[S-O8]

Anyone got these ?

I want a closed pair of headphones for home use and am looking at Audeze EL-8 Closed (I already have the open set) or the Technics which I have heard and was really impressed !

I know a few reviews have slated them but I actually liked them and was listening at the same time as Focal Elears so they can't be too bad as they sounded good then !!

I can get them at a really, really good price so I am not paying anywhere near list - which makes them appeal a lot more and puts them in a similar price band to the EL-8's and Oppo PM-3 (which I already have).

Any views from people who have them or have heard the Technics ?

 

[brams]

Anyone got these ?

I want a closed pair of headphones for home use and am looking at Audeze EL-8 Closed (I already have the open set) or the Technics which I have heard and was really impressed !

I know a few reviews have slated them but I actually liked them and was listening at the same time as Focal Elears so they can't be too bad as they sounded good then !!

I can get them at a really, really good price so I am not paying anywhere near list - which makes them appeal a lot more and puts them in a similar price band to the EL-8's and Oppo PM-3 (which I already have).

Any views from people who have them or have heard the Technics ?

I posted my impressions here: https://head-fi.org/threads/technics-eah-t700-an-impressive-high-end-2-way-headphone.779806/page-9

Not a bad unit at all; I quite like them despite a bit of brightness in the treble. If you can get them for a good price then go for it. I actually loaned mine to a fellow head-fier recently and he was quite surprised at how good they sounded.

 

[S-O8]

I posted my impressions here: https://head-fi.org/threads/technics-eah-t700-an-impressive-high-end-2-way-headphone.779806/page-9

Not a bad unit at all; I quite like them despite a bit of brightness in the treble. If you can get them for a good price then go for it. I actually loaned mine to a fellow head-fier recently and he was quite surprised at how good they sounded.

Thanks. I didn't find the treble too bright on my initial try of them ... but then I have 2 pairs of Grado's ! I can get them at a 'staff' price which is a lot more appealing than the retail so will see when they have them back in stock (expected soon apparently).

 

[S-O8]

Well, I got a pair ! Impressed out of the box so guess after a bit of use they will get better .... the demo pair I tried were a bit more detailed so I am guessing some use will make them better - definitely not deserving a 2 star review by What HiFi on the basis of a couple of hours listening and they seem far better out of the box than my Audeze EL-8 or Oppo PM-2's !!

I go them at a heavily discounted staff price so that makes them more appealing too

 

[S-O8]

After over a week all I can say is wow ! So good and really under the radar. I know I go them cheap but they are seriously good and not deserving of the review in What HiFI ! These are seriously good cans with good bass, midrange and detail ! The soundstage is not good due to the closed nature of the headphones but OMG these are good !

 

[brams]

After over a week all I can say is wow ! So good and really under the radar. I know I go them cheap but they are seriously good and not deserving of the review in What HiFI ! These are seriously good cans with good bass, midrange and detail ! The soundstage is not good due to the closed nature of the headphones but OMG these are good !

Glad to hear you like them too. Lately I am using these a lot even over my Utopias and modified TH900. It's a different, but very enjoyable signature and the build quality is first rate. With my setup I even find the soundstage to be very good.

Don't know if What Hifi has something against Technics or maybe their reviewers just don't like that signature, but I had a similar experience with the Technics speaker they reviewed. What Hi Fi hated them and Stereophile gave them a class A rating! My impressions of the speakers were firmly in the camp of Stereophile and were reinforced by the objective measurements. A glaring example of why you really cannot base your decisions solely on someone else's impression.

 

[S-O8]

Did the sound change much over use ?

 

[brams]

Yes. The treble over time appeared to sound more "natural" with less of a metallic sheen.

I'm sure some (maybe a lot) of it is my getting accustomed to the signature, but some is definitely a change in the product.

 

[S-O8]

Yes. The treble over time appeared to sound more "natural" with less of a metallic sheen.

I'm sure some (maybe a lot) of it is my getting accustomed to the signature, but some is definitely a change in the product.

Thanks

 

[vcmusik]

Just saw this thread but I happen to have a T700 and I love it. It doesn't seem to get along with my Vali 2, but when using it with solid state sources (my table and phone) it sounds great. I just wish there was more subbass and less midbass. I've got a Sony TA-ZH1ES amp coming next week, and the T700 happens to be compatible with Sony's Kimber Kables, so I'm excited to hear how it sounds in balanced mode. Will report back if anyone's interested.

 

[brams]

Just saw this thread but I happen to have a T700 and I love it. It doesn't seem to get along with my Vali 2, but when using it with solid state sources (my table and phone) it sounds great. I just wish there was more subbass and less midbass. I've got a Sony TA-ZH1ES amp coming next week, and the T700 happens to be compatible with Sony's Kimber Kables, so I'm excited to hear how it sounds in balanced mode. Will report back if anyone's interested.

Would love to hear how these sound balanced. These cans definitely deserve more love!

 

[SureSh0t]

So I just recently got these. They remind me a lot of the Audio Technica ATH-SR9, not in a good way. Granted, it has a more full range in the bass but they do something similar with the tuning.

It has an initial vocal suckout and a big upper treble mountain. This makes vocals sound distant and exaggerates air, giving an impression of spaciousness. It has a piercing upper treble especially a spike centered at 11k that kept me from tolerating my normal listening level. Even before this it was very clear dynamics were compressed, almost like a muffled effect on loudness. Bass is present and doesn't seem overemphasized or meddling with mids, but it's not very articulated and it's clear the worst dynamic compression is in the bass.

The build quality is spectacular, which is the only reason I got them despite warning signs about the sound. No complaints.

Comfort is decent. Earpads are deep and wide enough to avoid too much contact with the ear. There is no perforation or leaks so they can get warm/stuffy. The headband has very thick cushioning but narrow in width and can still hurt in the wrong spot.

I can see why the earcup shift system was included; the forward/backward tilt is critical to soundstage and treble response because the tiny tweeter needs to point at just the right spot. The adjustment gives you the leeway to do that without the headband falling off your head.

After some EQ they're far more tolerable for frequent use. With the 11k spike gone I can listen at normal levels for long periods but it's clear the soundstage is killed. There is very little projection in the center mix, to the extent that vocals will often sound like they are in your head. It now sounds like a pretty typical closed back. The tweeter definitely has some extension all the way to the limit of my hearing around 15-16k.

Detail, excluding bass seems adequate. Not special but not bad either.

These would be pretty neat closed backs for $300 used, but beyond that there are better, less finicky options like the Fostex TR/TH variants, or forgoing build quality there is the even cheaper AKG 361/371. It is blatantly obvious the original MSRP of $1300 was way out of line. Getting them for $450 I'm not bitterly disappointed but I'm aware of much better for the money. They are a nice industrial design piece even if the sound they make isn't so nice.

 

[Whitigir]

I am interested in these for the smaller fit, any people care to share more impressions ? How is it against IER Z1R

 

[SureSh0t]

I am interested in these for the smaller fit, any people care to share more impressions ? How is it against IER Z1R

No idea where you get the "smaller fit" idea from. These are large headphones. I have a large head and wear them with 0 extension on the headband. At full extension they are ridiculously huge and larger than the head of perhaps a handful of people in the world.

 

[Whitigir]

No idea where you get the "smaller fit" idea from. These are large headphones. I have a large head and wear them with 0 extension on the headband. At full extension they are ridiculously huge and larger than the head of perhaps a handful of people in the world.

Pardon me, I got confused. I was looking at

EAH-TZ700 in ear