[Guidostrunk]

Sure. You are correct. Some just don't like the 700's, because of the sound. And that's fine.
And if you really read my post. You'll see why I didn't like the 700's, and why I like them now.
And It has everything to do with the sound. And if I recall. It does take other gear to create sound out of the 700's. At least the last time I checked.

And for amps. They're all good, by personal standards. One man's trash , is another man's treasure. And I think the standard of a good amp is set upon personal choice and preferences.

What I think is hilarious though, is that you seem to take others personal experiences, personal lol. We all get it that you listen to imperfect headphones, and you love the gear you have to play music on them.
But I guess it's wrong for others to share their same experiences.

Not once have I criticized anyone's gear. I simply stated my journey with the 700's , and my own personal experience to contribute to the forum. You seem to have this insecurity, that you or someone else is being personally attacked for the gear you, or others have.

Seriously. Get a grip bro. It's only headphones. And this is an impressions thread ***! Lol

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  

 

[joespride]

Every post on this and any thread on Head Fi consists of whom evers personal opinion on the topic. Hearing is subjective everyone hears differently.
 
The fact that I use amp X and find it sucks with headphone Y, and then I try amp C and it sings with Headphone Y Is the basis of making the statement that "headphone Y requires better gear / chain"  Just because you may happen to have amp X and are in love with it does not mean FOR ME it did not suck.  The whole point of this forum and all forums is shared experience and promotion of the hobby
 
To emphatically state that any HEADPHONE sucks with limited exposure to gear is really of little help use to others, To state that for YOU a headphone sucks is an opinion not a fact, For others to chime in and make suggestions based on there experience in an effort to help someone achieve the best possible performance from the headphones is not a personal attack.
 
There is no denial that no Headphone, Amp, Dac, PC (insert anything) is perfect for everyone. 

 

[Guidostrunk]

LOL

Every post on this and any thread on Head Fi consists of whom evers personal opinion on the topic. Hearing is subjective everyone hears differently.

The fact that I use amp X and find it sucks with headphone Y, and then I try amp C and it sings with Headphone Y Is the basis of making the statement that "headphone Y requires better gear / chain"  Just because you may happen to have amp X and are in love with it does not mean FOR ME it did not suck.  The whole point of this forum and all forums is shared experience and promotion of the hobby

To emphatically state that any HEADPHONE sucks with limited exposure to gear is really of little help use to others, To state that for YOU a headphone sucks is an opinion not a fact, For others to chime in and make suggestions based on there experience in an effort to help someone achieve the best possible performance from the headphones is not a personal attack.

There is no denial that no Headphone, Amp, Dac, PC (insert anything) is perfect for everyone. 

 

[Xeculus]

Paired the HD700 to a MHA-100 today. Sibilance is less, but the headphone is still not an enjoyable experience for me.

What really is least enjoyable however is this thread. I really don't know how one impression has devolved into an argument.

What I think is hilarious though, is that you seem to take others personal experiences, personal lol. We all get it that you listen to imperfect headphones, and you love the gear you have to play music on them.
But I guess it's wrong for others to share their same experiences.

Not once have I criticized anyone's gear. I simply stated my journey with the 700's , and my own personal experience to contribute to the forum. You seem to have this insecurity, that you or someone else is being personally attacked for the gear you, or others have.

Seriously. Get a grip bro. It's only headphones. And this is an impressions thread ***! Lol

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  

Really? It seems like you're the one who took his reply as a personal attack. When I read it, it seemed quite innocuous. If I read sygnus's post in the context of a real face to face conversation, would anyone take it as a personal attack? He simply said that sometimes we don't like a headphone because of the headphone itself and not the gear we pair it with. You can agree or disagree with this assertion but there is ZERO reason to dismiss his comment as insecurity and tell him to "get a grip bro."

Please, let's all take a breather here. Let's move forward with positive assumptions about the comments others make here

 

[gibosi]

The 700 has a treble peak around 5K. This is a well documented fact. For some this peak is a problem. And for others, it is not. After all, everyone has different ears and different gear....
 
I have a Glenn OTL which was designed from the beginning to be an ultimate tube rolling amp. And I have several hundred tubes. (You name it, I probably have it.) As my ears found that 5K peak unpleasant, I rolled countless combinations of rectifiers, drivers and powers in an attempt to make the 700's more enjoyable. In the end, while some combinations were better than others, none succeeded in completely taming that peak. And frankly, I doubt that there is a combination that would please "MY" ears.
 
For me, the solution was to implement Takato14's earpad mod to simply eliminate that 5K peak. That done, I love my 700s and I am now able to thoroughly enjoy my vast tube collection.
 
But again, no one else has my ears... YMMV.

 

[DavidA]

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!

Depends on what you want:
 
While I haven't heard the Valhalla2 it seems to be a fairly neutral sounding amp from all the impression of it that I have read in different threads with other headphones.
 
BH Crack:  Can be really good but it depends on the tubes used, another poster in the HD-800 thread noted that the output impedance of the BH Crack changes depending on what power tubes is used which in turn will affect the sound.
 
When I first got the HD-700 I liked the Ember a little more than the Lyr2, over time I feel that its more dependent on the tubes used.

 

[sygnus21]

Seriously. Get a grip bro. It's only headphones. And this is an impressions thread ***! Lol

 
Sad that you take my disagreement as having a problem. Sort of like I like saying only your opinion counts and everyone else needs to "get a grip". Got it. It's easier to belittle and attack those that don't agree with your point of view rather than hear the opposite side. I see where you're coming from.  Bye

 

[DavidA]

Paired the HD700 to a MHA-100 today. Sibilance is less, but the headphone is still not an enjoyable experience for me.


Please, let's all take a breather here. Let's move forward with positive assumptions about the comments others make here

The MHA-100 was a little bright sounding to me when I heard it last year at a friends house, didn't use a HD-700 but tried HD-800, HE-560 and both were on the bright side to me.
 
Agree with second part....time for a beer

 

[sygnus21]

Paired the HD700 to a MHA-100 today. Sibilance is less, but the headphone is still not an enjoyable experience for me.

What really is least enjoyable however is this thread. I really don't know how one impression has devolved into an argument.
Really? It seems like you're the one who took his reply as a personal attack. When I read it, it seemed quite innocuous. If I read sygnus's post in the context of a real face to face conversation, would anyone take it as a personal attack? He simply said that sometimes we don't like a headphone because of the headphone itself and not the gear we pair it with. You can agree or disagree with this assertion but there is ZERO reason to dismiss his comment as insecurity and tell him to "get a grip bro."

Please, let's all take a breather here. Let's move forward with positive assumptions about the comments others make here

 
Thanks. Some would rather personally attack you than listen to an opposing view. Those that disagree have a problem and need to get a grip.
 
At any rate I'm not here to argue, but present my opinion, just as others are allowed. However, because I dare to disagree I get personal attacks on my character.  Apparently only lemmings need apply. 
 
And yeah.... moving right along

 

 

[Guidostrunk]

LOL WUT? Are you fkn kidding me? Bro, go get help! Take your victim card somewhere else. I feel like I'm in the fkn Twilight Zone.

We gave our experiences. It's as simple as that. This schiit is hilarious!

Thanks. Some would rather personally attack you than listen to an opposing view. Those that disagree have a problem and need to get a grip.

At any rate I'm not here to argue, but present my opinion, just as others are allowed. However, because I dare to disagree I get personal attacks on my character.  Apparently only lemmings need apply. 

And yeah.... moving right along  

 

[Xeculus]

 

Paired the HD700 to a MHA-100 today. Sibilance is less, but the headphone is still not an enjoyable experience for me.

The MHA-100 was a little bright sounding to me when I heard it last year at a friends house, didn't use a HD-700 but tried HD-800, HE-560 and both were on the bright side to me.
 

 
Damn, I always read that the MHA-100 was a neutral SS amp that exhibited a slight amount of warmth. Too bad the shop didn't have any tube amps out at this time.
I've got an EC Black Widow on order now for the 800, but we'll see if that can do the trick for the 700's too 

 

[DavidA]

   
Damn, I always read that the MHA-100 was a neutral SS amp that exhibited a slight amount of warmth. Too bad the shop didn't have any tube amps out at this time.
I've got an EC Black Widow on order now for the 800, but we'll see if that can do the trick for the 700's too 

Yeah, I also though that the MHA-100 was slightly on the warm side but after listening to it next to a Liquid Gold and V-200 it surprised me too as being a little on the bright side compared to the other two.
 
Looking forward to comments / impressions with the black widow, BTW how much longer is the wait?

 

[MWSVette]

   
Damn, I always read that the MHA-100 was a neutral SS amp that exhibited a slight amount of warmth. Too bad the shop didn't have any tube amps out at this time.
I've got an EC Black Widow on order now for the 800, but we'll see if that can do the trick for the 700's too 

Since you already have a M2U/M2U stack have you considered a Vali 2.  Its an inexpensive way to see if you like the "tube sound".  Since it only uses one tube its cheaper to try tube rolling to look for that slight warmth.

 

[dazzerfong]

  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.

Only on some older classical records (like Murray Perahia's Mozart Piano Concerto collection): everything else is fine on it. To be fair, Perahia's collection is bright no matter what headphone I use, but it's especially bad on the HD700. In the beginning, it was certainly bright compared to my MDR-1A's: now I think the MDR-1A's are dark. How strange the tables have turned........
 
That being said, I yanked my brother's HD600 the other day and gave it the first day-long listen: sounded boring to me TBH. I might nab a 650 one day just to see the fuss over it. I can't agree more with headphones being uber personal: some love it, others loath it.
 
Anyway, I haven't bought anything audio for a while, and Head-Fi's silently judging me. Any good ideas for a tube amp that's not too expensive? Really wanted the WA7 before the Aussie dollar smacked the floor. Maybe something around $300 USD and preferably looks sleek?

 

[joespride]

  Only on some older classical records (like Murray Perahia's Mozart Piano Concerto collection): everything else is fine on it. To be fair, Perahia's collection is bright no matter what headphone I use, but it's especially bad on the HD700. In the beginning, it was certainly bright compared to my MDR-1A's: now I think the MDR-1A's are dark. How strange the tables have turned........
 
That being said, I yanked my brother's HD600 the other day and gave it the first day-long listen: sounded boring to me TBH. I might nab a 650 one day just to see the fuss over it. I can't agree more with headphones being uber personal: some love it, others loath it.
 
Anyway, I haven't bought anything audio for a while, and Head-Fi's silently judging me. Any good ideas for a tube amp that's not too expensive? Really wanted the WA7 before the Aussie dollar smacked the floor. Maybe something around $300 USD and preferably looks sleek?

Get the garage 1217 starlight, it has TONS of flexability, change gain, change resistance, Literally HUNDREDS of tubes can be rolled, & can even swap out the op amps, lots of adapters that allow for some very nice tube options. and under 200.00 US brand new with 5 year warranty.  I have had 3 of the garage amps while I would not call them the best amps out there they are easily in the top few under 500.00.  Jeremy is also superb to work with outstanding customer service.  I know of no other amp with all the options for tailoring the sound to ones preference