Resumen ...
- My impressions upon unboxing it is that the HD700 is much smaller than the HD800.
I’m guessing that this is due to two reasons, one is the use of the 40mm drivers on the HD700, as opposed to the much bigger 58mm drivers on the HD800. Second, I think the smaller housing should provide a more intimate listening experience, the way the HD650/HD600 series are (a lot of people find the HD800 to be too spacious, and indeed it is too spacious for a lot of studio-recorded mainstream music).
- The build quality is not as solid as the HD800, not even close. (lighter than the HD800)
- Lastly, when you are browsing the photos, you would notice that while both headphones have a letter-D shaped housing, the orientation is actually reversed. On the HD800 the round side of the letter-D faces front, while on the HD700 it faces back.
- That’s all for now, and I will try to update the article with some listening impressions in one or two days’ time.