Audio Technica AD700 headphones

[thomasfrank09]

Well, after waiting what seemed like a lot more than five days, I've finally got my AD700's! Here's my opening impressions.

Ok, so the first thing I noticed about these cans is the lack of a full strap on the top. When I first put them on, they are very comfortable, but the lack of a band going across the top of my head felt weird at first. After about 10 minutes I got used to it though, and I quite like the feel.

The sound of these headphones is incredible. I've got them hooked up to the audio controller of my Logitech X540 surround sound set, which is plugged into my generic soundcard, and they sound amazing. The soundstage is like nothing I've ever heard. My friend recommended I buy Grados before I got these, and when I listened to his I though they were good but they lacked that immersive feel. These don't at all. Music is everywhere with these. I'm listening the live version of Al Di Meola's Race with the Devil on a Spanish Highway right now and it sounds amazing. Just hearing the echo of the snare drum throughout the venue is a first time experience.

For gaming, I first tried out WoW because it supports surround sound. It's quite an experience. When I logged in, there was a fire crackling to my left - as I circled it the sound circled realistically in the headphones. These are great for gaming.

Lastly I tried out Iron Man in blu-ray. Needless to say, I'm catching a lot more details and the experience is very immersive.

The only complaint is that after wearing them a short time I'm starting to feel some slight pressure at the end of the "wings". But it's not a huge deal. These are awesome.

Edited November 5, 2009 by thomasfrank09

[User6060]

nice how much did these cost you?

[thomasfrank09]

I got them new on Amazon for $83 dollars. Now that my roommate is playing guitar hero next to me, I'm thinking about also snagging the closed version sometime in the future as well :p

[thomasfrank09]

Update:

My friend who owns the Grado SR80i brought them over for comparison, and here's the verdict.

The AD700 has a massively better soundstage (The grado has almost none) - If you're planning on gaming at all, get the AD700, no question.

The Grado seems to have a punchier sound. The bass is tighter; on the AD700 the bass seems slightly muddy (only if you're comparing, you won't really notice it if they're your only phones.) The mids are also a bit better defined.