[canon007]

  Curious as to what is wrong with the sound of the HD-700?  Lacks bass? recessed mids? sibilant highs?  Another thing to consider is the genre of music that you are playing, if its pop or R&B where the recording are not that great the differences might be little, if jazz and classical are your genres of choice then the HD-700 will be a noticeable improvement.  There is also the possibility that you could also have a defective headphone.
 
I used to use a STX sound card with my HD-700 when I was gaming so I know its like night and day different from the M50x which I also still have.  One thing I didn't do was use wasapi or foobar, I got better results with WMP and the Asus software which was a bitch to get working correctly under windows 7 ultimate but once working it was great.  I've since sold the STX and use a cheap DG sound card and it works just as well as the STX for music but not was well for gaming.

I listen rap hip hop, things in the top 40 or like stuff that makes it onto billboard top 200. As for the sound it doesn't sound as upfront as the m50s however I've been told its a property of open back headphones. To compensate I turn up the volume. However in terms of sound quality they're almost the same which is ridiculous. As for the sound details you mentioned I'm not too familiar with them , I'm very new to the audiophile scene, but initially the bass sounded a bit off which I first noticed when I was listening to MAAD City by Kendrick Lamar waiting for the bass to drop around 13 seconds in and it was like nothing happened. But that problem was fixed after some eq presets.

 

[akg fanboy]

​Have to disagree with you there. Mastering quality and the transducer will always be the weakest link in the chain. It's only when you get to like 1980's electronics that amps start to impact is significant enough to not warrant a higher-end setup.

Completely agree

 

[DavidA]

  I listen rap hip hop, things in the top 40 or like stuff that makes it onto billboard top 200. As for the sound it doesn't sound as upfront as the m50s however I've been told its a property of open back headphones. To compensate I turn up the volume. However in terms of sound quality they're almost the same which is ridiculous. As for the sound details you mentioned I'm not too familiar with them , I'm very new to the audiophile scene, but initially the bass sounded a bit off which I first noticed when I was listening to MAAD City by Kendrick Lamar waiting for the bass to drop around 13 seconds in and it was like nothing happened. But that problem was fixed after some eq presets.

Based on you music genre preference the HD-700 is not the best choice since it lacks the over done mid bass that rap, hip hop and top 40 stuff needs to sound alive.  I'm still not 100% certain that your HD-700's are not defective but if you can try them on another system or ask someone else who might have a little more experience take a listen to see if they are working correctly.  The bass on the HD-700 goes lower and is not muddy like the M50x, its very clean and detailed while the bass of the M50x is more mid bass, a little one-note and not very detailed in comparison.  It could also be that you are very used to the sound of the M50 so the large change to the HD-700 might sound off to you.
 
Since you are new you might want to take a look at these 2:
http://www.head-fi.org/a/glossary-of-terms
http://www.head-fi.org/a/describing-sound-a-glossary
 
 
FWIW I don't use any EQ due to my setup of 2 different DACs and 4 amps in use from the same source, but I've never missed using EQ since I like the various sound signatures of different headphones.

 

[canon007]

So what would be the ideal headphones for my music taste?

 

[SomeGuyDude]

IMO I'd get a pair of X2's. 
 
If you're looking for something higher up the price chain, Audioquest Nighthawks. Without question.

 

[canon007]

  IMO I'd get a pair of X2's. 
 
If you're looking for something higher up the price chain, Audioquest Nighthawks. Without question.

are there any other opinions, should i let these burn in by having them play unattended? Im still so frustrated that a pair of headphones that originally cost $1000 is barely on par with something worth $100.

 

[DavidA]

  So what would be the ideal headphones for my music taste?

Take a look at these: HE-400S, TH-600/610, and PS-500e.  All are easy to drive and have good fast bass.

 

[canon007]

  Take a look at these: HE-400S, TH-600/610, and PS-500e.  All are easy to drive and have good fast bass.

those are sorta out of my price range as i spent $360 on these cans. Not sure what else to do, should I let these burn in before requesting a refund?

 

[DavidA]

 
those are sorta out of my price range as i spent $360 on these cans. Not sure what else to do, should I let these burn in before requesting a refund?

I would return them since they are not what you are looking for.
 
The HE-400S is $300, a used Th-600 can be found for around $350-400, and a used PS500e for $450.
You might also look at a used Momentum, on-ear about $60-70, over-ear about $90-120 from Amazon warehouse, these would give you the bass, a little cleaner than the M50 and a nicer mid range

 

[flaming_june]

I've been doing my due diligence and I still haven't found a clear narration on what would be a good portable amp that can sooth out the HD700 like a tube amp would.  Would anyone be able to direct me to the right place or offer some suggestions?

 

[DavidA]

  I've been doing my due diligence and I still haven't found a clear narration on what would be a good portable amp that can sooth out the HD700 like a tube amp would.  Would anyone be able to direct me to the right place or offer some suggestions?

WA8 or Hugo would be my choices

 

[SomeGuyDude]

  are there any other opinions, should i let these burn in by having them play unattended? Im still so frustrated that a pair of headphones that originally cost $1000 is barely on par with something worth $100.

I disagree completely with them being "barely on par" with $100 headphones. To my ears, they're easily worth $500+ but I'm not someone who's looking for that big warm sound I used to be. They might not be something you're looking for but that's a different matter entirely. 
 
I really honest-injun would say look into the X2s. 

 

[canon007]

  I disagree completely with them being "barely on par" with $100 headphones. To my ears, they're easily worth $500+ but I'm not someone who's looking for that big warm sound I used to be. They might not be something you're looking for but that's a different matter entirely. 
 
I really honest-injun would say look into the X2s. 

That is  why I feel like there may be a defect in it since I definitely dont notice any improvement. Ill look into the X2s

 

[MWSVette]

I always laugh when I read a post that says there must be some kind of defect with a given headphone/DAC/Amp due to that piece of equipment having a sound signature they do not like or is different than they expect.
 
Because you do not like the sound of a given piece of audio equipment does not mean there is something wrong with it.  It just means you do not like that sound signature.
 
I do not like the taste of broccoli.  That does not mean there is something wrong with the broccoli.  Just means I do not like it.
 
Audio is all about preference and with the HD700 more than most...

 

[Me x3]

  I always laugh when I read a post that says there must be some kind of defect with a given headphone/DAC/Amp due to that piece of equipment having a sound signature they do not like or is different than they expect.
 
Because you do not like the sound of a given piece of audio equipment does not mean there is something wrong with it.  It just means you do not like that sound signature.
 
I do not like the taste of broccoli.  That does not mean there is something wrong with the broccoli.  Just means I do not like it.
 
Audio is all about preference and with the HD700 more than most...

I still think there should be something wrong with the broccoli

 
Best chances are the headphone is just fine and he/she doesn't like the neutralish/slightly bright sound signature.
It's less likely but still possible that the headphone is indeed faulty.