[Audio-Phile]

So, I realize these are two very different headphones, right away.
 
I've been ready to pull the trigger on the Mo-Fis all day, but something is holding me back.  From everything I'm reading, seems like they are amazing, and for $349, hardly a better headphone you can buy.

However...
 
I went on Amazon today and noticed that you can pick up a pair of HD700s for around $500.
 
Seems like the HD700s would technically be the more detailed, expansive choice...but worried about bass.  I imagine the Mo-Fi is much better in that regard.  Plus, primarily would be driving these from a MacBook Pro and an iPhone 6+, until I can figure out a cost-effective amp/DAC combo that works well for both.  Obviously the Mo-Fi doesn't need this at all.  I've heard (and specs seem to agree) that the HD700 does pretty well right out of a 3.5 mm jack.  However, again, I wouldn't know, and am concerned about this.
 
It seems like the Mo-Fi is the easy, safe choice, and quite frankly I'm still leaning in that direction.  However, if the bass *is* actually present in the 700s, and the mid-range/treble of the 700s are that much better than the Mo-Fis, might be worth the extra money.
 
Any input would be greatly appreciated.  For reference, I had a pair of UE Triple.Fis for a while, thought they were great but could've had a bit more bass.  They broke, and then funds for audio toys dried up for a bit, so I've been using Apple EarPods for a while now.  Surprisingly good, tons of bass, although clearly not accurate or detailed.  They do thump decently though, and I just get this impression that the HD700 doesn't have anything down there.  Am I wrong in thinking this?  I live in an area that doesn't allow me to demo much of anything.

Thanks so much in advance. 

 

[PETEREK]

Man, do not worry about the bass being lacking on the HD700, it is full, lush, detailed, and hits fairly hard for an open back headphone. I'm a bit of a basshead myself and the HD700 kept me happy in any genre. For $500 you're getting a lot of headphone. You get the detail and clarity of headphones like the T90 and bass that's comparable to a DT770 80-ohm in quantity while still having a fast decay and accuracy. I sold my T90 while I owned the HD700 if that means anything to you.
 
I have not heard the Mo-Fi, but I guarantee the HD700 will please you if you like bass, I'd say it's one of it's strong suits.

 

[Music Alchemist]

Driven from a Schiit Fulla, the HD 700 I owned had weak bass, so I guess it needs a stronger amp or something. If you take a look at my profile, I rank headphones I used to own, but only based on my own preferences.

 

[PETEREK]

  Driven from a Schiit Fulla, the HD 700 I owned had weak bass, so I guess it needs a stronger amp or something. If you take a look at my profile, I rank headphones I used to own, but only based on my own preferences.

This is probably the first time I've ever seen someone say the HD-700 has weak bass. It was probably the amp. I used my set on a Gustard H10, Bottlehead Crack with Speedball, and an Asgard 2 and heard great bass with all of them, especially the Crack. 
 
It's weird that it would be an amp issue at all though, I could drive my pair straight out of my phone and still have good bass.

 

[Music Alchemist]

  This is probably the first time I've ever seen someone say the HD-700 has weak bass. It was probably the amp. I used my set on a Gustard H10, Bottlehead Crack with Speedball, and an Asgard 2 and heard great bass with all of them, especially the Crack. 
 
It's weird that it would be an amp issue at all though, I could drive my pair straight out of my phone and still have good bass.

 
I want to add it to my collection again someday, after more important headphones are taken care of. I'm sure I'll get better sound out of it in the future. The HD 700 is one of the coolest-looking headphones I've ever seen, and very comfortable too.
 
By the way, someone I talk to told me in a PM awhile ago that you modify headphones for free!

 

[PETEREK]

 

  This is probably the first time I've ever seen someone say the HD-700 has weak bass. It was probably the amp. I used my set on a Gustard H10, Bottlehead Crack with Speedball, and an Asgard 2 and heard great bass with all of them, especially the Crack. 
 
It's weird that it would be an amp issue at all though, I could drive my pair straight out of my phone and still have good bass.

 
I want to add it to my collection again someday, after more important headphones are taken care of. I'm sure I'll get better sound out of it in the future. The HD 700 is one of the coolest-looking headphones I've ever seen, and very comfortable too.

I tried it at a meet once because I thought they looked badass, and they just happened to sound really good too.

 

[Audio-Phile]

Haha, damnit.  This seems to be exactly what happens in other threads...some people say the HD700s have great bass, others say they don't.  So torn.  Might go with the Mo-Fis because I know they'll sound good, but the HD700s are so sexy...and I'm sure more detailed...decisions...

 

[Music Alchemist]

  Haha, damnit.  This seems to be exactly what happens in other threads...some people say the HD700s have great bass, others say they don't.  So torn.  Might go with the Mo-Fis because I know they'll sound good, but the HD700s are so sexy...and I'm sure more detailed...decisions...

 
The HD 700 has piercing treble too. It's been nicknamed "CyberGrados"...but oddly, the HD 800's treble was more painfully bright to me, and even though the HD 700's treble was bright and piercing, it didn't bother me much. Not sure why. But yeah, the HD 700 is so sexy I want to buy it a second time after I have much higher-end headphones.

 

[Audio-Phile]

Well, I knew one day One-Click would get me big, and it did.  After reading the Nth review of how great the 700s are, and how many people thought even at 800 they were a steal, it seemed silly to not buy them for $511 on Amazon.  Since I have Prime, doubly silly.  I actually spent a couple hours looking at the HE-400, 400S, and even HE-500 reviews.  However, lower-end HiFiMan build quality seems to be not so great, also up close they look a bit...poorly made.  Also, sounds like the 400 is fun but flawed, 400i wasn't even in the running because apparently it has no bass and is very analytical, and the 400S...nobody seemed blown away by it.  Also, somewhat ugly, and if you're going to do all plastic, at least make it look nice.  Mo-Fis are still on my radar long-term, I think I'm going to need a good pair of closed-backs at some point.  However, those are as expensive as they'll ever be.  The 700s are half price, and I can hardly see them ever going lower.  The cheapest used ones I was seeing were right around 500, so paying 11 more for brand new ones seemed like beyond a no-brainer.  Seeing as I've blown my "fun" budget for at least the next month, going to need to see what I can do about driving them properly.  I would like to be able to use them with my phone, so I'm thinking Fiio E17K might be a good choice.  Second-gen model seems to be a pretty nice unit, and for $130 probably can't go wrong.

Thanks so much for your input guys, really appreciate it.  I somehow knew as soon as I saw that ridiculously low price tag, I was going to end up with the 700s.  Hopefully this wasn't a terrible decision, but I have a feeling it was a great one.  What it really came down to was that I could buy something that would always leave me wanting more for about 300-350, maybe 400, or I could get something that is genuinely one of the best pairs of headphones available for an insane price, just a little more, and be satisfied (hopefully) for many years.  Seems like the long-run better decision.

 

[Music Alchemist]

Have fun! But FYI, here are some headphones I like more than the HD 700, in order of preference and only including ones I've owned:
 
STAX SR-207
Yamaha HPH-MT220
STAX SR-30
Focal Spirit Professional
HIFIMAN HE400i
Bose QuietComfort 15
Sennheiser HD 650
 
The STAX SR-207 is leagues better, yet even more affordable (including an electrostatic amp) if you import from Japan. Oh, and I don't know where you got the info about the HE400i lacking bass and being analytical, but it's not true. The HE400i has more than enough bass presence and is on the warmer side of neutral. If by analytical you mean bright treble, then the HD 700 is very much that. Also, the HD 700 is available used for like $300-400, and was even sold new for around $300 (perhaps more) at least once, when Sennheiser was having a special late last year.

 

[PETEREK]

Well, I knew one day One-Click would get me big, and it did.  After reading the Nth review of how great the 700s are, and how many people thought even at 800 they were a steal, it seemed silly to not buy them for $511 on Amazon.  Since I have Prime, doubly silly.  I actually spent a couple hours looking at the HE-400, 400S, and even HE-500 reviews.  However, lower-end HiFiMan build quality seems to be not so great, also up close they look a bit...poorly made.  Also, sounds like the 400 is fun but flawed, 400i wasn't even in the running because apparently it has no bass and is very analytical, and the 400S...nobody seemed blown away by it.  Also, somewhat ugly, and if you're going to do all plastic, at least make it look nice.  Mo-Fis are still on my radar long-term, I think I'm going to need a good pair of closed-backs at some point.  However, those are as expensive as they'll ever be.  The 700s are half price, and I can hardly see them ever going lower.  The cheapest used ones I was seeing were right around 500, so paying 11 more for brand new ones seemed like beyond a no-brainer.  Seeing as I've blown my "fun" budget for at least the next month, going to need to see what I can do about driving them properly.  I would like to be able to use them with my phone, so I'm thinking Fiio E17K might be a good choice.  Second-gen model seems to be a pretty nice unit, and for $130 probably can't go wrong.


Thanks so much for your input guys, really appreciate it.  I somehow knew as soon as I saw that ridiculously low price tag, I was going to end up with the 700s.  Hopefully this wasn't a terrible decision, but I have a feeling it was a great one.  What it really came down to was that I could buy something that would always leave me wanting more for about 300-350, maybe 400, or I could get something that is genuinely one of the best pairs of headphones available for an insane price, just a little more, and be satisfied (hopefully) for many years.  Seems like the long-run better decision.

Yes! Please follow up with your impressions after you receive them!

 

[Audio-Phile]

  Have fun! But FYI, here are some headphones I like more than the HD 700, in order of preference and only including ones I've owned:
 
STAX SR-207
Yamaha HPH-MT220
STAX SR-30
Focal Spirit Professional
HIFIMAN HE400i
Bose QuietComfort 15
Sennheiser HD 650
 
The STAX SR-207 is leagues better, yet even more affordable (including an electrostatic amp) if you import from Japan. Oh, and I don't know where you got the info about the HE400i lacking bass and being analytical, but it's not true. The HE400i has more than enough bass presence and is on the warmer side of neutral. If by analytical you mean bright treble, then the HD 700 is very much that. Also, the HD 700 is available used for like $300-400, and was even sold new for around $300 (perhaps more) at least once, when Sennheiser was having a special late last year.

Unfortunately any electrostatics are out of the question, due to cost and also I have no place to put a decent desktop amp right now.  Hopefully in the future.  Seems like the HD700 will be drivable by a decent portable amp.  All I can say on the 400i is that I was reading everything I could on here and Amazon, overall did not get a good impression.  Everyone is different though, and I have seen a couple people point out that they loved them...same people seemed to hate the 400, go figure.  Also with the build quality, was unsure.
 
I'd have a hard time believing that any Bose headphones could touch the HD700s, although I have heard plenty of Bose products and they're all adequate I suppose. I realize the HD700 will be very analytical as well, but soundstage, detail, and airy-ness are all important to me as well, and I have a feeling the 700s will have all that in spades.  It appears they sound like 800s with more bass, less fatigue, and just slightly less detail.  Which sounds about perfect to me. I like bass, but not at the expense of everything else.  Like I said, this won't be my last purchase, a good closed-back is definitely still in the cards and so is another pair of IEMs.  Plus getting my Triple.Fis repaired.
 
Either way, thanks for your input, greatly appreciate it.

 

[Audio-Phile]

Yes! Please follow up with your impressions after you receive them!

I will for sure, Wednesday seems so far away...good thing I remembered to order the Grado Mini Adaptor, hard to plug a 1/4 into a 3.5....

 

[Music Alchemist]

  Unfortunately any electrostatics are out of the question, due to cost and also I have no place to put a decent desktop amp right now.  Hopefully in the future.  Seems like the HD700 will be drivable by a decent portable amp.  All I can say on the 400i is that I was reading everything I could on here and Amazon, overall did not get a good impression.  Everyone is different though, and I have seen a couple people point out that they loved them...same people seemed to hate the 400, go figure.  Also with the build quality, was unsure.
 
I'd have a hard time believing that any Bose headphones could touch the HD700s, although I have heard plenty of Bose products and they're all adequate I suppose. I realize the HD700 will be very analytical as well, but soundstage, detail, and airy-ness are all important to me as well, and I have a feeling the 700s will have all that in spades.  It appears they sound like 800s with more bass, less fatigue, and just slightly less detail.  Which sounds about perfect to me. I like bass, but not at the expense of everything else.  Like I said, this won't be my last purchase, a good closed-back is definitely still in the cards and so is another pair of IEMs.  Plus getting my Triple.Fis repaired.
 
Either way, thanks for your input, greatly appreciate it.

 
About cost...I got a used STAX SR-207 + SRM-212 for $330. And the in-production entry-level full-size STAX system (SR-207 + SRM-252S) is under $500 from PriceJapan.com. ($790 from STAXUSA.com.) So it's less than the HD 700, like I said. But you already bought it, so I'm not trying to dissuade you; just sharing info.
 
The QC15 is nowhere near as good objectively as the HD 650 and HD 700; I just prefer its sound, because, to me, it's more exciting and (believe it or not) more natural-sounding in some ways, despite its colorations.
 
Hm, well, the HD 700 does have similarities with the HD 800, and it is easier to listen to with some music, I suppose.
 
No prob.

 

[Audio-Phile]

Understood.  Like you say, there are some great Electrostatic options for reasonable prices.  However I needed something that would be at least semi portable, and no room for desktop equipment as of yet means I'm limited.
 
I am looking forward to seeing how these sound, very excited about it.
 
Now I need to figure out which is the best (and most cost-effective) portable amp/DAC unit that will work well with both my MacBook Pro and iPhone.