How are you connecting the estat amp to your HT system? One reason I use either HD700 or HD6XX is that my HT receiver is connected to my Blu-ray player and the headphone output is pretty good but it also has the DSP enabled through the headphone output so I get a great 3D sound field. The only way I could get the 3D DSP on either Stax system would be to go from the headphone output to the estat amp which would be double amping, but I get the benefit of remote volume control.
Sennheiser HD 700 Impressions Thread
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VRacer-111
1000+ Head-Fier
I honestly can't think of a single thing the HD700 does better than the SR-L300, at least out of my equipment chain... other than be one of the most comfortable headphones you can wear. I'd love an HD700 chassis with the STAX L-Lamda sound performance, would be my ideal headphone. Soundstage is kind of comparable but different (Estats are unique sounding things...), but that's as close as the HD700 gets. Simply does not have the capability to keep pace with the L300 - almost nothing other than a higher level STAX or Sennheiser HE1 does. Maybe a perfected HD800 or HD800S setup...
VRacer-111
1000+ Head-Fier
I'm not really connected to my HT system, but my new estat amp was my former HT front channel stereo amp (NAD C275BEE stereo amp - which is powering a Mjolnir Audio modded STAX SRD-7 energizer.) Using optical out from Xbox One to my Gustard X20U DAC (to rest of headphone chain, both estat and dynamic). Or digital coax out from an Oppo Blu-ray player to the X20U DAC.
Ok cool. By your system do you have a separate amp for stax? Other than entry level system.? Apologies i find naming nomenclature on stax confusing. Hard to make out if you are talking about system or hp alone.
I do find my system to be somewhat optimised for hd700. Will i get similar performance if i get entry level stax system with a decent dac like chord mojo?
I could do optical to Bimby or UD-301 but I'd be missing the 3D DSP of the HT, which is probably why I never did try it out.
@vaibhavp, If you have your system "optimized" for your HD700 and you really like how it sounds then I'd say to go and listen to a Stax setup before getting one since they are unique and not everyone likes them. In some way I'm like you that the BH Crack is a great pairing for the HD700 and its one of the reasons I traded my SR009 with my best friend. One thing with most Stax systems is they are generally not very forgiving of poor / sub-par tracks and if you like a nice bass line then you may find that some Stax headphones will sound lacking at first but give them a chance and you'll be surprised at how clean and detailed the bass can be. My SRD-34 Stax system is from 1982 IIRC and they still sound great today and since I traded my SR009/SRM007 to my best friend the SRD-34 does quite well in its place until I go and visit my friend, which is about once or twice a year since I have to fly to the Big Island to visit him.
VRacer-111
1000+ Head-Fier
This is kind of getting off topic for this thread....I never started off with the base system setup (which is SRS-3100), I started off with a Koss ESP950, then got a used STAX SRM-323S amp to use with it - with plans to get a STAX in the future. Just recently got in a Mjolnir Audio reworked STAX SRD-7 energizer which am using with my former HT stereo amp, a NAD C275BEE...which is indeed a noticeable upgrade to the STAX SRM-323S amp. And most recently on a whim purchased a used STAX L300 because it was a very good price - I've had the L300 for a week. The SRM-323S is definitely a good enough amp to start off for it. DAC is probably more important to get right for Estats though. Search around in the STAX/High End sections of Head-fi for more info, but I imagine a Mojo would be an okay starting point.
A little off topic but its in relation to a comparison of the HD700
Thanks for the input guys.
I have set a hard limit of 500$ per gear for myself. Would have to cross that if i want a better amp for it. I guess i will listen to system first.
I have set a hard limit of 500$ per gear for myself. Would have to cross that if i want a better amp for it. I guess i will listen to system first.
VRacer-111
1000+ Head-Fier
Well used SRM-323S run around $500, maybe a SRM-353X (which is a balanced 323) for a little more....
But yeah, if you can give them a listen first, that way you have a better idea if it's something you really want to go after. I will say my L300 setup has the best bass I've heard so far...it's EXTREMELY impressive how insanely quick, detailed, extending, and PUNCHY it is... more impressed by it than my modded TH-X00PH's! The NAD C275BEE may have something to do with its bass performance...
But yeah, if you can give them a listen first, that way you have a better idea if it's something you really want to go after. I will say my L300 setup has the best bass I've heard so far...it's EXTREMELY impressive how insanely quick, detailed, extending, and PUNCHY it is... more impressed by it than my modded TH-X00PH's! The NAD C275BEE may have something to do with its bass performance...
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Thought I'd be able to get back to this thread a lot sooner! I have a few takeaways from the intervening posts.
The debate continues but not always with any clear reasoning for why the HD700 does or doesn't work out. It does seem to be an enigma at times. Don't get me wrong, I'm not criticizing anyone's preferences but I get the impression there's not a clear expectation of what the HD700 should be (or indeed is?). Again, more of a steer from Sennheiser would be great here.
They seem to readily change character (too readily?), with both bright and dark qualities. Perhaps this is the chameleon nature of them but we've just not quite nailed down the sweet spot in terms of instruments etc.
As far as FR charts go, I'm not sure they tell enough of the story. I'm sure that the FR interaction with the impedance curve is important, then there's the CSD qualities and impulse response. This is still a step removed from the complexities of signals and harmonics in actual music.
I can see the idea behind component matching. For me, that doesn't work (personally) for a couple of reasons. Firstly, we're talking using the rest of the chain to fix flaws. That definitely goes against the grain at this level. Again, why release a HP with flaws that need to be fixed?! I was under the impression that using tubes would essentially mask treble issues. Secondly, great, you have a nice system. Now you decide you want a different sound or emphasis and plug in one of your other 20 pairs of headphones. All that hard work system matching undone! This is a debate for another time but I don't think a 'good' HP should be that sensitive to the rest of the chain, which seems to be the suggestion in some cases.
I've rambled on for long enough, thanks for indulging!
The debate continues but not always with any clear reasoning for why the HD700 does or doesn't work out. It does seem to be an enigma at times. Don't get me wrong, I'm not criticizing anyone's preferences but I get the impression there's not a clear expectation of what the HD700 should be (or indeed is?). Again, more of a steer from Sennheiser would be great here.
They seem to readily change character (too readily?), with both bright and dark qualities. Perhaps this is the chameleon nature of them but we've just not quite nailed down the sweet spot in terms of instruments etc.
As far as FR charts go, I'm not sure they tell enough of the story. I'm sure that the FR interaction with the impedance curve is important, then there's the CSD qualities and impulse response. This is still a step removed from the complexities of signals and harmonics in actual music.
I can see the idea behind component matching. For me, that doesn't work (personally) for a couple of reasons. Firstly, we're talking using the rest of the chain to fix flaws. That definitely goes against the grain at this level. Again, why release a HP with flaws that need to be fixed?! I was under the impression that using tubes would essentially mask treble issues. Secondly, great, you have a nice system. Now you decide you want a different sound or emphasis and plug in one of your other 20 pairs of headphones. All that hard work system matching undone! This is a debate for another time but I don't think a 'good' HP should be that sensitive to the rest of the chain, which seems to be the suggestion in some cases.
I've rambled on for long enough, thanks for indulging!
If treble peaks are your only issue with them, then i think that flaw is easily fixable on these.
Over time I have realised I have found more systems where 700 works than where it doesn't. All in solid state realm. Way more easily fixed than hd800.
I may be less sensitive to peaks than other members here.
rlisin
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The only thing I find problematic with HD700 is that it does not like (some? very?) high impedance sources. The only combination of HD700 I've found unacceptable was with an integrated amp from the 1980s, it made these headphones sound quite muddy. The phones worked well with everything else I connected them to (headphone jack of a CD player, headphone jack of a Proton preamp, Fiio X5II DAP/DAC, Beresford Capella headphone amp, even the headphone jack of my laptop). I don't use tubes, all my gear is solid state. Obviously I noticed SQ differences between different sources, but the general character of the headphones remained the same (except for the integrated amp, which was an obvious mismatch). The sources with which HD700 work best are the same sources with whichmy other headphones work best. I don't feel a need to look for a better amp for them, they work fine with what I have. Yes, they have a peak that I would normally find annoying, but it does not bother me that much in the case of HD700, maybe because their overall SQ makes up for it. But I don't need perfect headphones, I'm good with ones that are good enough that I can live with their flaws (subjective or objective).
I use HD700 with many genres (metal, rock, pop, jazz, world music, classical, electronic music) and I don't find them particularly less well suited for any genre. What they do not work well with are poor recordings, they're not good at masking recording or mastering flaws.
I haven't heard HD800, but I have heard HD650 and found them pleasant but boring.
My best guess is that HD700 wasn't developed to suit particular genres or amps, but rather particular people and particular tastes.
I use HD700 with many genres (metal, rock, pop, jazz, world music, classical, electronic music) and I don't find them particularly less well suited for any genre. What they do not work well with are poor recordings, they're not good at masking recording or mastering flaws.
I haven't heard HD800, but I have heard HD650 and found them pleasant but boring.
My best guess is that HD700 wasn't developed to suit particular genres or amps, but rather particular people and particular tastes.
I have 4 different amps that the HD700 sounds good on and each will have a small effect on how the HD700 sounds but to me its a different "flavor" or "interpretation" and since I'm not looking for natural/neutral (which I feel = boring at times) the chameleon nature of the HD700 is one of the things I like about it.
@vaibhavp, agree that the HD800 is more finicky with amps and also far less forgiving of poor recordings. The HD800 only really sounded great with a few amps that I've tried it with: BH Crack, Liquid Carbon, Hugo, HA-501, Elise, Icon HP-8mk2, Liquid Glass, and Dark Star and I've never cared for how they sounded with the few number of portable devices (phones/DAPs) that I tried them with.
@rlisin, agree with your thoughts that the HD700 was made to suit particular people and tastes versus particular genres or amps. The few amps that I didn't like paired with the HD700: original Magni/Magni2, Asgard2, MicroZOTL2 (stock tubes) and Jot.
I actually don’t even mind my HD700 out of my iPhone 6. 
No, really. Laying in bed, listening to some ambient recordings, sounds of rain or thunder, or classical - it just fills the room.
Most of my listening is done right off the O2. I’ve also heard them on some Bottlehead amps, but not enough to evaluate if I preferred.
They seem to me that they were designed to be more easily powered - really the first of Sennheiser high-end line to come down from the 300ohm setting (their older sets even being 600ohm not that this is necessarily better). Additionally, they have good sensitivity.
I agree with the idea that these weren’t designed specifically with a certain music in mind. To me, they seem to be created with a certain stylistic take on sound not that far off from the HD800. It is a modern styling of the diffuse-field curve that seems to adjust for how sound works in a room space.
Stil, I can understand why some may not like them. If your sense of perception doesn’t click with the frequency curve, I imagine they might sound completely wrong.
No, really. Laying in bed, listening to some ambient recordings, sounds of rain or thunder, or classical - it just fills the room.
Most of my listening is done right off the O2. I’ve also heard them on some Bottlehead amps, but not enough to evaluate if I preferred.
They seem to me that they were designed to be more easily powered - really the first of Sennheiser high-end line to come down from the 300ohm setting (their older sets even being 600ohm not that this is necessarily better). Additionally, they have good sensitivity.
I agree with the idea that these weren’t designed specifically with a certain music in mind. To me, they seem to be created with a certain stylistic take on sound not that far off from the HD800. It is a modern styling of the diffuse-field curve that seems to adjust for how sound works in a room space.
Stil, I can understand why some may not like them. If your sense of perception doesn’t click with the frequency curve, I imagine they might sound completely wrong.
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Anyone else listen to them out of a vintage amplifier? When I owned them (twice) I thought they sounded excellent with great bass as well.
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