[jerg]

Quote:

Why compare them even to the M50 if they don't even sound similar? I do understand though the M50 was the budget king at one point until they went up in price.
I've been looking into these for a few months. I'll buy a pair and compare them to my KRK KNS-6400. Those IMO are the best un-amped under $100 headphone there is.
I'm hoping to be able to use these during exercise without falling off my head.
 
Hopefully these really do have some slightly forward mids unlike the MDR-V6 which I've always hated.
 
BTW gotta love Amazon Prime. Getting these Saturday  morning

Very true. One could argue that M50's have vastly better lows (because everyone sane loves that bass punch) and treble with higher definition. Or that it actually has DJ swivel/storage folding options unlike the Sony's. It all comes down to just semantics and personal preferences when you put two cans with entirely different sound signatures against one another.
 

 

[JamesMcProgger]

Im interested, ever since Joker reviewed th ZX700.
 
and to my picky self, sony V6 dethroned the M50 since before the M50 was created.

 

[tdockweiler]

I got my pair in today. I'll burn them in longer and see if anything changes.
 
Right now they sound quite unnatural. Things just don't sound as if they should. Things I've heard in songs hundreds of times just sound off. The headphones sound like they have an upside U shaped signature, but I know that's not possible. My pair has some really honky mids. Seriously, they're kind of ear piercing, even with some female vocals. Very strange. Utada Hikaru gives my ears a fit with these headphones.I guess right now they don't seem all that balanced or smooth sounding. Maybe it will improve more with burn-in.
 
I guess the good thing is that they have some clamping force and feel secure on my head. I needed a pair with this for weight training so I may keep them. Doubt it, but it's worth burning in for a little longer. Can't believe I'm complaining about a headphone because of it's forward mids. That's usually what I like.
 
BTW reminds of of the forwardness of the mids of the Koss MV1 somehow.
 
So right now, not really coming close to the KRK, but maybe after some burn-in. The level of detail seems quite good though.
 
Ugh, the Bose AE2 I had a few weeks ago actually sounded more natural, accurate and balanced. What the heck? Too bad they're a $75 headphone being sold for $150.
 
 

 

[jerg]

Quote:

I got my pair in today. I'll burn them in longer and see if anything changes.
 
Right now they sound quite unnatural. Things just don't sound as if they should. Things I've heard in songs hundreds of times just sound off. The headphones sound like they have an upside U shaped signature, but I know that's not possible. My pair has some really honky mids. Seriously, they're kind of ear piercing, even with some female vocals. Very strange. Utada Hikaru gives my ears a fit with these headphones.I guess right now they don't seem all that balanced or smooth sounding. Maybe it will improve more with burn-in.
 
I guess the good thing is that they have some clamping force and feel secure on my head. I needed a pair with this for weight training so I may keep them. Doubt it, but it's worth burning in for a little longer. Can't believe I'm complaining about a headphone because of it's forward mids. That's usually what I like.
 
BTW reminds of of the forwardness of the mids of the Koss MV1 somehow.
 
So right now, not really coming close to the KRK, but maybe after some burn-in. The level of detail seems quite good though.
 
Ugh, the Bose AE2 I had a few weeks ago actually sounded more natural, accurate and balanced. What the heck? Too bad they're a $75 headphone being sold for $150.
 
 

Must be a very wonky frequency response if it is to sound as unnatural as you say it is. Is it just the highs?

 

[ostewart]

anybody compare to Shure SRH440? As i plan on getting some in the future. Im pretty set on the Shures tho.

 

[astroid]

Could you post a pic of the zx700 next to your KRK , I would like to get an idea of the size.
your description of the zx sound doesnt fit with mine at all, weird.

 

[bcasey25raptor]

Quote:

Could you post a pic of the zx700 next to your KRK , I would like to get an idea of the size.
your description of the zx sound doesnt fit with mine at all, weird.

funny. i agree wholeheartedly with his assessment. i thought they sounded off myself.
 

 

[astroid]

What do you mean by off exactly ? In comparison to what ?
They are mid forward compared to denons or m50 but they have recessed mids.
I went from denons to the zx700 and at first I wondered where the bass had gone, after a while my brain adapted and I realised the Denons were majorly coloured.

 

[yashu]

Sony xx700 'phones all seem to share similar attributes, and I would guess have extremely similar driver units. The vf700DJ, the XB700, and the zx700.
 
The question is whether the zx700s are durable... I know the vf700DJs fall apart easily, and the XB700s are well made, but I wouldn't say they are durable like the m50s. I would be willing to give the zx700s a chance though...
 
The v6s are alright studio workhorses, but sound a little sterile/bright for music enjoyment. When in the studio, one monitors via headphones for all kinds of reasons, but whatever they are it involves zeroing in on one particular detail, and on the surface this seems logical for hearing music, it can give the overall presentation a very artificial feel, even if it is 'neutral'.
 
I think the success of the m50s is partly due to their natural (even if less than neutral) presentation. I am glad they have a bit of a soul. I liked the vf700Djs well enough and still enjoy the XB700s.

 

[nonsupremous]

Well, there's your problem.  I can't think of a headphone on earth that sounds fun on an ipod touch.  IMO it has a fairly good clean sound, but far from fun.  At least none of my current lineup of headphones sounds fun on my touch. 
 
Quote:

ipod touch playing metallica
 

 

 

[bcasey25raptor]

Quote:

Well, there's your problem.  I can't think of a headphone on earth that sounds fun on an ipod touch.  IMO it has a fairly good clean sound, but far from fun.  At least none of my current lineup of headphones sounds fun on my touch. 
 


 

there is no difference between my ipod touch and my fiio e7 connected to my e7. if anything the ipod touch with treble booster eq is more fun.
 

 

[tdockweiler]

Sorry, when I say "off" I mean to say that some sounds and specific instruments do not sound accurate or how they should sound in real life. Still quite good, but not as natural sounding as they could be. Maybe I'm really too unforgiving of a $80 headphone. I had this issue also with the Creative Aurvana Live. Strangely enough I noticed this within a few seconds of listening to them. The V6 (which I really hate) sound more accurate. My first V6 had really scooped out mids and too much bass. I always thought recessed mids on the V6 was impossible.
 
I don't think so far the mids are forward ONLY compared to the M50 or a Denon. I think even compared to a perfectly neutral headphone, they're quite forward. I guess my description within the first hour would be that they're a bit "shouty". I am going to refrain from describing what I'm hearing until they get another 8 hours of burn-in. Out of the box I was a bit disappointed, but I'm sure my impression will change. Maybe I'm just too picky these days. Hard to top my DJ100 and KRK in the under $100 price range.
 
The most troublesome music for this headphone is the very bright pop recordings. It's not under the category of junk in and junk out. This music can often sound bad even on my K601. I guess it could be they're presenting it as how it actually is. It's really hard to know for sure. I don't think this is the case. Possibly.
 
Soundstage is also clearly better on the KRK. I'll say it again, but the KRK KNS-6400 often feels as if it's open. I don't know how they do it. It also has angled drivers. Mids are definitely more forward on the Sony. I may give them a head to head comparison. Maybe with some more burn-in they may do a few things better than the KRK.
 
I bet an amped Koss Pro DJ 100 and the Sony would be a good comparison. Both have forward mids. I don't know how, but the mids on the Sony ZX700 even sound MORE forward. DJ100 probably has just more forward upper mids.
 
If any changes occur I'll make some updates. I will say they're quite good with female vocals. Also sounded really good with the "On Stranger Tides" soundtrack. I've compared subtle details on the KRK vs the ZX700 and the 700 doesn't seem to be lacking any of that detail...yet.
 
I left them going today all day, so by morning I'll have 16 hours of burn-in. Based on my experience, some headphones never needed burn-in to sound good. These might to be at their best.

 

[crinacle]

Interesting. I thought there was going to be an Ultrasone takeover.

How are these compared to the SRH440? I didn't really like the boring and sharpy signature of the Shures.

 

[tdockweiler]

Think I may return these. Sound clarity isn't that good and seems like a step down from the MDR-7506.
The worst part it is that for the last 3 hours it felt as if someone took an axe and chopped off my treble

 
I'm no treblehead at all either. The tonality of instruments is just so screwy. Sound feels a bit congested too.
 
So right now I think I  the M50, DJ100, KRK, V6/7506 is better, but these sure are comfortable and have good isolation.
I guess I'd probably take these over the M50 just due to the more forward mids, but maybe not.
 
Soundstage is kind of just average. About the same as the M50.
 
KRK KNS-6400 and DJ100 are still the budget kings for me

 
I'm still shocked I found a headphone that doesn't have enough treble for me..what the heck?! I'm still wondering why this is labeled a studio monitor.
 
Sorry guys. If you love them, that's OK. They  just might not be what I'm looking for in a sound signature. BTW the bass is OK for me. No problems there.
 
EDIT: KNS-6400 eats the ZX700 for breakfast. Switching between the two is good for a laugh. I'll shut up now. Not many other options for under $100 headphones it seems. Guess i'll need to just deal with the KRK falling off my head a lot during exercise.

 

[rhythmdevils]

 
Quote:

Why compare them even to the M50 if they don't even sound similar?

I agree.  If they don't have the same sound signature, it's not likely a matter of better/worse, but just a different sound signature that the OP prefers.  Which is great, but it hardly means everyone should start jumping ship without more explanation as to what that sound signature is.