Audio-Technica ATH-AD700 Headphone Review @ [H]

43st said:
There is an old school mod to make them tighter, either for more bass or for smaller heads. Basically take a rubber band and place it between the two '3d wings', this will pull the speaker housings closer together depending on the type of rubber band you use.
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that did not help with me though. honestly these things are so big that they look hilarious and dont come close to fitting if you dont have a pumpkin head.
 
Methadras said:
I'd say for a few bucks more go for the Sennheiser 555's. Won't go wrong there at all.
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I liked AD700 more than HD555 in nearly every way. The HD555 does have more bass but it does not go very low and sound rather muddied. I had both at one point and kept the AD700 as to me there was just no comparison between the two (AD700 clearly better).
 
What settings would you use in-game?

Stereo or 5.1 if you wanted to get the full diagonal/directional sounds?
 
sunny1 said:
What settings would you use in-game?

Stereo or 5.1 if you wanted to get the full diagonal/directional sounds?
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What kind of sound card? With most cards, set 5.1 in Windows and Headphones in the card control panel. That way you get Dolby Headphone or XMSS-3D (depending on card).
 
Forceman said:
What kind of sound card? With most cards, set 5.1 in Windows and Headphones in the card control panel. That way you get Dolby Headphone or XMSS-3D (depending on card).
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Soundcard:
Creative XFI Fatility

OS:
Windows 7.


I can't seem to find where to set it 5.1 in Windows?


========================================


Is that all correct:

Creative Console Launcher
Gaming mode + Headphones + XMSS-3D

In-game:
Headphones or 5.1?
 
Forceman said:
What kind of sound card? With most cards, set 5.1 in Windows and Headphones in the card control panel. That way you get Dolby Headphone or XMSS-3D (depending on card).
Click to expand...
if you want XMSS-3D then you are using a Creative card. when you go to sound and set it, it will simply make the same adjustment in the cards control panel anyway. afaik there is no way to choose 5.1 in one spot and choose Headphones in another.
 
i got this set a couple days ago and been comparing them to my Astro a40's and my gf's Logitech G35s.

and i have to say earls and kyles review is dead on. the main reason i got it was because of sound position during games like BC2. explosions and background sounds was muffling footsteps and shots using the a40s. When i plugged in the AD700s, i could finally hear where everyone is coming from. HUGE difference in sound position. I mainly use headsets for gaming so I cant say much about music and movies. The sound quality is more clear than the a40s, but not by that much. But I get more bass on the a40s.

Awesome set for the price!
 
sunny1 said:
Soundcard:
Creative XFI Fatility

OS:
Windows 7.


I can't seem to find where to set it 5.1 in Windows?


========================================


Is that all correct:

Creative Console Launcher
Gaming mode + Headphones + XMSS-3D

In-game:
Headphones or 5.1?
Click to expand...

Go to sound settings, select speakers from the playback tab, then click configure at the bottom left. It'll open a window where you can set 5.1. In-game I always set 5.1 and only set headphones in the Creative console (along with XMSS-3D).
 
Forceman said:
Go to sound settings, select speakers from the playback tab, then click configure at the bottom left. It'll open a window where you can set 5.1. In-game I always set 5.1 and only set headphones in the Creative console (along with XMSS-3D).
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again that is NOT possible. when you select a setting whether its in the sound settings or Creative console it will it apply it to both.
 
@drsk, thanks for the preview I mainly ordered these for better spatial positioning in games. I have 7.1 headphones but the sounds are too jumbled together to rely on it.

Try having both the windows configure and Xfi panels open at the same time.

With both open at the same time If I set Windows to 5.1/7.1 and creative to headphones it will save and show that way. If it works is another question but listening to a 5.1 ac3 It certainly sounded different before and after.

And it will undo if you change modes.
 
cannondale06 said:
again that is NOT possible. when you select a setting whether its in the sound settings or Creative console it will it apply it to both.
Click to expand...

I don't know what effect it may have, but you can absolutely have different settings, at least in Windows 7. I've had both a Xonar DX and the X-fi Forte, and they both could be set to headphone independently from Win 7. Win 7 doesn't even have a headphone setting.
 
Forceman said:
I don't know what effect it may have, but you can absolutely have different settings, at least in Windows 7. I've had both a Xonar DX and the X-fi Forte, and they both could be set to headphone independently from Win 7. Win 7 doesn't even have a headphone setting.
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well you see my sig and I tried exactly what you said and if I change one it changes the other.
 
Been looking a while for good cans on a budget. Read your review and thought I would give them a try. Should be here today on the big brown truck. Been lurking a long time and reading the [H] for a long time and really like the site keep up the good work.
 
I have had these for a long time now, I hardly ever use them. The Giant Purple headphone discourages any use a work. They are very clear for sound but not much bass for music if thats your thing. They are always loose on my head so I had to add a rubber band to help keep enough tension to keep them from falling off my head. I guess they don't fit me very well.

edit: Replied before realizing that someone already said this.

cannondale06 said:
that did not help with me though. honestly these things are so big that they look hilarious and dont come close to fitting if you dont have a pumpkin head.
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I completely agree, while the sound is great, fit is very important with headphone and thats where this pair comes up short for me. The rubber band mod helps but I don't like that the giant phones shift around or fall off my head it if move my head around.

These headphone do not need am amplifier because they are low impedance, so other than fit they are very good, so make sure you try them on before you buy. I got mine from amazon about 3 years ago, I think they were $70.
 
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Justintoxicated said:
These headphone do not need am amplifier because they are low impedance, so other than fit they are very good, so make sure you try them on before you buy. I got mine from amazon about 3 years ago, I think they were $70.
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Have you tried an amp with these? Everyone that complains about no bass it's reasonable to assume they are not amping them. I'm running some hardcore power to them, a lot more than I was able to do 5 months ago when they were new, and they put out bass that can pound your head. Obviously in comparison to ultrasone there is no comparison, but for what they are when amped properly, coming from someone that complained of the same thing when I first got these, I can officially say these headphones SLAM.

They may have a low impedance but their sensitivity is also on the low side of only 98dB, in addition to their large drivers, they really need juice to perform.

I'm running level 3 amp gain +18dB on the essence with two aftermarket opamps. plus the xonar eq lets you adjust another 20dB+/-
 
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rive22 said:
Have you tried an amp with these? Everyone that complains about no bass it's reasonable to assume they are not amping them. I'm running some hardcore power to them, a lot more than I was able to do 5 months ago when they were new, and they put out bass that can pound your head. Obviously in comparison to ultrasone there is no comparison, but for what they are when amped properly, coming from someone that complained of the same thing when I first got these, I can officially say these headphones SLAM.

They may have a low impedance but their sensitivity is also on the low side of only 98dB, in addition to their large drivers, they really need juice to perform.

I'm running level 3 amp gain +18dB on the essence with two aftermarket opamps. plus the xonar eq lets you adjust another 20dB+/-
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I tried a cheap amp from deal extreme, it helped a little maybe but headphone bass really isn't my thing anyways. I don't wear them often enough to invest in an expensive headphone amp for them. They just don't fit my head well. I'll probably only continue to use them when others are sleeping.
 
The stereotype concerning bass with music is unfortunate. Take away the low frequencies in any music, games, movies, and your sound will be similar to that of laptop speakers. It's all about balance. Lows fill the sound give & rhythm while taking you on the journey, mids bring you presence & center stage, while the sparkling highs give you goose bumps and tingle your spine. All together and you've got enveloping harmony of sound.
 
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I just wanted to sincerely thank you for the time that you had taken to review this product.

I decided to go with the closed version of these headphones and will be receiving them tomorrow. Though I am learning more and more about car audio, headphones have always been foreign to me. After getting some audiophile quality car speakers I wanted my home experience to follow up in a similar and private manner.

I sure hope these live up to the review. :)
 
Just a heads up the ATH-A700 are 64 ohm vs the the 32 ohm of the ATH-AD700. The ATH-A700 will need an amplifier. (whether its built in or external) If you have a standard sound card it could be damaged. Somebody correct me if I am wrong.
 
Newegg does show A700 @64ohm and Ad700 @32ohm

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16826402012

Did not see any problems in any of the reviews. Think of the reviewers and the exponentially more purchasers who dont leave a review, surely many of them have plugged into on-board sound. If anything was getting fried the reviews section would be lit up.

From that I would deduce the chance of un-optimital performance based on 64ohm possible but the chance of hardware damage low/zero.
 
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joobjoob said:
Newegg does show A700 @64ohm and Ad700 @32ohm

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16826402012

Did not see any problems in any of the reviews. Think of the reviewers and the exponentially more purchasers who dont leave a review, surely many of them have plugged into on-board sound. If anything was getting fried the reviews section would be lit up.

From that I would deduce the chance of un-optimital performance based on 64ohm possible but the chance of hardware damage low/zero.
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You wont fry anything by having too high a resistance (unless the amp is very poorly designed)

2x the resistance results in 1/2 the current.

Also, in response to some ignorance by other posters:
Impedance is a measurement of resistance *AND* reactance.
Resistance dictates power and thus volume.
Reactance (inductance/capacitance) dictates frequency response and thus balance/sound quality.

A high quality set of headphones will be able to maintain the same frequency response (and thus sound quality) at higher power levels. However it can only do this if the DAC (sound card) has an equally high quality frequency response at such power levels.

So purchasing a high quality DAC is absolutely necessary to obtain the best bass/treble from any set of headphones. Not to say though that there wont be diminishing returns...
 
I got my ATH-AD700's a couple of days ago. I agree with [H] 's review. I am using a HT-Omega Striker 7.1 sound card then run it through a BEHRINGER HA400 micro amp. These cans sound great and with the amp I can add more bass and they rock. In games I hear the smallest steps and bumps. I am not a audiophile expert but I do know and have heard great sound. These cans are really great for the money.
 
I received my ATH-A700's yesterday. It's been a while since I have used my creative x-fi fatality (selloutility) sound card, it's nice to have EAX back in my games. At max volume these headphones make my ears hurt a bit, funny since my Focal speakers in my car pretty much beat my ears in to submission 8 months ago...

I was wondering, since it's so loud and quite clear, is an amp going to make a night and day difference?
 
For me it helped a bit giving more dynamic head room. No amp was fine for gaming but for music having my volume maxed almost all the time sucked. I found if you add bass with an EQ the amp helped produce better sound. It just really depends on your sound card and ears. My system was just not quite loud enough for me. Besides I hate having my volume near max or maxed all the time.
 
 
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Snyper64 said:
Well instead of linking to pre-built amps you could do it the true [H]ard way and build one yourself. For about $30 or more or less depending on parts you could build your own CMoy Pocket Amplifier that will outperform most sub $150 amps.

http://tangentsoft.net/audio/cmoy-tutorial/ (currently down but has the best tutorial out of these)

http://gilmore2.chem.northwestern.edu/projects/cmoy2_prj.htm

http://www.dansdata.com/cmoy.htm
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While you're at it you can go get a degree in electrical engineering and design your own amp to prove how "[H]ard" you are. And why stop there? You can get a job at Intel and design CPUs for them to show off your [H]ardness.
 
43st said:
There is an old school mod to make them tighter, either for more bass or for smaller heads. Basically take a rubber band and place it between the two '3d wings', this will pull the speaker housings closer together depending on the type of rubber band you use.
Click to expand...

I endorse this method completely, a simple rubber band will do the trick. People need to bear in mind that these are full size circumaural headphones-the pads are intended to completely surround your ears for maximum soundstage and comfortable fitting. Are you guys jogging down the street with your ad700s?? I have a rather small head and have never had trouble with any AT headphones with the wing headband. They are loose fitting headphones though, that is without a doubt.

My headphone journey started with the ad700s. Amazing headphones, but I got the upgrade bug and have gone through about 10 headphones and several amps/dacs since then. I have finally settled on the Denon D2000s-I beleive they offer the best value in a closed phone for under $500, with excellent soundstage and bass. They have a slightly recessed midrange, but they tend to scale very well with high end tube amps which add a lot of warmth. I would highly recommend them to anyone who has a little more money to play around with.
Posted via [H] Mobile Device
 
The Fifo E5 and E7's are nice amps to run if you'd like to start off on the right foot with any of the ATH series. furthermore they are both REALLY easy to drive, more so the AD's then the A's, but the A's are meant to have stronger bass response for things more like techno and the like, is my assumption of their target audience. for things like Prog and Rock, especially Classical, the AD's, are nothing short of ind blowing on a nice amp.
 
My AD700 arrived today they are loose fitting for me, 5'10" 180lb. They are large and at first glance might look a little like a protective helmet of some sort. lol, jk.

-They dont keep any sound out.
-Like the purple its not a loud purple maybe like a soft metallic.
-If the band had about 1" less as a minimum starting point I think they would be perfect.
-I could imagine larger guys like 6'3 220+ loving these and buying extra pairs for replacements.
-When people said they forgot they were wearing them I could not imagine. However, now that I have used them I could see myself forgetting.
-cable is a nice quality rubber. (often a great indicator of all around quality)


The ear-pads are very nice fabric. None of that perma-sweaty stuff like all the other cans I have owned. As a radio DJ I have spent many many hours with headphones on. For myself these are easily the best for glasses wearing comfort. Feel-wise they remind me of driving an old caddy with the big luxury feel. Like sitting on one of those old big plush sofas. These are the first headphones I have ever owned that I can imagine myself wearing with glasses for hours at a time.

I get a lot of awesome gadgets from this guy. The volume one is very handy when the windows volume is the one I want to watch..

http://blog.orbmu2k.de/sidebar-gadgets/volume-control-sidebar-gadget

edit, nice chose the purple background to match my new cans!
edit 2. his spectrum analyzer has a nice purple background also! I do like color symmetry.
 
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joobjoob said:
-When people said they forgot they were wearing them I could not imagine. However, now that I have used them I could see myself forgetting.

The ear-pads are very nice fabric. None of that perma-sweaty stuff like all the other cans I have owned. As a radio DJ I have spent many many hours with headphones on. Feel-wise they remind me of driving an old caddy with the big luxury feel. Like sitting on one of those old big plush sofas. These are the first headphones I have ever owned that I can imagine myself wearing with glasses for hours at a time.

http://blog.orbmu2k.de/sidebar-gadgets/volume-control-sidebar-gadget
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lol no doubt. They do feel like big old plush pillows haha. I put mine on usually whenever I sit down even if I don't end up listening to anything, and sometimes a couple hours will go by and I'll still have them on and then out of nowhere I'll be like wtf hahah oh yeah I forget I had these damn things on.

I love them most with movies, even at the lowest of volumes everything through these cans just sounds so clean, alive, natural, & crisp. I don't game much but when I do as others mention the sound stage is truly superb.
 
rive22 said:
...I love them most with movies, even at the lowest of volumes everything through these cans just sounds so clean, alive, natural, & crisp. I don't game much but when I do as others mention the sound stage is truly superb.
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Great description and exactly my experience. I am anxious to see what they are like months from now since usually cans improve with time. People kept mentioning the nice sound stage and they certainly do. I keep staring at my Edirol monitor speakers because it totally sounds like they are on but the red light showing it being off. I keep pulling the cans off because my brain doubts the are really off and wants to check.

My poor mans approach to nice audio audio gear is I look for products that Audiophiles have a grudging respect for and acknowledge they are far better then anything else you will get near that price and then I try and find those at some sort of refurbished or clearance price. These seem to really impress on the bang for buck.

These are the two 720p videos I am using for messing about for testing my settings. First one because I am loving the audio from the room full of people. Oh yea and I love the song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXkw7suAfP8


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b901cPCUtg

Second one because they are a local band, friends of friends and all that, making it big. And I like a small enough group of vocal and instruments that I can clearly pick out each one to focus on.
 
Regarding the possible need for an amp, my PCI X-fi is loud at windows volume 15-20%. I am only using the rear plug on the card itself I dont have the front panel hooked up. If I remember right that panel boosted volumes even higher.
 
I'm really considering the A700's for the bass, but I'm curious how they'll fit. I wear a ~7 1/4 hat size. Anyone with a similar noggin have some feedback?

Thanks!
 
Rockferd said:
I'm really considering the A700's for the bass, but I'm curious how they'll fit. I wear a ~7 1/4 hat size. Anyone with a similar noggin have some feedback?

Thanks!
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if you want bass get the M50
 
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