[DavidA]

Just ordered a pair of these, looking forward to trying them out. I'll mostly be using them for gaming, and not too concerned about their sound signature, since I can EQ most of my sources.

The HD700 is great for gaming but also for watching movies

 

 

[ElectronicTonic]

congrats! what games are you playing?

Thanks! Mainly consoles(PS4, XB1), but I also might play some steam stuff. I've been playing Horizon Zero Dawn, really enjoying it.

 

[peter123]

I am very interested in this mod...

It took me less than an hour to do and is fully reversible so if you're curious I'd suggest to give it a try.

https://www.google.no/amp/s/everydaylisteningblog.wordpress.com/2017/02/13/sennheiser-hd700-anaxilus-mod-fix-your-treble-woes-with-this-simple-mod/amp/

 

[LTSFBH]

  I got the HD700 yesterday and the 400i cable does not work. (Though the HD700 cable works fine with the 400i). Is there a trick to putting these in since they lack the groove on the stock 700 connector? The 400i connector goes into the 700 jack well enough, though it does not seem to fit as snugly as stock, but there is no sound no matter how much I try to adjust the connector. For the moment, I am using the stock cable with about half the length coiled and held with plastic ties, which is better than using the full 3 meters, but not optimum since the cable kinks easily and I am trying to keep the weight of the coiled cable off the connections. I generally end up with the coil on my lap. I use the 700s with the amp next to my laptop or on a table next to my chair when watching TV, so a heavy 3m cable does not work well.
 
BTW, I'm very happy with the 700 so far. The imaging is phenomenal.

I recently purchased a NEOMUSICIA replacement cable for HE400S, HE400I, HE560, HE350. Got it to use with my dual entry modded T50RP. The 2.5mm barrels have a very small diameter, so I tried it with my HD700. Works perfectly.

 

[Marlowe]

  I recently purchased a NEOMUSICIA replacement cable for HE400S, HE400I, HE560, HE350. Got it to use with my dual entry modded T50RP. The 2.5mm barrels have a very small diameter, so I tried it with my HD700. Works perfectly.

What's your impression of the quality of that cable? The same company has cables specifically for the 700 on Amazon in various colors (black and red or all black) and lengths (1.2m, 1.5m, 2m). I've held back since the reviews are relatively few and pretty mixed. In fact, a review of my preferred cable (1.5m) claims it does not even fit the 700 although several other reviewers had no problem and the product description and pictures clearly show the same connector barrel as the stock 700 cable. (BTW, the seller specifically warns that the 700 cable will not work with the Hifiman 400i or S, although more than one reviewer states that it does. This seems likely since the stock 700 cable works fine with the 400i. I hope I could use the cable on both cans and obviate the stupid L-shaped plug on the 400i).
 
The long cord is working out better than I expected. I have the overall length shortened to between 5 and 6 feet by using a coil neatly held in place with two velcro strips. But it's still clunky to use in that form and the braided portion is prone to kinks while the rubberized cable after the divide just refuses to straighten at all. I'll probably take a chance on the Neomusica cable in the near future.

 

[dobigstuff]

Marlowe:
 
I am not trying to spend your money but......One of the key things you can do to improve the sound of your HD 700's is get an upgraded cable.
 
It's no mystery that the stock HD 700 cable can be greatly improved.
 
I have the Black Dragon v2.
 
There are many others out there at all different prices.  Below are a few:

• Surfcables
• Plussound
• Forza
• Nordost $$$

 
I hope this helps.

 

[NoMythsAudio]

What's your impression of the quality of that cable? The same company has cables specifically for the 700 on Amazon in various colors (black and red or all black) and lengths (1.2m, 1.5m, 2m). I've held back since the reviews are relatively few and pretty mixed. In fact, a review of my preferred cable (1.5m) claims it does not even fit the 700 although several other reviewers had no problem and the product description and pictures clearly show the same connector barrel as the stock 700 cable. (BTW, the seller specifically warns that the 700 cable will not work with the Hifiman 400i or S, although more than one reviewer states that it does. This seems likely since the stock 700 cable works fine with the 400i. I hope I could use the cable on both cans and obviate the stupid L-shaped plug on the 400i).

The long cord is working out better than I expected. I have the overall length shortened to between 5 and 6 feet by using a coil neatly held in place with two velcro strips. But it's still clunky to use in that form and the braided portion is prone to kinks while the rubberized cable after the divide just refuses to straighten at all. I'll probably take a chance on the Neomusica cable in the near future.

I have the exact cable, the 1.5m. Initially bought it for my He-400s and now later for HD700 after selling the 400S. Fits the HD700 perfectly. Sonically I personally can't tell the difference from the awful stock cable. In fact I'm one of the reviewers (name: Kayode). This cable https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01N8R1JBR/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[SomeGuyDude]

There are few instances where a cable actually makes much of a difference. The only example I'm aware of is the old Philips X1 where the stock cable had a measurably higher resistance and so it screwed up the sound a bit. 

 

[Marlowe]

  Marlowe:
 
I am not trying to spend your money but......One of the key things you can do to improve the sound of your HD 700's is get an upgraded cable.
 
It's no mystery that the stock HD 700 cable can be greatly improved.
 
I have the Black Dragon v2.
 
There are many others out there at all different prices.  Below are a few:

• Surfcables
• Plussound
• Forza
• Nordost $$$

 
I hope this helps.

 
I've actually priced that. With a 1/4 plug, a 5' cable (my exact preferred length) would cost $275, which is a bit (well, a lot) more than I want or should spend on a cable that probably won't make much if any difference for me. (I am not arguing that it does not have an audible difference for people who have better trained ears than I do.) Nonetheless, Moon certainly is good at marketing--I can't deny that I would like one. In any case, my next purchase will likely be a reasonably priced tube amp, which I've never listened to and likely will make an audible difference. (I'm currently listening to the HD700 through a Schiit Magni 2U, which sounds fine to me, but some say is a bad match.) I'm thinking of the Little Dot MK III as a decent, cheap starter tube amp ($200 plus shipping). However, I am tempted by a new LD amp, the MK III SE, which is a balanced hybrid amp that costs a lot more ($499 plus shipping). I can't find any reviews on it yet, which is OK since I'd need to save for a month or two anyway. And if I get a balanced amp, well, I'll need a balanced cable. Which brings us back to the Black Dragons, LOL.
 
Quote:

I have the exact cable, the 1.5m. Initially bought it for my He-400s and now later for HD700 after selling the 400S. Fits the HD700 perfectly. Sonically I personally can't tell the difference from the awful stock cable. In fact I'm one of the reviewers (name: Kayode). This cable https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01N8R1JBR/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 
Thanks a lot. I'm leaning to ordering this for at least the time being.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

BTW, the 700s are now priced at $400 on Amazon. That is a steal for these.

 

[Marlowe]

  BTW, the 700s are now priced at $400 on Amazon. That is a steal for these.

 
Even cheaper than last week at $419. I got them for the same price at B&H, since I am a 20 minute train ride and a short walk from their Manhattan store and I am all about instant gratification. Out of curiosity, I checked and B&H has them now for $400 too.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

   
Even cheaper than last week at $419. I got them for the same price at B&H, since I am a 20 minute train ride and a short walk from their Manhattan store and I am all about instant gratification. Out of curiosity, I checked and B&H has them now for $400 too.

Man I love B&H. That's where I snagged my old se846. Took the trip out to a friend's and happily dropped by. 
 
And yeah, at that price there's seriously no reason not to if it's something anyone has their eye on. I would never buy a pair at their original $999 MSRP but anything under $500 is a no-brainer.

 

[ElectronicTonic]

Thanks a lot. I'm leaning to ordering this for at least the time being.

THIS is the cable I just ordered, I should have it by Friday.

 

[LTSFBH]

THIS is the cable I just ordered, I should have it by Friday.

I have the same cable (in red) and I have no complaints. Well built and very little microphonics. While I agree that an upgraded cable can make a difference, I'm firmly in the camp of those that feel the difference is not worth the high cost of custom big buck cables. 

 

[SomeGuyDude]

  I have the same cable (in red) and I have no complaints. Well built and very little microphonics. While I agree that an upgraded cable can make a difference, I'm firmly in the camp of those that feel the difference is not worth the high cost of custom big buck cables. 

I tend to believe the difference is more in durability than anything, except when anomalies pop up. In this case, I seriously can't imagine what difference a $40 aftermarket cable would be.
 
The notion that headphone companies will put all this money into R&D and charge high amounts for their headphones and then give them cables that hamstring their sound quality is just ludicrous, to me. By what motivation would a headphone company ever not give their headphones a cable that would make it sound as good as possible? None of them sell "upgrade" cables, so there's no money to be made, the only outcome is people having a worse impression of the product than they should.