[Rob80b]

  I know my pads have changed very little, if at all, in the 60-80hrs I currently have on mine. I do know that just yesterday I was listening to some Diana Ross hits and I was able to crank the volume a little more than the last time I listened to these same tunes (back around hours 10-20). ....................
 
Finally, just curious, how many of you find plenty of room for your ears to maneuver in the HD-700 pads or just enough to get by?  I have been fairly vocal about my opinion that the HD-700 is one of the best ergo designs in the headphone industry, but if these pads were just ever so slightly smaller my medium-big ears would complain a bit.

I'd say it’s the driver membrane getting within malleable tolerance as I’ve noticed the same thing being able to crank the volume up a bit more after 50 hrs. I also notice a much bigger difference now between the HD700s and HD580/600s than when I first got them and believe they are now just getting into their stride and are sounding really really good!

 

[roguegeek]

  I still think that earpad softening plays a much bigger part in these treble reductions in the 'burn in' process.

Maybe we just call it "hardware break-in" then. 

 

[Eee Pee]

  Finally, just curious, how many of you find plenty of room for your ears to maneuver in the HD-700 pads or just enough to get by? 

 
Every single time I blindly buy a headphone, cup size is my biggest concern.  I go nuts until I finally get it on my head.  I can't stand anything touching my ear, it just bugs me so much for some reason.  Very distracting.
 
I'm 6 foot, thin, average sized ears, though they're thin.  I have room to move.  Can't recall anyone telling me their ears touch and they're made a few rounds of meets.

 

[roguegeek]

   
Every single time I blindly buy a headphone, cup size is my biggest concern.  I go nuts until I finally get it on my head.  I can't stand anything touching my ear, it just bugs me so much for some reason.  Very distracting.
 
I'm 6 foot, thin, average sized ears, though they're thin.  I have room to move.  Can't recall anyone telling me their ears touch and they're made a few rounds of meets.

Same here. I'm very sensitive to things like clamping pressure, stability, and full-sized cans touching my damn ears! I can say that, without a doubt, the HD 700 not only meets what I would consider to be my high standards, but does it in a way that I feel comfortable saying they are the most comfortable headphones I have ever tried except for maybe the HD 800.

 

[Eee Pee]

I like em more than the 800's huge size and put them ahead in the comfort department.  I don't have a thin head, but maybe a hair under medium width, and I do wish there was more clamp there.  For instance when I get to the bottom of my beer and have to tilt my head back a bit they'll slide off, but so will the 800s.  600 and 650 stay put.

 

[roguegeek]

  ...when I get to the bottom of my beer and have to tilt my head back a bit they'll slide off, but so will the 800s.  600 and 650 stay put.

I'm immediately going home to apply this test to all of my headphones. If they don't pass, out the window they go. We should standardize this test somehow.

 

[Dionysus]

The Hd700 are by far the most comfortable headphones that I have ever put on my head., I can listen for hours and not get any issues with clamp.
The 650 on the other hand were a little to tight regarding clamping force. The hd598 come second in comfort IMHO.

 

[Ashade]

I'm immediately going home to apply this test to all of my headphones. If they don't pass, out the window they go. We should standardize this test somehow.

I'll test what I have and report back! I might need more than one beer though.

 

[Dionysus]

Has anyone tried the HD700 with Schiit Vali.?
Current amp/Dac is the Asus with Muses Opamps and I really like the SQ of the combo. For the $119 price tag I wanted to try the Vali for curiosity sakes and to hear what a tube sounds like and at that price it is not such a big financial commitment.

Thx in advance.

 

[Bigglesworth]

Has anyone tried the HD700 with Schiit Vali.?
Current amp/Dac is the Asus with Muses Opamps and I really like the SQ of the combo. For the $119 price tag I wanted to try the Vali for curiosity sakes and to hear what a tube sounds like and at that price it is not such a big financial commitment.

Thx in advance.

I don't think that the Vali will give you an increase in sound quality, rather will degrade your sound. I think that hd700's really cry out for pure sources and amps. Skip the cheap Schiit, and hold out for something nice like a WooAudio tube amp or a Burson or Violectric solid state Class A.

 

[MickeyVee]

I would not rule out the Vali as a starter amp.  It will NOT degrade the sound and granted, it may not provide the full HD700 potential.  I think that a Bifrost Uber with the Vali would be a good start and also works well with the HD800.  True enough, you can always upgrade later as an option.

 

[roguegeek]

One thing for sure is it's not sounding all that great on a Magni or E09k. Everyone here warned of that, but I wanted to hear it for myself. Although the sound coming out of them was extremely thin, they definitely gave the HD 700 enough juice to push it to very loud levels. I would think the Vali would do the same, but with a much warmer sound, so I wouldn't be opposed to people wanting to try it out. The price gives you practically no risk.

Predictably, I bought a Lyr which should be in by the end of the week.

 

[MickeyVee]

I really liked the HD700 with the Lyr (and Amperex Orange Globe tubes)
Quote:

Predictably, I bought a Lyr which should be in by the end of the week.

 

[roguegeek]

 

And as soon as I find out where to buy decent versions of those tubes, I'll be doing it.

 

[PTom]

I just demoed the HD700 today with a FiiO E9 (not sure of the DAC). I did not really like them, the highs sounded harsh and the music seemed to lack seperation. Vocals also sounded a bit too warm for my taste. Do you think this is to do with the amp used? I also demoed the Beyerdynamic T90 using the same setup and they sounded quite superb.