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Sennheiser HD 700  Headphones Review

Reviewed Sep 26, 2017 at 06:49pm
Tested using methodology v1.4 
Sennheiser HD 700
5.2
Mixed Usage 
7.9
Neutral Sound 
4.0
Commute/Travel 
5.3
Sports/Fitness 
4.8
Office 
4.7
Wireless Gaming 
6.7
Wired Gaming 
1.7
Phone Calls 
 0
The HD 700 are well-made critical listening headphones with a comfortable fit and a durable design. They have an excellent audio reproduction and create a spacious soundstage, which makes them one the better options for critical listening. However, they may sound sharp and piercing on certain tracks and are not really practical for any other use case. They're not designed for outdoor use, and they leak quite a bit which may be distracting to the people around you.

Our Verdict

5.2
Mixed Usage 

The HD 700 are critical listening headphones, not suitable for other use cases except maybe home theater. They deliver an excellent sound but have poor isolation and a slightly bulky and leaky design that's best used at home and in isolation.

Pros
  • Great audio reproduction.
  • Sturdy and comfortable design.
Cons
  • Sensitive to ambient noise, by design.
  • Leaks a lot of sound, by design.
7.9
Neutral Sound 

The HD 700 are made for neutral listening. Their sound quality is excellent and they have a comfortable design you can wear for hours. They have an almost neutral frequency response and create a spacious soundstage, although the slight bum in the mid-range does make them slightly muddy on some tracks.

4.0
Commute/Travel 

Not designed for commuting. The open-back ear cups do not block any ambient noise. They're also not very portable which will be an issue when commuting.

5.3
Sports/Fitness 

Not meant for sports. They're bulky, unstable and require an amp, so they're not suitable for sports or to use outdoors.

4.8
Office 

These headphones are not meant for office use. Unless you work in an isolated environment.

6.7
Wired Gaming 
1.7
Phone Calls 
  • 5.2
    Mixed Usage
  • 7.9
    Neutral Sound
  • 4.0
    Commute/Travel
  • 5.3
    Sports/Fitness
  • 4.8
    Office
  • 4.7
    Wireless Gaming
  • 6.7
    Wired Gaming
  • 1.7
    Phone Calls
  • Changelog

    1.  Updated Feb 20, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
    2.  Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
    3.  Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
    4.  Updated Feb 16, 2018: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.

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    Beyerdynamic DT 1990 PRO

    The Sennheiser HD 700 are slightly better critical listening headphones than the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 PRO. They are noticeably more comfortable, especially since they don’t clamp as hard as the Beyerdynamic. While both are open-back headphones, the Sennheiser are more open-sounding. However, they do lack a bit of sub-bass, which is normal for open-backs. However, the Beyerdynamic have a more accurate bass, even if they are also open-back. The Beyerdynamic also feel sturdier than the Sennheiser, and they also come with a coiled cable, which is nice.

    Test Results

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    RATINGS
    Category:
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    Design
    Style
    TypeOver-ear
    EnclosureOpen-Back
    WirelessNo
    TransducerDynamic

    The HD 700 look somewhat similar to the HD 800 S, but with a more compact and convenient form factor. The ear cups share the same open design, but they're much smaller and fit a little better around most listeners' ears. They also feel just as premium thanks to the microfiber padding on the ear cups and the attention to detail given to the headband. They won't be the most fashion-forward headphones, and with their open-back design they aren't supposed to be used outdoors but their simple, premium feel, will satisfy most casual and critical listeners.

    8.5
    Comfort
    Weight0.63 lbs
    Clamping Force
    0.8 lbs

    The Sennheiser HD 700 are very comfortable headphones. They have a large and spacious ear cups coated in a soft microfiber padding that feels nice on the skin. They're fairly lightweight for their size and don't exert a lot of pressure around your ears. Moreover, unlike the HD 800 S, the ear cups are not as bulky and do not extend all the way down to your jawline so you can wear them for hours and not feel any fatigue.

    0.0
    Controls
    OS Compatibility
    No Controls
    Ease Of UseNo Controls
    FeedbackNo Controls
    Call/Music ControlNo
    Volume ControlNo
    Microphone ControlNo
    Channel Mixing
    No
    Noise Cancelling ControlNo
    Talk-Through
    No
    Additional ControlsNo
    7.6
    Breathability
    Avg.Temp.Difference2.8 °C
    5.3
    Portability
    L7.9"
    W7.7"
    H3.8"
    Volume231 in³
    Transmitter RequiredNo

    The HD 700 are not portable headphones. They do not fold into a more compact format, and the ear cups do not lay flat either. They're on the bulky-side of most over-ear headphones and will be a hassle to carry on you without a bag. They do come with their original box that you can use as a case, but it adds so much bulk that it's not practical to carry them in the box in most cases.

    0.0
    Case
    TypeNo case
    LN/A
    WN/A
    HN/A
    VolumeN/A
    8.0
    Build Quality

    The HD 700 are not as well-built as the HD 800s but they still feel like sturdy, durable and well-made, high-end headphones. The headband is large and reinforced with a metal frame that gives it a bit more durability and flexibility. The ear cups are also decently dense and made of quality materials that won't easily break if you drop them once or twice. However, the hinges are somewhat similar to the HD 600 and HD 650 which is a bit thin and could be the main weak point of the HD 700's build quality.

    6.0
    Stability

    The HD 700 are not stable enough for any kind of physical activities. They're able to maintain a stable fit under normal and casual conditions. However, if you use them while running or doing anything strenuous they will easily slip off your ears. They're not designed for sports and should not be used for that use case.

    Headshots 1
    Headshots 2
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    In The Box

    • Sennheiser HD 700 Headphones
    • Audio cable 
    • Manual

    Sound
    Sound Profile
    See details on graph tool
    Bass Amount
    -2.04 dB
    Treble Amount
    -2.26 dB
    7.5
    Frequency Response Consistency
    See details on graph tool
    See details on graph tool
    Avg. Std. Deviation
    0.5 dB

    Excellent consistency. The Bass Range of our Over-Ear and On-Ear headphones are measured on 5 different human subjects, 5 times each. The HD 700 shows a consistent response in the mid-range but a bit of variation with their bass. However, since they're open-back, the design allows them to rely less on an air-tight seal to create their low-end. The Treble Range also shows good consistency, but depending on the positioning, there could be up to 3dB of variance at 3KHz.

    Raw Frequency Response
    See details on graph tool
    See details on graph tool
    7.5
    Bass Accuracy
    See details on graph tool
    Std. Err.
    3.25 dB
    Low-Frequency Extension
    56.57 Hz
    Low-Bass
    -5.77 dB
    Mid-Bass
    -0.69 dB
    High-Bass
    3 dB

    Very good Bass Range performance. Low-bass, is a bit lacking and the high-bass is slightly overemphasized by an average of 4dB. This makes the sound of these headphones noticeably boomy and lacking a little low-end thump and rumble.

    8.3
    Mid Accuracy
    See details on graph tool
    Std. Err.
    2.32 dB
    Low-Mid
    1.88 dB
    Mid-Mid
    0.08 dB
    High-Mid
    -2.87 dB

    Very good Mid Range performance. Mid and high-mid are reproduced nearly perfectly but the bump in low-mid, which is the continuation of the high-bass overemphasis, will make the Mid Range slightly muddy.

    6.9
    Treble Accuracy
    See details on graph tool
    Std. Err.
    4.07 dB
    Low-Treble
    -4.09 dB
    Mid-Treble
    2.04 dB
    High-Treble
    -8.02 dB

    Great Treble Range performance. Low-treble is reproduced consistently and is within 1dB of our target. However, the sharp peak around 6.5KHz could make treble sound piercing and sharp on certain track.

    6.9
    Peaks/Dips
    See details on graph tool
    Peaks
    2.21 dB
    Dips
    1.19 dB
    8.7
    Imaging
    See details on graph tool
    See details on graph tool
    Weighted Group Delay
    0.19
    Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
    0.24
    Weighted Frequency Mismatch
    1.39
    Weighted Phase Mismatch
    9.22
    8.8
    Passive Soundstage
    See details on graph tool
    PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
    2.32 dB
    PRTF Size (Avg.)
    5.81 dB
    PRTF Distance
    15.48 dB
    Openness
    9.4
    Acoustic Space Excitation
    8.8
    0.0
    Virtual Soundstage
    Head Modeling
    No
    Speaker Modeling
    No
    Room Ambience
    No
    Head Tracking
    No
    Virtual Surround
    No App
    8.5
    Weighted Harmonic Distortion
    See details on graph tool
    WHD @ 90
    0.120
    WHD @ 100
    0.080
    Test Settings
    Firmware
    No Firmware
    Power
    Passive
    Connection
    Wired
    Codec
    PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz
    EQ
    No EQ
    ANC
    No ANC
    Tip/Pad
    Default
    Microphone
    No Microphone
    Isolation
    1.4
    Noise Isolation
    See details on graph tool
    Isolation Audio
    Overall Attenuation
    -3.27 dB
    Noise CancellingNo
    Bass
    0.05 dB
    Mid
    -0.44 dB
    Treble
    -9.34 dB

    Weak Noise Isolation. These are open-back headphones and not meant to isolate, so they barely achieve any reduction up to 2KHz. Above that, they only achieve about 10dB of isolation, which is also poor.

    1.2
    Leakage
    See details on graph tool
    Leakage Audio
    Overall Leakage @ 1ft
    64.95 dB

    Poor Leakage performance. The HD 700 have a very open design so they have a high amount of leakage. Most of it begins at 400Hz all the way to 20KHz which is a broad range. The overall level of the leakage is also very loud which will be distracting to those around you.

    Microphone
    Microphone Style
    Integrated
    No
    In-Line
    No
    Boom
    No
    Detachable Boom
    No
    MicNo
    0.0
    Recording Quality
    Recorded Speech
    N/A
    LFE
    N/A
    FR Std. Dev.
    N/A
    HFE
    N/A
    Weighted THD
    N/A
    Gain
    N/A
    0.0
    Noise Handling
    Speech + Pink NoiseN/A
    Speech + Subway NoiseN/A
    SpNR
    N/A
    Active Features
    0.0
    Battery
    Battery Type
    No Battery
    Continuous Battery Life
    N/A
    Additional Charges
    N/A
    Total Battery Life
    N/A
    Charge Time
    N/A
    Power-Saving Feature
    No
    Audio While Charging
    No
    Passive Playback
    Passive Headphone
    Charging PortNone
    0.0
    App Support
    App NameNo App
    iOSNo
    AndroidNo
    macOSNo
    WindowsNo
    Equalizer
    No
    ANC Control
    No
    Mic ControlNo
    Room Effects
    No
    Playback Control
    No
    Button MappingNo
    Surround Support
    No

    No compatible apps.

    Connectivity
    0.0
    Bluetooth
    Bluetooth Version
    No Bluetooth
    Multi-Device Pairing
    No
    NFC Pairing
    No
    Line Of Sight Range
    N/A
    PC Latency (SBC)
    N/A
    PC Latency (aptX)
    N/A
    PC Latency (aptX HD)
    N/A
    PC Latency (aptX-LL)
    N/A
    iOS Latency
    N/A
    Android Latency
    N/A

    Negligible latency, wired connection

    0.0
    Non-Bluetooth Wireless
    Non-BT Line Of Sight Range
    N/A
    Non-BT Latency
    N/A
    9.5
    Wired
    Analog Audio
    Yes
    USB Audio
    No
    DetachableYes
    Length9.5 ft
    Connection1/4" TRS
    Analog/USB Audio Latency
    0 ms
    PC / PS4 Compatibility
    PC/PS4 Analog
    Audio Only
    PC/PS4 Wired USB
    No
    PC/PS4 Non-BT Wireless
    No
    Xbox One Compatibility
    Xbox One Analog
    Audio Only
    Xbox One Wired USB
    No
    Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
    No
    0.0
    Base/Dock
    Type
    No Base/Dock
    USB Input
    No
    Line In
    No
    Line Out
    No
    Optical Input
    No
    RCA Input
    No
    Dock Charging
    No
    Power Supply
    No Base/Dock

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