[TheGiantHogweed]

  Maybe it is just me, but I think the AD700 sounds colored.  Low end does not seem to have much detail or presence in most of my music too

Not as if its a bad thing, because I find it suits the signature well.
 
 
I ordered the K550 over the weekend.  Care to give a comparison of both?  The suspense is killing me now

If I compare these headphones with their sound when they are on flat with no bass boost on a good recording, it is noticeable that the K550s have quite a bit more impact to the bass but it still is for sure not a bass heavy pair of headphones. There is quite a big difference in their soundstage. The AD700s feel more like their sound surrounds your ears more than the K550s and they give a more spacious sound. This could be to do with the fact that they are open-back or that they have a slightly bigger and angled driver. If you are after more bass, the K550s don't work quite as well with bass boost as my AD700s because they are closed back and they already have more anyway. If I compare the treble on the two, I think the AD700s are much much better here. I have always loved their very bright sound. The K550 also has a lot of treble but it doesn't sound like it is quite as transparent sounding like the AD700s are. I believe this will just be the differences between open and closed.
Where the K550s are better than the AD700s is their build quality which you should expect since they cost more. They feel very very solid compared to my AD700s. They are also much better because they don't leak sound anything like the AD700s do. They are much more easy to carry around too because they fold flat.
 
I still think that the AD700s are overall better value for money for what I paid because I think that apart form the bass, they do sound better than the K550s. Their soundstage is quite a bit better.
I am still really pleased that I got the K550s though because they are better in the areas in which I expected them to be which is the bass, build quality and portability. They are also a huge amount better and blocking the sound from around you. You would expect that with closed-back headphones though.
 
Hope this comparison helps.

 

[roguegeek]

  Maybe it is just me, but I think the AD700 sounds colored.  Low end does not seem to have much detail or presence in most of my music too

Not as if its a bad thing, because I find it suits the signature well.
 
 
I ordered the K550 over the weekend.  Care to give a comparison of both?  The suspense is killing me now

It's extremely colored, if you ask me. The treble is highly lifted which is why everyone says it's bright. It's the big reason That and the mids are the big reason I love that can. I really need to get mine in working condition.

 

[roguegeek]

 
If I compare these headphones with their sound when they are on flat with no bass boost on a good recording, it is noticeable that the K550s have quite a bit more impact to the bass but it still is for sure not a bass heavy pair of headphones. There is quite a big difference in their soundstage. The AD700s feel more like their sound surrounds your ears more than the K550s and they give a more spacious sound. This could be to do with the fact that they are open-back or that they have a slightly bigger and angled driver. If you are after more bass, the K550s don't work quite as well with bass boost as my AD700s because they are closed back and they already have more anyway. If I compare the treble on the two, I think the AD700s are much much better here. I have always loved their very bright sound. The K550 also has a lot of treble but it doesn't sound like it is quite as transparent sounding like the AD700s are. I believe this will just be the differences between open and closed.
Where the K550s are better than the AD700s is their build quality which you should expect since they cost more. They feel very very solid compared to my AD700s. They are also much better because they don't leak sound anything like the AD700s do. They are much more easy to carry around too because they fold flat.
 
I still think that the AD700s are overall better value for money for what I paid because I think that apart form the bass, they do sound better than the K550s. Their soundstage is quite a bit better.
I am still really pleased that I got the K550s though because they are better in the areas in which I expected them to be which is the bass, build quality and portability. They are also a huge amount better and blocking the sound from around you. You would expect that with closed-back headphones though.
 
Hope this comparison helps.

These two cans are just not comparable. They are build for two completely different purposes. If you are comparing signatures alone and are not focused on soundstage, depth, and separation (which the AD700 clearly is better at), then the K550 really only excels in the low frequencies with the mids and treble easily going to the AD700.

 

[roguegeek]

Alright, so several months back, I attempted to shorten the headband on my AD700 because I just wasn't happy with the fit (or really any of AT's wing band fit). It required cutting the wire on one of the drivers because a single wire does run through the headband. It seems just reattaching it doesn't work. I'm going to provide pics tonight, but if anyone has any idea until then, let me know.

 

[TheGiantHogweed]

  These two cans are just not comparable. They are build for two completely different purposes. If you are comparing signatures alone and are not focused on soundstage, depth, and separation (which the AD700 clearly is better at), then the K550 really only excels in the low frequencies with the mids and treble easily going to the AD700.

The only reason I bought the K550s was because I really needed some headphones that were more portable and were closed back so they didn't leak sound. I really was quite surprised how good the K550s do sound considering they are closed back. I have heard other more expensive closed back headphones that don't have a soundstage as good as the K550s do.
Going from the AD700s to the K550 similar to what you said is only worth it if you are only expecting certain things to be better.

 

[TheGiantHogweed]

  Alright, so several months back, I attempted to shorten the headband on my AD700 because I just wasn't happy with the fit (or really any of AT's wing band fit). It required cutting the wire on one of the drivers because a single wire does run through the headband. It seems just reattaching it doesn't work. I'm going to provide pics tonight, but if anyone has any idea until then, let me know.

I had to modify the AD700s a little bit but I believe this is for quite a different reason. I found it felt very strange having my ears pressing against the material so close to the drivers and I couldn't wear them for very long like that. What I have done is cut out the material in the middle of the ear pad so you can now see the driver but there is now nothing in the way. This still felt strange so then I cut some thick cable and put it in a loop with duct tape under each ear pad. now that has actually made that fit tighter to my head as well as making my ears more comfortable. It just means that every now and then, I need to clean the driver by just blowing some air at it gently.
 
This like I said looks very different to your problem but this seemed to make them fit better as well as sorting out my other problem. I have had my headphones with the thick cable under the ear pads for ages now. It seems to be working well.

 

[DavidJ1973]

The first time I tried mine on, I had a similar feeling: they felt loose on my head. But with time, I came to enjoy the feeling, and now I put these as the most comfortable headphones I have ever owned, and will probably ever own (and I've had a lot of headphones!).
 
What are you all using to drive these? I use mine for PC use, and I'm driving them with the ASUS Xonar STX. My impedance is on the lowest setting (these cans don't have high ohmage), and I've had to monkey with the global EQ to get them to a place I like. I use JRiver Media Center 18, and I've got some customized EQ settings for specific albums, which JRiver automatically detects when I play those albums. (Mostly I'm just trimming down the treble from my Riverside albums). But for the most part, pretty good sound.
 
There are way better headphones out there for sure, but for the price, I consider these to be the "sweet spot" for the entry-level audiophile.

 

[TheGiantHogweed]

I use the Fiio E10 when sat at my desk. I have it with the bass boost on if the music is a good recording. If I am sat somewhere else, I use the more portable E11 through the line out of the E10. That works very well.
 
There is just one improvement to these that I would like. A huge amount more weight and impact to the bass! It maybe could also do with more weight to the lower mid range too. I don't find anything wrong with the treble at all now. I just love that bright sound. It took me a while to get used to but I now haven't heard any headphones or speakers with treble as bright and detailed as these.

 

[DJHeadshot]

If you find the AD700 or any headphone by Audio Technica that uses the wing system is to lose on your head you can fix this easily just physically bend the two wires on top of the headphone together together you have to use a bit of force but the wires are tough and can take and it will make more of a pointed shape and this will make them press more tightly on your head for a more secure fit also improves bass response a bit and makes them a bit more forward sounding. Be Careful not to bend them to much or you will lose long term comfort of the headphones from the increase pressure but you can just as easily bend them outwards if you do this.

 

[biggbenn74]

Am I the only one on here that enjoys painting these things a bazillion different colors?

I've had:

Stock (Purple)

Flat Black

Cracked Black/ Purple

Matte White

Gold Reflective (Current)

 

[TheGiantHogweed]

As I only use these things at home, I couldn't care about the purple/gold colour really. I do agree that something other than purple may look better.
 
It doesn't look like this thread is very active anymore. I would appreciate talking about the AD700s a bit more because I still think they are such good value for money.
I just hope mine will keep lasting. I have had mine for 3 years now and they have had a huge amount of use. They still don't distort in the slightest no matter how much I turn up the bass.
 
I am sure that I will go for something like the ATH-AD700X or AD900X next time as I have heard even the AD700X is a tiny improvement over the ones I have. The only thing that would improve the sound of them is just a lot more bass. The midrange and treble is just perfect in my opinion.
Another thing is that the AD700X isn't this gold and purple!

 

[jeffrocc]

I shortened the suspension wires on mine by about 1 1/2" with great success. They fit my head much better now and don't stick up nearly as bad, although they still look ridiculous. Lol. However, one must take extreme caution with the tiny wire that runs from left to right, powering the right driver, as it feeds up through the swivels in an unbelievably delicate manner and can be crushed or crimped soooo easily. Really careful attention must be placed in keeping it in its tiny little groove or disaster will ensue.

 

[TheGiantHogweed]

I shortened the suspension wires on mine by about 1 1/2" with great success. They fit my head much better now and don't stick up nearly as bad, although they still look ridiculous. Lol. However, one must take extreme caution with the tiny wire that runs from left to right, powering the right driver, as it feeds up through the swivels in an unbelievably delicate manner and can be crushed or crimped soooo easily. Really careful attention must be placed in keeping it in its tiny little groove or disaster will ensue.

That is why I don't like to do anything with the delicate parts.

 

[TheGiantHogweed]

I had a small fit problem with my AD700s so this is what I did with the ear pads:
 
 

 
I found it annoying that my ears pressed against the material covering the driver so I ended up cutting that out. I then added some cable with some duct tape as you will see in the next image.
 


I knew that this would mean that I would have to clean the driver more often but that isn't a big problem. It is strange but doing this has made them fit better and less likely to fall off. Also, now that there is no material covering the driver, it seems to sound ever so slightly more clear like this too.
 

 
You can just about see the tape here that is holding the cable in a loop.
 
I am pleased with how well this worked out. I have been using these headphones like this for over a year now.
I bought another new pair of ear pads for these so I can replace them if i need to. I'm just not sure how you could replace the headband pads. Not that they need replacing yet though

 

[biggbenn74]

Just finished modding the AD700's with XB700 pads. Fixed the weak bass problem immediately, no joke, but muddied up the mids and uppermost treble. EQ fixed it though!