HiFiGuy528
Super Member
HD-700 scheduled to arrive in TWO weeks. Yay!!!!!
Sennheiser HD-600 & HD-650 comparison video
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I read as many reviews as I could find today on the HD700, but there was very little. Headfonia's review and discussion seemed inconclusive in spite of having a lot of detail. Head-fi is less useful because they don't seem to have a commitment to hi-fi sound. One site that had some comparisons to the HD800 noted a lot of negatives compared to the 800, but then they didn't make any comparisons to the HD650 etc., to let people know if it's actually better than the 650. So if you can make accurate comparisons to the 650 that would be very helpful. Comparing to the Shure 1840 would be very helpful also, or any other premium dynamic headphone around $1000 USD or less.
HiFiGuy528
Super Member
I was gonna sell the HD-650. Maybe I should hold off until I compare it to the HD-700?
Blackbeerd
Active Member
Wait, when did Stereophile become a trusted source?
I wrote them off as far as the reviews themselves go when I realized that they changed their reviews to reflect their measurements after-the-fact. That was revealed quite plainly with the review of the McIntosh media server that sounded great until they measured it and discovered large (relatively, but still inconsequential in audibility) jitter.
Their measurements are robust, however, and Tyll and Innerfidelity seem to be an exception to the rule at Stereophile.
Anyway, it's too bad The Audio Critic is no longer in print.
Oh, and you may find my brief subjective impressions of the HD 700 from my short time listening to them interesting:
They're definitely better performing than the HD 600. The soundstage (and level of detail) is big, nearly at HD 800 levels. They're bright, with less refined (harsher) treble than the HD 800, not too unlike the Shure 1840. I can't remember if sibilance was a problem or not, but I think it was.
Build quality feels rather disappointing, like a slightly more sturdy HD 598. It's not bad, and the plastic is probably far more tough than the metal on the HD 800, but I would hope for better in a headphone of that price. But we buy headphones for the sound, not the looks, don't we? ;-)
They're not a headphone I would buy. You might like them. I would say they're worth, oh, $600 in comparison to competing headphones - $1000 seems far too much.
I wrote them off as far as the reviews themselves go when I realized that they changed their reviews to reflect their measurements after-the-fact. That was revealed quite plainly with the review of the McIntosh media server that sounded great until they measured it and discovered large (relatively, but still inconsequential in audibility) jitter.
Their measurements are robust, however, and Tyll and Innerfidelity seem to be an exception to the rule at Stereophile.
Anyway, it's too bad The Audio Critic is no longer in print.
Oh, and you may find my brief subjective impressions of the HD 700 from my short time listening to them interesting:
They're definitely better performing than the HD 600. The soundstage (and level of detail) is big, nearly at HD 800 levels. They're bright, with less refined (harsher) treble than the HD 800, not too unlike the Shure 1840. I can't remember if sibilance was a problem or not, but I think it was.
Build quality feels rather disappointing, like a slightly more sturdy HD 598. It's not bad, and the plastic is probably far more tough than the metal on the HD 800, but I would hope for better in a headphone of that price. But we buy headphones for the sound, not the looks, don't we? ;-)
They're not a headphone I would buy. You might like them. I would say they're worth, oh, $600 in comparison to competing headphones - $1000 seems far too much.
nrap
Active Member
Hold on to them so you can compare. Dale you should get ahold of a pair and compare them to the 1840. Those and the T1 are really the dynamics that I have the most interest in. Add the HE500 and LCD2 in the mix and I just can't decide! I stress too much over purchases in the 1000$ range. Really I should just relax and pick a pair. I'm sure they all sound wonderful
If you know of any source that can be trusted on everything they say, I wanna subscribe right now. As to the 1840 and brightness or harshness, my 1840 has less brightness and harshness than any other major headphone I know of. So what does that mean? Sample variation?
I would love to shake down a 700, but so far the only headphone I've ever gotten for review without paying in advance was the German Maestro 8.35D, from a shop in England. If I were close to someone that had a 700 I could go listen to it. I'm probably not that far anyway, so maybe when they become available I'll look them up. But $1000, like the other guy said, seems way too high for mid-fi, or even mid-hi-fi.
Personally, after reading volumes about the orthos, I don't think there's a reasonable way to compare. I've had an electrostatic, a Stax SRX III, and I think there's probably a more dramatic difference between a T1 or an HD800 and a LCD3/2 or the top HiFiMan model than there would be between the dynamics and the electrostatic. With the possible exception of the SR-009, which I haven't heard. So if you had a top ortho and you tweaked your system (even EQ if necessary) to get the best possible sound, then going back to an ordinary dynamic would be like what? Like losing a whole dimension? I have to try that someday.
Now crazy as it might sound, my recommendation to anyone who doesn't currently have any headphone over $400 USD is - try a Philips L1 with bass EQ as I've recommended, then see if you can find something a whole lot better for $700 to $1000. I don't find the 1840 a whole lot better. Different, for sure.
HiFiGuy528
Super Member
The T1 is very very good. I have it for over a year now.
I'm sure the T1 is good, but for the price maybe not such a bargain. Like the Grado PS1000 or the $2000 ortho models. Then I think there's a new $2000 USD headphone from Fostex, yes?
I think of bargains mainly when I think of headphones that have noticeable coloration or other deviations from a neutral response, and how good of a deal they might be. The HD-800 has a long-established reputation for being the leader of all headphones (except possibly the Stax SR-009, don't know for sure) when it comes to having the least coloration. So in that respect the HD-800 being unique, I can't relate the term bargain at all.
I've had several Beyerdynamics, and while they have some great sound and features, I don't know of any that aim for a really neutral response.
