Audio-Technica ATH AD700 - Headphones ( ear-cup )

I bought these after doing a lot of research in Magazines and Hi-Fi websites. They were recommended in several places and then I looked in shops in Tottenham Court Road to compare prices.

These headphones are no disppointment - at first they feel huge and the idea of surrounding your ears is a big novelty. It's like having a pair of speakers on your head - but they are incredibly light and feel luxurious!

I decided to test them with some of my favourite orchestral music and a few SACDs of Mahler symphonies. I was amazed at the details that appeared which I had not noticed before - even in hundreds of listenings!

I think live digital recordings of large orchestras is the best test as we are not talking about a producer's whims here - it has to sound like it does in the concert hall - and it does!

However, I don't listen exclusively to Classical music and I had just got a double CD of Grace Jones' Compass Point recordings - digitally re-mastered and these sound superb! Lack of bass - no way!! Sly and Robbie sounded huge in these headphones and the dub-style bass of Robbie was clear, but massive!

A big bonus of the CD was a lot of the 12" single remixes and the bass on these was earth-shattering - but with no lack of detail or distortion - subtle off-beat keyboards and percussion can be heard across the mix and all comes through loud and clear!

I think any prolonged headphone use gets wearing - but these are very comfortable and a joy to sit with and listen to long symphonies - can't recommend highly enough!

I know people pay huge prices for headphones - but these are a reasonable and worthwhile investment.

I've been using Sennheiser HD595 h/phones for a couple of years now but I
ordered these AUdio Technica ATH-AD700 phones after reading a positive review in HiFi News last October. Having just started to use them, they are extremely light on the head and very comfortable. The sound is spacious and detailed with good, tight bass, open midrange and a sweet
treble. I think they have the edge on the Sennheisers for comfort and sound quality and are £50 cheaper too. A wise buy!

Disclaimer; I would say I have a semi trained ear. I appreciate quality recordings, good bit rates and well made products. I am by no means an audiophile and my experiences using these have been through my PC with a fairly good sound card powering them. I have had previous PC headsets, Sennheiser, Plantronics and a number of in ear headphones but nothing in the same price range as these.

I apologise this is rather long, but I hope it provides other buyers with information.

Presentation
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The packaging; slightly superfluous and probably not something you think about once the product is out of the box but I think it's all part of the experience. The packaging certainly didn't give me the same feeling as opening any of my Apple products. The headphones arrived in a rather plain, unassuming and thin cardboard box; much like the type your cereal might come in. Maybe it's some new eco packaging?! The outside was a little battered and I ripped the box slightly getting into it; It was safe to assume this wasn't a box I would be keeping.

The insides were fairly minimal, the headphones were placed on a molded plastic insert and contained a small manual and an headphone jack. If there was anything else in there I must have tried to block it from my memory. It would have been a nice touch to have received a carry case/bag with these, even if it was just a cheap linen bag or similar.

Construction
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Lifting the headphones off the insert the first thing I noticed was the weight. They are surprisingly light, yet not so much that they feel cheap. This was a major concern for me as I've had headphones previously which I would have to take off periodically as they were attempting to reshape my head. I have found that I can wear these for considerable lengths of time without needing to take them off; normally the only time I do so is to let my ears relax for a bit, which I think is necessary with most headphones.

Not only are they light but they are well padded. What looks like a padded band in the product image is actually 2 flexible pads coming from the left and right cans. These don't connect in the middle as I expected, but rather flex to take the load of the headphones as you place them on your head. Apart from being unexpected, I find the design to be rather effective.

The earphones are well cushioned and covered in a rather nice velour material, I don't find it itchy and my ears aren't gasping for air or sweating profusely after extended use. There isn't too much pressure on my (rather large) head, they're relatively light, well cushioned and I don't feel my head is about implode either. The fact that the cans cover my ears is great; I have small ears but these things would easily accommodate a donkey.

Overall the headphones feel solid, the outer frame feels robust and I'm sure these will survive many an inevitable fall. The cable is thick, doesn't seem to tangle easily and is fairly long. The colour and materials are fairly neutral and will fit in with most schemes.

One gripe I did have with the outside (back) of the cans is that it is made from metal and feels slightly cheap. The metal has been perforated or cut to allow sound through but when you run your hand over it feels a little rough, almost jagged - but not to the point that it would cut you.

One last thing on the construction. I know that it's fashionable to wear big headphones outdoors again but these are just way to big, if anyone is currently having that idea I would skip over these straight away. Or alternatively, if you like looking uncool, these are for you!

Sound
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I've been listening to quite a lot of acoustic / live sets on these and the clarity has been brilliant. They sound very vibrant, the music is colourful and has a definite warmth. There is a sense of depth from these headphones that I'm not familiar with; The music feels like it has space to breath, instruments and vocals each have their own place but they don't ever sound hollow. This is not hyperbole, the sound stage is fantastic.

The bass seems to be a bit of a touchy point with some reviewers and it's definitely worth mentioning, but maybe not for the same reasons. Normally I listen to my music fairly loud and previous headphones have been fairly heavy on the bass. For the first week I was almost a little disappointed that they weren't producing more given their size. I enjoyed the clarity but missed the bass level I was accustomed to.

Since then I would say that they have somewhat converted the way I'm listening to music, the clarity is just superb and I've come to appreciate this greatly. It's not even that the bass is lacking, it is most definitely there, however it is not overwhelming and seems to be both controlled and precise. That said if you're a bass head and you really can't live without the punishment, I would suggest you consider an alternative.

Lastly, just to mention that these are open cans meaning sound will leak both ways. This isn't much of a problem for the person wearing them, but anyone else in the room will fairly quickly start giving you funny looks.

Overall
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Lost a star for packaging and outside of cans, neither of which would stop me from buying again knowing how good they are, but non the less had an impact on my first impression.

- A robust set of headphones.
- Light and comfortable.
- Great clarity and sound stage.
- Bass is refined and controlled, but may not be for everyone. (Bass heads)