Only heard the 800S out of there HDVA 600 or 800 can't remember but was not impressed .They had both the 800 and 800S and gave a listen to both and hated the amp. I liked the S's more but a modded pair of 800's thru a Queststyle dual mono setup was great and also from a Microzolt 2.
My last two non-IEM headphones have effectively worn out from under my ears--thanks primarily to artificial pleather ears cups simply disintegrating. I'm being SO careful with the HD700s. I want these to last as long as possible. I even have a small paint brush handy that I use to brush off any accumulated dirty and dust occasionally.
Perhaps I should say "imitation pleather"? That's right...when 100% pleather is just too costly for your listening needs, come on down to Cal's House of Cheapness! We've got all your faux merchandise in stock, like this genuine Magnetbox and Sorny!
Does any one know if the HD700 benefits from being ran balanced thru an balanced setup? I been searching around and I haven't found an answer yet.
Heard them with Liquid Gold, Glass, EC Balancing Act and Master 11 last year, thru amps that I could switch between balanced and SE it didn't make a difference to me but since we all hear differently, might want to try for your self, some will say it makes a difference but to me if the amp was designed for balanced then I would run them in that way. There was some discussion about this in the HD-800 and HD-800S threads if you would like a little more info. While I love my HD-700 and consider it a real bargain at current prices and on the border of mid-fi and TOTL, I think there are times when the HD-800 and 800S along with the T1 and a few other TOTL headphones offer a sound that the HD-700 can't provide me but they also require better gear to get that performance level
I would certainly hope they do, considering they cost >2x the 700. But at the same time, the 700s offer something the 8's don't, IMO.
Got a pair of HD700 for $429 from recent Amazon sale. Other headphones I currently own: HD600 HD380 pro Headphone amps I currently own: Oppo HA-1 Headphone Amp / dac / pre Parasound zDAC v.2 dac / headphone amp Digital Sources: PC XBOX Oppo BDP-95 Analog sources: Pro-ject RPM-10.1 w/ ortofon cadenza red & falcon/roadrunner Elec speed control Emotiva xps-1 phono stage Kab acoustics rumble filter impressions: I really love the sound of the HD700 for listening to music. It sounds a lot more pleasing to my ear than the HD600; not that the HD600 is bad - in fact, the HD600 is probably superior for monitoring mixes due to its revealing neutrality. But for actual music listening, I prefer the HD700 on all my equipment. The soundstage of the HD700 sounds more speaker-like and wide to me, while the HD600 sounds like a pair of monitor speakers is strapped on your ears. And, while the HD600 is.more balanced in its delivery of frequencies, I found it a bit boring for music in comparison to the HD700 when combined with the less engaging soundstage of the HD600. I did not find the much discussed treble peaks of the HD700 to be a problem at any time. It made some frequencies more pronounced, but never to a level where I found it irritating. Comfort wise is no contest, the HD700 is far more comfy than the HD600. So, my conclusion: If you are monitoring mixes for production stick with the HD600. But for listening to music for entertainment, the HD700 is a decisively better experience overall.
Amm... perhaps the fact that the HD-700 are a recent buy bias your opinion. I'm curious to see what you'll think in a few months time. ln any case, l'm happy you like them so much! Enjoy them!
Actually both my hd600 and hd700 are new. I lost my hd580 and got the hd600 ($250 net incl gift card also from Amazon) to replace them but then couldn't pass up the deal on the hd700, since I have two places I listen to headphones at. Going to keep hd600 at pc w/parasound and hd700 with hifi system and oppo.
