Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

[Pre-pendum]: I have had the headphones for a year now, and my high opinion has not changed as I have gotten to know them better. I have been wearing them four to five hours, five days a week, usually with the BeyerDynamic A1 as the amplifier. I have had one problem: the headphone cord broke, developing its fault near the 1/4in phone plug. I received a return authorization from Sennheiser, and sent the cord to them. Perhaps they see it as a wear and tear item, but sadly I have had no reply including to my additional requests for information. I have not had problems with Sennheiser before, and they have reconditioned quite a few of my headphones over the past 15 years. Fortunately, the cord that Sennheiser sells for their 477 and 497 headphones fits the HD700 just fine. As I mention in the review below, the connection to the headphone is usual sub-mini mono TS phone plug, so these are headphones that you should be able to make a cord for, of wire of your choice, in a length of your choice. The case is holding up well: I pack the headphones in it five days a week as I head for work. The ear pads and headband strap are in good shape, and they are easy to keep clean. The sound seems as fresh and clear as it did the day they arrived. In the past year I have spent as many happy hours with this audio product, and I recommend them highly. They are probably the most satisfying part of the music reproduction chain that I have yet owned, although I hear that David Janszen's new speakers are a work of art. --- Original Review Follows Unmodified --- My hope is that this review will complement the material in the other reviews, and not be simply another rehash of how great the sound is. Of course the sound is great; it lives up to expectations, and the headphones are worth the price if you listen to headphones several hours a day. I had owned the HD650s since they came to market some time around 1996 or so. Mine have been refurbished twice, which gives you an idea of what they have been through, and how much I must have liked them. When the HD800s first became available, they went on my wish list. But this year the HD700s were announced at the same time "new headphones" worked their way to the top of the list because upcoming orthopaedic surgery meant I was going to have a lot of time in the recliner. A friend loaned me his HD800s while he was out of town on a long trip. As a result, I was able to compare the sounds and ergonomics of Sennheiser's papa, momma, and baby bear headphones over a period of several weeks. One of the photos above shows the relative size of the earpieces of the three headphones. The HD800s are simply enormous. For whatever reason, I was never able to get them to stay in one place on my head, although at any one moment they were "comfortable." Aside from its being a little annoying to continually reposition them (particularly following neck surgery), the sound of the HD800s changes slightly as the central axis of the driver moves away from being aligned with the ear canal. This "axial drift" does not cause a huge difference in sound quality, but one of the many reasons I have been a headphone enthusiast throughout my adult years is the complete control and consistency in the listening environment that headphones offer me. The HD700s have a more traditional fit than the HD800s. The "cups" are a little roomier than the HD650s, and they are big enough that they do not touch my pinnae at all. I have been wearing them about four to six hours a day since their purchase, and have had no cases of listener fatigue or sweaty and itching ears. Likewise the padding on the headband is simply so rich and plush that it distributes the weight and pressure, such as there is of either, completely uniformly. The material in the headband compresses easily and bounces back immediately. Whatever it is, it works as well as one can possibly imagine. The cord of the HD700s is a rather odd affair. The casing is a synthetic cloth that transmits no vibration or friction from accidental contact. On the other hand, a few weeks have passed and I am still getting the factory folds out of it. A solution that has finally worked is wrapping the cord around a foam ball, and letting the outward pressure of the ball smooth out the odd bends in the fabric. If you just can't get along with the cord, and I am nearing that point, replacing it will be simple and cheap. The connections between the headset and the cord are standard mono mini (1/8 inch) phone plugs. Hardly anything could be simpler than making a cord of whatever length is judged to be convenient, and placing these plugs on the business end. At long last there will be consumer choice. I am thinking about making mine with a red insulation jacket so I can easily find it. --- NOTE CORRECTED TEXT --- My iPod lives a rough life. I rip all my tunes to ALAC, so battery life is clearly not important to me. The lower impedance of the HD700s (nominally 150 ohms) causes a considerably greater current draw than the HD600s (nominally 300 ohms), leading to more rapid battery depletion. Impedance is frequency dependent, of course, but the reduced battery lifetime suggests that a ratio of 2:1 is reasonable. My best guess is that battery life is about 70% of what it was [keep in mind the battery also runs the wireless, the display, and the iPod itself.] --- EXPLANATION/Retraction --- The 2:1 ratio of Z is an unlikely explanation. I had originally written 4:1, a mistake pointed out by Jeremy Anderson. However, it is hard to believe that a 2:1 ratio would contribute meaningfully to the observed difference, and the relative insensitivity of the HD600 is a much more likely cause. --- END --- However, the cleanest headphone output I have found in any portable device is in the original iPad, the "iPad 1" if you prefer. The iPad 1 seems to be the ideal mate for the HD700s, and its 25wh battery is not likely to go flat mid-track. If your listening is done while working at a desk, or if your source can be put on a bedside table, this is something worth considering. A little more than two decades ago, I cajoled serial number 0190 of the Stax Space Sound binaural demo CD out of the Stax sales rep. The cajoling involved a $50 note being quietly put in a coat pocket. This disc has been my reference for evaluating headphones since. As well as the general enjoyability of the binaural material, it is good for assessing whether the headphones are capable of providing the minute detail that gives the ear-brain combination its spatial cues and clues. The HD700 is noticeably more like the HD800 than it is like the HD650. In fact, my conclusion about the sound is essentially this: - The HD600 is a great choice if you want to be sure to own a headphone with few compromises that can be satisfactorily driven by the output of every iPod in the past three or four years. It is my baseline for defining neutral headphone sound. - The HD650 is a fine headphone, and it is well worth $500. In all senses of reasonable expenditure of money, it is a better "deal" than anything else assuming the price is OK with your finances. - The HD700 and HD800 are voiced somewhat differently, as has been noted in several other reviews. Between them, it is a matter of personal preference and taste; they are both incredibly good. If I had liked the HD800 better, I would have bought it instead. I can't see any real reason to own both. If you listen primarily to headphones, one of them will probably be the right one for you, assuming a kilobuck is not too much money.