[Skagi]

ATH-AD700 owner here.

They are getting real old, I'm beginning the think one of the speakers is dying too as it rattles at high volume certain bass. The pads are pretty much gone. They are a great set of headphones though and I couldn't be happier with my purchase ALMOST 10 YEARS AGO now.

It is time to move on to something else I think. I love audio technica, does anyone have any opinions about them today? the M50's and AD700x's seem remarkably similar to the headphones they were selling a while back. I don't necessarily want anything better I just want something fresh. Open ear I'm currently on the fence with, while I love it, it also makes background noise, like an air conditioner, ruin a lot of the audio.

 

[boredgunner]

ATH-AD700 owner here.

They are getting real old, I'm beginning the think one of the speakers is dying too as it rattles at high volume certain bass. The pads are pretty much gone. They are a great set of headphones though and I couldn't be happier with my purchase ALMOST 10 YEARS AGO now.

It is time to move on to something else I think. I love audio technica, does anyone have any opinions about them today? the M50's and AD700x's seem remarkably similar to the headphones they were selling a while back. I don't necessarily want anything better I just want something fresh. Open ear I'm currently on the fence with, while I love it, it also makes background noise, like an air conditioner, ruin a lot of the audio.

The ATH-AD700X is great for gaming. If I recall correctly, build quality might be slightly shoddier in places since it's not made in Japan like the AD700, but the sound is said to be a bit more balanced and neutral.

If you have a decent sound card and want a step up, go for the AKG K7xx. Better sound stage/positional sound, and much more/better bass. And much more detailed sound and extended frequencies in general, just a tier or tier and a half above.

 

[pez]

Rattle could be coming from debris or hair in the drive. You could give it a quick (and gentle) blow to see if you can dislodge anything. I've had that issue with a lot of my open headphones since I have long hair. If you can see them sticking out, tweezers have worked the best to get fine hairs out, for me.

What budget are you looking at? Are you running the AD700s out of an amp+DAC currently?

 

[Skagi]

Rattle could be coming from debris or hair in the drive. You could give it a quick (and gentle) blow to see if you can dislodge anything. I've had that issue with a lot of my open headphones since I have long hair. If you can see them sticking out, tweezers have worked the best to get fine hairs out, for me.

What budget are you looking at? Are you running the AD700s out of an amp+DAC currently?

I will give them a good clean, rewire and put a new set of ear pads in and see if this helps before I decide on buying the...

The ATH-AD700X is great for gaming. If I recall correctly, build quality might be slightly shoddier in places since it's not made in Japan like the AD700, but the sound is said to be a bit more balanced and neutral.

If you have a decent sound card and want a step up, go for the AKG K7xx. Better sound stage/positional sound, and much more/better bass. And much more detailed sound and extended frequencies in general, just a tier or tier and a half above.

AKG-K702

 

[NightAntilli]

What is up with the price of the Phillips SHP-9500(s)? Was planning on buying one soon since they were extremely cheap (~$60). Suddenly they're all $100+. EOL?

 

[Gilles3000]

What is up with the price of the Phillips SHP-9500(s)? Was planning on buying one soon since they were extremely cheap (~$60). Suddenly they're all $100+. EOL?

Maybe just returning to the regular price, here in Europe they haven't been that cheap since 2015.

 

[Tiihokatti]

My brother replaced his Behringer B3031A speakers (Ribbon-tweeter + Kevlar-woofer version of B2031A) with Tangent Spectrum X6 BT floorstanders (got them for 599€).
Very nice build quality and functionality. Bass is good for 5" woofers, and it's only a tiny bit bloated on stock settings.

Overall sound quality doesn't really match up with the B3031A, but the B3031A was a groundloop hell with very annoying volume controls (==Windows volume at 6%) and zero connectivity.
For 599€ I would say that the X6 BT are pretty good overall, but my brother is going to miss the sweeeeeeeeet highs and overall more neutral sound signature of the B3031A.
But if pure sound quality is the deciding factor, something like JBL LSR308 or Behringer would be the best choice on a 600€ budget.

Fun fact: my brother bought the B3031A for 350€ years ago, and the current price for a new pair is 600€

 

[iamjanco]

Just an update that I'm pretty sure I'm going to purchase a Mainline kit from Bottlehead (thanks for the original pointer, TJ!). I'm really not in a place where I could make good use of speakers, and typically wear headphones while I'm in front of the screen. The Mainline goes on sale starting Monday ($250 off), and everything I've read about it has been more than positive.

That said, I may also go with a few premium components (e.g., caps and resistors) that I'll source elsewhere once I've built and listened to the assembled product, and will know for sure when I get there.

 

[lurker2501]

Just came here to say that the recommended Superlux 668B headphones mentioned in the guide are absolute garbage. Especially when it comes to long gaming sessions due to the headband design which is two-piece and is very uncomfortable on the head. The headphones themselves are only good for small ears so if you have even medium size ones like me they will pinch your earlobes. Soundstage is mediocre at best. DO NOT recommend.

 

[Sami-FIN]

I feel that it is my responsibility to leave this link here: ASUS Xonar sound cards issues. It may be dangerous to use an Asus Xonar sound card.