[rockthesky]

So I've had my AD700s for almost a month now and I keep reading about burning them in?
 
So I started blasting them at max volume on my iPod Classic last night. I already use them every other day on average. Is this even necessary?
 
To be honest I don't hear any major difference between these headphones and the $10 headset I got in China. The bass is alright, not crazy booming but you can hear it. The songs also have a bit more space to "move around" than my JVC marshmallows, but overall, I'm not impressed. Were my standards too high?

 

[classakg]

Quote:

To be honest I don't hear any major difference between these headphones and the $10 headset I got in China. The bass is alright, not crazy booming but you can hear it. The songs also have a bit more space to "move around" than my JVC marshmallows, but overall, I'm not impressed. Were my standards too high?

Honestly, you need to upgrade. 

 

[keanex]

Nope, you haven't burnt them in enough. It also needs to be in a warm room to help the burn in go smoother.

 

[classakg]

Wait...wait. 
 
You mentioned that you have owned your 700's for almost a month, how often do you use them? probably you don't like their sound signature. 

 

[Smallville]

If you've been using it frequently, then your headphones are most likely already burned in. Using it normally burns it in just fine and is exactly the same as playing pink noise/whatever noise you read from those "how to burn in" guides.

 

[Skarecrow77]

Quote:

If you've been using it frequently, then your headphones are most likely already burned in. Using it normally burns it in just fine and is exactly the same as playing pink noise/whatever noise you read from those "how to burn in" guides.

This.
 
Pink noise may burn it in faster, or perhaps more evenly, but standard use will certainly do it unless all you listen to are single frequency tones (i.e. something nobody does).
 
Personally, having burnt in 3 sets of headphones now, I notice the lion's share of the burn-in in the first 20 hours. I very rarely see any major changes in the next 80 hours of the standard "100 hour burn-in". Usually any changes that are there are so subtle that I can't be 100% sure they aren't placebo.
 
I concur that if you've been listening for a few hours a day for a month and you still don't like your headphones, then you're not going to start liking them at some point down the road.
 
Edit: that should probably read "having paid attention during the burn-in of 3 sets of headphones". I've owned twice that many but not paid any attention to the burn-in on the others.

 

[Proglover]

are your source files good enough? 320 or ALAC

 

[rockthesky]

Ok so basically I was expecting something magical to happen when I put on the AD700s...like unicorns and rainbows popping out of the sky - nah not really. I like using them because they are comfortable and I really listen for the details in songs and I am actually excited to try them with certain songs, but it never really exceeds my expectations.
 
I would love to experiment with headphone amps now, meaning buy, try out, return. I'm willing to spend $100 strictly for trying out stuff, I will not actually keep anything until later when I have a job. Any recommendations for these particular headphones? I regularly visit a J&R and Best Buy, but I don't know if they have amps.

 

[Argyris]

Best Buy certainly doesn't have any amps. I'm not sure about J&R, though.
 
Like you said, it sounds like your expectations were too high. However, there's also the old saying that perfection is not when nothing can be added, but when nothing can be taken away. If you've been exclusively listening on your AD700 for a month, try listening to a song you know well then swapping your old headphones on and listening to the same song. You might be surprised at how much of a difference is there, even if you didn't notice it in isolation.
 
The improvement in sound from better headphones might be thought of like buying a new set of glasses (if you've ever worn any) to replace a set that's scratched and nicked. At first you probably won't notice much of a difference, but put on the old set and you'll be astounded you were able to see through them at all for all the surface imperfections. This lack of transparency is similar to what sets cheap cans apart from higher fidelity ones. The focus usually remains the same--the music itself doesn't change--but the clarity of your "window" into the music does. These sorts of improvements are subtle, not dynamic and mind blowing. You'll notice them a lot more when they're taken away.
 
That said, the largest degree of improvement usually happens between cheapos and equipment in the $100 range. From there it's all diminishing returns.

 

[slapshot30]

Blasting at max volume may not be the best idea... Most recommend listening level or a bit above it.

 

[AmIDEADYet]

I think the blasting may have damaged the drivers...do look into that.

 

[keanex]

An amp will not increase the sound quality of the AD700s, at least not by a vastly noticeable amount.

 

[Mdraluck23]

What kind of source/files are you using? I'm very curious.

 

[Proglover]

Quote:

What kind of source/files are you using? I'm very curious.

 exactly, please answer this.
If you're using 128 mp files.....

 

[keanex]

Funnily enough I read a thread on here yesterday where someone transcoded a flac to 128mp3 and back, and posted that and the original for blind testing. The amount of differing answers made me laugh pretty hard.