Packing a powerful punch
The latest headphones from Audio-Technica deliver clear sounds and throbbing bass notes
DEVELOPED TO replace the ES7 series of headphones, the new Audio-Technica ATH-ES700 compact on-ear phones deliver powerful bass and good sound details.
The phones look sleek too thanks to ear cups made of a light and strong stainless steel housing with a mirror finish.
The ES700 comes in a swivel and collapsible design, fitting easily into the provided carrying pouch. The phones also boast a 1.2-metre cable, long enough for connecting to a portable music player in your trouser pocket.
The ES700 weighs only 160 grammes and its headband and ear cup cushions are soft. The headband slides out to fit your head, making the phones comfortable to wear for long periods.
However, anyone with a large head might be bothered by pressure from the headband and ear cups after several hours of use.
The ES700 uses 42-mm drivers that Audio-Technica says have been newly designed to deliver powerful bass and detailed music sounds in a compact size. The headphones also use CCAW bobbin-wound voice coils to boost details of sounds.
The headphones have very high sensitivity response of 104 dB and a wide band of frequency response of 5 to 30,000 Hz, compared to 20 to 20,000 Hz of conventional headphones. They have 36 ohms of impedance and are capable of handling maximum input power of 1,000 mW.
The ES700 uses a 3.5mm gold-plated L-shaped stereo mini plug for good signal delivery..
I tested the ES700 with the iPod shuffle and Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and I was very happy with the music quality reproduced.
Despite its compact size, the ES700 delivered punching deep bass meaning that I could listen to my rock collection for hours and have fun making out details of musical instruments in the background. The vocal sounds were also beautiful and clear.
For example, when I listened to Roger Waters’ “The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking” on the Note 5, the details of ambient sounds for enhancing the songs’ concept could be heard clearly. When I played Scorpions 2010 “Greatest Hits” on the iPod shuffle, I was impressed with the powerful bass and guitars.
Audio-Technica ATH-ES700 is distributed in Thailand by RTB Technology and is available at Power Mall, Siam Paragon and King Power for Bt6,990.
Key Specs
- Driver Diameter: 42 mm
- Maximum Input Power: |1,000 mW
- Frequency Response: |5-30,000 Hz
- Sensitivity: 104dB/mW
- Impedance: 56 ohms
- Weight: 160g
- Connector: 3.5mm |gold-plated stereo mini plug |(L shaped)
- Cable: 1.2m (Y-Type)
