TLDR: Very good (but not perfect). Why nobody makes more headphones like these (in this price range)?
The long story:
I've long been in a search for closed back headphones (for privacy and not interrupting others). My requirement were: (1) good sound quality; (2) relatively light; (3) sturdy build; (4) easy to drive. Apparently, a pair of headphones with this combination of characteristics are harder to find than I thought.
I've had quite a few headphones over the years (about 15, open and closed, some even quite expensive), and basically most of them were just OK at best. The only headphones I really liked, which I consider the golden standard (for me), are the Drop HD6XX (which I still use). However, they have their shortcomings- they lack bass (can be EQ'd) and are rather difficult to drive (depending on the music, but sometimes my THX 789 amp needs to be on maximum volume and there is still some headroom lacking). So, I wanted something closed back, with better bass which is much easier to drive. After some very bad experience with the Beyerdynamic DT770 (can't think of any headphones I hated more), I decided to give more of my money to Beyerdynamic and got the 700 Pro X, and I'm really glad I did.
The 700 Pro X are well sealed, sit comfortably, well built and I can easily drive them through my laptop headphone jack to satisfactory listening levels (that's new!). No need for an entire equipment rack with cables and power chords just to listen to headphones (unlike the HD6XX). I can finally slouch on my couch with just a laptop and headphones like a normal person.
Soundwise, subjectively, they actually sound very similar to good open back headphones; i.e.- sound is very clear and detailed, and even kinda spacious. They have decent bass, which is on the tight side (they do lack sub-bass though). I prefer a little less treble, but I don't think they are bright (somewhat more than the HD6XX, an order of magnitude less than the DT770). After some mild software equalization (a little more bass, a little less treble)- the 700 Pro X just sound excellent, without a hint of distortion. Which makes me think- why are such headphones so rare, especially in this price category? Everybody just wants open back/difficult to drive headphones?
The long story:
I've long been in a search for closed back headphones (for privacy and not interrupting others). My requirement were: (1) good sound quality; (2) relatively light; (3) sturdy build; (4) easy to drive. Apparently, a pair of headphones with this combination of characteristics are harder to find than I thought.
I've had quite a few headphones over the years (about 15, open and closed, some even quite expensive), and basically most of them were just OK at best. The only headphones I really liked, which I consider the golden standard (for me), are the Drop HD6XX (which I still use). However, they have their shortcomings- they lack bass (can be EQ'd) and are rather difficult to drive (depending on the music, but sometimes my THX 789 amp needs to be on maximum volume and there is still some headroom lacking). So, I wanted something closed back, with better bass which is much easier to drive. After some very bad experience with the Beyerdynamic DT770 (can't think of any headphones I hated more), I decided to give more of my money to Beyerdynamic and got the 700 Pro X, and I'm really glad I did.
The 700 Pro X are well sealed, sit comfortably, well built and I can easily drive them through my laptop headphone jack to satisfactory listening levels (that's new!). No need for an entire equipment rack with cables and power chords just to listen to headphones (unlike the HD6XX). I can finally slouch on my couch with just a laptop and headphones like a normal person.
Soundwise, subjectively, they actually sound very similar to good open back headphones; i.e.- sound is very clear and detailed, and even kinda spacious. They have decent bass, which is on the tight side (they do lack sub-bass though). I prefer a little less treble, but I don't think they are bright (somewhat more than the HD6XX, an order of magnitude less than the DT770). After some mild software equalization (a little more bass, a little less treble)- the 700 Pro X just sound excellent, without a hint of distortion. Which makes me think- why are such headphones so rare, especially in this price category? Everybody just wants open back/difficult to drive headphones?
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