Audio Technica ATH-AD700. Are these cans the definitive solution to your audio needs? Read on to find out.

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Category: Headsets
Manufacturer: Audio Technica
Product: ATH-AD700 Pro
Gallery: Click Here
Price:$109.83

Introduction

I have spent my fair share of time reviewing product here at FPSLabs. Product acquisition can be a difficult process. A lot of the time the things we would like to review elude us; though I’m sure some of you think we can easily get whatever we want for free. A guy can dream right? Sometimes I have to sit down and get out the debit card to buy hardware for myself - on occasion for selfish “I need this” reasons, and on others just to check something out and see for myself if it really lives up to the hype. Today’s review of the Audio Technica ATH-AD700 is combination of both.

The opportunity recently arose for me to get a hold of this AD700. My friend needed a new headset so I was going to give him my SteelSeries 5HV2. I had ordered a Sennheiser HD555 for myself, but then I figured I owed it to myself to at least test them against one of their highly regarded direct competitors and see which of the three I really liked best. At FPSLabs we have reviewed the SteelSeries 5HV2 and the Sennheiser HD555 before so this wont be a headset/headphones round-up by any means, but there will be some direct comparisons.

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I have never felt the need for “quality” when it comes to audio on my computer. It has always been the area I have neglected the most- If I could hear things, it was fine with me. The Creative X-Fi XtremeMusic was my first foray into quality audio for source material. Yet since that purchase I hadn’t invested in quality speakers or headphones to go with them. Silly, I know. Spending $100+ on headphones or a headset seemed silly to me. I guarantee you this, since having both the HD555 and AD700 here in my house at the same time, I will no longer neglect the audio aspect of my gaming rigs.

I don’t know much about Audio Technica other than what I pulled up off of their website. Established in 1962, they make high-end audio equipment from microphones and headphones to wireless systems and mixers. Their products have also been chosen in many high-end broadcasts from the Super Bowl, to presidential debates, to the Olympics. Now on to the goods.

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The Packaging

When I first opened up my box from UPS and noted the headphone box the first thing that crossed my mind was how it looked nothing like I expected. The box art is classy and stylish, the box folds open to view the headphones inside. There is also a see through hole in the box art to view the headphones on the side. The packaging made a great first impression and was a far cry from the standard headset in a plastic bubble or cardboard box.

 

Inside the box everything is pretty status quo. The headphones are set in a plastic foam-like holder nice and secure so the device isn’t bouncing all over in transport. It’s easy to remove; simple yet secure. Overall right out of the box these cans impress. The packaging does the job of appealing to your visual senses all while showing off the product in a stylish manne, but in all reality lets face it, we don’t buy these things for snazzy boxes, so I shall get down to business.

The Headphones

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Features:

  • Open air headphones for high quality audio
  • Full headphones leave no pressure on the ears
  • Lightweight aluminum and magnesium frame
  • Auto-adjusting “3D wing” frame to contour for any fit
  • 53 mm drivers featuring neodymium magnet systems

When I first ordered these I had my inhibitions about them. One, they aren’t “known” as a headphone that gamers use very often. Two, I had never spent that much on headphones/headsets before. And lastly, they were purple and gold [Ed's Note: Woo Lakers!]. I mean, purple and gold? It sure is not your typical black/silver/gray/white headset style like the HD555 or the 5HV2. It looks a bit odd, but what grabbed me was that the gold wasn’t as bright as I thought it was- it was almost a drag matte gold color and it actually looks sharp. I want to post a disclaimer. My camera still sucks, and all the cloth on the ear pads, and the headband isn’t purple, its actually black. The only purple is on the outside of the actual ear cans. With that being said the overall color and style isn’t as obtrusive as I first thought it would be after seeing them online. And after using them for some time now I don’t even think about the slightly odd colors.
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I will be upfront with you guys, many of the technical aspects of these headphones are a bit beyond my knowledge. Regardless, the key issue here isn’t “how do the specs of x, y, and z compare”, it’s about sound quality/performance, comfort, and value. And those aspects my friends are something I can definitely measure these headphones in.

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The first thing I noticed was that the top suspension mechanism was much like that of the Audio .370s or the Siberias. The upper band flexes for size adjustments on your head all while giving a firm feel to the headphones and keeping them lined up. Unlike those headsets the lower section of the band is split in the middle and features thick comfortable padding which rests on top of your head. In addition to this the lower headbands on each side feature a double pivoting system. If you look at the picture on the far right you can see this. Right at the joint where the headpads connect to the upper band there is one pivot, and then each headpad also pivots at the joint. This provides unmatched auto-adjustability vs. anything I have ever used. No matter how you wear them on your head; further back, further up, on bigger heads or smaller; the headphones will adjust to your style.

The cord is almost 10ft long so there is plenty of extra length when needed. I currently have my extra cable running up under my desk over a plastic hook so I have easy access to the slack, yet can keep it out of the way at the same time. Its durable and feels pretty heavy duty. It has been ran over by my chair a couple times with no issue whatsoever. The ear pads being velvet, yes velvet, are quite amazing. Comfortable? Let’s talk about that.

Comfort

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The aforementioned ear pads are incredible. The velvet is softer than a brand new roll of double-layered Charmin. You barely feel them on your ears; in fact the only place you really feel them on your head is just below your ears. This brings me to one of my only complaints about these headphones. If you wear them on a 90 degree angle like most headphones they tend to put a bit of pressure just below your ear or around the lower jaw. From asking around it seems people with smaller heads notice it more as the angle in which the cans sit around your ears is a bit sharper. It stems from not having any kind of pivot ability at the joint of the ear cans to the upper band. The headphones can rotate around slightly but not back and forth. Personally it doesn’t bother me all that much. Oscar, a fellow Senior Editor here at FPSLabs, however had more of an issue with this. One thing I found that minimized this affect was to tilt or move forward the headband on my melon. For me it really wasn’t an issue and is nothing I would knock serious points off for- I love how they feel on my head. In comparison the HD555 puts more pressure all along the side of your head instead of the focal point below the ear like the AD700. I found the AD700 more comfortable in this regard, as they have more of an “air-y” feel, which makes them less noticeable on your head than the HD555. The 5HV2 is comfortable, but does not stack up in ear pad or headband comfort even though it does pivot forward and back where the cans meet the headband. The HD555 feels slightly less comfortable on the ears vs. the AD700, but still seems to beat out the 5HV2 in this regard. Bottom line when it comes to comfort: there have been numerous times I have started to wheel away from my desk in my chair and forgotten the AD700 was on my head. They are that unnoticeable; clearly taking the cake in the comfort department vs. the other two sets.

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Performance

These headphones, as were the 5HV2 and HD555, are paired up with my X-Fi XtremeMusic. You cant have great audio if you pair your quality headsets up with garbage audio sources. Remember that. You wouldn’t buy a Ferrari and then put unleaded gas in it would you? Same concept here. I am going to test these in some games, make a few comparisons, then move on to audio and movies.

In-game

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The games of choice during this review were Team Fortress 2, Counter-Strike 1.6, Counter-Strike: Source, and Crysis. I have raved about good positional audio before, such as in the 5HV2 review. While the positional audio on the 5HV2 is good, it achieves this with audio having minimal depth. It is quite the experience to not only have a 6th sense of your opposition’s position in game but to do so while achieving audio excellence all around. Both the Audio Technicas and the Sennheisers can provide this. It is a more well-rounded sound that the SteelSeries headset lacks. In [CS] 1.6 and Source I was able to pick up details like weapon reloads and footsteps with regular accuracy half-way across the map. During Team Fortress 2 I could weed out sentry gun movement with ease even during the heat of the battle. Often during big confrontations audio can become distorted or muddied up, but while using these headphones clarity was never a problem. While moseying around in Crysis setting off enemy alerts, their strategic communication and babble was clearly audible beyond distances that the 5HV2 could reproduce.

I have often heard that a good set of headphones is like ’sound hacks’. These statements are pretty accurate when paired with a good sound card. You avid gamers out there owe it to yourself to try some quality cans at some point or another if you haven’t. I can’t promise you these headphones are going to take you from CEVO-O to the CGS World Finals when it comes to playing games, as there is only so much of an advantage hardware can give you, but you might as well take advantage where you can.

In-game I did prefer the AD700 overall. Clarity reigned supreme with these headphones. All ranges of sound seemed more distinct, acurate, and deep. While I enjoy the added bass later on with the HD555, in-game I prefer the cleaner sound stage of the AD700. The amplified bass and explosions in-game were nice to listen to with the Sennheisers, but the Audio Technicas seemed more beneficial to game play.

Movies and Music

First and foremost my new “audio tester” of choice is a copy of Star Wars with 5.1 AC3 sound at 440kbps. I loaded up the video, set the volume about half way in Windows and prepared myself. Right off the bat the depth of the sound blew me away. Swapping around to the 5HV2 and noticing the hollow sound was like night and day. Blaster fire details that I had never picked up before were quite impressive. John Williams’ score had never sounded better in my ears. The Imperial march through the AD700 is an experience I will not soon forget. While the Sennheiser HD555 sounds great, it seemed the overall sound stage of the Audio Technicas was a bit more well rounded. The HD555, as I have mentioned, kicked a bit more bass but they weren’t quite on par in the overall sound department. Of course both sets blew the 5HV2 away in this aspect as they lack a competitive level of depth or bass in the sound department.

Music-wise I fired up a few different songs in the ‘ole Winamp to make some direct comparisons. In the duration of having these headphones I have probably listened to 50-60hrs of audio so they should be well broken-in, if a break-in period exists, and more than ready for some head-to-head comparisons. Music, like the movie and game results, saw the 5HV2 come out the loser. The 5HV2 struggles with no bass and high treble, which forces one to make adjustments within Winamp to get any decent sound. The AD700 on the other hand is fantastic. Pink Floyd has never sounded this good on my system with ANY headphones I have tried, period. Crisp audio throughout the lows and the highs, no distortion, simple top notch audio. Various instruments rang throughout the music with detail and precision. The HD555 did provide a slight bit more of a bass kick in the hip hop I listened too but it wasn’t overwhelming. I used to be one those guys who kicked up the bass boost and loved extreme vibration. However now I am more of the “listen to it as it was meant to be” type. Thus, I didn’t really feel the AD700 were lacking all that much bass- less than Senheisers, yes, but the overall sound clarity and quality of the AD700 more than made up for it.

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Conclusion

The question is: Do they live up to the hype? The answer to that is a resounding yes. These headphones provide without a doubt the best audio experience I have ever enjoyed on my computer. The HD555 comes in a close second. If I was playing more music and movies through the headphones I would probably lean towards the Sennheisers for the slighter deeper bass. However my primary function on my computer other than work is gaming, and the Audio Technica ATH-AD700 takes home the prize in that area. I think I grabbed these on sale for around $105. If you are going to spend $80+ on a sound card it is absurd to not have some quality audio output to pair them up with.

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The design is excellent, with the only flaw that I could discern being the non-pivoting ear cans. Other than that the comfort level is top shelf, with all contact areas being incredibly soft. Audio-wise you cant go wrong. Whether you are in-game, jamming to your music collection, or watching video on your computer- in all likelihood these are going to excel in every facet. Now I realize there isn’t a mic attached to these, so you will have spend another $10 or so and get yourself a quality attachable mic, use another headset, or use a desk mic.

The AD700 is the best pair of headphones I have ever used, even out-pacing the Sennheiser HD555. The 5HV2, while a solid choice in game, isn’t even in the same building when in comes to all-around audio quality. If you are in the market for a new audio solution and don’t mind a touch of purple with your gaming motif, give them a shot. This is my new standard for audio excellence.

Pros
+ The best in game sound I have ever heard
+ Quality sound in movies and music, unlike say the 5HV2
+ Very comfortable, soft velvet, large cans
+ Price to performance better than anything else in this range
+ Sharp style, and great design

Cons
- A little less bass than I would like, but not bass less like the 5HV2
- non pivoting ear cans may not fit perfect on everyone

Rating
9.8 out of 10

Wearing these and listening to them is a complete joy. If these cans pivoted in and out with another joint where they twist they would be absolutly perfect. I didnt really deduct for bass because it isn’t distracting, and sometimes the HD555 seem like they have too much bass. I have a feeling these cans will be in my accessory arsenal for a long time coming.

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