Following some sneak previews at CES last month, Sennheiser has officially launched its new HD700 headphones here at the Bristol Sound & Vision show.
The HD700 will sit between the popular HD650 headphones and Sennheiser's flagship HD800 model. The headphones will cost £599 when they go on sale from late March, but they are available to pre-order here at the special show price of £479.20. (The HD800s are also available here for £800, a £200 saving).
As with the HD800, the HD700 will be available to try at home for a week before you commit to buying.
Sennheiser describes the HD700 as the 'baby brother' of the HD800. It uses a smaller version of the same driver, for example.
Dominic Feeney, Sennheiser product manager, describes the HD700s as being "more forgiving than the ultra-revealing, reference quality of the HD800s". He says the new headphones may therefore better suit users who want to enjoy longer listening sessions or less-than-perfect recordings.
The HD700s - pictured below right, with the HD800s on the left - are also lower impedance and therefore easier to drive than the flagship model.
Feeney says that makes them able (assuming your amp/receiver has a decent headphone stage) to be used without a dedicated headphone amp.
And talking of headphone amps, you can hear both sets of headphones here at the show being driven by the new Grace 903 headphone amp - making its UK debut, priced £1599.
The show is also the first chance to see and hear Sennheiser's new RS220 flagship wireless home headphones (pictured right), which will also launch next month, priced £349.
We will get review samples of the Sennheiser HD700 and RS220 headphones early next month, so expect to see full tests imminently!
