Poor Sound with Sennheiser HD700

[Avitus]

Okay, I am back from the store. In store supply was limited so my main goal was to get an amp that can support the ohms to see if that was the issue. The options for external AMPs was well... Poor. So I ended up with the ASUS Strix Raid DLX Sound card. No difference in sound quality, just able to get a %30 louder sound and a fleet of effects and profiles that I can tweak. Not worth the $240 price tag though. While I was in store I was able to try the HD5xx series and those most certainly have a stage you can feel.

 

The HD700 have a fairly defined base in sound, but you can feel anything. (As in vibrations coming from the speakers to rattle your head.) It seems like almost every headset I've tried so far does that besides the HD700. As far as mid / High the HD700 do seem slighty more clear. I'd maybe pay an extra $50 for the %10 clarity increase. But for $500 this seems ridiculous. I figured if you took a $100 HyperX and compared it to the $600 HD700 paired with a $250 Soundcard AMP that there would be a night and day difference. But this isn't the case. Is there something wrong or is this really how it is?

 

EDIT: Listening to some strings, HD700 certainty takes the win there.

[Avitus]

More research online is pointing to pairing the Schiit Magni or Vali and Modi to get the real punch the HG700's need. Supposedly The 700s and 800s are picky when it comes to AMP. Although their efficient to power they need certain amps to bring out the true quality? Temped to order those, at this point I'm more interested in the educational aspect of this.

 

EDIT: Purchased the Magni & Modi for schiits and giggles. I'm just curious at this point. Returning this useless sound card tomorrow.

[SSL]

32 minutes ago, Avitus said:

Supposedly The 700s and 800s are picky when it comes to AMP.

 

This is audiophile code for "shitty sound signature". That said, I'm not quite sure why the HD 700 sounds like apple earpods to you. Regardless, the fact that a soundcard provided zero benefit confirms that the sound signature is not for you.

 

My philosophy of gear synergy is that you should be trying to enhance the strengths of your headphone rather than compensate for weaknesses. So, I just don't see the point chasing down the perfect amp for the HD 700.

 

Did you like the HD 5xx sound? If so, the HD 650 might be a better fit for you if you can return the HD 700. Pair with a Schiit Valhalla 2 ($350) and game over.

[Avitus]

the 5xx was good but the HyperX seemed more punchy. I also wasn't really a fan on the comfort compared to the 700. I'm not sure what the display was using to power it, there was 6 headphones on one system. Sales guys were clueless. Was still better than the 700 in bass. Which Is why I still think something with my setup is off, most online reports say the HD700 is more throaty than the 5xx and that its inbetween the 650 and 800 overall. I might pick up some 650's to compare as well if I can't find a store that carries the whole lineup. Gotta love return policies. I didn't consider the Valhalla with the price point, but if I end up returning the 700s and going with the 650s I can justify it.

[Daniel Z.]

14 minutes ago, Avitus said:

the 5xx was good but the HyperX seemed more punchy. I also wasn't really a fan on the comfort compared to the 700. I'm not sure what the display was using to power it, there was 6 headphones on one system. Sales guys were clueless. Was still better than the 700 in bass. Which Is why I still think something with my setup is off, most online reports say the HD700 is more throaty than the 5xx and that its inbetween the 650 and 800 overall. I might pick up some 650's to compare as well if I can't find a store that carries the whole lineup. Gotta love return policies. I didn't consider the Valhalla with the price point, but if I end up returning the 700s and going with the 650s I can justify it.

If the clouds sound nice to you, maybe try the Urbanites.

[Avitus]

10 minutes ago, Daniel Z. said:

If the clouds sound nice to you, maybe try the Urbanites.

I'm not too big of a fan of the On-Ear. I have a pair of the HD25II far from comfortable. I like the idea of open backed. I just figured that with any headphone $500+ that it would at least be better in all ranges than a $100 pair, not just the mid-high with a sacrifice of the low. The low is clear and well defined. Its just heavily missing the punch. Seems odd that it wouldn't have any punch at all.

 

[SSL]

2 minutes ago, Avitus said:

I'm not too big of a fan of the On-Ear. I have a pair of the HD25II far from comfortable. I like the idea of open backed. I just figured that with any headphone $500+ that it would at least be better in all ranges than a $100 pair, not just the mid-high with a sacrifice of the low. The low is clear and well defined. Its just heavily missing the punch. Seems odd that it wouldn't have any punch at all.

 

Punch generally means a boost in the mid-bass, which I don't think the HD 700 has and the HD 5xx doesn't have much of. So... there you go.

 

12 minutes ago, Daniel Z. said:

If the clouds sound nice to you, maybe try the Urbanites.

 

Get real. Urbanites aren't audiophile headphones.

 

29 minutes ago, Avitus said:

I might pick up some 650's to compare as well if I can't find a store that carries the whole lineup.

 

I think that's a good plan. It might be that the open-back headphone sound just isn't for you, as there really aren't any that are going to have the same "punch" you're talking about in the bass, as a closed headphone.

[Avitus]

Listening to the video below, the HD700 and my Bose Quite Comfort EarBuds are completely identical.

 

EDIT: I know youtube is not a good source for audio quality.

[Avitus]

2 minutes ago, SSL said:

I think that's a good plan. It might be that the open-back headphone sound just isn't for you, as there really aren't any that are going to have the same "punch" you're talking about in the bass, as a closed headphone.

Which closed back would you recommend?

[Daniel Z.]

2 minutes ago, SSL said:

 

Punch generally means a boost in the mid-bass, which I don't think the HD 700 has and the HD 5xx doesn't have much of. So... there you go.

 

 

Get real. Urbanites aren't audiophile headphones.

 

 

I think that's a good plan. It might be that the open-back headphone sound just isn't for you, as there really aren't any that are going to have the same "punch" you're talking about in the bass, as a closed headphone.

If OP has a problem with bass, he probably isn't looking for something like M50x, M70x, or HD800. Aren't the Beyer Dynamic DT770 quite good with bass?

[SSL]

1 minute ago, Avitus said:

Which closed back would you recommend?

 

Check out the recommendation sticky in the $100-300 and $300-500 range. Not exhaustive, but it should give you some google terms to research.

[Avitus]

1 minute ago, Daniel Z. said:

If OP has a problem with bass, he probably isn't looking for something like M50x, M70x, or HD800. Aren't the Beyer Dynamic DT770 quite good with bass?

Not that I want to completey focus on bass, I do like mid-high sound stage with the Openbacks. I was just concerned that with the price tag I paid that I would also get a comparable bass.

[Dackzy]

Just now, Daniel Z. said:

If OP has a problem with bass, he probably isn't looking for something like M50x, M70x, or HD800. Aren't the Beyer Dynamic DT770 quite good with bass?

the M50x has quite a decent bass boost... But I wouldn't recommend them for anyone, unless they want to use them on the go.

1 minute ago, Avitus said:

Which closed back would you recommend?

I would actually maybe looks into som massdrop fostex TH x00 or maybe the Shure SRH 1540, they both have a pretty big bass boost and good quality bass, while still having good treble that isn't so laid back that you loose detail in the treble. If you want a more laid back sound then maybe the Oppo PM3

[SSL]

6 minutes ago, Avitus said:

I was just concerned that with the price tag I paid that I would also get a comparable bass.

 

Unfortunately it doesn't work like that. It's very difficult to get any kind of bass boost with open headphones without also screwing up the mid-range. Even at higher price points, you have to pick a headphone with a sound signature to your taste.

 

Another option occurred to me, the Philips Fidelio X2. Open headphone, but it does have more low end presence.

[Avitus]

Tomorrow I'm going to head into town where there are a few HiFi shops. Hopefully they will have some of the stuff you guys mentioned that I can demo, I'll make sure to keep the thread updated. Thanks for all your continued and fast support. Always watched Linus's videos, first time using the forum.

[Avitus]

Also note that I work from home with a mix of music and conference calls so the headset must be comfortable for all day use. I have a modmic that I plan to attach to headset of choice once it all settles. I do plan on doing some gaming on these. Mainly Star Citizen, I can't help to think of a space ship flying over me and hearing crystal clear sound with the rumble, but also hear those pesky footsteps in the FPS combat. 

[Avitus]

Update: I got the Schiit Modi/Magni in the mail today and hooked it up. My ears have never heard such greatness before. Significantly better.

[SSL]

27 minutes ago, Avitus said:

Update: I got the Schiit Modi/Magni in the mail today and hooked it up. My ears have never heard such greatness before. Significantly better.

 

Weird.

 

Well, whatever. If it made that much of a difference to the sound signature, you need a Valhalla 2. It'll take the HD 700 to the next level, particularly the soundstage. Magni is boring in comparison. In my experience, if the Magni makes a 5% overall improvement overall (I do own it as well), the Valhalla is closer to 30%+.

 

Ain't this hobby great?

[Avitus]

I sense I have picked up an expensive new hobby....

[SSL]

2 minutes ago, Avitus said:

I sense I have picked up an expensive new hobby....

 

Yeah, it's stupid.

[Dackzy]

4 hours ago, Avitus said:

I sense I have picked up an expensive new hobby....

yep, it can get expensive really fast. I have postponed upgrading my DAC amp until I knew I could afford the combo I really wanted, because I knew that if I just bought a cheaper lesser combo then I would upgrade within a year.

[Guest Kloaked]

On ‎3‎/‎21‎/‎2017 at 4:10 AM, SSL said:

 

Unfortunately it doesn't work like that. It's very difficult to get any kind of bass boost with open headphones without also screwing up the mid-range. Even at higher price points, you have to pick a headphone with a sound signature to your taste.

 

Another option occurred to me, the Philips Fidelio X2. Open headphone, but it does have more low end presence.

To keep in mind though, the X2's bass is quite muddy for some music - for rap they're fine, but I don't think they're going to have the "punch" that OP wants. The treble is also funky with different genres to the point where I wouldn't recommend them for the current price. I'd totally buy them used though.

[TVwazhere]

I was just going to say your problem was your sound card but you fixed it.

 

The HD700's need a good DAC/AMP combo to work well. I learned that when I bought my HD6xx's from massdrop, fortunately I did my research and found a good DAC/AMP combo, but considered your Schiit stack for a while too. 

 

The issue isnt "oh they sound shit" its that motherboards dont have a high enough Ohm impedance level to drive such a headphone (my HD6xx's have a 300 ohm impedance and I think my motherboard was 25) so while motherboard audio is good for NORMAL headsets, its NOT good for audiophile grade gear like you have. 

 

I bought the SMSL M6 DAC/AMP btw. I was less concerned with "finding my sound signature I liked" and more "getting them to work without too much hassle" Glad you like them!

[SSL]

3 minutes ago, TVwazhere said:

The issue isnt "oh they sound shit" its that motherboards dont have a high enough Ohm impedance level

 

Ohms aren't a measure of "level" of driving things.

 

I'm still surprised that an amp made that much of a difference to the OP. I've tried a number of headphones, some with much higher impedance, without noticing frequency response changes going from MB audio to a dedicated amp.

[Guest Kloaked]

45 minutes ago, SSL said:

 

Ohms aren't a measure of "level" of driving things.

 

I'm still surprised that an amp made that much of a difference to the OP. I've tried a number of headphones, some with much higher impedance, without noticing frequency response changes going from MB audio to a dedicated amp.

I know and agree that Z is useless, but he did do a video on the HD700 on multiple amps and noted a slight change in response between amps. Then when it came to connectors that changed things as well. I wonder how much merit there is to that, at least with the specific equipment he was using there.