[K3cT]

I've just heard Headfonia's HD700 today and suffice to say, it's a very interesting headphone and provides an alternative sound in the sub-$1000 price range. Tonal balance-wise it's closer to the HD800 than the HD650 so those who are looking a natural upgrade to the HD650 should look elsewhere. It's definitely not darker than the HD800 and it's definitely a step-down from the flagship. Anyway, I had fun comparing the HD700 and HD800 with the CEntrance DACMini, will post short impressions once I get back. 

 

[Saintly]

Quote:

I've just heard Headfonia's HD700 today and suffice to say, it's a very interesting headphone and provides an alternative sound in the sub-$1000 price range. Tonal balance-wise it's closer to the HD800 than the HD650 so those who are looking a natural upgrade to the HD650 should look elsewhere. It's definitely not darker than the HD800 and it's definitely a step-down from the flagship. Anyway, I had fun comparing the HD700 and HD800 with the CEntrance DACMini, will post short impressions once I get back. 

Do you mean it's definitely not darker than the HD650?

 

[Hennyo]

Sounds totally uncompetitive to anything planar. Mike had a field day with his set, which I am disturbed by.

 

[project86]

Mike is a good guy. He does get excited about new stuff, which is good from an enthusiast perspective but bad from a "professional" standpoint. I guess I'd rather have too much excitement than not enough, though I wouldn't want to see it spill over into every review. That could get old.
 
To contrast/support/whatever his thoughts, here is another link to my mini-review:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/sennheiser-hd-700-headphone/reviews
 
 

 

[K3cT]

Quote:

Do you mean it's definitely not darker than the HD650?

In terms of treble energy, I would rate HD650 > HD800 > HD700 in increasing order. Interesting isn't it? Anyway, as promised here we go and I'll try to keep it short and of course, the impession is more like a comparison using the HD800 as the baseline. 
 
Overall the HD700 is cut from the same cloth as the HD800: both headphones have a neutral, airy, bright-ish and lean sound presentation. However they do differ in several key aspects, the HD700 is less resolving than the HD800. Some of the details and micro-details which are otherwise present in the flagship are missing in the HD700. The HD700 also has a slight tendency to make everything sounds thin and lacking body, which reminds me a bit of most Stax Lambdas which also struggle in conveying texture. The HD800 in comparison is fuller-sounding compared to the HD700. 
 
I honestly thought that treble is the weakest area of the HD700. There is simply too much treble energy there and there are obviously some serious ringing and peaks going on in the upper mid area. As the result, female vocal especially poorly-recorded one is going to sound quite sibilant and some instruments like saxophone is almost unlistenable. While the HD800 is also too bright for me, its treble energy is more evenly distributed and the peaks do not sound quite as extreme as the HD700. 
 
The HD700 however, has a superior headstage compared to the HD800. One of my main chief issues with the HD800 is how everything sounds wide with the headphone. Most of live recordings with vocal in the HD800 will sound disjointed, with the vocal component dead smack at the center while the instruments are located at far left and far right. Sometimes hall ambience is sorely missing in the HD800. To my great surprise,Sennheiser has fixed this issue in the HD700 and hence, it is able to capture the recording venue more faithfully than its older brother. As the result we have a more realistic and tightly focused headstage in the HD700. 
 
Build quality-wise, certainly it looks plasticky compared to the HD800 but it is sturdier than it looks. I am not sure whether I am a fan of the overall aesthetics though. Perhaps an interesting issue is how it sits on your head. Compared to the HD800 and HD650, there is almost no clamping force which is more comfortable but since the headphone just kinda "sits" on your head which is reminiscent of the wing system of certain Audio Technica headphones, the HD700 has a tendency to slip from your head especially if you move your head around. I also feel that the padding could be thicker on the headband. 
 
So to conclude, what do we have here with the HD700? I can sum it nicely: a HD800-lite with a superior headstage and inferior everything else. It does provide an alternative option in the sub-$1k range and in my opinion, having a choice is always nice. 
 
Please keep in mind that the HD700 I have heard here is a pre-production version so I do not guarantee that the release version will sound or look 100% the same as the unit that I have auditioned.
 
 
 

 

[MuppetFace]

This hobby is hilarious. We've got some people saying the HD700 is darker than the HD800, while others are saying it's brighter.

 

[Saintly]

Thanks for the great comparison!  It certainly seems much more level-headed and more in line what other early reviewers thought of the HD 700. 

 

[K3cT]

Quote:

This hobby is hilarious. We've got some people saying the HD700 is darker than the HD800, while others are saying it's brighter.

Honestly, I account this to the upstream gear as like the HD800, HD700 is quite revealing to this aspect. In the meet today, we had the RSA Dark Star and  the CEntrance DACMini and I use the latter as the basis of my comparison. The Dark Star is well... dark-sounding so I don't like to use it for critical listening. 

 
Quote:

Thanks for the great comparison!  It certainly seems much more level-headed and more in line what other early reviewers thought of the HD 700. 

 
Thanks! I apologize if it's a bit messy, I'm not a good prose writer.

 

[GiacomoHoldini]

Thanks! I apologize if it's a bit messy, I'm not a good prose writer.

I thought it was a good review, and quite down to earth. It sure beats Mike's superlatives, which detract from his credibility, imo. Enthusiasm is one thing, but given all the other reviews I've read of this thing (including yours), calling it "revolutionary" really seems off the mark.

 

[MuppetFace]

Some choice quotes from the Headfonia review:
 
 
"the sound coming out of it is clearer than the HD800, the Beyerdynamic T1, the LCD-2, or the Stax O2"
 
"I was blown away. Simply brilliant and mind-blowing. It was had a crisp electrostatic-like transients, but without the typical weaknesses of an electrostatic driver"
 
"I was awestruck. The design team, which is apparently a different team from the HD800, has pulled off something brilliant. Out of this world. Genius" 
 
"I wish my HD800 sounded like the HD700. I really do"
 
"It was revolutionary and I’ve never heard anything like this being done with a dynamic driver"
 
....right.

 

[GiacomoHoldini]

Exactly my point. I don't mean to put down Mike or his website, but I don't know how he expects anyone to take that review seriously.

Edit: on second thought, if you read the comments attached to the review, it's evident some people are taking it seriously, enough to be persuaded to buy the HD700. Lemming syndrome strikes again.

 

[vrln]

I've always enjoyed reading Mike's site too, but I've usually found his reviews quite inconsistent. This time I have to say I'm really puzzled, his HD700 impressions match noone elses at all. And everyone else who has heard a pre-production sample on the other hand are more or less in agreement that it's a HD 800 lite. 

 

[Linus108]

I can't help but feel a bit bad for Mike. Like you guys, I think he's a good guy and I've always enjoyed his writings. 
 
But I also understand the problem with writing about a new product that cost so much money, and the influence it can have on those reading. Realistically, no one should be relying 100% on what someone else says to make their purchases. But in a hobby like this (especially with the more expensive headphones), sometimes all you can do is rely on reviews and what others have said. Not everyone has the opportunity to audition before purchase, and this is more of an issue when it comes to pre-ordering. 
 
I do understand the criticisms you guys have though of his writing (it moving away from being analytic critique and being more emotion based and exaggerated). The only thing I can add to this is, and I'm only speaking myself, but for me: don't ever buy on a whim. Don't buy something based solely on what someone else said. It's very easy to get excited and get wrapped up in the moment for a new product. The anticipation for a new product. But I should always do as much research as I can (taking into consideration tons of reviews, impressions) before making up my mind. And one thing I've learned from this release is that, it's totally worth waiting months after the release date before truly considering a product. Because then more impressions and reviews can come out, and users will have had actual time spent with the product. 
 
So while I'm still interested to hear more about the HD-700s, I am in no rush whatsoever to buy them. I will wait. 
 
 
 
 
 

 

[GiacomoHoldini]

Linus, I completely agree. I'm in a similar situation. Auditioning headphones in Portland isn't easy. We do have one good AD for a number of high-end brands and models, but they are somewhat out of the way (for me, at least), and have hours by appointment only. I haven't gotten up the nerve to schedule a listening appointment, since I don't want to feel beholden to their "kindness" and feel pressured to make a purchase. So I do rely on reviews to at least narrow down my options and figure out which headphones I might want to check out, or perhaps even purchase blindly. But I would never rely on a single review for that, especially one obviously written under the influence of "New Toy Love Syndrome." If I'm going to make a purchase based on reviews, I would read as many as possible before doing so. The fact that some people are reading Mike's review and placing a pre-order blows my mind.

 

[Linus108]

Ah sweet, you are from Portland. 
 
I have a lot of good friends up there. I actually don't have a big excuse. I'm from Southern California, and there are some places to try out headphones. But they are still 3-4 hours away from where I live. So it's not entirely viable for me. 
 
I need to start going to meets. Never been, and always wanted to go. Anyways, I agree 100% with you in regards to buying. I would never want to speak for others when it comes to their purchasing habits, and how they go about buying. But from my time on Head-Fi (I lurked before 2010), I've come to learn to NOT put too much stock into early reviews. And to find a process/balance of sifting through a lot of opinions/reviews (and there are a lot of various opinions, headphone preference is subjective) - and getting a general sense from all the data you have read.
 
It's not easy to do at first, but you eventually get used to it. Once you figure out what kind of preferences you have, it's easier to do. I just know for me, it's better to take your time before buying a product. I was pretty amped up about this HD-700, I'm not going to lie. I've always wanted to try the HD-800. I've had the HD-600 in the past, and am using my friends HD-600 now. So the idea of a similar HD-800 at a cheaper price and easier to amp, was instantly appealing.

But at these high prices, I really want the price to justify it. And I know, price rarely 100% = to what you get. So I say this loosely. I mean, I want it to justify for me. I don't mind spending a lot of money for my hobby. To me, it's worth it. I just want to make sure it's something worth it to me. And that's why I'm going to sit back, and really wait months after it comes out. Still interested in reading others opinions. And I dunno, maybe I'll find a way to audition them. 
Quote:

Linus, I completely agree. I'm in a similar situation. Auditioning headphones in Portland isn't easy. We do have one good AD for a number of high-end brands and models, but they are somewhat out of the way (for me, at least), and have hours by appointment only. I haven't gotten up the nerve to schedule a listening appointment, since I don't want to feel beholden to their "kindness" and feel pressured to make a purchase. So I do rely on reviews to at least narrow down my options and figure out which headphones I might want to check out, or perhaps even purchase blindly. But I would never rely on a single review for that, especially one obviously written under the influence of "New Toy Love Syndrome." If I'm going to make a purchase based on reviews, I would read as many as possible before doing so. The fact that some people are reading Mike's review and placing a pre-order blows my mind.