[robo24]

Do these sound open, airy or is more enclosed like in words of some posts within a bubble or fishbowl? It's mainly for movie watch, which I guess shares the same characteristics than for acoustic music. I own a JDS Atom, not sure if the sound will be too harsh or bright.

definitely very open and among the best for watching movies, as they have a very wide soundstage which makes more very good surround-type sound even from a stereo source. Plus they are very light and comfortable, which is also great for wearing 2+ hours at a time.

 

[Marlowe]

Do these sound open, airy or is more enclosed like in words of some posts within a bubble or fishbowl? It's mainly for movie watch, which I guess shares the same characteristics than for acoustic music. I own a JDS Atom, not sure if the sound will be too harsh or bright.

The HD700 has a very wide and open soundstage and are my primary headphone for TV/movies; they are quite immersive for that purpose. Additionally they are the most comfortable headphone I've ever worn and I watch a lot of movies/TV (I'm retired and subscribe to just about everything except Apple TV). They have never sounded harsh to me, but I may be an outlier (there is an audio site that must not be named here (literally, I've had posts removed for doing so) where saying anything good about the HD700 is virtual grounds for banishment). The HD700 probably benefits from having a tube in the mix to warm it up a bit. FWIW, my TV setup is optical from TV or coaxial from 4K Blu-ray player>Modi Multibit>Massdrop CTH. (For music, I generally use Focal Elex or Sennheiser HD6XX from a different setup, but will sometimes use the more dynamic Elex with my TV setup for action movies with active soundtracks or a movie with a lot of music.)

 

[Dogway]

Yes, optical transfers a bit of warmness to the sound or that's the saying compared to USB. My main concern with this is voices (apart from SFX), as if they sound recessed, cold, flat or without body. I was having a look to Grados for that matter, but I'm unable to decide between a Grados with good soundstage or the HD700. I know that at some point I will have to put a tube or a pad mod but for the time being I shouldn't delay the buy much more I guess.

 

[teb1013]

I have recently gone back to my 700s after sticking with the 600s and 6xx (650 equivalent) for some time. I didn’t like the way the 700s sounded with the rock and jazz I prefer and seemed to be lacking the bass punch with certain songs. With classical music, I am, however, finding these very natural and perfectly suited. I don’t usually use headphones with movies, so I can’t comment on that, but I’m glad that I’ve found something that the 700s suit my taste on.

 

[garbulky]

I have recently gone back to my 700s after sticking with the 600s and 6xx (650 equivalent) for some time. I didn’t like the way the 700s sounded with the rock and jazz I prefer and seemed to be lacking the bass punch with certain songs. With classical music, I am, however, finding these very natural and perfectly suited. I don’t usually use headphones with movies, so I can’t comment on that, but I’m glad that I’ve found something that the 700s suit my taste on.

I got you covered.
https://www.modhouseaudio.com/hd700-mod/hd700-mod-kit
This mod helped me out with mine. If you go with both outer and inner mods there is a lot more bass punch (but personally I didn't like it). Using just one of the mods, I think it was the outer one gave me the slightly tighter sound I was looking for while preserving the airy treble. The mod is completely reversible and requires no tools.

 

[Marlowe]

I got you covered.
https://www.modhouseaudio.com/hd700-mod/hd700-mod-kit
This mod helped me out with mine. If you go with both outer and inner mods there is a lot more bass punch (but personally I didn't like it). Using just one of the mods, I think it was the outer one gave me the slightly tighter sound I was looking for while preserving the airy treble. The mod is completely reversible and requires no tools.

I tried the Modhouse mod but removed it after several weeks because I didn't think it sounded quite right, though it's been a couple of years and I can't really describe it accurately. (And TBH I probably didn't install it correctly since the pad assemblies would fall out on occasion.) In any case, I find that the unmodded HD700 easily has more and better bass than my HD 6XX (FWIW, reviews appear to differ on which headphone has better bass, though the narrower and more mid-centric 6XX/650 is certainly a bit warmer overall).

 

[peter123]

I tried the Modhouse mod but removed it after several weeks because I didn't think it sounded quite right, though it's been a couple of years and I can't really describe it accurately. (And TBH I probably didn't install it correctly since the pad assemblies would fall out on occasion.) In any case, I find that the unmodded HD700 easily has more and better bass than my HD 6XX (FWIW, reviews appear to differ on which headphone has better bass, though the narrower and more mid-centric 6XX/650 is certainly a bit warmer overall).

It seems as if a lot of people like the blooming midbass focused bass on the HD650. It kind of makes them sweet and romantic sounding. I'm not a fan of it myself.

 

[manueljenkin]

Do these sound open, airy or is more enclosed like in words of some posts within a bubble or fishbowl? It's mainly for movie watch, which I guess shares the same characteristics than for acoustic music. I own a JDS Atom, not sure if the sound will be too harsh or bright.

Nah they don't sound like a fishbowl or anything like that though they sound quite dramatic yet softened. Atom should be fine but what dac? These are super sensitive to compression.

 

[manueljenkin]

My mdr F1 came. It sounds pretty fine for something that's this old. Though it's not in any way comparable to most modern cans, especially not the hd700 or hd800.

I've rounded up my full impressions of the Sony MDR F1 here.

https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones...able/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share

 

[ArcticZero]

Hi, I've had a pair of HD700's for a couple of years now and have loved them so far. However today, the rubber/silicone coating of the headband decided to go brittle as I was inspecting the cushion which needed replacing without applying much force at all. I was just wondering if Sennheiser sells any headband replacement part for this, since I don't see anything off a quick Google. It would be a shame to just leave it like this, and I wasn't really expecting this to happen.

Thanks for any help in advance!

 

[garbulky]

Hi, I've had a pair of HD700's for a couple of years now and have loved them so far. However today, the rubber/silicone coating of the headband decided to go brittle as I was inspecting the cushion which needed replacing without applying much force at all. I was just wondering if Sennheiser sells any headband replacement part for this, since I don't see anything off a quick Google. It would be a shame to just leave it like this, and I wasn't really expecting this to happen.

Thanks for any help in advance!

The HD 700 was designed to be made out of completely replaceable parts. Whether Sennheiser still stocks them is unknown. But I would just contact them or go to their website.

 

[ArcticZero]

The HD 700 was designed to be made out of completely replaceable parts. Whether Sennheiser still stocks them is unknown. But I would just contact them or go to their website.

Thanks for the reply. I've sent a message to Sennheiser from their website, as local support in my country is virtually nonexistant.

 

[tunganh46]

Hi, I've had a pair of HD700's for a couple of years now and have loved them so far. However today, the rubber/silicone coating of the headband decided to go brittle as I was inspecting the cushion which needed replacing without applying much force at all. I was just wondering if Sennheiser sells any headband replacement part for this, since I don't see anything off a quick Google. It would be a shame to just leave it like this, and I wasn't really expecting this to happen.

Thanks for any help in advance!

So there is a metal band inside its headband? If so you just wrap it with some protective fabric and forget about it

 

[Strat1117]

Do these sound open, airy or is more enclosed like in words of some posts within a bubble or fishbowl? It's mainly for movie watch, which I guess shares the same characteristics than for acoustic music. I own a JDS Atom, not sure if the sound will be too harsh or bright.

I think the 700 imaging is great. I don’t get any fishbowl effect. Quite the contrary, imho, they are one of the few where the sound is not limited to being inside your head; at times you can really forget you are wearing headphones.

 

[Strat1117]

The HD700 has a very wide and open soundstage and are my primary headphone for TV/movies; they are quite immersive for that purpose. Additionally they are the most comfortable headphone I've ever worn and I watch a lot of movies/TV (I'm retired and subscribe to just about everything except Apple TV). They have never sounded harsh to me, but I may be an outlier (there is an audio site that must not be named here (literally, I've had posts removed for doing so) where saying anything good about the HD700 is virtual grounds for banishment). The HD700 probably benefits from having a tube in the mix to warm it up a bit. FWIW, my TV setup is optical from TV or coaxial from 4K Blu-ray player>Modi Multibit>Massdrop CTH. (For music, I generally use Focal Elex or Sennheiser HD6XX from a different setup, but will sometimes use the more dynamic Elex with my TV setup for action movies with active soundtracks or a movie with a lot of music.)

You’re not an outlier. It became very fashionable to hate on the HD700 on the site which must not be named, and unfortunately that carried over to some other places, which is a shame because they really are a great pair of headphones. No they’re not perfect, but what is? I never jumped on that particular bandwagon. It always seemed to me that they were berating the hd700 for not being better than the much more expensive 800, an absurd proposition from the outset. You just have to laugh when the same people who complain that the 650s are too veiled also complain that the 700s are too bright. The interwebs is a wonderful place....