[tf10charged]

  So is the HD700 still worth buying at $500?

for $150 you can get the best headphone in the world
 
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/552770/why-the-sennheiser-hd598s-are-considered-the-best-headphones-in-the-world-sennheiser-hd598-review

 

[PETEREK]

for $150 you can get the best headphone in the world


http://www.head-fi.org/t/552770/why-the-sennheiser-hd598s-are-considered-the-best-headphones-in-the-world-sennheiser-hd598-review

Lmao you like the sterile 598 but not the flavorful HD700?

 

[echineko]

Lmao you like the sterile 598 but not the flavorful HD700?

You're replying to someone quoting a thread from 2011, I didn't even think it was worth the effort

 

[Shure or bust]

All hope is lost. We know Bose are the best.

 

[PETEREK]

You're replying to someone quoting a thread from 2011, I didn't even think it was worth the effort

You have a good point.



I'm on the border of unsubscribing from this thread because of this new batch of users in here that are extremely annoying. I'll see all you lovers in an appreciation thread (all of them are locked or fake?). I don't own a pair anymore, so me opening an appreciation thread for them doesn't make sense. Someone who owns them should. Post the link and I'll sub.

If the appreciation thread exists these trolls can't follow us there without risk of being banned from the thread.

 

[dazzerfong]

You have a good point.



I'm on the border of unsubscribing from this thread because of this new batch of users in here that are extremely annoying. I'll see all you lovers in an appreciation thread (all of them are locked or fake?). I don't own a pair anymore, so me opening an appreciation thread for them doesn't make sense. Someone who owns them should. Post the link and I'll sub.

If the appreciation thread exists these trolls can't follow us there without risk of being banned from the thread.

Just block them instead if it bothers you. There's always going to be overly-negative people who lack tact.​

 

[tf10charged]

Lmao you like the sterile 598 but not the flavorful HD700?

Come on. Why people can suggest a hd650 but i cannot suggest a hd598?

Let me pass some time while waiting for my hd700 to arrive.

 

[tf10charged]

You're replying to someone quoting a thread from 2011, I didn't even think it was worth the effort

But this thread is from 2012. Whats wrong with the year a thread is starting?

 

[Rob80b]

  for $150 you can get the best headphone in the world
 
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/552770/why-the-sennheiser-hd598s-are-considered-the-best-headphones-in-the-world-sennheiser-hd598-review

Only if one is not using a higher end system...the HD598 is very good and close to the 700s as the 700s are to the 800s. But in direct comparison running off my Bryston BHA-1 with the Bryston BCD-1 as source, the 598s will start to add distortion at higher listening volumes and the overall sound is not as natural with regards to overtones and therefor sounds slightly artificial, layering of the sound stage is also less distinct and base is tubbier and not as extended....but I'd still recommend the HD598s for the majority of listeners or even the HD600s for that matter...me I'll stick with the HD700s.

 
Just to quote myself.
 
Quote:

   
From personal experience and excluding the HD600/650, while still admirable phones but IMHO technically outdated… the current family resemblance would be as follows.
 
High end system….HD800  or HD700 (depends on  preferences, critical listening or chilling out)
 
Medium system  HD700 (depends on the quality of the source and amplification) or HD598
 
Direct off the computer or portable device …HD598s

 

[j-dawg]

Received my HD700's from the recent Massdrop yesterday.  First impressions are a mixed bag, although I only listened to them through my E18k as a dac/amp from my laptop.  A few movies and some classical and jazz CD rips.  Other headphones I have are AKG K401, Shure SE 535, and Beyer DT770 80 ohm.
 
I love the detail, it's super revealing.  The 535 can do that too but to me it's like the HD700 is throwing the details in your face, almost magnifying them not just presenting them.  I like that actually, that's fun.
 
Vocals sound amazing, and in a totally different way to the 535's 'amazing'.  It's all about that detail.  Serious wow factor.  Every little nuance is under a microscope.
 
Bass is great, super tight like a <insert inappropriate metaphor here>.  I"m a quality not quantity guy in the bass department.  HD700 rocks that.
 
The soundstage isn't nearly as immersive as I had hoped.  My K401's and even the 535's at times, make me forget I'm listening to headphones, it's like there are speakers in the room somewhere or the sounds are actually happening all around me. The HD700 sounds like a headphone. I couldn't get immersed in the sound at all. That aspect has disappointed me so far.
 
They also feel a little weird to me on my head, but not in a bad way at all.  I just read all the rave reviews of their comfort and had high expectations.  They are very comfy, but I always know they are on my head.  They don't disappear like, wait for it, QC15's do.  Ha, ouch.
 
Finally, I hear that weird high frequency thing everyone is talking about.  I didn't perceive it as a spike, although the very highest audible highs seem accentuated in general.  What I heard sounded almost like digital distortion, clipping out into ugly white noise.  It was weird, I couldn't get a handle on what I was hearing.  I need more info before I form a conclusion on that.  If you tell me I'm hearing an accurate headphone revealing limitations in my source-dac-amp chain, I'd be inclined to believe you.  This makes me want to run these through a better amp.  The only high end amp I have is the headphone out on my ProTools rack.  I'm curious to see if it will do the same.
 
Overall these are an interesting mixed bag.  They're cool but not really enjoyable.  Not yet.  I need to get used to them, and I need to try them in different rigs.

 

[Rob80b]

  I'd say no. The HD650 will be better at most things at about $350. Spend $150 on a tube amp like Vali and you'll be doing better at the same price point.

Hi takato14
 
I’ve gone over a number of your threads and posts and appreciate that you are indeed an avid headfier…but…. the HD650 (HD600s) may be an excellent example of the old school approach to headphones, excellent drivers, high resolution and low distortion, but Sennheiser have IMHO taken the HD700s and HD800s (or even the HD598s for that matter) to the next level…. the drivers, baffle and ear cups have been designed ergonomically to work as one. The new drivers are more efficient with even less distortion, further revealing (clearer), quicker, better extended and resolving at booth ends of the audio spectrum, the ear cup design offers less open air resistance so that sound staging is wider/deeper and more linear…therefore proportional with excellent layering.
The only advantage I can see as to why one would go to the 600/650 over the 700 is that 600 series are a lot more forgiving of bad recordings and mediocre equipment… basically they are a lot more laid back (polite) and in comparison lack the excitement and presentation of a real music performance…so yes the HD650s could be better at most things depending on ones preferences but they are technically IMHO “not” a better headphone than the HD700s if ones wishes to get closer to the dynamics and scope of the original recording…warts and all.

 

[TMRaven]

The HD700 does not have less distortion in the bass and less ringing issues than the 600 series.  Subjective listening told me that, but Innerfidelity measurements even confirm it.
 
The HD700 does have a wider soundstage, yes.

 

[mindbomb]

  I can't imagine that honestly.
 
I have the Driver/Engine installed, and I have the amp turned on (It's a switch on the mobo)
 
I mean, my friends 300 dollar Speaker Receiver makes it sound 5x better. I was just imagining the Schiit setup to do 50x better.

I would assume what the motherboard is doing is correct, and what the speaker receiver did was incorrect. They often don't play well with low impedance headphones.
 
The hd700 aren't particularly hard to power, and your motherboard's audio looks fine, so I disagree with the notion that you are gonna completely change and improve the sound with more expensive gear - you are already more or less getting the sound sennheiser intended. If you are looking for improvement, I can suggest the jds labs element, but the magnitude of change you are imagining is unrealistic.
 
As someone pointed out, you may have some weird DSPs enabled in the driver, watch out for that.

 

[Rob80b]

Quiet day in the shop…so more time to voice my opinions/observations. (keep in mind I'm going from memory , but I had the HD580/600 for almost 10 years and sold them about six month after getting the 700s in Jan 2014)
 
Over a six-month comparison with my equipment and ears the HD700s continually proved they have way more base definition, depth and extension over the HD600s, if that’s perceived as distortion…so be it?
As for ringing...the 600s are too laid back for it to be an issue while the extended higher frequency energy of the 700s have been no problem what so ever.
 
The thing to keep in mind is the resolution of higher harmonic overtones off the fundamental which diminish greatly, these are almost none existent with the 600/650s but not with the HD700s.  Also where as the frequency is measured rather flat from the HD600s relative to the base and treble output…Sennheiser have voiced the HD700s to psycho-acoustically reproduce IMO a more natural sound stage, the 600/650s producing a bigger than life central image and what most are accustomed to with headphones.
So keeping that in mind… microphone measurements to emulate true world performance should only be taken, not with a generated tone above musical fundamentals but only of the generated upper harmonics through narrow band equalization of the fundamental generated tone, which are generally below 4k Hz otherwise due to voicing the higher frequency output of the headphones will be greatly over exaggerated and may be perceived as peaks.
 

 
So why do some hear peaks considering the amount of aural information which actually encompasses the upper-harmonics which should be in real life greatly reduced due to aural decay as to be non offensive…good question. Well power of suggestion is an extremely powerful tool, if I tell you such and such a headphone has undesirable peaks (when in reality there are none) one will still most likely experience them…but more so a lot of recordings today over emphasize treble information, compounded by the fact that higher frequencies are very difficult to reproduce digitally due to intermodulation distortion which are compounded by being recreated by mediocre DACs and most importantly the analogue output stage which gets amplified by the headphone amp which in turn can create/add more intermodulation distortion which the HD700s are more than happy to reproduce.
 
Sennheiser would love to sell boat loads of HD700s but the truth is that I sincerely believe that the less revealing HD598s may be better suited/rewarding for the majority of users, the HD700s are IMHO a much better headphone but as I’m seeing not for everyone but if ones willing to take the plunge do so.... with an an open mind…. approach things with an unbiased objective opinion.

 

 

[3083joe]

for $150 you can get the best headphone in the world


http://www.head-fi.org/t/552770/why-the-sennheiser-hd598s-are-considered-the-best-headphones-in-the-world-sennheiser-hd598-review

Far from the best!