[LugBug1]

   
Yeah sorry, I was indeed generalising too much there. 
Interestingly, after having spent a few weeks with the Crack I went back to my AMB M^3 (w/30V linear PSU and OPA627) and really appreciated its crisp and hard but clean bass on many songs, its completely black noise floor (can't tell if amp is on/off at max level) and level of resolution that is just a level above the Crack.
Really makes well mastered/produced albums sound brilliant with the HD-700, like, say, Speaking in Tongues by Talking Heads. But it's too unforgiving on bad masters like a lot of Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Gossip, ... and of course most live albums too.
The M^3 - HD-700 combo is also more fatiguing to the ears to listen to in general and misses the smoothness and musicality of the Crack, essentially what makes pretty much every album sound good as opposed to hit and miss. 
So overall, at least for me, the Crack is more enjoyable with the HD-700.

Never say sorry on here my friend, its all good banter  
 
I'm keep getting tempted to go back to tubes with these... But then I remember the journey I went on with amp matching the HD800 and how long it took me to find my perfect match. The hd700 are indeed different though, and my only reservation is; if the sound may become too polite? I'm finding these a very relaxing listen apart from the top end on SS hp amps. At the moment my vintage NAD amps give a warm but punchy sound. Trebles are rolled off ever so slightly and the sound also has some impact. Hmmm... I've never owned a Crack as they are hard to come by in the uk but would love to try one. 

 

[DavidA]

  Never say sorry on here my friend, its all good banter  
 
I'm keep getting tempted to go back to tubes with these... But then I remember the journey I went on with amp matching the HD800 and how long it took me to find my perfect match. The hd700 are indeed different though, and my only reservation is; if the sound may become too polite? I'm finding these a very relaxing listen apart from the top end on SS hp amps. At the moment my vintage NAD amps give a warm but punchy sound. Trebles are rolled off ever so slightly and the sound also has some impact. Hmmm... I've never owned a Crack as they are hard to come by in the uk but would love to try one. 

I'll give another vote for the BH Crack, but its tube dependent for me.  I didn't care for the BH Crack/HD-700 as much with the stock tubes but with a TS-5998 and Telefunken 12AU7 the BH Crack is my preferred amp for the HD-700, the Ember with a Mullard is a close second.
 
@Bacci, You are somewhat like my GF and I, while SS amps are clearer and the bass is really good the HD-700 can be harsh/sibilant with a lot of the music that my GF and I listen to.

 

[buke9]

I'll give another vote for the BH Crack, but its tube dependent for me.  I didn't care for the BH Crack/HD-700 as much with the stock tubes but with a TS-5998 and Telefunken 12AU7 the BH Crack is my preferred amp for the HD-700, the Ember with a Mullard is a close second.

@Bacci
, You are somewhat like my GF and I, while SS amps are clearer and the bass is really good the HD-700 can be harsh/sibilant with a lot of the music that my GF and I listen to.

I've always wanted to build one so I might just do that . A torpedo 3 amp is alao looking good .It might just be one that I build. It was very nice with the HD-800's so it it may be nice with the 700's.

 

[Namaskar]

Hi All - can I ask for some assistance with EQ'ing the HD700
 
Context
I don't mind treble spikes , do like bright signatures
love Shure 840 closed hp (when the TV is on and I need isolation++)
use mostly IEMs - Titan1, Brainwavz B2, FLAC8 with red/gray/green (Jazz, classic) or red/gray/gold (Pop...), Phillips Fidelio S2 as an universal IEM.
Use my HD700 on pc with Fubar iv plus           (specs here :  http://hifi-products.com/Firestone-Audio-Co---Ltd--Fubar4-Plus-DACs-Headphone-AMP-amplifier-83A117A914A77A34-PicFront.html )​
Foobar music player, Equalizer APO installed and set 'on neutral'
 
I played around with APO EQ, followed presets from here:      http://www.head-fi.org/t/738496/sennheiser-hd-700-siblence-fix-making-them-sound-like-the-hd-800-equalizerapo-config-preset-siblence-fix  ...
As well I pushed  frequencies  from 1k to 5k up  few db, still unsure though if this made sense... and have now reset APO to flat/neutral again...
 
Reason is that I'd like the HD700 to sound more forward (a la Sure840) and more intimate when listening to female pop ... it still feels there's a slight veil, voice is set backwards... but I just don't seem to get it right adjusting the APO EQ settings ....
 
Does anyone have a preset for APO I could use? Or suggestions what exactly (and how much) to adjust?
 
Thanks for any suggestions in advance...

 

[gibosi]

  Hi All - can I ask for some assistance with EQ'ing the HD700

 
On the chance you haven't seen this: 
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/SennheiserHD700.pdf
 
There is a dip centered between 1 and 3k. And a peak centered between 5 and 6k. So I would suggest first equalizing to flatten out the response. And then, tweak it to suit your ears.

 

[koven]

i picked up a hd700 as a complement to my trusty hd600, should arrive in a few days, look forward to the pairing w/ my WA2

 

[LugBug1]

  i picked up a hd700 as a complement to my trusty hd600, should arrive in a few days, look forward to the pairing w/ my WA2

My trusty HD650 are now gathering dust.. 
 
Quite a difference in sound sig, so give yourself lots of adjustment time and you will be rewarded. Mostly because of the HD6xx flater response you may think the HD700 are too relaxed in the mids to begin with. But the space, details and imaging are far superior. Also the tonality! Which was a big surprise comparing with the HD650. Vocals/strings etc are less aggressive and smoother.  
 
If someone asked me to swap for some HD800 again I would have to decline. Think it's because of the more intimate soundstage (even though it is very wide) and punchier bottom end. Also, the colouring helps old recordings sound pleasing. Where as with the HD800- they sound like old recordings.
All personal taste of course but for my love of classical music and paired with a vintage amp (that slightly rolls off the top and adds beef at the bottom) - these are endgamers.

 

[Conext]

I've been using the HD700 with a TRRS terminated Blue Dragon cable on my Sony ZX2 for a few weeks now. I am absolutely, completely and thoroughly impressed. While I don't think the HD700 were worth the $1,000 USD asking price four years ago, now that they can be had for ~$450, I see them as an excellent value (relatively speaking, of course).
 
Again, my frame of reference for comparison is the IE800. While I would say the IE800 has a punchier low-end response and slightly crisper, sharper detail retreival, the expansive sound stage on the HD700 provides just that little extra something that the IE800s could never hope to produce.
 
I can begin to understand why some people poo-pooed the HD700 initially, though. As I said, I'm using these on a ZX2. As such, they sound fantastic. But using them on my desktop PC (through a Klipsch Promedia 2.1), the mids seem kinda...distant and hollowed out. I have to use a pretty aggressive EQ to compensate. So yeah—I don't doubt that they are finicky in regards to their sources.

 

[XSAMURAI]

  I've been using the HD700 with a TRRS terminated Blue Dragon cable on my Sony ZX2 for a few weeks now. 

Hi , can you compare stock cable to blue dragon ?

 

[Conext]

  Hi , can you compare stock cable to blue dragon ?

I haven't spent any time evaluating the difference between the two just yet. I essentially started off with the Blue Dragon, instead of starting off with the stock cable. I've never been a staunch believer in the value of custom cables for increased sonic capabilities. In my case, I was more concerned with getting a shorter, less bulky cable. But, if the extra pure copper cabling and TRRS termination add a little something extra, well, who am I to argue?
 
As far as physical characteristics, I will say that the stock cable is much bulkier and less convenient when used with a portable source. And as for the Blue Dragon, the y-cable portion is more prone to microphonics, so you do need to take care if you move around a lot with the cable. That's about all I can say at this point.

 

[DavidA]

@Conext, surprised that you mention the blue dragon being microphonic, while I haven't tried one, the Forza and Double-Helix cables that I had were absent of any microphonics and a real pleasure to use and looked like expensive chain art.  Like you I'm not a believer of headphone cables having better sonic capabilities from one to another and the Forza and Double-Helix cables that I had didn't display and sonic changes from the Mogami, Canare or Cardas cables that I compared them to, YMMV.

 

[koven]

  My trusty HD650 are now gathering dust.. 
 
Quite a difference in sound sig, so give yourself lots of adjustment time and you will be rewarded. Mostly because of the HD6xx flater response you may think the HD700 are too relaxed in the mids to begin with. But the space, details and imaging are far superior. Also the tonality! Which was a big surprise comparing with the HD650. Vocals/strings etc are less aggressive and smoother.  
 
If someone asked me to swap for some HD800 again I would have to decline. Think it's because of the more intimate soundstage (even though it is very wide) and punchier bottom end. Also, the colouring helps old recordings sound pleasing. Where as with the HD800- they sound like old recordings.
All personal taste of course but for my love of classical music and paired with a vintage amp (that slightly rolls off the top and adds beef at the bottom) - these are endgamers.

 
i actually sold/selling most of my headphones recently in preparation for the focal utopia but got a good deal on these and have always wanted to try the hd700 despite the massive amounts of negative feedback online.. 1 hr in, so far so good.. quite different than the hd600 sound, not as mellow that's for sure
 

 

[i20bot]

   
i actually sold/selling most of my headphones recently in preparation for the focal utopia but got a good deal on these and have always wanted to try the hd700 despite the massive amounts of negative feedback online.. 1 hr in, so far so good.. quite different than the hd600 sound, not as mellow that's for sure
 
 

How would you compare them to the T1?  I have the HD700 but was thinking of switching to the T1.

 

[Me x3]

  How would you compare them to the T1?  I have the HD700 but was thinking of switching to the T1.

T1.1 is quite different. More tubey sounding in the midrange, more textured bass, more refined/microdetailed treble. Less steely but sharper.
Similar soundstage in the big scheme of things. HD700 is easier to drive, the T1.1 needs a very clean and precise setup to show its potential, otherwise it can sound a tad muffled. HD700 is a tad drier.

 

[Krutsch]

   
i actually sold/selling most of my headphones recently in preparation for the focal utopia but got a good deal on these and have always wanted to try the hd700 despite the massive amounts of negative feedback online.. 1 hr in, so far so good.. quite different than the hd600 sound, not as mellow that's for sure
 
...

 
They really sing with a good OTL amp; like the one you have.