Initially didn’t like it all but it’s really growing on me. After playing around the position of it on my head I found the best sound came from pushing it as far back as your ears would allow for the most amount of mid range.
Yeah, they are big cans and position matters, I found I have to do similar things to get the sound right. It is part of the reason I like my HD700 so much, they almost get the HD800 signature sound and just fit so comfortably.
I also (for shame) have Dekoni Hybrid elite pads on my HD800, I really enjoy them.
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I have yet to try the HD700, might go down the shop some day and just demo for a few hours.
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Not many people are fans…but I think that has more to do with graph monkeys then actually listening to the headphones ( Sorry, not sorry graph people 
) I’m more about listening to the headphones and going with what I like, rather than putting to much emphasis on the graph readings, which from my understanding can be very inaccurate depending on the setup, equipment used, position, day, night, moisture in the air, feelings that day, etc 
all joking aside graphs are a good jumping off point but should never be the end all be all decision making factor on listening or acquiring headphones. In fact didn’t a bunch of graphs come out showing the Utopias as being all over the place? I’m not familiar so can’t say for sure.
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I do use squiggles to confirm what I hear but I am by no means a squiggle worshiper as you cannot tell timbre from it. The Utopia fiasco was Tyll’s review unit showing less mids and treble than their production unit.
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Looked up the Tyll thing, kind of messed up. Anyhow I agree with you, “squiggle” to confirm😀. It was the HD700 that really enforced this viewpoint for me, they really are great headphones for me, to the contrary of many other users.
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Heh, I don’t trust Focal as a good company anymore after what they did with their flagship model
What did they do?
Just how they handle their customers in general. Left a bad taste in my mouth.
I actually think the HD700 is a weird situation because according to measurements, they’re really not that different. I was kind of surprised when I heard them for myself and experienced the opposite—I expected them to be more similar than different because of measurements but I hear less resemblance than I thought I would. They have similar features but the HD700’s midrange sounds so much more dipped and strange sounding (almost like I’m in a fishbowl due to the recession combined with resonance) than the HD800. The treble is brighter but that doesn’t bug me too much. I happen to have both in right now so I compared as a sanity check and found that to still be the case, which really confuses me. Have you experienced this or is it just my ears?
Yeah the mids are hmm… Withdrawn… I wouldn’t say veiled. Just not the focus, almost like they are just out of reach but still touchable lol trying to describe sound can be so ridiculous sometimes…
Yeah, the midrange is probably my biggest issue with it. The HD800’s at about the lower limit of my tolerance for dipped upper midrange and the HD700 is basically that turned up a notch.
I’m about to buy some HD800’s and idk if I should do the superdupont or if I should just eq the 6k peak out.
I would listen to them for a good week + without mods, then once you get a feel for them do an EQ, and if you like it, and want a more hardware solution go with the Superdupont mod…
I will probably take my Superdupont mod out, but that is basically because I didn’t mind them stock.
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I run mine stock and think they sound great. I do like a bit of treble though. I even liked my HD700’s when I had them and a lot of people have a downer on them. Mind you I might have weird hearing so take this with a grain of salt. Hehe.
-Paul-
I still love my HD700s! That is part of the reason why I’m thinking of reversing the Superdupont mod on the HD800.
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Just got mine today!!! I need a great amp dac with my 3 pin xlr cable. Any suggestions?probably less than $700. I love the sound of it neutral however I wouldn’t mind a slightly more musical approach. Mass drop liquid carbon possibly?
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HSounds like a good start but there are a whole host of choices in that price range. There are more experienced people around who will advise you better. There are some good stuff on Massdrop and then there’s the project ember that gets lots of love. Though I am not sure if that’s just an Amp. Good luck on your search. I am jealous, it’s great looking for new gear. Oh by the way the HD800 are a great set of cans I love mine. Enjoy. Just noticed you’re looking for XLR compatible stuff. So take my advice with a grain of salt in some parts.
-Paul-
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Anything with tubes will help with musicality on the HD series of headphones. But my experience with tube amps is limited to MCTH, and what I have demoed at stores and associates. But I will say that MCTH and the HD800 pair very well and you don’t need to worry about tube rolling with that one. But you will need a stand alone DAC for that pairing. I currently use the JDS labs El DAC with everything, but I am looking to diversify with other DACs and amps in the future… I really want the RME ADI-2 DAC.
I like my HD700s which were my go-to pair until I recently purchased a set of HD800. The HD700s go nicely with my portable Digital Audio Player. IMO, they are more comfortable than the HD800 from a heat standpoint (cooler on the ears).
FYI Audio 46 has a good price on the HD700s…shows one set in stock.
https://audio46.com/shop/sennheiser-hd-700-audiophile-studio-headphones/