Tour

The Audio-Technica ATH-A700 headphones are a pair of over-ears with big ear cups and a long cord.

If you couldn't tell from these pics, the band is very strange. It's comprised of two rigid plastic rods and two pads. The pads are the only part that rests atop your head. They're attached to the cups with springs. You simply put on the headphones and they conform to your head as best they can.

The cord extends down from the left ear cup, runs through quite a few feet of sweater-wearing cable (the cloth weave will protect the cord from dangers), and ends in a standard 1/8-inch plug.

In the Box

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The only things you'll find in the ATH-A700s' box are the headphones themselves and a 1/4-inch adapter.

Durability

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There really aren't any glaring durability issues with the ATH-A700s. The cord is very durable. The cord guards are substantial and their cloth weave will both help stave off the various ills that typically befall cables. The headphones themselves have some moving parts, which is a bit of a durability issue. The band is very, very flexible, however, which will help avoid breakage. We were impressed with the ATH-A700s design.

Aesthetics

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We think this particular design aesthetic is a bit silly. If you're into audio and can pull it off, then consider yourself one of the lucky people. Really, the ATH-A700s don't look bad on their own, but they're just so big. These headphones will make anyone's head look four sizes too small.

This being said, the overall look is good. These headphones don't have any flourishes, but they look sleek in their simplicity. If it weren't for their size and the band creating a mini orbit around our scalp, we would've given them more points. Feel free to award bonus points if you're young, alternative, and really want everyone to know you're serious about your audio.

Summary

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The Audio-Technica ATH-A700 headphones are on-ears intended for use with your home sound system. The cable is long and covered with a woven-cloth casing, so it should be safe stretched across your room.There's also a 1/4-inch adapter included to accommodate all stereo systems.

Like fellow homebodies, the Pioneer SE0A100s and the Sennheiser HD 555s, the Audio-Technica ATH-A700 headphones shouldnt' leave the house. They have very poor isolation and leakage control and they're not even particularly portable to begin with. Assuming you keep them inside, they'll offer some low-distortion playback for $300.

Frequency Response

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The ATH-A700s didn't have the most stellar frequency response. Halfway between the 1kHz and 10kHz both channels are significantly underemphasized for a handful of frequencies, then spike back up for a moment before dipping down again. The left channel is particularly underemphasized, straying almost 20dB away from the lower limit. After 10kHz and a brief stay within the limits, it drops down again. Typically where we see headphones go wrong on this test is by over-emphasizing certain frequencies, typically the bass or drums. The ATH-A700 actually has a fairly even bass response, but they drastically under-emphasize the drums (the second downward plunge is about 7kHz, which is the attack on most drums).

Many of the comparison headphones also had a bad frequency response graph. The QC3s, for example, followed a similar trend, but fell further off the bottom limit. It seems to be a trend among over-ears to have a bit of a sudden de-emphasis towards the 7kHz range: the Ultrasone HFI-2200, QC3, and SR60 all have some sort of valley in this area. The Pioneer SE-A1000 headphones, which are similar in form factor to the ATH-A700s, actually had a very good score on this test, staying within the limits the entire time. If you like the ATH-A700s' form factor, but want a more even keel to your sound, consider the SE-A1000s.

Distortion

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The ATH-A700 has remarkably little distortion. The graph is a bit bumpy along the zero line, but it never crosses 0.5% distortion at any point. If you're a finicky audiophile who hates distortion, the ATH-A700s are definitely a pair of headphones to consider.

The ATH-A700 has some stiff competition in the comparison headphones, but it was only bested by the Sennheiser HD 555. It narrowly edged out the Bose QC3s, and thoroughly trumped the other three. The HD 555 and QC3 actually use our old graph format, which starts at 20 Hertz instead of 100, so ignore the rocky starts to those graphs (we don't score on that area because we can't get results that are precisely accurate). Really, while the ATH-A700's graph is slightly bumpier than the HD 555s' and slightly less bumpy than the QC3s', all three headphones are outstanding. The ATH-A700 has impressively little distortion.

Tracking

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The ATH-A700s didn't have the best tracking. The graph started out fine, only straying about 2dB away from the zero line. At about 500 Hz, however, the volume shifts suddenly to the right. After this swing, the line levels off for a bit, but becomes rocky around the 2kHz line. At about 7kHz there's a significant swing from right to left. This, coupled with the weird frequency response, might make drums sound strange.

The ATH-A700 didn't do so well on this comparison. Many other headphones get a bit crazy towards the 7kHz range and up, but they have a more balanced response up until that point. Although the ATH-A700 headphones don't have the best tracking we've ever see, they could've been a bit more even-handed.

Maximum Usable Volume

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The ATH-A700s were capable of 116.37dB SPL, which is a good level. We give max points for 120dB, since anything over that is dangerous. For most people, 116 decibels should be plenty of sound.

Isolation

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Loose-fitting headphones generally have poor isolation, meaning the ATH-A700 headphones are just another statistic. They don't block out any bass at all, and while we were a bit impressed with the high-pitched noise they were able to shield HATS from, it in no way approached a good isolation level. Of course, you aren't going to be wearing these headphones on a bus, so chances are this poor performance won't affect you. Just remember that these aren't headphones designed to drown out a jet engine or screaming kids.

As you can see, over-ear headphones are notoriously bad at isolation. The ATH-A700s actually performed better than all the comparison headphones, with the exception of the Bose QuietComfort 3s and their active noise cancellation. Given how bad other over-ear headphones are, it makes the ATH-A700s low score seem good by comparison.

Leakage

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The ATH-A700s leak a lot of sound, but weren't so bad as other over-ears like the Pioneer SE-A1000s. These aren't headphones that will let you listen to a late night action movie while your room mates or spouse slumbers in the same room. Typically when headphones do poorly on both leakage and isolation, it means they don't form a particularly good seal with the ear. We're guessing this is the ATH-A700s' case. These headphones are best used in a quiet environment that doesn't necessarily need to remain quiet.

Short-Term Use

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Comfort is, of course, a very subjective category. As a general rule, you should try on a pair of headphones before you buy them. This isn't always an option, unfortunately, which is why our reviews have a comfort section: to give you a basis for what you could reasonably expect from a pair of headphones. For this section, we wore the headphones for an hour.

After our hour with the ATH-A700s, we didn't have any complaints. The padding was soft and the headphones had a looser fit than is typical. The headphones are covered in a very soft leather-print plastic. We didn't feel like they provided a very good seal with our head, but it was soft nonetheless. Part of the reason why the ATH-A700s are so comfortable is because they have such a loose fit. This means they likely won't stay on if you're moving around a lot, or banging your head excessively.

Extended Use

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The ATH-A700s remained comfortable throughout our wear experience. They're loose enough that our heads didn't feel like squeezed grapes, but not so light and comfortable that we forgot we were wearing them. Overall, a very comfortable wear experience.

Cable Connectivity

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The ATH-A700s' cord dangles from the left ear cup. It's just shy of 9 feet, 8 inches, which is long. Unless you're trying to connect to an amp that's clear across the room, the ATH-A700s' cord should be more than enough. Also, the cord has knit shielding, which should help it survive computer chair wheels and work boots.

The cord ends in a standard 1/8-inch plug, with a 1/4-inch adapter included in the box.

Customizability

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There aren't many ways to customize your ATH-A700 wear experience. There aren't any cup padding replacement options, the band doesn't really extend or contract, and the ear cups don't have a particularly impressive range of motion. Really, the only customization you're offered is to help the headphones fit onto your head, and you're not so much in control of that customization as it is done for you as a by product of putting them on. We're not entirely sure if this form factor is the best for providing a customized wear experience, but it's certainly a lot less hassle then manually re-adjusting an extendable head band.

Portability

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The ATH-A700 headphones are not portable. First of all, the things are gigantic and they don't fold. If you have to shove these in your bag, they're going to take up a lot of space. Secondly, if you're planning on taking these for a walk with your iPod, you'd better have room in your pocket for a spool of cable. There's no included form of cord management, so you'll have to supply your own rubber band or something else to bind the cord. Really, if portability is an issue for you, there are far, far better options out there: even compared to other over-ear or on-ear headphones the ATH-A700s are a pain to lug around.

Maintenance

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There really aren't any maintenance tools included in the box, but you can disassemble these headphones should the need arise (some people hate dust, like to re-solder their connections, or simply like taking stuff apart.

First of all, you need to take off the cup padding. We thought the cups were a pain to get on and off, so bear that in mind before you go ruining the padding on your $300 headphones.

Once the pads are off, you can get an eye-full of the driver's facade.

If you wish to keep going, you'll need your tiny Phillips screwdriver. Four screws later and you should see something that resembles the picture below. If you want to keep going, you can unscrew the back of the driver's housing, but chances are this is the closest you'll want to get with your canned air.

Other Features

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Battery

The ATH-A700 doesn't require batteries to run. In this, the golden age of electronic bells and whistles that don't necessarily have any great effect, not requiring batteries is fast becoming a novelty.

Value

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Like many headphones in this price range, the ATH-A700s are overpriced for what they provide you with. They aren't quite as overpriced as the Ultrasone HFI-2200 or the Bose QC3 headphones, but they're overpriced nonetheless. They have two great attributes: they're comfortable and they have far, far less distortion than we typically see. They also can isolate better than average, but that's honestly not much of a claim.

If you're looking for a good pair of in-home headphones that are comfortable to wear for a long stretch of time, you should give these a listen. Unless you really like the sound, however, there are better headphones available for less money.

Conclusion

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The Audio-Technica ATH-A700s are above average. They have great distortion and cable connectivity, and are comfortable enough for any movie marathon. Like all over-ears, they're not particularly portable, but chances are, if you're reading this, you already knew that. Really, the ATH-A700s would be great headphones at the $200 price point. At $300, however, the ATH-A700s had better charm you with its sound, because otherwise we're not sure they're worth such a high asking price. The Pioneer SE-A1000s are very similar in terms of quality and even aesthetic. If you're looking for headphones like the ATH-A700, you should consider the SE-A1000s as well.

In summation, while the ATH-A700s are above average headphones, their price is as well.