Audioholic123
500+ Head-Fier
My dedicated headphone amp which has a high quality Burr Brown 384/32 bit DAC and output level of 80mW into 600 Ohm couldn't even make the HD700 I had, any fun to listen to.
My dedicated headphone amp which has a high quality Burr Brown 384/32 bit DAC and output level of 80mW into 600 Ohm couldn't even make the HD700 I had, any fun to listen to.
I do have a very high quality Cyrus CD player and powerful class-A amplifier that I use when I really want to test my headphones/speakers. It works every time no matter what headphones/speakers I use..it totally transforms them..except the only thing that seemed to improve significantly with the HD700 when I tested them with that system was the soundstage and imaging - the odd/flawed sound signature still remained just that.
No idea what might ve caused that. But its obvious you might ve required to change the system. Or get a hp thats less picky.
It does require less extreme measures than either hd800 / 650 (non s models) to sound great. Both of those ultimately would require tubes, while 700 can make do with good solid state as i am using them. In my experience tube amps are expensive if you want to get a good one that does not sound obviously coloured/warm.
Tube amp definitely helps. How did it compare to the T70? Doesn't the T70 have a 'flawed' signature as well? If I recall, it has a lot of folks saying similar types of things.The HD700 was one of the oddest most flawed headphones I've ever owned/heard..I know it's just my opinion but I honestly think the tuning was all over the place, akin to an out of tune musical instrument. At times I'd describe the HD700 as sounding dark, yet also times I thought it was too bright. It is also the only headphone I've ever owned that had what I can only describe as an annoying lisp..totally unnatural. The HD700 is the headphone that put me off Sennheiser. It's shocking to think that a company that makes a headphone with such a flawed (imo) sound can get away with charging so much money for it.
I did have a tube amp (albeit an inexpensive one) years ago that I used with my first K702 but the amp exploded after only a few months. After that happened I decided not to buy another tube amp.
Fortunately there is nothing wrong with all my other audio equipment..the Cyrus CD player and amp I own is the best system I have and likely will ever hear and it sounds amazing with every headphone I've owned except for the HD700. The headphone amp I mentioned also synergizes well with even the hardest to drive headphones (such as 600 ohm DT880's) i've owned so HD700 should've been a joy to listen to, yet it wasn't.
One thing I will say is that the drivers of the HD700 sounded good in a closed-back design..this is something I discovered when I took them out of their housing and put them in a closed-back Beyerdynamic T5P (the T5P developed a fault, so I thought i'd replace the Tesla drivers with HD700 one's).Tube amp definitely helps. How did it compare to the T70? Doesn't the T70 have a 'flawed' signature as well? If I recall, it has a lot of folks saying similar types of things.
TBH, I've come to believe that, overall, some headphones work better for an individual's ears/hearing than others...and that certain combinations of genres/headphones/recording quality work well for one person and not so well for another
Could be because the mids are more 'scooped' on the HD700s. In measurements, the peak on HD700 is 4dB less and located at 6500 Hz instead of 8500 Hz...that said, everybody hears differently.
One thing I will say is that the drivers of the HD700 sounded good in a closed-back design..this is something I discovered when I took them out of their housing and put them in a closed-back Beyerdynamic T5P (the T5P developed a fault, so I thought i'd replace the Tesla drivers with HD700 one's).
I did compare to the T70 once I put the HD700 drivers in the T5P. I thought both headphones where very similar sounding..but the sound of the HD700 in stock form is in my opinion a mess compared to not just the T70 but every other headphone i've heard.
To be clear, what i'm basically saying is that in my opinion..the HD700 sound signature/tuning is seriously flawed. Like a broken/faulty speaker or an out of tune musical instrument, it seems to me that there are octaves/tones and audible information missing from recordings..no matter what amp I used to drive them, they always sounded this way to me. I don't think it's acceptable that a company can produce such a headphone for such a high price and expect to get away with it.
BTW i'm a self taught musician who can identify chords by ear..so there's nothing wrong with my hearing.
To be clear, what i'm basically saying is that in my opinion..the HD700 sound signature/tuning is seriously flawed. Like a broken/faulty speaker or an out of tune musical instrument, it seems to me that there are octaves/tones and audible information missing from recordings..no matter what amp I used to drive them, they always sounded this way to me. I don't think it's acceptable that a company can produce such a headphone for such a high price and expect to get away with it.
BTW i'm a self taught musician who can identify chords by ear..so there's nothing wrong with my hearing.