Audio Technica ATH-AD700 Open-air Dynamic Audiophile Headphones
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With a lightweight honeycomb aluminum casing and magnesium frame structure, these open-air headphones produce no sense of pressure on the ears, offering a completely natural listening experience. The sound is smooth and relaxed, with deep resonating bass and vocal projection. The self-adjusting wing support automatically adjusts to your head size for easy-wearing listening comfort. A straight cord at the left earpiece terminates to a mini plug with included ΒΌ” adapter.
Features
- Air Dynamic (open) headphones for natural and high quality sounds with deep resonating bass and vocal projection
- Full open-air type headphones produce no sense of pressure on the ears, resulting in a completely natural sensation
- Lightweight honeycomb aluminum casing and magnesium frame structure
- Large-aperture 53 mm drivers with neodymium magnet systems and CCAW voice coils for superior sound reproduction
- Self-adjusting 3D Wing Support Housing provides comfortable support for a more enjoyable listening experience
- Dimensions (W x H x L): 5 x 11 x 8 inches
- Weight: 1 pounds
The most comfortable headphones I’ve ever owned
After owning numerous pairs of Koss and Sennheiser headphones these are the most comfortable by a mile. The sound is extremely good in the mids and highs, but lacks a little in the bottom end. But this was overcome with some equalizer adjustments to tweak the bass a little. I can recommend these to anyone like myself that finds headphones fatiguing after an hour or two, as this is not the case with the AD700’s.
AD700 vs A700 | Comparison & Review
Basic Build:
Right off the bat, it is apparent which of these two has better build quality. The AD700 easily bests the A700 when it comes to being solidly built. The most notable way to test this is to simply pick up the headphone. When you pick up the AD700, it just feels solid — it just has a good weight to it, and it feels like a quality product. The A700 on the other hand, feels pretty hollow and cheap. You can definitely feel the plastic feel to it. Even though it is slightly bigger and uses more material than the AD700 due to its closed design, it still feels lighter and cheaper made. The A700 also has cups that pivot up and down, as the AD700 does not. This slightly detracts from the overall durability as well, although it’s no problem.
Cord:
Ever since I had the AD700, I’ve always admired the cord. It is incredibly thick, yet very flexible and has no memory retention whatsoever. To this date, it is hands down the best cord I have ever used! I honestly don’t know of a headphone that can get a higher quality cord than this. Yes, I do know of the “expensive ones”, but I’m talking about its physical aspects. Anyway, there is absolutely nothing I would change about it. The A700 cord on the other hand, is actually quite good as well. When you first take it out, it has quite a bit of memory to it, but after some stretching and daily use, it loses a lot of that nasty memory. It is about as thick as the AD700’s cord, but it holds memory a bit more than the AD700’s one. Durability wise, I still would prefer the AD700’s cord — it’s just too good. Actually, I would prefer the AD700’s cord in all aspects over the A700’s — but the A700’s cord is still very impressive.
Ear Pads:
This is going to be good! Let’s just say, the AD700’s earpads are miles and miles ahead of the A700’s. When I first bought the AD700, I loved the very soft pads from the beginning. Although some days I found the material a bit itchy at times, I usually never really had a problem with them. They are very soft, and it’s hard to notice they are there when wearing them. Not only is the material soft, but inside of the earpads is soft as well. I say that because the K701’s earpads were soft on the outside, but it seemed like it had hard foam on the inside. The A700’s pads on the other hand — let’s just say they are about THE WORST pads you can ever imagine for a headphone. Yes, they are that awful. They feel uber cheap, look like they will disintegrate in about a week, and are not that comfortable. I will go more into this on the section below.
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Initial Comfort:
The AD700’s are the most comfortable headphones I’ve ever worn — there is no denying that. I have also tried the K701, and found those to not even be in the same ballpark. The AD700’s simply vanish on your head — so you can focus on the music and not on that giant contraption that is on your head! Most headphones I’ve tried irritate me, as I am very sensitive to stuff on my head. I sent the M50’s and the A700’s back because of that very reason — they just didn’t feel comfortable. If you can physically feel something on your head, and if it irritates you at any time, you aren’t involved in the music, and that is definitely a bad thing. Simple as that. With the AD700, I simply have never had a problem. When you first put them on, it feels almost like a cloud. It doesn’t clamp, it just resides. Okay, now onto the A700 initial comfort. I actually thought these would be more comfortable when I bought them, and that was part of the reason I did. Man, was I wrong! The 3D wings like usual, are great, although they feel a bit tighter than the AD700. That is fine, as they would probably stretch over time. But, the thing that bothers me, is you can feel the pads instantly when you put them on your head. It feels like the resist you — they don’t mold to your head at all. It feels hard, and obtrusive — not ideal for long term comfort in the slightest.
Long Term Comfort:
Like mentioned in the previous paragraph, the AD700’s are just amazing when it comes to any kind of comfort. Not only do they feel great when you first put them on, but also when you leave them on for hours on end. One day, I had worn them for 5 hours straight — without even touching them! Didn’t even notice — didn’t even care I was wearing headphones. So, I can come to the conclusion that these pass this test with flying colors. Unfortunately for the A700, the longest I had them on was for about 15 minutes — because I didn’t have the patience to have them on any longer. They might be comfortable for longer periods of time, but I will never know as they have been sent back. It’s just after about 5 minutes; I was already being irritated by the pads. It had a pretty strong clamping force, even though I stretched them for days at a time. So I guess you can say they might not work out that great for long term comfort, although once again, I haven’t tried it that long. While wearing them, you definitely know something is on your head. With the AD700, you just completely forget. A700 comfort compared to the AD700? There is not comparison.
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Bass:
I will admit, one of the reasons I bought the A700 was for the bass. I loved the AD700, but I sometime wish it had a bit more bass. So, I bought the A700 — problem solved! Or, so I thought. It turns out, the bass on the A700 is indeed more present than the AD700, but it’s doesn’t have THAT much more. A simple tweak in the EQ will bring the AD700 up to pace with the A700, while maintaining the fantastic airy and open sound. The A700 does sound darker than the AD700 due to the closed design and bass, but it almost sounds congested — muffled, if you will. Switching back repeatedly from the two headphones, it’s apparent the bass on the AD700 is what I prefer, as it doesn’t hamper the SQ like it does with the A700. With the AD700, even if the bass is too light, you can still use the EQ and it sounds great. I will expand more upon overall SQ down the page a bit more.
Soundstage:
I’m no good at explaining sound, but I can tell you what I hear — and what I like. The AD700 is a very airy and spacious headphone. There is no doubting that. But you really can tell just how airy it is, when you compare it to something like the A700. The A700 still had a pretty nice and wide sound, but it wasn’t as big or as good as the AD700. The AD700 just had more of a 3D, relaxing, and enveloping sound. When put in perspective, the A700 sounded congested — like I mentioned above, although it really does well compared to other closed headphones. Switching back and forth between headphones, reveals the AD700 to be just THAT much better in spaciousness. It has a much more holographic sound as well — in which the word “airy” is truly the best way to describe it. The A700 has a bit more solid, darker, sound –which in turn makes it a bit more “stuffed” sounding.
Overall SQ:
There is no doubt about it; both of these headphones do have a similar sound — in some aspects. They are both spacious sounding headphones, with the AD700 obvious being more expansive and airy. The AD700 does have the edge though in overall SQ against the A700. Easily. Although, there are some that may prefer the slightly darker, heavier, tone given off by the A700. Switching from the A700 to the AD700, it’s apparent how the soundstage becomes more expansive, and has a lighter and clearer sound to it — a more light sound. Before, sibilance was always a term I didn’t understand and didn’t know what it sounded like, but the A700 helped me experience it real quick when the singer kept singing “S” words and my eye started flinching. Yes, even after a 40 hour burn in, the A700 seems to have a nasty sibilance — which is absent in the AD700. Again, listening to both back and forth, there is no denying they both sound pretty good, but the AD700 is more clear, open, light, and relaxing — while the A700 is more heavy, dark, congested, and fatiguing. Overall, it is clear that the AD700 has the advantage here, even if the bass is “too light” like some have mentioned. But I think it has perfect bass. If not? Nothing a bit of EQ can’t fix…
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Message to AD700 owners:
Congratulations! You have one of the best, and most unique full size headphones on the market today. The comfort and soundstage is unrivaled against many, if not most. It sounds wonderful, and has the best cord I have yet to come across. And on top of that, it all costs about $90. One of the best deals I can think of in the headphone industry. They definitely should be a part of everyone’s collection at some point.
Message to A700 owners:
You could do better. If you like this headphone in any regard, you should definitely consider getting the AD700. It’s more comfy, it is better built, and it sounds better — all for a cheaper price! But, you still do have a pretty good headphone, just not as good. On the plus side, the A700 does have a bit of noise isolation and also prevents sound leakage — both of which the AD700 doesn’t have. Other than that, you could have done better, and you should probably consider getting the AD700 on the side.
Great Sound Quality
i immediately noticed the excellent quality of these headphones… very crisp and clear at higher volumes.
They were (are) very comfy from the first wear. They sound great in game also. Much better than my previous “7.1 channel headset” by far…
Only negative thing i could say is that from time to time the top part (the wings) feel a little tight on my head, but i’m used to that now.
Overall excellent buy.
Have to give it a 5
The first thing you notice when you receive it in the mail is that the package weighs absolutely nothing. I was afraid the headphones had fallen out, but they’re simply that light. This allows them to sit perfectly on my head. I can wear them indefinitely.
The second thing I noticed when I plugged them in is their precision. Those long operatic vocals in your favorite songs have really never sounded like they were supposed to until this thing shows them off. I was focusing particularly on the bass as so many reviews have highlighted there lack thereof. The bass is truly no puncher, however the precision makes up for it and working your equalizer takes care of whatever discomfort you may have. (I personally am pained by treble and reduce it on any medium but do not conversely jack up the bass so it rattles my heart valves.) Each bass note sounds less like a dull thud and more of the actual instrument. Must say that the music truly surrounds you, and the noise bleeding doesn’t bother me much since it’s better to hear the traffic than not. I have a noisy ambient a/c in my room and it manages to block it mostly. I can also have conversations with these playing, this doesn’t detract from the music, the quality only makes it sound more real.
They do look strange, for a large head as I have, these are definitely large. I like the build quality very much and I enjoy having a straight cord. The light floating fit is beset by the fact that any jarring causes it to slide about but it always goes back to where it was. I have noticed that the way I walk causes them to slide down my head so I’ve relegated them to my computer sessions where they belong. They can’t even come down to hang on the neck as the muffs will touche your clavicle to your cheekbones practically. Of course, you never need to take them off since they allow noise passing through. I.e. if you want, you can finally live like the punks from Jet Grind Radio and have these on you at all times like clothing. The large muffs however can get your face pretty hot if it’s hot outside. (Dealing with 90 degrees weather here)
They’re very cool, sound great, I rated them higher than I would’ve because each downside could also be an upside so it’s more a matter of taste than course. I’ll bomb my rating if anything goes wrong with them in the future (one note: just remembered… they had a strange bzzzaaapp noise as they were breaking in. Happened every 7 hours of listening or so, sounded like a short tesla coil burst that didn’t distract from my music much. I don’t think it’s happening anymore.) Shipping was faster than expected.
tl;dr your music will sound amazing if you just ‘treble reducer’ and don’t expect to be jogging in these. they look great if you can pull it off, and are durable.
My first real headphone
Simply my first real headphone. Unbeatable at this price range. I like its bright crystal signature and even prefer listening to it than my d2000 in some range of music, say, vocal and violin.
Excellent pair of headphones
I had the HD-555 for some time. These headphones are so much clearer. I highly recommend them over the HD-555 now. They would be excellent for gaming because I can hear where everything is coming from in music. I am going to do the comfort mod, but these are great for their price.
The last pari of headphones I will ever buy (maybe)
After a few months of research on what style headphone I’d like (over the ear, on ear, noise canceling, ect) and what brands were the best I managed to settle on over the ear (my ears are some what overly sensitive to direct pressure) and Audi Technica, though I was still split between the AT-A700 (close back) and the AT-AD700 (open back). Well here I am with the AT-AD700’s and I couldn’t be happier. First things first The sound stage on these babies is amazing, I don’t want to sound like a bad promo but they make you feel like you’re actually in the room with the music as apposed to having it coming from directly you’re left and right. The frequency response is equally as impressive, I’ve read a few reviews saying they lack bass but I find that to be almost completely false(they do when compared to a comparable closed back like the Koss Pro4a or there brother the AT-A700’s). The bass response on these is very natural and smooth which if you where expecting something like Dr.Dre’s beats (which is exaggerated and boomy) than yeah you will be disappointed but if you want headphones with natural sounding lowend response than these will deliver no problem. The Highs and Mids are as you would expect, simply wonderful not to forward but also not muted. They blend together seamlessly with the bass to form that wonderful sound stage I mentioned earlier. The build quality like almost anything from japan is second to none and while the headphones are mainly comprised of plastic (they do use aluminum for the backs of the ear cups and the pivot pins) it’s the heavy duty ABS plastic so it won’t fall apart if you so much as look at it. The main issue people had with this is the fit and I will admit that they aren’t for people with amazingly tiny head they will fit the wide majority of head sizes with no issue and I believe that with out saying that with all the light weight materials used they are very light wich is part of the reason they are a pleasure to wear.
Great soundstage but zero bass
Pros:
Great his
Good mids
Great comfort
Great soundstage
Cons:
Very little bass, no thump to it
These phones have really great sound going for them. However, if you like to feel the bass thumping on your ears, get something else.
Perfect Budget Audiophile Headphones
I am kind of an audiophile and a big PC/360 gamer. I was looking for headphones that could complement both, and saw that soundstage and accurate bass are key to that. I found these, researched them for some time, and bought them.
They are absolutely fantastic.
Now, I don’t have any pro audio equipment, which means the change in audio quality could just be a placebo effect. If it is or isn’t, these feel like a great upgrade to the Astro a40 headset. When I plugged the AT700 into the computer and listened, I could instantly tell the soundstage was unlike what I have heard before. And then I plugged it into my A40 Mixamp. The soundstage improvement due to Dolby Headphone was astonishing. I literally thought I was in the music or games, especially on the 360 where Dolby Digital is standard. I took off for High Frequencies and Low Frequencies only because I know these aren’t end all be all headphones, and people might say this does not have enough bass. If this doesn’t have enough bass, then I don’t know what bass is anymore. It might not be booming, but it’s accuracy is great.
The headphones are second to none in comfort. The padding feels luxurious, and I could wear them forever.
I highly recommend the ATH AD700.
Great sound quality.
This is my first pair of open-air headphones and I absolutely loved them. Started hearing a lot of things I’ve never heard in songs I listen to everyday. Could not hear music being played unless the volume was up really high.
Definitely the best pair of headphones I’ve ever owned.
Pros: The sound in these things is absolutely amazing. Clarity of songs is impeccable, and I can hear things that I couldn’t before when listening to my music. In games, I can definitely pinpoint almost exact locations of people via footsteps. With my old headphones, I could only tell that they were nearby as opposed to their position through walls. They’re extremely comfortable, with a design engineered almost exclusively for comfort.
Initially, my friend recommended that I buy a pair of Logitech G35’s, since that was what he uses, and after trying both headphones, I prefer my set hands down. Even though the Logitech G35’s are surround sound and more expensive, I could pinpoint footsteps in Counter-Strike with much more ease with the AD700, since there seemed to be a lot more echo noise with the G35’s. Though I didn’t get the chance to test extensively to compare music quality, the G35’s are also much less comfortable, pushing against your ears for noise isolation effect as opposed to the AD700’s that rest on your head with the wing tips.
Cons: The AD700 does seriously lack some bass. It’s there, but that’s about it. There’s also no built-in microphone, and the Zalman clip on mic I bought with this thing has trouble being picked up in my games.
But overall, I’d recommend these headphones to anyone.
Seriously… the grills are purple. As in, WO, PURPLE. And Non-existent bass, etc…
I’m going to reference my post from [...], which is a solid resource for, well… your head.
Part One…
Alright guys (and gals),
As I prepare to type this I’m really at a loss. First off, when my package arrived from Amazon today, I noticed after opening it that the Audio Technica ATH-AD700 box looked like it had been through a shipping war. Yet, the shipping box was unscathed. This led me to conclude that they sent me a freaken used pair. Complaint 1 (not Audio Technica’s fault – strike one for Amazon).
The second thing that came to mind when I pulled the AT box out – mouth still wide open from the used product – I saw that the headphone grills are PURPLE!!! WOW… I read somewhere that they were purple, but this didn’t really strike me as much as the in-person first sight of them did. I can’t wear these things in public. Purple on silver… come on. I’m not vain, but sheez… it’s really bugging me.
Third, they’re loud… to the surrounding environment. Very loud. It’s not like when people said, “They leak sound…” No, no, no. they broadcast what you’re listening to, and I don’t know about your spouse, but my wife doesn’t want to listen to Kanye West’s Love Lockdown (I use this track for bass testing) that’s blasting right beside her. You can lay them down and use them for computer speakers – on the desk.
Fourth thing – and back to the Love Lockdown song – these really do have an extreme bass handicap. I knew this going in, but, holy cow. Another example of this is The Watcher on Dr. Dre’s Chronic 2001 album. The bass that moves you just isn’t there. Now, don’t get me wrong. This is NOT the usual music that I have playing. I like more melodic tunes like Coldplay and Over the Rhine. But, come on, eclectic tastes aren’t exactly a rare thing anymore. Conclusion – very anemic.
Lastly, and this is so-so, but, I can’t hear much as far as outside noise like other people are saying. I’m just clarifying and giving my opinion on this. I don’t think they’re that transparent as people think – again, my environment. Like, I couldn’t hear my wife talking to me right next to me. I wasn’t playing classical, but again, not as people have said.
Now, in my opinion, the soundstage is great, mids are where I like them (a little lower) and the highs are outstanding – the best I’ve heard. The best part is that they’re comfortable as all get out. I could listen to these for hours. Also, please don’t give me the “let them burn in” because a 1000 years of burn-in won’t change these that much (again, my opinion).
These positives are not enough to keep me from returning them. Purple, no bass and the sound leakage is insane to me. Why couldn’t they make them all black?
In closing, please understand that I write this with an overwhelming sense of disappointment. I read for a week about the best buys in headphones and I’m just uber disappointed although impressed by the positives (again, not so much that it will withhold me from returning them). Keep in mind I usually give a product the benefit of the doubt, but believe me… yes, they sound good if you’re new to “good sound,” but if you want bass, start at the AT M50 and then elsewhere, because you won’t find it with the AD700.
Thanks for hanging in there and taking the time to read my post… For the full post, see link below…
[...]
-Ryan
You get what you let them to play
You can expect absolute perfectionism. Headphones play exactly what flowing into them. Do not expect special effects. Do not expect an enhanced bass or hights. Headphones play just exactly what they have to. If you expect strong and unnatural bass you’ll be disappointed. These headphones are absolutely perfect for watching a movie or classical music.
Really a AD700?
I have a set of the A700 that are not open air, and thought it would be nice to reduce a bit of the pressure on the ears with these open ear ones. I can’t believe these are actually considered the same model headphones. The sound is significantly better on the A700 when compared to the AD700. You will also notice that these to not pivot to fit your head as the A700 do. This causes them to feel like they are going to fall off my head when ever I move, unlike my other pair. Additionally the base response on these is non-existent compared to the A700. Even at moderate levels anyone else in the room will be able to hear what you are listening to. Over all these feel like a less responsive, sloppy fitting version of the A700. If you can handle them not being open air spend a little more and get a great value in the A700. I literally returned these withing minutes of opening the box!
Excellent Affordable Headphones
I try to be fair and balanced when reviewing a product here on Amazon. Everyone has different likes/dislikes, and what they are looking for in any given product does vary. I hope the following review is useful to help the reader ascertain as to whether or not this particular headphone will work well for them. The AD700 is very comfortable, but can be a bit loose on the head at times. If you have a small head, these may slip off accidentally. The ear-pads are very comfortable, but can be steamy if you are in a warm environment. The sound reproduction is very good, but slightly colored. These are not quite flat, not like the Sony Super-Audio series of headphones. I also own the SA-1000 by Sony, and they have even better dynamic range, and are crystal clear sounding (they have the best clarity of any sound equipment I have ever heard!!). The AD700 though seem to have a slightly more prominent mid-range (human voice, guitar), with slightly less sibilance. The Ad700’s in general are more enjoyable to listen to, they are ultra smooth and comfortable to listen to, if they were a car, they would be the Lexus LS (not real exciting, but great to own).
The bass goes fairly deep on these, but not quite as deep as the SA-1000, grant you, rarely will you have a recording that shows you this. On “Jesus Was An Only Son” by Bruce Springsteen there is an organ, and the SA-1000 clearly wins for that song, and also the highs go higher on the Sony’s, so the cymbals of drums sound more alive and detailed. The downside though is that the Sony’s have no musicality, they rely entirely on the recording (source material) for the music to shine through. So on a very good recording can sound better, but are extremely demanding, and show no mercy to anything that is less than excellent (which unfortunately is almost everything out there to purchase or download).
Detail on the AD700 is fairly good, but not as good as the Sony’s, on some of the classical recordings that I have, with the SA-1000 you can really hear the violin being played, due to the extremely fast transient response, the “air between the strings” can be heard more clearly than with the AD700. But with songs involving a choir singing, then the AD700 wins due to the bigger sound-stage, and more prominent mid-range. The bass guitar is more forward and easily heard on the Sony though, and you can hear the fingers sliding along the strings, which you don’t really get with the AD700, the bass guitar is a little more in the background, but the vocals come forward more. It is not a matter of right or wrong, but just a different presentation that both of these affordable, and very good headphones offer. If you could own both that is ideal, because they both are a lot of fun to have and are enjoyable.
Incredible music, but ONLY for big heads
First thing’s first: I Am Not an Audiophile. I thought I was, for a while. After all, I am extremely sensitive to muffled or muddy noise, lost frequencies, closed-in soundstages, and all that (lack of) jazz. So this time, after tugging the wires out of another mid-range gaming headset through sheer overuse, I thought, “Well, since I have the money this time, how about I buy a set of GOOD headphones?” I did an embarrassing amount of misguided research work and narrowed it down to two pairs in my comfort price range: the Sennheiser HD 555s or these. In the end I opted for the ATH-AD700s as they seemed to have a slight edge when it comes to gaming (spotted the trend yet?).
So, first thing’s first: these are easily the best sounding headphones I have ever worn in my life, at least for music. This may be due to my relative inexperience, but there’s simply a world of difference between these and “a pair of headphones.” Or these and “a pair of high-end Sony headphones” for that matter. Simply put, it’s the difference between listening to a recording and almost being in the studio. There’s almost no comparison.
BUT – and this is where the product gets two stars – BUT, they can only sound that fantastic when they’re actually on. And therein lies the problem: They do not. stay. on my head. No matter what I do.
This is something that a lot of other reviewers mention only in passing. The ATH-AD700s are “not for people with small heads.” I’d like to take that a step further and say that they’re ONLY for people with LARGE heads. My head is “merely” average sized and it simply does not have the girth to fill out this pair’s massive volume. If I don’t keep my head perfectly balanced they will inevitably shift and begin their trek over my ears and straight to the ground. After a few minutes of this, plus the bulky weight of the things, wonderful tingling feelings start to develop in my neck muscles. This is NOT comfortable, especially for someone who moves and squirms a lot with daily use.
I’ve tried a few of the remedies offered for this not-at-all isolated issue, such as attempting to permanently bend the wires holding the cans together into a more compatible shape, but it doesn’t help. Thanks to the wing design, that just ends up pulling them UP and off my head, and they’re still heavy and slippery. After draining my admittedly low reserves of patience I passed them on to a large-headed, hard-of-hearing music lover who greatly appreciated being able to blast them and still get all the details.
So let’s get a few things straight. I don’t think these are really “bad”, per se. They sound every bit as good as They say, and They know what They are talking about… They say. But I have to write this review, and I can’t in good conscience give more than two stars along with it, because I really DON’T like them. I get a little rancorous when I see people recommend these without qualification, because in my view you HAVE to meet two very strict prerequisites:
1) You MUST have a head big enough to fit into them. If you’re not sure that you do, then you probably don’t. I cannot overemphasize how absurdly oversized they are – if there’s a larger set of headphones in this world that aren’t bass-cannons, then I never want to be made aware of them.
2) You must be an actual audiophile. Not a wannabe audiophile. I’ve learned this lesson the expensive way. You have to dig music first, above all other concerns, because if it’s secondary to any other function of your sound system then you’re barking up the wrong tree. As a gamer I want most of all to be able to pinpoint the exact location of a virtual footstep or gunshot, and that is not what these are for. The range is wide enough to cover most bass, but really centered for higher-pitched melodies, and there’s no real concept of front-to-back separation. Nor are these headphones ideal for watching movies or listening to podcasts or chatting on Skype. Every pair of headphones or headset you buy will be built with a purpose in mind. These are built for listening to hi-fidelity music in stereo, and they are very, very good specifically at what they’re built for.
In short: the ATH-AD700 headphones are not for me and they may very well not be for you. If they are, then consider this one more voice among thousands telling you to experience them for yourself. But if they’re not, then I urge you to take a moment to drown out all the me-toos and ask yourself what YOU really want.
If this review convinces you of anything, it should convince you that you can’t just trust reviews.
I don’t get it
I don’t get all the rave reviews for these cans? I use headphones exclusively on the PC for gaming and movies. These things have no bass, they sound small, like everything is far away and if you lean in any direction they’ll fall off your head (and I have a big head). I want to feel like I’m in the action and be immersed by sound and explosions! If that’s what you want too, look elsewhere. If you like to sit around and listen to classic music and hear every note, then by all means these might be the right ones for you.
Read this, it’s worth it. I promise.
I am considering this to be a layman’s review. I know this is long but I feel there are several things that are, quite frankly, scary about getting into the world of “hi-fi” headphones. I have never owned a pair of headphones that cost more than 20 bucks and have been quite content for my 21 years of life to do so. Someone who looks for the audiophile in their headphones won’t get much from me because honestly I don’t know enough. This is also not a gaming review, as I’ve heard many people look at these for playing Counter Strike or the like. More on that later but I’m making this review from a music listening standpoint. This review is for the person who thinks a 15 dollar pair of generic Sony’s sounds just fine.
As I start writing this review, I’ve had these headphones on for about an hour. These were brand new out of the box. The very first thing I noticed when I actually opened the box and had them in my hands was “wow, besides the size and the fact that I just paid 90 bucks for something to wear on my head, these are impressively unimpressive.” I read many, many review that held this on a pedestal and I was half expecting trumpets when I opened the box. It took a week and a half from the time I ordered them to when I got them today since I choose super saver shipping. I knew it would take a while to get here but the biggest problem was that during that time, I looked at every review I could find. I looked around for about 3 hours before I bought these and then bought them because they seemed pretty good and I’m not the type to stress over a purchase like this.
While I was waiting, I got honestly afraid that I had made a bad choice. It seemed like the good things could be great but if you hadn’t already tried these out in person, if you didn’t like something, they were no better than a paper weight. The lack of bass, will it move around or fall off, is my head several inches too small to be in the same room as these, do I need an amp, do these leak sound like water in a pasta strainer, and PURPLE. I even thought about canceling the order and just taking a trip to Wal-Mart. I’m glad I didn’t. Here’s why:
THE BAD (or so I’ve heard)
-The lack of bass. I think this was the most common issue I heard on any site. I’ve heard that there is no bass at all and I’ve heard that it is there but it is controlled. I am with the latter camp. The very first thing I did when I had them on was put on some dance music. I was worried that half the notes would get lost somewhere between my iPod and speakers. And then… there they were. My head was in no way being knocked around from the bass thump, but I could clearly hear the notes. That was the first big difference I noticed between these headphones and the apple ones that came with my last iPod. My iPod headphone had one bass note then another bass note and over and over without much change. With the 700’s I can clearly hear each bass note for what it is and each note is given its turn to be in the spotlight short though it may be. If you want headphones that may fracture your skull, go elsewhere. These headphones play each bass note like a note, not a jackhammer. I’ve heard that using the bass booster in the EQ will add bass. Yep, it does. It also makes the music terrible. This could be because I just got them and they haven’t been broken in yet, but it gave the song a really muddy sound. The bass seemed to just rattle and not actually make music while the anything higher than a bass drum retreated. The bass is fine as it is.
-The Size. These are big. This is the second biggest issue I saw. If you are still growing, these probably wont be a great fit. I can bop my head around a good bit without trouble and walking isn’t a big deal. They do shift a bit and they do feel like they could slip off. They shift because they aren’t clamped down on my head like a vice which makes them comfortable. The feeling that they could slip off is more mental. My ears fit quite nicely in the hole in the middle of the pads and so long as I don’t whip my head from one side to the other, they stay on fine. They feel lighter than it seems they should for their size which doesn’t help but so long as you don’t go running with them, they should be fine. Their size also makes them not portable without some effort. They have a long cord and they don’t fold up. If you are just going to use these at a desk, not a problem, but you will have to work around the headphones a bit to make them you primary pair for going from place to place. Not impossible but a challenge.
-The amp. “I’ve heard some headphones need an amp to sound good. Do I need to buy one for these?” No. These work just fine on their own. If you have an iPod, there’s already one in there. It probably wouldn’t hurt to buy an amp specifically to use with your headphones but mine sound fine out of my iPod.
-Sound leakage. These were not designed to block out noise of any sort. They are an open design and NOT noise canceling. I had a normal conversation with these on while a song was playing and I could hear both perfectly well. If you have the volume at a reasonable level, you can hear everything that goes on around you. I can hear the click of each key as I type this and I’m just slightly below half volume on my iPod. This works both ways. If you have this up in a quiet environment, other people can hear what you are listening too. If you keep it at a moderate level and there is some background noise, you could listen to these in a library.
PURPLE! Yes, they have purple mesh. Yes, you will look like you have part of a space helmet on your head. The purple really doesn’t look all that bad. I think that it looks nice and classy and fits. It looks overwhelming in the pictures but unless someone has a deep hatred of purple, you might actually have people telling you they like it. Worse comes to worse, buy a sharpie of any color your little heart desires and go wild. That being said, prepare to have all respect for your fashion sense lost in the eyes of anyone who sees these on your head and to possibly be called some not so nice things. You will look like a goofball wearing these. As I said earlier, they are huge. They nearly double the size of my head. The cups are thick and the wings will mess up your hair. While the purple isn’t really noticeable, everything else is. I don’t really care because of all the good things I’m going to mention shortly make up for looking like a spaceman.
THE GOOD
Here’s why you will want to buy these. Now.
-The Sound. Brilliant. The bass is clear and each note is present. The midrange and vocals ring and sound natural and the way they are meant to. The highs aren’t a struggle for these headphones to reach. The entire range is clearly there and yet no one section is more important than any other. It sounds like you are in each instrument. In an orchestra, instead of the entire group being one giant collaboration of musicians, you can hear each section individually. On a high quality recording, you can almost hear every instrument being played. A lot of reviews say that you can hear subtle parts of song that you’ve never heard before in songs you memorized a hundred listens ago. This is true. Since the entire range is present you hear parts of the song that on other, lower quality headphones are covered up by either vocals or another section of the range. Each sound gets its own place instead of just blurring everything together. On the other side, it still retains the flow of the over all piece. Each part fits into a constantly building puzzle.
-Construction. Despite looking strange, they are built very solidly. Nothing feels flimsy or like it would break quickly from normal use. I haven’t had these very long so I can’t say how long they will last but I’m not worried they are going to snap in two if I set them down too hard. The cord is very nice and doesn’t go anywhere near your face like some others do. It also doesn’t feel like its going to pull out of the cup like some cheap earbuds do. The wire only goes into the left side and uses the spring on top to power the right cup.
Comfort. The highest quality thing about these. I’m not used to things this big being on my head for long periods so I’m having to do a bit of fidgeting with them to get then right but I’ve felt no pain since I first put them on. The cup and padding design angle the speaker so the face is pointed more towards your ear with an empty space for your ear to rest comfortably. The wings on top are barely noticeably unless you think about them but they keep the pads off the top of your ears. The pads themselves are very soft and don’t hold heat. These are the least noticeable headphone I have ever worn so long as I don’t think about them and just listen to the music which is the point .
Soundstage. Another biggie that people talk about. You can tell different noises a part. This is part of why the sound is so good. I’m not a big gamer so I can’t mention anything there but on a capella track that have used multiple microphones for recording, I can hear where each person is standing. One of its best features without a doubt.
I highly recommend this for someone who wants to buy a set of quality headphones but doesn’t have much interest in learning all the fancy jargon that comes with the audiophile community. There is a noticeable difference between some cheap earbuds and these fantastic pillows with speakers. If you can try a pair, do. They wont play a brand new song but what you do hear is improved.
My Favorite
I listened to quite a few phones recently and I kept coming back to these. Their bass at first was on the light side, but the more I broke them in the more the bass really improved. The details in the mids and highs are fantastic. And most of all THE SOUNDSTAGE ! They have an amazing soundstage that is even more impressive with the mix amp. Nothing has sounded better for gaming and movies to me with a soundstage that can even compare. They put you IN the game with pinpoint accuracy all around you and the movies come alive as well. I give them my highest rating.
Simply great phones…
I was looking for some new phones so I started reading reviews and they led me to these. They got high points for audio quality, comfort, and price. Well I took the plunge and I’m very happy. First off they sound good out of the box and great after about 20+ hours of listening. The highs are fairly precise represented well. The midrange is really nice. I mean I like these way more in this department than many Beyers and Sens I’ve listened to. These phones also handle bass with ease, sounding natural and not way over-done like some of the Sony’s. And to top it all off the open-air aspect is really nice. The sound stage really does open up quite a bit. One note though, being open-air, sound can travel in and out with ease.
So in closing these phones are really nice and an exceptional value. The only real problems may be the open-air aspect and the color scheme for some. But if those two things don’t bother you then get these. At this price you really can’t go wrong with them.