[DavidA]

hd700 soundstage is big but at the same time is like a bubble, is deep and stretched out, the imaging is laser sharp and precise, they are very different from akg k601, k601 have big soundstage but very diffuse imaging, i assume that the geometry of the cups and the placement of the driver of hd700 is part of the reason for the soundstage size and very good imaging , when i tryed the hd800 they had even bigger soundstage
anyone with similar observations about the bubble feeling?

I'm sure I understand your bubble description but agree with you that the soundstage and imaging of the HD700 is good but the HD800 is bigger, but for some genres of music the bigger soundstage is not always better IMO.

 

[dobigstuff]

More Power, Deeper Tighter Bass, Wide sound stage:

w/ NOS Tung-Sol 6SN7 Driver and NOS Jan RCA 6AS7 Power.

 

[DavidA]

More power does not always mean better bass, a better match between amp and headphone or the choice of tubes is a more probable reason for the better bass.

 

[FastAndClean]

after experimenting i lot here are my last eq settings, very important point here, don't mess up with the mids, i know there's a upper mid dip around 2.5khz but when you boost that region it mess up the overall sound, human hearing is very sensitive in the mid frequencies, so it is better to correct only the treble and lower bass

 

[Jake142]

I have owned the HD700 twice in my life, both times i ended up selling/returning them. I like the way they sound, but not a $500 like. For me $500 headphone would need to be near perfect to justify, the HD700 are close, but not close enough to that price point.

 

[Tetonpowskier]

What didn't you like about them?

 

[dobigstuff]

More power does not always mean better bass, a better match between amp and headphone or the choice of tubes is a more probable reason for the better bass.

DavidA:
Even better match for the HD 700's, see below. Tight Bass, wider soundstage, not as bright as I originally thought.

NOS USA Tung-Sol 7236 Power with NOS USA Tung-Sol Tall Bottle 6SN7 Driver

 

[kernel8888]

Is there a variation of a SDR mod for the hd700?

 

[SHAMuuu]

A gentleman in the "rank your headphones" thread slapped the 700 drivers into a t5p shell, and said it was his endgame.

Just incase anyone was interested in closed 700, but doesn't check that thread. Just throwing it out there

 

[mrmccombine]

Hey guys frist post here...
Im thinking about getting new amp and dac.
My gear.
Dac and amp: modi and magni.
Cans: hd700
I would like to not spend more then 600ish£
I have been looking at jotunheim schiit.

 

[mathi8vadhanan]

Used HUGO 1st gen is an excellent pairing with HD700. It's pairing with HD700 is the only reason, I kept it along with Mojo.

 

[GearMe]

Hey guys frist post here...
Im thinking about getting new amp and dac.
My gear.
Dac and amp: modi and magni.
Cans: hd700
I would like to not spend more then 600ish£
I have been looking at jotunheim schiit.

I had the original M/M setup for work and found it harsh for some cans with some music. Was that your experience?

If I were upgrading both sides of this setup, I'd start with the Dac; buying a Mimby and seeing what it did to the sound signature. Then, I'd figure out my amp considering the Valhalla 2, Massdrop Cavalli LCX, Jot, and Magni 3.

For amps...I haven't heard the Jotunheim and the HD700 together but am thinking the treble might be hot/harsh for some folks based on comments in the Jot thread. Since the Magni 3 was introduced, I'd probably only buy the Jotunheim if I wanted to try Balanced but even then I'd probably lean to the LCX over the Jot.

Personally, I like my HD700s with my Bimby/Valhalla 2 combo. Since the Mimby has a similar design to the Bimby, I'm thinking the Mimby/Valhalla 2 combo would be a great setup for the HD700 and any other high-impedance Senns/Beyers/etc. you might buy down the road. But, I haven't heard the Mimby. Also, the Mimby will save you $350 over the Bimby...keeping you within budget.

As a side note, I did get a Magni 3 for work and it's a great amp for $99! So...if you didn't hear much harshness with your HD700s through your original M/M stack, then you could go with the Mimby/Magni stack for $350 out the door.

 

[DavidA]

Hey guys frist post here...
Im thinking about getting new amp and dac.
My gear.
Dac and amp: modi and magni.
Cans: hd700
I would like to not spend more then 600ish£
I have been looking at jotunheim schiit.

I'd have to agree with @GearMe about the M/M stack not being a good match for the HD700 since I had it a while ago, Jot was also not a good pairing since it made the HD700 treble a little hot and harsh to me. The Hugo is a great paring but out of your price range. I like my Teac UD-301 DAC/amp with the HD700 and you can still add an amp later if you feel the need. The Magni3 is a decent match but it did seem to shrink the sound stage of the HD700 to me and a friend who just got it. My ex-GF used to use a Fiio X3 with her HD700 almost every days when she was walking her dog and it was a nice sounding portable setup. My preferred amp is a BH Crack (Telefunken driver tube/TS5998 power tube) about as good as it gets for under $1000 to me.

 

[Malfunkt]

I'd go with what @FastAndClean suggested. My view, get a transparent amp and dac, and add any colourization if required. However, you may like the character of said DAC and amp (especially tube) in which case @DavidA Bottlehead suggestion makes sense.

I like my HD700 with the 02/ODAC. I also prefer my whiskey neat.

 

[Marlowe]

Hey guys frist post here...
Im thinking about getting new amp and dac.
My gear.
Dac and amp: modi and magni.
Cans: hd700
I would like to not spend more then 600ish£
I have been looking at jotunheim schiit.

I haven't heard the Jotunheim, but I'm very happy using the Valhalla 2 and Mimby with my 700. Before upgrading, I found the Magni 2U to be OK, but maybe a bit harsh with the 700. The Magni 3 should be an improvement over the 2U, but again I haven't heard it. At 600 USD, this would well be within your budget, but TBH I am not sure what the actual final cost would be in the UK with shipping and applicable taxes.

BTW, if your using a USB connection to your DAC, you might want to add the Schiit Eitr to this if it fits in your budget. A USB to SPDIF converter, it noticeably improves the SQ with the Mimby (so much so, the device is now backordered on the Schiit site).