treble, which is also tilted forward. The HD700 treble however, gives me a lot of trouble

When I had my original M/M stack the HD-700 was as about how you describe them, hope you get to try an amp that plays nice with them before giving them up.
 
I'm like Guidostrunk, the HD-800 was slightly more sibilant to me than the HD-700.  This could be because the frequency peaks are different between the two.

 

[dazzerfong]

I think I have an iron cochlea from what people describe: I'm in love with it with solid states, and the few times I tried a tube with it (can't remember which one on the top of my head) and I felt I lost a lot of that sparkle. The only time I need to take them off is if my head is covered in sweat after an intense sesh of gaming, coz yuck

 

[DavidA]

  I think I have an iron cochlea from what people describe: I'm in love with it with solid states, and the few times I tried a tube with it (can't remember which one on the top of my head) and I felt I lost a lot of that sparkle. The only time I need to take them off is if my head is covered in sweat after an intense sesh of gaming, coz yuck

Do you find any headphone sibilant/harsh/overly bright?
 
For some the frequency seems to matter.  On another thread a poster said that the TH-600 was killing him but a SR-225e was okay, for most it would be the other way around.

 

[Rob80b]

  Took some time and compared the 650 to the 700. .............
 
 
In fact, the 700 treble is so bright (harsher than the HD800, ouch) that it verges on sounding unnatural. ..................
 
**I would like to add that I can tolerate the HD800 treble, which is also tilted forward. The HD700 treble however, gives me a lot of trouble

Hi Xeculus
 
Interesting but I'm aware you are not alone....... but when I was commenting a lot more….. in direct comparisons IMHO the HD700 were warmer, therefore less bright overall than the HD800s…the 800s sounding more clinical…it does come down to our ears and equipment though...needless to say I still have the HD700s.

 

[joespride]

I dare say any headphone has the capability to sound bad when it is being played with the wrong gear / chain,  IMHO though not every headphone has the ability to sound good
 
To blame the headphone for any chains shortcomings is not all together a fair impression. You do yourself and the headphones a disservice.  There is always some work involved in discovering the synergy of a system,  Without that synergy nothing sounds its best
 
My 700's have no harshness to them at all, but of course I dont have starter amps / dacs.  You would be better off to investigate either different cans or better chain. Before I forget source material can make a world of difference as well. A 280 kbps file can make even great setups sound like crap

 

[Xeculus]

 
Took some time and compared the 650 to the 700. .............


In fact, the 700 treble is so bright (harsher than the HD800, ouch) that it verges on sounding unnatural. ..................

**I would like to add that I can tolerate the HD800 treble, which is also tilted forward. The HD700 treble however, gives me a lot of trouble

Hi Xeculus

Interesting but I'm aware you are not alone....... but when I was commenting a lot more….. in direct comparisons IMHO the HD700 were warmer, therefore less bright overall than the HD800s…the 800s sounding more clinical…it does come down to our ears and equipment though...needless to say I still have the HD700s.

I find it very curious that a few here say the HD700 is less bright than the 800. To my ears, there is no doubt that the HD700 is far more sibilant on this setup at least. Looked up some other comparison and I know I'm not alone in this assertion.

But I believe you hear what you hear. No ears are the same.

I dare say any headphone has the capability to sound bad when it is being played with the wrong gear / chain,  IMHO though not every headphone has the ability to sound good

To blame the headphone for any chains shortcomings is not all together a fair impression. You do yourself and the headphones a disservice.  There is always some work involved in discovering the synergy of a system,  Without that synergy nothing sounds its best

My 700's have no harshness to them at all, but of course I dont have starter amps / dacs.  You would be better off to investigate either different cans or better chain. Before I forget source material can make a world of difference as well. A 280 kbps file can make even great setups sound like crap

All my tracks are properly sourced either lossless ripped from CD or streamed from Apple Music / Spotify at 256 / 320 respectively. I test only with lossless CD tracks.

I don't doubt that the HD700 can synergize better with a better headphone chain, I'm certainly already in the market for a major improvement to serve my HD800. However I have my doubts on trying to tune an inherently bright headphone to match my sound preference.

 

[sygnus21]

I find it very curious that a few here say the HD700 is less bright than the 800. To my ears, there is no doubt that the HD700 is far more sibilant on this setup at least. Looked up some other comparison and I know I'm not alone in this assertion.

But I believe you hear what you hear. No ears are the same.
All my tracks are properly sourced either lossless ripped from CD or streamed from Apple Music / Spotify at 256 / 320 respectively. I test only with lossless CD tracks.

I don't doubt that the HD700 can synergize better with a better headphone chain, I'm certainly already in the market for a major improvement to serve my HD800. However I have my doubts on trying to tune an inherently bright headphone to match my sound preference.

 
I've found that some would rather blame the equipment or source material rather than admit that the HD700's are not perfect.  BTW I agree the HD700's can sound a bit harsh as times, but more often than not this isn't the case for me.  BTW I've never heard the HD800's so I can't compare to them, but I've also heard the opposite as well... the HD800's can be harsher.
 
At any rate one man's treasure is another's garbage.  Overall I like my HD700's, but they ain't "perfect".  I know I nearly dumped them before getting use to their sound. That said, when I want to listen to something outside of jazz with more bass, I grab my AT M50X's.  The MX50's are certainly not a better HP than the HD700's, but they do provide more presence when listening to dance or EDM, which is what I prefer for that type music. 
 
My two cents. 

 

[Guidostrunk]

Yes. I blame the equipment, in my case. The 700's , sounded like assss , on both schiit rigs I had. But that's my experience with multiple observations of multiple amps. No synergy whatsoever with schiit amps.
I'm experiencing the complete opposite now , with the particular amp(gear)I'm currently using. I blame the Woo for synergizing pretty good.

I agree with your assertion, that the 700's , aren't perfect. But neither is any headphone in the entire industry.

I've found that some would rather blame the equipment or source material rather than admit that the HD700's are not perfect.  BTW I agree the HD700's can sound a bit harsh as times, but more often than not this isn't the case for me.  BTW I've never heard the HD800's so I can't compare to them, but I've also heard the opposite as well... the HD800's can be harsher.

At any rate one man's treasure is another's garbage.  Overall I like my HD700's, but they ain't "perfect".  I know I nearly dumped them before getting use to their sound. That said, when I want to listen to something outside of jazz with more bass, I grab my AT M50X's.  The MX50's are certainly not a better HP than the HD700's, but they do provide more presence when listening to dance or EDM, which is what I prefer for that type music. 

My two cents. 

 

[MWSVette]

Yes. I blame the equipment, in my case. The 700's , sounded like assss , on both schiit rigs I had. But that's my experience with multiple observations of multiple amps. No synergy whatsoever with schiit amps.
I'm experiencing the complete opposite now , with the particular amp(gear)I'm currently using. I blame the Woo for synergizing pretty good.

I agree with your assertion, that the 700's , aren't perfect. But neither is any headphone in the entire industry.

 
+1 If we find find the perfect headphone what would we do then???  

 

[sygnus21]

Yes. I blame the equipment, in my case. The 700's , sounded like assss , on both schiit rigs I had. But that's my experience with multiple observations of multiple amps. No synergy whatsoever with schiit amps.
I'm experiencing the complete opposite now , with the particular amp(gear)I'm currently using. I blame the Woo for synergizing pretty good.

I agree with your assertion, that the 700's , aren't perfect. But neither is any headphone in the entire industry.

Of course we can blame anything we want because it couldn't be some simply don't like the HD700's. It has to be the equipment, music source, or cables... not the sound of HD700's
 
Anyway while I fully agree the HD700's are headphone amp dependent, it also comes down to what you mostly listen to in music. If you like lots of bass and/or EDM, these might not be for you. If you love jazz and classical, these could be right up your ally. Thus primary music genre is also a factor in like/dislike of headphones, including the HD700.  That even though you can play all types of music genres with these (I do), that doesn't mean they are perfect for all of them. When I do EDM and want more bass, the HD700's get put aside for my "cheaper",  but bassier AT M50X's.
 
Also, what's considered a "good headphone amp"?  And by whose standard?  And if I thus found it, and still deemed the headphone's inadequate, would it still be the "equipment's" fault? Or could it still be that I (general use) simply don't like them?
 
Sorry, but just because you (general use) say it's our equipment doesn't mean it's true. It could simply mean we (general use) don't like the headphones.... period. Sound is subjective and we don't all hear things the same way.
 
While I personally love my HD700's, I don't love them for everything. Some won't love them for anything, that's the nature of the game.  
 
Anyway I realize this is the "Sennheiser HD 700 Impressions Thread", so while I'm overall impressed with mine, not everyone has to be. That's all I'm saying.
 
Peace

 

 

[Land-O-The-Free]

Hey guys, so I'm sure this has been asked before, but 2,300 pages is a lot to go through. So here's the question. VALHALLA 2 VS BOTTLEHEAD CRACK? Thanks everyone!