[zomgpront]

2170 Yen is pretty cheap for a forwarding service.  I remember having to pay something like 40% when I bought a pair of ATH-EM7's back when they first came out.  I would be a bit carerful using forwarding services; I've had some friends who've ordered expensive stuff only to get a knockoff or something.
 
Anyways, How comfortable are they?  I used to have a pair of ATH-M50's, but they absolutely killed my ears for some reason after wearing them for a few hours. 

 

[Spastic]

Wow sucks how your friends got knockoffs, but yeah these headphones were provided directly from Amazon Japan and not a third party seller so it shouldn't be a knock off... hopefully. Tenso just ships the package to my address since Amazon Japan refuses to ship headphones to Australia for some reason. 
 
Quote:

Anyways, How comfortable are they?  I used to have a pair of ATH-M50's, but they absolutely killed my ears for some reason after wearing them for a few hours. 

Unfortunately my ES700's are currently stuck at customs since they only arrived in Australia at Friday (29th), should hopefully receive it on Monday 1 April. Funny that you mention the ATH-M50's, I've just won one of these on an ebay auction and expect to receive it in the next few days. 

 

[Neijii]

I thought they would be more uncomfortable than they area.
 
They also noticably sound better as I use them.

 

[Spastic]

My ES700's have just arrived, they are not as comfortable as my A700X imo but I can see that I'll get used to them over time.
 
These headphones definitely focus on mid-range (I can clearly hear the stringing of the violin and vocals are clear) as treble is not as crisp as my full sized A700X's (drivers are larger after all). The bass has been adjusted similarly to the A700X where it is present but subtle, soundstage is on a similar level to my A700X (airy & detailed) but is a bit more confined to a large room rather than an auditorium.
 
Now this is how it sounded when it was sourced from my Xonar Essence STX. This is also prior to burn in though so I can't fully determine their abilities just yet. 

 

[MartinDF]

Quote:

My ES700's have just arrived, they are not as comfortable as my A700X imo but I can see that I'll get used to them over time.
 
These headphones definitely focus on mid-range (I can clearly hear the stringing of the violin and vocals are clear) as treble is not as crisp as my full sized A700X's (drivers are larger after all). The bass has been adjusted similarly to the A700X where it is present but subtle, soundstage is on a similar level to my A700X (airy & detailed) but is a bit more confined to a large room rather than an auditorium.
 
Now this is how it sounded when it was sourced from my Xonar Essence STX. This is also prior to burn in though so I can't fully determine their abilities just yet. 

 
I'm personally very impressed with their sound; they're really versatile and fun! I don't see myself changing them for nothing short of amazing in the future.

 

[Maxx134]

Just wondering the actual size of these...
Are these like the DT1350 in size? Much larger?

The dt1350 are so tiny that they may not cover your ear hole!
This is especially true for older people as your ear is a body part that never stops growing. .
The es700 are perfect sized in my opinion.
Less obtrusive than most on ears as they are low profile.

Could somebody with a C&C BH/e11/portable amp comment on how much it improves the e700s? 
..

Amping them gives slightly larger impression but will not change forward "in the mix" sonic character.
With the es700, you are there standing right next to musicians on the stage.. very live sound.
The mids are, IMHO, superior to all the other portables I have tried with exception of the ws99.
Look at my profile for other portables I owned in my headphones history.

Is there a big difference after a burn in with these?
I just got them, they're quite comfortable, but they feel a tad weak. I found the treble great, but it lacked a punch in bass...hopefully a burn in will help?

Burn in mainly makes the mids more clear!
For more bass, switch to the ws55 pads!

Can the ESW9 lambskin pads be fitted to these?

YES SS!

The new esw9 pads fit slightly tight,
AND I feel these are the perfect pads for them.
I cannot comment on the older original lambskin pads.
The esw9 pads actually give me a better focus in mids than the ws55 pads but ws55 have slightly more punchy bass.

I'm personally very impressed with their sound; they're really versatile and fun! I don't see myself changing them for nothing short of amazing in the future.

My impressions have not changed.
These are keepers.
They are just very alive and sound terrific in the mids.
For portable use they remain next best thing to the ws99. .!

 

[Maxx134]

Here is a comparison of the ws55 pad on left, and the esw9 pad on right:



I recently received new esw9 pads direct from Audio Technica,
And they do not have the lambskin on top, but a softer replacement pad.
The inside is still of leather, and so does preserve the sound quality,
And they sound the best to me.
They also look like they were made for them.
Edit they DO look like lambskin BUT I know from my old pair how lambskin FEELS, so I KNOW it has been changed. .
Edit: Ok they are indeed leather but more soft and supple than the old pads I had.

 

[MartinDF]

Quote:

Here is a comparison of the ws55 pad on left, and the esw9 pad on right:



I recently received new esw9 pads direct from Audio Technica,
And they do not have the lambskin on top, but a softer replacement pad.
The inside is still of leather, and so does preserve the sound quality,
And they sound the best to me.
They also look like they were made for them.
Edit they DO look like lambskin BUT I know from my old pair how lambskin FEELS, so I KNOW it has been changed. .

 
I contacted AT about getting some pads, and the WS55 pads are 6 dollars, while the ESW9 pads are 36. Do you think the lambskin pads are worth the extra 30 dollars? 

 

[Maxx134]

I just inspected the pads again..
They are indeed leather! But of a very much more softer leather than my old esw9 had.. !!
To me they are worth it if you want perfect fit and best sound.
The difference lies in a slight but noticeable difference in both the mids and bass.
These is an exaggeration in the ws55 bass and the mids are more focused on the esw9 pads for lack of better word.
Edit:
It was not a huge difference but I was able to replicate same exact difference using the es10 as well so the pads do sound different.

 

[Maxx134]

OMG I can't believe that small difference in the esw9 pads,
That I stated before made these cans so much more listenable as it brings out the sweetness of the mids and greater focus in details throughout the whole range as the bass is more balanced without any bass hump.
Talk about detail, I noticed sub bass thumps from floor taps as the musician played on a track that I never noticed before.

The pads are so comfortable I didn't think so much more possible from the ws55 pads.
These esw9 pads are just perfection and meant to be on this headphones.
Look:

 

[cky8]

Where did you got your ESW9 pads?

 

[Maxx134]

Where did you got your ESW9 pads?

One set of ebay from Japan seller who received direct from Audio Technica Japan.
The second set direct from Audio Technica parts department in Ohio USA.
They both are exactly the same.
They both are different from the ones that were much older and probably hand made as the top lambskin was slightly larger and thicker.
These new ones are more exact and top part that touches ear looks like lambskin but is thinner than my old set.
The new pads are so soft and supple that the would caress any ear shape and feel perfect.
They are the perfect size as well.
The small difference on A/B testing on a monophonic sound with the ws55 pad turned out to be a substantial difference in perception on extended listening.
Sound difference is as described before and more enjoyable.

 

[audioKyle]

Hey I was planning on buying these soon. I was gonna get the esw9a but these seem to have more clarity, better build, and quite a bit cheaper. I was wondering how the bass is. How does the bass compare to the m80. I didn't like the m80 since it was too bassy/dark. I like a warm sound but not as much as the m80. Is the bass on these better controlled than the m80?

 

[MartinDF]

I personally don't own the M80s but the bass on the ES700 is very controlled. They are not a dark headphone by any stretch.

EDIT: Also, since nobody ever complied with the request for a size comparison: My head is average and this is how they look.
 
EDIT 2: After a week of wearing them all day at work (with some breaks when my ears started to hurt), the headband seems to be broken in and wearing them is not as terrible as it was in the beginning. So, to new buyers, changing the pads is not an absolute necessity.
 
 
 

 

 

[Sachigatsu]

look like ath-fc700 my first headphone. anyway they're on ear or over ear?