[plakat]

Have you had a chance to hear it?

Yes, on two occasions (IFA Berlin and a small show in Vienna). I think I posted impressions and photos earlier in this thread.

 

[grizzlybeast]

Have you had a chance to hear it?

Yes, on two occasions (IFA Berlin and a small show in Vienna). I think I posted impressions and photos earlier in this thread.

Cool. Do you think it's overpriced or just not tuned right? Are there redeeming technical attributes that a that make it competitive at that price like super tight bass or high resolution?

 

[plakat]

Cool. Do you think it's overpriced or just not tuned right? Are there redeeming technical attributes that a that make it competitive at that price like super tight bass or high resolution?

While I think its price is still a bit steep, even when considering the very good build quality and wearing comfort, what put me off was a tendency to sibilance that was simply not to my liking. While I don't want to tell anyone what to like, it is not a headphone I would consider to recommend.
 
Its rather heavy, which is understandable given that it seems to be made mostly of metal, and feels very good in hand, a premium product. Not simply overpriced junk where the price tag is intended to make one laugh.
 
My original post after visiting IFA last year:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/779806/technics-eah-t700-an-impressive-high-end-2-way-headphone/15#post_11908306

 

[grizzlybeast]

Cool. Do you think it's overpriced or just not tuned right? Are there redeeming technical attributes that a that make it competitive at that price like super tight bass or high resolution?

While I think its price is still a bit steep, even when considering the very good build quality and wearing comfort, what put me off was a tendency to sibilance that was simply not to my liking. While I don't want to tell anyone what to like, it is not a headphone I would consider to recommend.

Its rather heavy, which is understandable given that it seems to be made mostly of metal, and feels very good in hand, a premium product. Not simply overpriced junk where the price tag is intended to make one laugh.

My original post after visiting IFA last year:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/779806/technics-eah-t700-an-impressive-high-end-2-way-headphone/15#post_11908306

Thanks for the response.. I read that post. Just looking for some possible redeeming qualities because I have not read many if any.

 

[plakat]

Thanks for the response.. I read that post. Just looking for some possible redeeming qualities because I have not read many if any.

Sorry that I can't help you out there, it's some time ago and I don't want to pretend my sonic memory is that good

I always liked the Technics brand (still have some SL1210 for my PA rental, fabulous product) and would have welcomed their entry into the headphone market, but their tuning is simply off for me.

 

[Techadence]

The silence in response speaks for itself it might seem...

To me: no. They are not for me. But other seem to like them. As in most cases I'd suggest to try them out before buying them.

Yeah I'm starting to get this picture, would you say they'd be worth half their normal price? (work in a store that stocks them)

 

[plakat]

Yeah I'm starting to get this picture, would you say they'd be worth half their normal price? (work in a store that stocks them)

Ultimately only you can decide this... If you stock them I guess there might be a demo unit to try out -- and that's what I'd strongly recommend to do anyway.

Personally I think I would not get used to them, so I would not spend any money on them obviously. Best thing to do is give them a listen and decide for yourself. You might like them... Were it just for me, Grado would be out of business already: tastes vary quite a bit.

 

[GREQ]

Found these for audition in my local hifi shop today.
Build quality and comfort are both flagship level.
 
At first the sound put me off a bit. I felt like the mids were scooped a bit and indeed followed the unusual FR curves presented earlier.
But then I pushed the cups onto my head slightly (effectively making the earpads a little shallower).
Suddenly the ENTIRE frequency response smoothed out. 
Soundstage suffered a bit, but the everything seemed almost totally balanced.
 
If there was an option to get thinner pads, these would be good flagship material.
 
I don't think I've ever heard such airy, realistic treble before from a closed headphone. The super tweeter really does add something to the sound.

 

[Edric Li]

Sounds like a TH900 to me. Definitely interested

 

[GREQ]

  Sounds like a TH900 to me. Definitely interested

I've never heard a TH900... the closest thing I've heard I guess is a D5000.
From memory I think they're still kinda different.
The T700 bass definitely isn't a 'pouding' kind of bass. It's not lean either. Just superbly extended and well textured/detailed. 
I hate to throw out such a dangerous word

, but I guess the bass is close to neutral.

 

[takato14]

 

  Sounds like a TH900 to me. Definitely interested

I've never heard a TH900... the closest thing I've heard I guess is a D5000.
From memory I think they're still kinda different.
The T700 bass definitely isn't a 'pouding' kind of bass. It's not lean either. Just superbly extended and well textured/detailed. 
I hate to throw out such a dangerous word

, but I guess the bass is close to neutral.

GREQ you ******
 
now I wanna try one

 

[GREQ]

  GREQ you ******
 
now I wanna try one

 I don't think you'll like it. But you might ... 

 

[fuzzytalz]

Took delivery of these on Friday and have been listening throughout the weekend. To put my observations in perspective, I love detail–my favorite cans so far (without EQ) are the Audio-Technica ATH-M70x [I've owned quite a wide range of headphones from the Audeze EL-8 (open back) to Sennheiser Momentum (original and v2 "circumaural") and my player of preference is the Sony NW-ZX2, because I love its detail, dynamics and provision of a non-distorting EQ (unlike the Astell & Kern AK100II it replaced, which introduced bass distortion, particularly, with the addition of much more than 4dB boost and had only mediocre detail retrieval in comparison)]. I find adding 1dB at 400Hz, 2dB at 1kHz, 1dB at 2.5kHz and pushing the ClearBass function to +6 makes the M70x sound better than any other headphone I've ever listened to. However, I'm enamored of neither the M70x's build quality nor comfort, which aren't devised for the long term. Thus, I'm searching for that same sound in a more comfy, better-built headphone. Oh yeah, and also enough efficiency to be driven authoritatively directly from my ZX2, because I dislike the added bulk of even a highly portable headphone amp.
 
So....the Technics EAH-T700...
 
...so far seem to be just what I'm looking for.
 
Incredibly well built and, despite their mass, forget-you're-wearing-them comfortable–a testament to the design of the headband and earcups. These babies are quite large, but I don't mind since they'll primarily be used at home.
 
Sound? I'd call it almost perfectly coherent–spoiled only arguably by an apparent dip in response between 2.5kHz and 6kHz that I suppose is designed to minimize upper-mid harshness but instead results in a bit of lost presence in female vocals and high brass instruments. This is easy to remedy with EQ (as you might have guessed, I'm no purist! I'm more interested in getting the sound I want than in having a perfectly-tuned headphone, which so has eluded me): +2dB at 2.5kHz, +4dB at 6kHz and +6dB at 16kHz (for enhanced sense of spaciousness–I find I have to do this with most headphones which roll off aggressively here to limit sibilance). Bass is tuned perfectly for my taste, being tight and dynamic and needing no boost at all.
 
Overall, and this is testified to by the fact that their EQ settings are very similar, the EAH-T700 sounds very much like my Oppo PM-1, and respond equally well to EQ. Also like the PM-1, they are semi-open, leaking quite liberally for a closed headphone (the prominent vents on the earcups were a good clue). They even manage to yield slightly superior imaging compared to the PM-1, undoubtedly owing to the quite spacious earcups and steeply angled drivers. The discrimination between instruments is uncanny, revealing instrumentation to me I'd not previously heard. They also are mercilessly revealing of poor quality files, so be prepared to feel disappointed if your library consists of music of dubious quality.
 
Don't know how others feel, but for me the Technics EAH-T700 is a winner–easily a match for my M70x (on the basis of sound quality, both EQed) and based on my first few days of listening, (I'll have to listen a bit more to be confident concluding they are) appreciably better. Worth the money, if you value build quality and durability as highly as sound quality. If you've got high quality source material and are not EQ-averse, they deserve an audition.
 
Cheers!

 

[fuzzytalz]

Actually, the frequency range is 3 – 100,000Hz. I own these now and can attest to tight, dynamic bass response.

 

[Oregonian]

 
Actually, the frequency range is 3 – 100,000Hz. I own these now and can attest to tight, dynamic bass response.

 
Where are you located?  Can't see to hear anyone in the US doing anything with them or even auditioning them.