Sony MDR-ZX700

[Za'afiel]

Very, very cool-looking. 

How's the comfort on these?

Comfort is great, though after a couple of hours the clamp is difficult to ignore. However it makes up for it with commendable passive noise isolation.

Nice joma

Midrange is the character of this headphones. The bass though is somewhat lean on this. the rolled-off highs I can live with but it gets peaky on some tracks esp. bad recordings.  Comfort is really good, well-padded headband.

I had it modified thru sandmooose to make it detachable ala Z1000 but I'm hearing imbalance lately so I might recable it to dual entry. I'm not sure what other mods you can do with it, I don't think dampening the drivers will help improve its bass.

For it's price range, it deserves 7/10 rating;
5/10 in the realm of all headphones I tried.

It's you and me baby! Haha. Has yours changed drastically so far?

[Za'afiel]

Doing some testing with my desktop setup.

foobar2000 v1.0.3 > ASIO4ALL v2.9 > SPDIF > iBasso D12 > RCA > Millett MiniMAX (Tung-Sol 12FM6 tubes, gain 10) > ZX700

I used the 12FM6 tubes on the MiniMAX as they're the mid-gain tubes and are the most neutral sounding.

The low 24Ω load is easily noticeable since I can't crank up the volume beyond 11:00. Natural listening volume is attained at the 9-10:00 position.

There is actually a wealth of bass response, but definitely not as deep as the specified 5Hz. In addition, I highly doubt I'll be able to tell if the other end reaches 40kHz. Returning to the bass, the upper range has more emphasis than the midbass, though it still sounds meaty to me. I can probably say that this is the sweet spot of the ZX700, where the upper bass meets the low mids. Midrange is actually a bit stepped back, compared to... the Denon D1001, for example. The treble does not extend very high up, but the rolloff isn't that noticeable.

Overall the ZX700 is warm and a bit laidback. Isolation is less than 10dB, maybe around 5-7. The short cable is really a treat and makes it easier to pick up this headphone for portable use every day. When I say portable I mean wearing it portably, either on your head or around the neck--this can doesn't fold up so tucking it away will be a chore. A microfiber towel wrapped around it worked well enough for me, though. These belong in the same league as the Denon D1001, Audio-Technica ATH-ES7, M50, and other similar closed portables.

[maserati]

local price for this one is P5500 according to sony.com.ph.  Is it worth it?

[HK-47]

The US SRP is $119.99, or about P5,100. Considering how outrageously marked up some headphones are locally (*cough* Grado *cough*), it doesn't look too bad.

[Za'afiel]

local price for this one is P5500 according to sony.com.ph.  Is it worth it?

This is not bad, not bad at all. I wonder which branches already sell these.

[maserati]

This is not bad, not bad at all. I wonder which branches already sell these.

Same here.  Been looking for a while now, still haven't seen them.

[maserati]

where can i get these locally?  do you guys know how it compares with the ath-m50?  tia

[Za'afiel]

where can i get these locally?  do you guys know how it compares with the ath-m50?  tia

Local Sony stores don't know jack about the ZX700 so most probably the head distro is the way to go.

The ATH is more hard-hitting and upfront than the MDR, which sounds more airy and lush. Isolation is better with the ATH, but for comfort I have to give it to the MDR.

[Dyaems]

have you tried xz700 with cdr-king pads?

[Za'afiel]

have you tried xz700 with cdr-king pads?

Not yet, but that is an interesting idea...

[peeeeeejay]

putting up this thread. would you happen to know guys if this is already available locally? thanks

[Za'afiel]

putting up this thread. would you happen to know guys if this is already available locally? thanks

Bump. Has anyone seen these locally?

[Azathoth]

@peeeeeejay:

I've not seen this locally based on recent vists to Sony stores in Gateway, Rockwell, Park Square and Megamall. You can always inquire with Sony Philippines if you're interested in these:

Sony

Official Distributor:
        Sony Philippines
        11th Floor Marajo Tower, #312 26th Street West cor. 4th Avenue,
        Bonifacio Global City, Taguig 1634 Philippines
        860-3333
        860-3398 (Fax)

For Product Inquiries and Promotions:
        Sony Customer Contact Center
        878-7600
        via SMS : text Inquire <space> your question then send to 0917-807-7669

http://www.headphiles.org/index.php/topic,2347.0.html