Sennheiser HD 700 Impressions Thread
Oct 13, 2018 at 1:54 AM Post #8,611 of 9,291
[QUOTE="DavidA, post: 14536297, member: 412652" As for the HA501 and HD700 it depends on what damping setting you use and it will have a slight effect on the treble peak of the HD700 as I'm sure you have noticed with the other headphones that you have. [/QUOTE]

It does, the Beyerdynamic amiron home, hifiman HE400i, 560 and the AKG 712 pro sounds best on the Teac HA-501.
 
Oct 18, 2018 at 11:34 PM Post #8,612 of 9,291
Got my CTH today, Dekoni pads were supposed to come today but they got stalled by something ;(. CTH is amazing, just wished they kept the punchy bass with my Mimby, but They have it with the sdac, so I have options :). With the Mimby the Dark signature of the Mimby and the tube sound of the CTH take control. Such smooth listening that's less concerned with detail and more with presenting a continuous stream of mellow sound. Sdac is more impressive with detail because I get to hear to beginning of sounds as well as the tube sound after that impact. More impressions to hopefully come tomorrow with pads that aren't falling apart on my HD700
 
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Oct 25, 2018 at 5:11 PM Post #8,613 of 9,291
So, I got the Dekoni Velours, I didn't like them and I'll be sending them back, I lost some of that hd700 soundstage and air but still felt like the treble was unfriendly, so I got some oem pads on the way from Ebay. Also the Dekoni Velours were not very soft (mushy?) and quite thick, so the small clamp force became more noticeable which I really disliked. CTH is broken in and it sounds great with my Mimby now. I think I'm done buying headphones and related gear for awhile till I'm ready for TOTL stuff. This was an experience, but the hd700 sounds amazing through my CTH and Mimby and I can bear to listen to it for quite a awhile. My MD+ likes my Magni 3 better though, so I'll be keeping that around :)
 
Oct 26, 2018 at 12:46 AM Post #8,614 of 9,291
So, I got the Dekoni Velours, I didn't like them and I'll be sending them back, I lost some of that hd700 soundstage and air but still felt like the treble was unfriendly, so I got some oem pads on the way from Ebay. Also the Dekoni Velours were not very soft (mushy?) and quite thick, so the small clamp force became more noticeable which I really disliked. CTH is broken in and it sounds great with my Mimby now. I think I'm done buying headphones and related gear for awhile till I'm ready for TOTL stuff. This was an experience, but the hd700 sounds amazing through my CTH and Mimby and I can bear to listen to it for quite a awhile. My MD+ likes my Magni 3 better though, so I'll be keeping that around :)

Cool. Good to have some impressions.

I don't read measurements and graphs but those published by dekoni show less mid recession and same treble peak.

Less mid recession should result in less air. But it should bring instruments in better focus.

Anyways i like build quality of dekoni pads so will be replacing with them when stock pads wear out.
 
Oct 26, 2018 at 4:33 PM Post #8,615 of 9,291
1026181630.jpg So the seller told me he sold oem pads. The pictures on ebay look except like sennheiser pads, then they send me this crap. What kind of sick joke is this.

EDIT: Wait, I think they just sent me HD800 pads.. WHY DO PEOPLE KEEP SENDING ME THE WRONG PADS!??? Ugh..

Cool. Good to have some impressions.

I don't read measurements and graphs but those published by dekoni show less mid recession and same treble peak.

Less mid recession should result in less air. But it should bring instruments in better focus.

Anyways i like build quality of dekoni pads so will be replacing with them when stock pads wear out.

Though I didn't like the Velours, the sheepskin were very comfortable though. The Velours definitely did make the sound more focused.


Also just a PSA for anyone reading this. I bought my hd700 used, for $300 after shipping my pads came unstitched in a week and a half and the headband looks like a flat tire would if it was made of cloth. Im about to have spent about $40 dollars on return shipping trying different pads and I'm finally spending $54 on the Sennheiser pads, I would suggest anyone reading this to just buy them new at $349 or even $390 just to avoid this hassle, the only good thing I got buying them used a was 3.5mm end cable.
 
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Oct 26, 2018 at 9:34 PM Post #8,616 of 9,291
Yes, those look like aftermarket HD800 pads that cost $12 with shipping included. If the seller sent you those by mistake, complain and he should send you correct ones without you having to send the wrong ones back. At least that's been my experience with sellers from China. It can take some (or a lot of) time, but eventually you should either get what you paid for or your money back.

But look at it this way: if you bought HD700 new, didn't find the sound quite perfect and wanted to experiment with different pads, you would still do the same thing (buy a number of different pads, spend money on return shipping etc.). On the other hand, why would anyone buy these (or any) cans used and obviously quite worn for $300 if you can get new ones for $350-$390 is beyond me. I did get mine used without pads and baffle rings, but the total cost including new pads and baffle rings from Sennheiser for me was about $265, and the lowest the new ones dropped around here was about $500. For me paying about half for a used product is OK, paying 75-85% of the price of a new product is absurd. Even if the initial retail price was much higher, now it's not. So I completely agree, buying used for $300 is not a good idea if you can get new for not much more.
 
Oct 26, 2018 at 10:19 PM Post #8,617 of 9,291
Yes, those look like aftermarket HD800 pads that cost $12 with shipping included. If the seller sent you those by mistake, complain and he should send you correct ones without you having to send the wrong ones back. At least that's been my experience with sellers from China. It can take some (or a lot of) time, but eventually you should either get what you paid for or your money back.

But look at it this way: if you bought HD700 new, didn't find the sound quite perfect and wanted to experiment with different pads, you would still do the same thing (buy a number of different pads, spend money on return shipping etc.). On the other hand, why would anyone buy these (or any) cans used and obviously quite worn for $300 if you can get new ones for $350-$390 is beyond me. I did get mine used without pads and baffle rings, but the total cost including new pads and baffle rings from Sennheiser for me was about $265, and the lowest the new ones dropped around here was about $500. For me paying about half for a used product is OK, paying 75-85% of the price of a new product is absurd. Even if the initial retail price was much higher, now it's not. So I completely agree, buying used for $300 is not a good idea if you can get new for not much more.


It was difficult to tell the state of the pads and headband from the photos, especially considering i have never seen seen an hd700 in person. It seems silly but it's kinda makes sense you can't accurately rate something you haven't seen for yourself. Pads probably ripped from me washing them from their disgusting state. Honestly if I got them new I don't know what I would've done.

I bought them used because if I didn't like them I assumed I would still lose less money selling them where I would lose more selling a pair used after buying it brand new. Unfortunately for me I actually liked these dumb headphones, thus my problems lol.
 
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Oct 27, 2018 at 4:05 AM Post #8,619 of 9,291
When I checked last month these were $475-$525 new
I paid $595 about 4 years ago and IIRC there was someone who got them for $390 direct from Sennheiser so just need to keep looking and maybe a little luck in finding the great deal. FWIW I consider anything under $500 a great price for the HD700 since I like them a lot for the music that I normally listen to and my supporting gear works quite well with it.
 
Oct 27, 2018 at 9:30 AM Post #8,620 of 9,291
I bought these for $420 new about a year and a half ago at B&H and they actually went down briefly to $400 (at B&H and Amazon) about a week later. ATM, they are $479 on Amazon. (Strangely enough, B&H lists them as discontinued. They are still on the Sennheiser website at $749.) Frankly, this just fortifies my personal rule: I never buy anything used.
 
Oct 27, 2018 at 10:28 AM Post #8,621 of 9,291
And I (almost) never buy new :) But the pricing of HD700 is a good illustration of my personal rule "never buy anything in the first year(s)". Another good example is Sonus Faber Pryma, their initial retail price was $500, some stores still have them for more than that, and I got a barely used pair for $185 last month.
 
Oct 27, 2018 at 1:30 PM Post #8,622 of 9,291
Massdrop HD 6XX vs. HD 700 - First Impressions!

I just received my Massdrop HD6XX and tested them right away with my Oppo HA-2 as Amp/Dac. My first test track is always „Whole lotta love“ von LedZeppelin.

The HD6XX sound very full, warm and rich, pretty tight and with a lot of punch. Plants voice and Page‘s guitar a separated really good and when Bonham kicks in with his drums you have tons of fun, great rhythm and a lot of musicality.

After the HD6XX I immediately switched to my HD700 and listened to the same track....oh boy, what a difference!

The HD700 deliver even more punch, more power and way more space. Plants voice sounds much cleaner has more presence and more drive. Pages heavy guitar riff has so much more resolution, is more defined and has more steam at the same time. Bonham just explodes into the song and off goes the rhythm-train!

I really like my new HD6XX and I appreciate them for what they are, super comfy, great sounding legends! But once more learned to love my HD700, I like them so much and they give me tons of pure listening pleasure and feel so dynamic and are just a blast to listen to. The combination with the Oppo HA-2 just seems like a real winner.

Best
Nume
 
Oct 27, 2018 at 2:38 PM Post #8,623 of 9,291
Massdrop HD 6XX vs. HD 700 - First Impressions!

I just received my Massdrop HD6XX and tested them right away with my Oppo HA-2 as Amp/Dac. My first test track is always „Whole lotta love“ von LedZeppelin.

The HD6XX sound very full, warm and rich, pretty tight and with a lot of punch. Plants voice and Page‘s guitar a separated really good and when Bonham kicks in with his drums you have tons of fun, great rhythm and a lot of musicality.

After the HD6XX I immediately switched to my HD700 and listened to the same track....oh boy, what a difference!

The HD700 deliver even more punch, more power and way more space. Plants voice sounds much cleaner has more presence and more drive. Pages heavy guitar riff has so much more resolution, is more defined and has more steam at the same time. Bonham just explodes into the song and off goes the rhythm-train!

I really like my new HD6XX and I appreciate them for what they are, super comfy, great sounding legends! But once more learned to love my HD700, I like them so much and they give me tons of pure listening pleasure and feel so dynamic and are just a blast to listen to. The combination with the Oppo HA-2 just seems like a real winner.

Best
Nume
I feel about the same about my HD700's as you. I sold my HD600 and HD650's.... the HD700's seem so much cleaner with better detail.
 
Oct 27, 2018 at 4:32 PM Post #8,624 of 9,291
The HD700 and HD6XX are my most used headphones (I use the HiFiman 400i once in a blue moon) and my feelings are pretty much the same. I know that the HD650/HD6XX is revered and the HD700 reviled in some corners of this hobby (notoriously by a community that I understand I am not permitted to name here), but to my admittedly non-golden ears, the HD700 wins in almost every way (much better bass, more detail, better separation) except one: the HD6XX's mids are remarkable and I generally use them on material that emphasize vocals, particularly female vocals. And of course there is the HD700's unusually wide sound stage--its tremendous while I have good IEMs that rival the narrow width of the HD6XX. I spend many hours a day watching movies/TV (I'm retired) and always use the HD700 largely because the sound stage is quite immersive and comes close (with a little suspension of disbelief) to mimicking speakers. That's not to say that the HD 650/HD6XX is not a good can--its a great headphone, I enjoy them, and at $200 for the HD6XX they aren't just a steal, they are the Lufthansa heist. I just like the HD700 much better. It's also not trivial, since I wear them many hours a day, that the HD700 is a far more uncomfortable headphone. The HD6XX was actually extremely uncomfortable out of the box, but after much bending of the metal connectors attaching the cups to the headband it's reasonably comfortable, but it can still irritate my ears at times; the HD700 never does.

That said, I haven't gotten a new headphone for nearly a year (I have upgraded my IEMs though) and I'm planning a new headphone by the end of the year. (I'm retired on a moderate fixed income, so I have to save a few months.) I've been enticed by the (somewhat controversial) Audioquest Nighthawk Carbons, which are selling for less than half price since they've been discontinued. (They're available from a reputable dealer with a 60 day return, so there's not much to lose if I don't like them.) But I think I'll wait a month or two and get a clear upgrade; the candidates are the similarly priced MrSpeakers Aeon Flow Open, Massdrop x Focal Elex, and the Audeze LDC2 Classic.
 
Oct 28, 2018 at 1:53 AM Post #8,625 of 9,291
I don`t think HD700 is a good choice. Once I compared HD650, HD700 and T90. HD700 sounds flat and numbing, neither as warm and charming tone as HD650, nor as dynamic and big stage as T90.
In terms of these, I recommand HD650 and T90, or HD800 series if someone has sufficient bucks.
 
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