[donlin]

Where did you get the Cardas Cable.  I have Cardas IC cables in my current HP rig and past speaker rigs but they are very costly.  A pair of used Gold refs 1.5M cost $500.  How much does a custom made Cardas HP cable cost? I am really just curious and thinking would it make sense for my roughly $5-600 HD700s?

Got it here: http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?campid=5337413452&toolid=10001&mpre=http%3A%2F%2Fr.ebay.com%2FDBLNEU

It makes sense if you really like the HD700's a lot and you want to get more out of them.

 

[Spenty]

 
Yes, that's correct the cost of the custom cable is almost the same as the stock cable which is a pretty mediocre sounding cable. It is a bargain to me.  When you compare the cable made with Cardas wire to the stock cable, it really shows how much the stock cable is holding back the sound quality of the headphones.

 
Placebo?

 

[donlin]

Placebo?

No

 

[dazzerfong]

   
Placebo?

Even if it is, you really think anyone (even yourself) is going to admit it? Kinda pointless to ask that question.

 

[samandhi]

  Well, I've had my HD700s for about 2 months now, and I have to say that these are some seriously wonderful headphones to my ears. I have found that a lot of people are correct in saying that these are semi-amp dependant". With some of the gear I have used to push them, I have seen some of that sibilance that is a bit harsh. I absolutely love the mids, the bass' accuracy, and the soundstage, and clarity. I just wanted to tame them a bit in the highs (for some music).
 
  My problem is that I don't have the budget (currently), to go with some nice tube amps. All of my current equipment is portable (I suppose I could count my Yamaha reciever, but I don't find the sound that good right out of the HP jack for pretty much any HP). I have done some testing to find the right combination of portable gear that sounds best to my ear (for solid state, and for what I currently own). Some of my gear is as follows:
 

1. Fiio X5
2. Fiio X3 (2nd gen)
3. Samsung Galaxy Note 4
4. iPod Touch (5th gen)
5. iPod Touch (3rd gen)
6. Asus ROG G750JM gaming laptop
7. Fiio E17 (original)
8. Fiio E17K (new version)

 
  I have tried all combinations I can think of with this equipment because, believe it or not, they all sounded different (though with some lesser HP they don't as much). I found that using the X5 directly, they sounded pretty good, but only PRETTY good (not great), and the sibilance that others have talked about are very present on some music (lots of pop, and rock where compression is present). I found it to be even worse using either the E17, or E17K, which was expected by me. The X5 is pretty bright by nature, as well as the E17 amps. 
 
  I thought to go with the iPod Touch (3rd gen) next. As you might have expected, there just was not enough power to drive these properly (volume, AND dynamics), so I added the E17 amps to the mix (one at a time of course hehe). They sounded decent out of the L cable into the different amps, but still didn't sound as good to my ears as I would have liked. The power and dynamics WERE better, but again the bright nature of the Fiio products hindered the sound overall. Using the HO of the iPod actually sounded better, but it still was not what I was looking for. I think the more "digital" sound of that model of iPod was getting the better of the sound. 
 
  I tried the X3 (2nd gen) with the Fiio amps also, but with similar results as the X5 (if just a shade less sibilant with some music). I listened without the amps at all, and found this to actually be my second favorite setup for these headphone. The X3 (2nd gen) is just less bright (overall) than the X5, with a bit more bass also. This was a decent pairing with the headphones. 
 
  The gaming laptop just sucked right out of the HP jack, but had some super soundstaging, and clarity using the E17K (the regular E17 didn't do well at all here) as the DAC/Amp. But the bass was way too weak, and could hardly be heard, although the sibilance was not present here. 
 
  By far, my favorite setup for these headphones (using my portable gear) is the iPod touch (5th gen). I know, I can hardly believe it myself. I did find it as weak as the other iPod (volume and dynamics) alone, but paired with an amp made it all come together. I have always found the iPod Touch (5th gen) to be VERY warm, and I have stopped using it altogether with my Momentums, and Momentum wireless for that very reason. In this case the warm nature what exactly what I was looking for. The E17K was not good for this, though. I found the older E17 to be perfect for it. I find there to be PLENTY of bass impact, trebles never get sibilant (except if I throw low quality music at it), and the mids are just brilliant. 
 
  Now, I'm not saying that this is the best, or even ideal in the setup, but I find that I can simply listen for hours on end to music and never seem to get tired of it. BTW all of the music I listened to was lossless, and I used the same set of songs across all devices. I tried to make it as fair to my ears as I could.
 
  Thanks for reading my (very) longwinded ramblings. Cheers!

 

[Click]

If you can afford all of those DAPs, DACs, and amps, how can you not afford something cheap like Schiit Vali to drive the HD700? Or spend some more and get a Project Ember...?
 
My FiiO E10 was able to drive the HD700, but it sounded bad compared to my Vali or Explorer². It's been repeated a lot in this thread, but again, if you don't pair HD700 with the right amp or high quality source of music files, it will sound harsh and piercing. 

 

[Krutsch]

Originally Posted by samandhi /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
...
  
By far, my favorite setup for these headphones (using my portable gear) is the iPod touch (5th gen). I know, I can hardly believe it myself. I did find it as weak as the other iPod (volume and dynamics) alone, but paired with an amp made it all come together. I have always found the iPod Touch (5th gen) to be VERY warm, and I have stopped using it altogether with my Momentums, and Momentum wireless for that very reason. In this case the warm nature what exactly what I was looking for. The E17K was not good for this, though. I found the older E17 to be perfect for it. I find there to be PLENTY of bass impact, trebles never get sibilant (except if I throw low quality music at it), and the mids are just brilliant. 
 
...
 
Thanks for reading my (very) longwinded ramblings. Cheers!

 
I am starting to travel more for work and am thinking about my portable music rig. I have a Samsung Note 4 and, to be honest, I think it sounds absolutely horrible - with any headphones.
 
I was interested reading your iPod Touch 5th Gen result, with a paired amp. I recently bought an iPad Mini Retina and am thinking about using that with a FiiO E11K + HD-700s as my travel rig. Currently I am using an iPod Classic (5.5 gen) + FiiO E11K, but I really want something more up to date that will play Spotify when I am on the road, as well as stored music.
 
Anyway, thanks for taking the time to write that up...

 

[samandhi]

  If you can afford all of those DAPs, DACs, and amps, how can you not afford something cheap like Schiit Vali to drive the HD700? Or spend some more and get a Project Ember...?
 
My FiiO E10 was able to drive the HD700, but it sounded bad compared to my Vali or Explorer². It's been repeated a lot in this thread, but again, if you don't pair HD700 with the right amp or high quality source of music files, it will sound harsh and piercing. 

  That is a good question, and the answer is that I bought this gear previously, and ironically just after purchasing the HD700, lost my job......... 
 
  Yeah, I have read much of this thread (took me a while hehe), and I will be getting something better as soon as I'm back to work and have the funds to do so... But, for now, I am satisfied in the interim. 

 

[samandhi]

   
I am starting to travel more for work and am thinking about my portable music rig. I have a Samsung Note 4 and, to be honest, I think it sounds absolutely horrible - with any headphones.
 
I was interested reading your iPod Touch 5th Gen result, with a paired amp. I recently bought an iPad Mini Retina and am thinking about using that with a FiiO E11K + HD-700s as my travel rig. Currently I am using an iPod Classic (5.5 gen) + FiiO E11K, but I really want something more up to date that will play Spotify when I am on the road, as well as stored music.
 
Anyway, thanks for taking the time to write that up...

  Yeah, I forgot to mention the sound out of the Note 4. It DOES sound terrible. But, I still love it for the Momentum wireless. I really wanted the Note 4 to sound decent with the HD700 (I knew they wouldn't though) so I could listen to Milk or Google Play Music.... 
 
  Who knows, that might sound decent. Much as I hate to admit it the Apple devices "warm" sound help the HD700 a bit, as long as your amp is not too bright by itself.
 
  Your welcome! Now need to work on home listening rig for these AWESOME headphones.

 

[3083joe]

  Well, I've had my HD700s for about 2 months now, and I have to say that these are some seriously wonderful headphones to my ears. I have found that a lot of people are correct in saying that these are semi-amp dependant". With some of the gear I have used to push them, I have seen some of that sibilance that is a bit harsh. I absolutely love the mids, the bass' accuracy, and the soundstage, and clarity. I just wanted to tame them a bit in the highs (for some music).

  My problem is that I don't have the budget (currently), to go with some nice tube amps. All of my current equipment is portable (I suppose I could count my Yamaha reciever, but I don't find the sound that good right out of the HP jack for pretty much any HP). I have done some testing to find the right combination of portable gear that sounds best to my ear (for solid state, and for what I currently own). Some of my gear is as follows:

• Fiio X5
• Fiio X3 (2nd gen)
• Samsung Galaxy Note 4
• iPod Touch (5th gen)
• iPod Touch (3rd gen)
• Asus ROG G750JM gaming laptop
• Fiio E17 (original)
• Fiio E17K (new version)

  I have tried all combinations I can think of with this equipment because, believe it or not, they all sounded different (though with some lesser HP they don't as much). I found that using the X5 directly, they sounded pretty good, but only PRETTY good (not great), and the sibilance that others have talked about are very present on some music (lots of pop, and rock where compression is present). I found it to be even worse using either the E17, or E17K, which was expected by me. The X5 is pretty bright by nature, as well as the E17 amps. 

  I thought to go with the iPod Touch (3rd gen) next. As you might have expected, there just was not enough power to drive these properly (volume, AND dynamics), so I added the E17 amps to the mix (one at a time of course hehe). They sounded decent out of the L cable into the different amps, but still didn't sound as good to my ears as I would have liked. The power and dynamics WERE better, but again the bright nature of the Fiio products hindered the sound overall. Using the HO of the iPod actually sounded better, but it still was not what I was looking for. I think the more "digital" sound of that model of iPod was getting the better of the sound. 

  I tried the X3 (2nd gen) with the Fiio amps also, but with similar results as the X5 (if just a shade less sibilant with some music). I listened without the amps at all, and found this to actually be my second favorite setup for these headphone. The X3 (2nd gen) is just less bright (overall) than the X5, with a bit more bass also. This was a decent pairing with the headphones. 

  The gaming laptop just sucked right out of the HP jack, but had some super soundstaging, and clarity using the E17K (the regular E17 didn't do well at all here) as the DAC/Amp. But the bass was way too weak, and could hardly be heard, although the sibilance was not present here. 

  By far, my favorite setup for these headphones (using my portable gear) is the iPod touch (5th gen). I know, I can hardly believe it myself. I did find it as weak as the other iPod (volume and dynamics) alone, but paired with an amp made it all come together. I have always found the iPod Touch (5th gen) to be VERY warm, and I have stopped using it altogether with my Momentums, and Momentum wireless for that very reason. In this case the warm nature what exactly what I was looking for. The E17K was not good for this, though. I found the older E17 to be perfect for it. I find there to be PLENTY of bass impact, trebles never get sibilant (except if I throw low quality music at it), and the mids are just brilliant. 

  Now, I'm not saying that this is the best, or even ideal in the setup, but I find that I can simply listen for hours on end to music and never seem to get tired of it. BTW all of the music I listened to was lossless, and I used the same set of songs across all devices. I tried to make it as fair to my ears as I could.

  Thanks for reading my (very) longwinded ramblings. Cheers!

How about selling some of the daps or phones and getting a tube amp
Project Amber is great
Wa3 not to expensive
Or audio-Gd15, Tho it's not tube, drives them well
Also love my Sony pha-2 with them
But wa6 is my all time fav with them. Really warms up the highs and extends the bass but it's a bit more.

 

[Macmuffin]

Should i get a tube amp, or stick with Solid state for the HD700?

 

[3083joe]

Should i get a tube amp, or stick with Solid state for the HD700?

My personal preference is tube. But it's really what you like. Tubes warm or rolloff the treble for me with the 700s and give the added bass that is nice. But more natural sound might be ss. But it all up to your ears.

 

[samandhi]

How about selling some of the daps or phones and getting a tube amp
Project Amber is great
Wa3 not to expensive
Or audio-Gd15, Tho it's not tube, drives them well
Also love my Sony pha-2 with them
But wa6 is my all time fav with them. Really warms up the highs and extends the bass but it's a bit more.

  Would you say the WA6 is miles apart from anything else you have suggested? I was looking at the Vali, and it sounds like the sound sig is exactly what I am looking for, for the HD700s. This would be my first tube amp (for all that, it is my first pair of high end HP too). I will look at all those you listed (except SS). I think I really want to go tube amp for these cans all the way. 
 
  How much would you say the WA6 warms the sound? I love my treble, but find the HD700 a bit too much at times, and just want to tame it a hair. And if it extends the bass without making it less accurate, then I'm in.. hehe
 
Most of my gear has come from need (sorta'). With my last job I traveled so much, I was only home about 8 days a month, so I needed some gear that could double duty between DAC/AMP/DAP as much as I could find, and the Fiio gear just did it for me without breaking the bank. But, I think you are right, now that I'm home ALL the time, I need to thin out the herd and get some home gear. Thank you for the suggestions.

 

[3083joe]

  Would you say the WA6 is miles apart from anything else you have suggested? I was looking at the Vali, and it sounds like the sound sig is exactly what I am looking for, for the HD700s. This would be my first tube amp (for all that, it is my first pair of high end HP too). I will look at all those you listed (except SS). I think I really want to go tube amp for these cans all the way. 

  How much would you say the WA6 warms the sound? I love my treble, but find the HD700 a bit too much at times, and just want to tame it a hair. And if it extends the bass without making it less accurate, then I'm in.. hehe

Most of my gear has come from need (sorta'). With my last job I traveled so much, I was only home about 8 days a month, so I needed some gear that could double duty between DAC/AMP/DAP as much as I could find, and the Fiio gear just did it for me without breaking the bank. But, I think you are right, now that I'm home ALL the time, I need to thin out the herd and get some home gear. Thank you for the suggestions.

The wa6 is the best I've heard in that price range. I don't think it warms the sound that much, all so depends on the tubes you use. Some warm more than others and some don't warm really at all. With 700 I think the wa6 is very nice. Removes some of the harshness and add bottom with the tubes I'm running.

 

[samandhi]

The wa6 is the best I've heard in that price range. I don't think it warms the sound that much, all so depends on the tubes you use. Some warm more than others and some don't warm really at all. With 700 I think the wa6 is very nice. Removes some of the harshness and add bottom with the tubes I'm running.

  That is essentially what I'm looking for, for the 700. So you don't use the tubes that come with it? If not, then what tubes are you using for it? Also, you mentioned Project Ember. I have read much of (but not all) this thread, and don't recall seeing the Project Ember mentioned. Have you used that one? What were your impressions.