[Renato Fury]

As the title says I am in doubt among which to buy, I want a headphone for all genres of music and have a good sound stage, but as I have never tested either of them and many of you already tested I count on your opinion, and then , Which is the best choice ?

 

[cossix]

I've tried my friend's HD700 for a week on the Magni 2/Modi 2 Uber stack I had at the time. I was playing CD quality or better lossless and DSD.

From what I heard, the 700 has very nice detail especially in the treble. The highs can get a little tiring when listening for a while. What I found odd about the treble on the 700 is that it's much brighter than the other headphones in its line. Where Sennheiser is typically known for slightly rolled off highs (some people call it the 'veil') the 700 goes the opposite direction and provides an unusually sharp/crisp/pronounced top end.

The bass is typical of Sennheiser, where it has good definition but is definitely not overpowering. Compared to my HD650, the bass is less in quantity but tighter and better defined. This makes the headphone great for classical and jazz but not very good for pop or electronic.

The mids were decent, but obviously not the star of the show.

Overall, I didn't quite enjoy the 700. Those cans work best for classical, acoustic, and jazz but almost everything else didn't sound appealing to me through these headphones. The treble got a bit sharp at times and became tiring to listen to. The bass, although tight and fast, was a bit light for my tastes. I found myself analyzing the music and trying to pick out details, instead of enjoying it. That is, more or less, what you buy the 700 for - analyzing. If you enjoy listening to music so that you can hear every detail and focus on them, then this may be for you. But I personally find the sound a bit boring and cold. It was very hard for me to put these on and enjoy the music I was listening to.

I hope this helps you understand the 700, at least from my point of view! I've done my research on plenty of headphones and I will say that my opinion here does match up with plenty of big reviewers online.

I can't speak for the Hifiman but if I were the one choosing, I would pick the HE560. Perhaps if it were between the HD800 and the HE560 my choice would differ, but I would have to find some ridiculous discount on the 700 to ever bother purchasing them for myself. Good luck with your decision!

 

[Me x3]

Maybe you can find a late (1st gen) Beyerdynamic T1 instead.

 

[Renato Fury]

I've tried my friend's HD700 for a week on the Magni 2/Modi 2 Uber stack I had at the time. I was playing CD quality or better lossless and DSD.

From what I heard, the 700 has very nice detail especially in the treble. The highs can get a little tiring when listening for a while. What I found odd about the treble on the 700 is that it's much brighter than the other headphones in its line. Where Sennheiser is typically known for slightly rolled off highs (some people call it the 'veil') the 700 goes the opposite direction and provides an unusually sharp/crisp/pronounced top end.

The bass is typical of Sennheiser, where it has good definition but is definitely not overpowering. Compared to my HD650, the bass is less in quantity but tighter and better defined. This makes the headphone great for classical and jazz but not very good for pop or electronic.

The mids were decent, but obviously not the star of the show.

Overall, I didn't quite enjoy the 700. Those cans work best for classical, acoustic, and jazz but almost everything else didn't sound appealing to me through these headphones. The treble got a bit sharp at times and became tiring to listen to. The bass, although tight and fast, was a bit light for my tastes. I found myself analyzing the music and trying to pick out details, instead of enjoying it. That is, more or less, what you buy the 700 for - analyzing. If you enjoy listening to music so that you can hear every detail and focus on them, then this may be for you. But I personally find the sound a bit boring and cold. It was very hard for me to put these on and enjoy the music I was listening to.

I hope this helps you understand the 700, at least from my point of view! I've done my research on plenty of headphones and I will say that my opinion here does match up with plenty of big reviewers online.

I can't speak for the Hifiman but if I were the one choosing, I would pick the HE560. Perhaps if it were between the HD800 and the HE560 my choice would differ, but I would have to find some ridiculous discount on the 700 to ever bother purchasing them for myself. Good luck with your decision!

I understand, and my favorite genres are actually EDM and Pop although I'm not a headbass, in the range of up to 500 dollars which phone would you recommend me that could offer me a good quality for all musical genres ?

 

[cossix]

I have been looking into Fostex recently, they might have good stuff. Also Sony is known for having good low end on their stuff too

 

[Malfunkt]

The HD700 are amazing headphones if you click with them.

They are very easy to drive from most sources but do best with an amp. They will still sound good from a portable source (such as a decent mobile phone). They are also among the most comfortable headphones I've ever owned. Quite light too.

Sound wise, they are engaging. While brighter than most other Senns, I found it took a couple days to get used to their vivid signature.

Itheir bass is very good, with just the right amount authority, that they make a great listen for electronic music providing the source is well-produced. This would apply to pop music as well.

Their soundstage is incredible. I've spoke in other posts how the way their enclosure is designed it is much like a seashell. Movie and games come to life.

I got mine at a price I couldn't refuse and so glad I did. Easily one of my favourite headphones.

HE560 I've only tried once at a meet. Sonically I put it in between the HD800 and LCD2. That's just a rough opinion. They were more comfortable and lighter than my LCD2. They were also less impacting in the bass but brighter than the LCD2.

Check out the HD700 impressions thread for more comparisons.

Also here are some comparison threads.

My thread
http://www.head-fi.org/t/832713/hea...ze-lcd-2-rev-1-and-a-pair-of-logitech-ue6000s

Windsor's comparison thread:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/612250/hea...ica-ath-m50s-audeze-lcd-2-rev-2-and-the-lcd-3

 

[FastAndClean]

HD700 is like a dark horse or something, some people hate it, some love it, i love mine and i bought them for 260 dollars, they are a lot cheaper right now than when they first come out
for that price they are on championship level performance, the bass is not big but with amazing quality, speed, texture, tightness are all there, mids sound incredibly clean and realistic with vocals
the treble is very well extended, the only problem for me is the 6.5khz peak, it is easily fixable thought, soundstage is very big and imaging is awesome, comfort similar to hd598
if you find them for under 300 dollars, i will say go for it, it's a steal

 

[007shark76]

I have been considering my next headphone to between these exact 2 headphones myself. I am not much on eq'ing and don't like overly bright headphones. I am leaning towards the HD700 for looks and comfort over the HE560s. Would a hybrid tube amp calm down the treble peak of the HD700?

 

[cossix]

I

I have been considering my next headphone to between these exact 2 headphones myself. I am not much on eq'ing and don't like overly bright headphones. I am leaning towards the HD700 for looks and comfort over the HE560s. Would a hybrid tube amp calm down the treble peak of the HD700?

I've heard tubes are decent for the 700 but in my opinion you're buying the 700 for detail and treble. There are other options if you want detail that won't feel like a knife in your ear at times

 

[Tacanacy]

I agree with what cossix said except for the sharp highs and it not being good for electronic music. I'm not sensitive to treble. I also use the Schiit Uber stack. I think HD700 excels at classical music. I love listening to violin with it. I'm the type that listens to music in the background while doing something else, but when I heard HD700, I started to understand why people sit back, close their eyes and just listen to music. With rock, hard rock, metal, pop, hip hop and rap, HD700 is decent. It does electronic (I listen to a vast variety and don't pay attention to sub-genres) very well. The soundstage is huge and the imaging, separation and detailing are excellent.

 

[Kashtan]

I'm finding this topic after google search, also interesting comparable hd700 and he560. As i understand - hd700 best for classical genre, he560 - for metal. Both genres in my list. What is choose?

 

[dunring]

I've got the HD700 and with the modhouse foam kit I'd take them over the he560 I used to have any day. Lighter, more comfortable, and the $15 foam kit shaves enough of the 6khz treble peak so I don't have to equalize. The Moon Audio blue dragon cables make a big improvement, but they're half the price of the headphone used.

 

[ctjacks336]

I’ve had my Hifiman 560 v4 for about two weeks now and I love them. Play them running off the SMSL su6 stack playing video games and having the music going over the game. Very enjoyable and pleasing headphones to me. I was looking into the hd 700 the other day and they seem very interesting

 

[Kashtan]

Found bestenliste form germanishe magazine Audio. 560 - 90 scores , HD-700 - 80 .