[souldout]

Hi,
 
I'm looking to get a new pair of headphones however I'm not sure which one would be best in terms of value/quality between the Sennheiser HD449 or the Sony MDR-ZX700?
 
The price difference between the two is about $70 making the Senheisser substantially cheaper. Do you think the price difference is enough to warrant for the Sony's?
 
My music collection consists of mainly rock, modern pop and instrumental soundtracks.
 
I'll be using the headphones purely on my iPod classic and my notebook.
 
 
(The currency of the prices are in AUD which is pretty much on par with the USD).
 
Thanks

 

[JK1]

Oh, you are in Australia. In the US the ZX700 is as low as around $75. While Australian prices are usully higher than US ones, double the US price sounds like too much. I guess you should be able to find a lower price. The HD448 is $120 in the US. The HD448 at around half the price of the ZX700 seems like a much better deal. If they were the same price, I'm not sure which I would pick. With the Sony 37% cheaper  than the HD448  in the US, I guess I would choose the Sony.

 

[KG Jag]

I like the 700 and have never heard the Senn (the closest I have heard is probably the open HD 518).
 
The Sony works very well for you intended purpose, but I find it difficult to believe that it is the better value at almost 2 x the Senn.

 

[XxDobermanxX]

Go for the sennheiser , sony and sennheiser are not in the same league. and based on the genre you listen the sennheiser hd 449 will satisfy you due to its audio clarity and balanced sound (also the sennheiser hd 449 bass is better than its predecessor the hd 448 so it should suit your pop needs too)

 

[a_recording]

Quote:

Hi,
 
I'm looking to get a new pair of headphones however I'm not sure which one would be best in terms of value/quality between the Sennheiser HD449 or the Sony MDR-ZX700?
 
The price difference between the two is about $70 making the Senheisser substantially cheaper. Do you think the price difference is enough to warrant for the Sony's?
 
My music collection consists of mainly rock, modern pop and instrumental soundtracks.
 
I'll be using the headphones purely on my iPod classic and my notebook.
 
 
(The currency of the prices are in AUD which is pretty much on par with the USD).
 
Thanks

 
Hey Souldout, welcome to Head Fi! it should be possible to get the ZX700 cheaper. 
 
http://www.eyo.com.au/277724_sony-mdrzx700-high-end-monitor-headphones.html for instance, or importing them since they really do cost much less overseas.
 
A word of advice. Make sure when you ask for recommendations, you give a bit more detail about how you are going to use them, and be careful because many people will give you their recommendations without having heard both or knowing much about the alternatives, and they may not tell you this.
 
I haven't heard the Sennheiser 449 myself, though I have heard the ZX700. What I think, and most reviews agree with, is that for the US price its a very strong contender as a comfortable, easily driven portable headphone, with a balanced and slightly warm sound. It's a little laid back and makes for a good alternative against the ATH-M50 if you don't mind sacrificing some bass. If you want a more aggressive, exciting sound, it's not necessarily what I would recommend, but its a very good package overall in terms of comfort and portability. I bought a pair for a friend, but he mostly listened to indie acoustic music.
 
Since both of these headphones are pretty commonly available, it should be possible to have a listen to them! If you are in Sydney you could probably find the Sony at the Sony Centre in Sydney World Square, and the Sennheiser I bet would pop up everywhere. A nice destination for headphones is also Sydney City Westfield, where you have the big JB Hi Fi at the top floor with many AKG, Sennheiser and other brands to try, and the Audio Technica kiosk on the bottom floor.

Hope that helps!

 

[shaneotool]

I would not agree with the sonys being laid back. I had a pair for a while and sold them because they have a nasty treble spike that wore me out.

If you are used to the laid back sennheiser sound, you may find them too bright. However, it you like grado or dt990 levels of treble, you may really dig them.

 

[a_recording]

Quote:

I would not agree with the sonys being laid back. I had a pair for a while and sold them because they have a nasty treble spike that wore me out.
If you are used to the laid back sennheiser sound, you may find them too bright. However, it you like grado or dt990 levels of treble, you may really dig them.

 
Well, I'm just thinking about them compared to the M50 which is generally a pretty popular option above and around this price point. Yes the Sennheiser is probably even more laid back, though as I said I haven't heard them.
 
This review of the ZX700 might be a good resource: http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/sony-mdr-zx700

 

[shaneotool]

Quote:

 
Well, I'm just thinking about them compared to the M50 which is generally a pretty popular option above and around this price point. Yes the Sennheiser is probably even more laid back, though as I said I haven't heard them.
 
This review of the ZX700 might be a good resource: http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/sony-mdr-zx700

 
That guys review was a big reason I bought the zx700's.  Everyone's hearing is different though, and all i can figure is he is a little older than me and evidently his ears are not as sensitive to that treble spike as mine are.  If you overlay the graphs for the zx700 and m50 on headphone.com you can see the differences.
 
The M50 is a good headphone to compare them to in that - if you want more bass - get the m50.  If you want more treble - get the zx700.  And if you want more mids - I'd probably get the senns.

 

[KG Jag]

With their "V" shaped EQ, the mids go missing with the M50.