Audio-Technica ATH-ES7 Portable Headphones, Black

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• Ultra-sleek, contemporary portable headphones with fold-flat design
• 42mm drivers for clear reproduction
• Luxurious ear cushions for maximum comfort and isolation
• 4-foot cord; gold-plated 3.5mm stereo mini-plug
• Includes protective pouch and cleaning cloth

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The Audio Technica ES7 does so many things right that you gradually realize that it's quite special.

= The ES7 can be worn like an ordinary headphone, then folded flat for storage in a backpack or briefcase. Few portables allow this kind of versatility. It's well made enough that it's clearly designed to last.

= These are closed headphones so your music is kept private (for the most part, anyway). They offer considerably more privacy than open headphones like Grados, which are excellent in their own right. Don't expect, however, for the ES7 to filter out external sounds. These are not "noise-reduction" headphones.

= Sound quality is surprising. The bass is solid but not fully controlled; however, the highs are sweet and subtle, lacking any hint of sibilance. With most music, it's a sound signature that gives the music a certain life and energy, and excels particularly with rock genres.

= The ear cups have a stunning, mirror finish on the outside not unlike the back of an iPod. This potentially a magnet for scratches, so it's advisable to make a Best Skins Ever cover to keep it in top condition.

= Using the ES7 for the first time, you may find that it curves around your head like a halo. However, by shaping the cable, it looks and feels more relaxed.

= Be cautious of cheap bootlegged versions of this headphone, usually for sale on eBay for irresistible prices. This headphone has been the victim of fakes, so refuse to buy new products that lack the ES7 box, gray velour slipcase, and literature.

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As i have said in previous reviews, the only way to adequately evaluate a pair of headphones is to own quite a few for a long time. This way you have some valid ground for comparison. If this is you're first venture into quality phones then of course you'll rate them highly but compared to what?

As far as portable low impedance headphones go these are some of the best I've heard. The burn in period is short. Sonically these can crank out some addicting sounds. They are light easy to adjust and can be worn for long periods. When you start listening to music with these it's hard to put them down. These have everything you want in a portable headphone. I use these primarily with my computer and ipod and these seem to have the ability to make the music sound better. The highs and midrange performance is excellent and the bass response kicks butt. They are a little pricey but I own some Shure in ear headphones that cost nearly 500 dollars and these can go

toe to toe with them. I like the fact that you can still hear ambient noise while listening to music so you will hear the telephone ring, your kids crying or a knock at the door. Surprising sonic bliss.

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These 'phones are amazing. I looked for months for phones to optimize my Ipod experience. I don't have a problem with the apple earbuds but wanted something much better. I considered noise cancelling phones but they are very expensive. after much research i found this model. Many stores charge over 200 for them (they list at 250) but Beach Audio on Amazon only charged 108 including the shipping, and they were a pleasure to deal with.

The sound is deep and rich. The phones kill ambient noise very effectively...i can't imagine noise cancelling phones doing much more to eliminate room noise. You can leave your pod EQ on flat or off and the phones deliver rich deep bass, very crisp highs, and a nice balance. They are light and easy to travel with; the ear sections fold flat and they slip easily into the included drawstring bag. I did take a day or two to get used to the feel of them (they have a bit more tension against your head than i expected so i had a day or so of "ear fatigue" but i quickly got used to them).

I can't say enough great things about these phones. If you're looking for phones for portable devices, a set that's light and portable but still delivers great sound, and you don't wanna shell out 300 for noise cancelling phones, this set from this vendor is a killer combination.

If I lost mine tomorrow, I'd order another pair from Amazon/Beach Audio in a heartbeat. I wouldn't be without them.

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These are the best headphones I've owned, though as is said before, that is completely subjective and will of course change from owner to owner. These are not my first headphones since upgrading from stock earbuds, but the difference I saw in these from my previous pair was just about the same amount of shock I felt when I tried on my first pair of $50 cans.

When trying these out for the first time, I was disappointed in the sound quality in relation to the relatively steep price tag. It sounded somewhat tinny, and the bass was all over the place; it was quite appalling, really. I knew that the things would need burning in, and after just 30 hours of repeated pink noise, these things are coming into a league of their own in a good way. The "tinny-ness" has all but gone away, and I can feel the bass starting to tighten up. I find it to give off a nice rich sound. I've read somewhere that these 'phones start to really shine after their burn-in period goes over the 100 hour mark, and I am excited to hear my pair when they reach that point. Just as a caveat, they do block sound well, but not well enough for use on the road, like in a bus or car. I haven't tried these on a plane yet, but I have little faith if they don't cut it out for the road. These are great for inside use, and outside use with little ambience. They do leak sound, but not really enough to be discomforting to people that lay around your "personal space".

The cups themselves are quite small, even for my small ears which is unfortunate because they end up being on-ear cups that are attached to a headband that exerts far too much pressure on the ears. There is a slight "modification" you can make to the headphones by bending the steel rods that hold the cups to straighten them out; the bending has the advantage of not only making them appear to be less goofy on big heads, and also it reduces the excessive clamping. Unfortunately, the cups still rest on the ears and after some time (1 hour for me), the pressure becomes uncomfortable and I find myself shifting the cups. This was an annoying inconvenience for me because my previous phones went around the ears. These on-ear phones I find are nowhere nearly as comfortable as other on-ear phones like say, the Bose On-Ear phones. This was a big disappointment for me and will likely drive me to other similar quality headphones. This was my fault for not going to tryout the headphones in person. But don't be fooled by the lack of ES7 pictures on people's heads: these things are small. I would say for the cups, from tip to tip are about 2.5 inches; the diameter of the cup inside the cushions is about 1.5 inches.

The design is very chic, very modern; the headphones as a whole are quite minimalistic, with plastic headband with no-padding, two steel prongs holding the cups on each side. The cups themselves are quite stylish with the stainless steel "mirror" finish on the back. They've been compared to the backs of iPods, but I find them to be much more sensitive to finger prints than the iPods. Not really a big deal if you could care less for the aesthetics, but as compulsive as I am, I always find myself shrugging away from people putting their arms around my neck when I'm wearing my ES7s. Lucky for me, I carry a little microfiber cloth in my wallet. The cups rotate so that they can lay flat, and then you can stow them away in the bag for transport. I don't know how much I'll be using this because given the price tag, I'll probably be extra careful and not put them in a backpack or suitcase.

The biggest thing that has led me to replace earbuds in the past has been the wire or plug wearing out. The wire itself is thin and looks flimsy, and the plug is a straight plug; I would've preferred an elbow plug because that seems to last the longest to me. But that can be fixed with a cheap adapter. As for the rest of the headphones, these things look like they can last a long time. I wouldn't necessarily use these as a hockey puck, I have no doubt that the actual design will break from use. I have my doubts about the wire and plug, but the phones themselves I think will last.

I am all in all very happy with my purchase. I was quite disappointed with the small cups and how they rest on your ears; that and the pressure that the headphones exert on the ears make for uncomfortable times in about an hour. But these things are stylish little devils and perfectly suit my "fashion sense" as they are shiny and small. If they sold ES7s with bigger cups that would go around my ears rather than on top of them, I would buy them in a heartbeat.

These headphones are very impressive. First, let me admit that I don't JUST use my ipod. I regularly check head-fi.org for reviews and consider myself a intermediate audiophile, as pretentious as that may sound. I was WAY past Bose(the most overrated, overpriced headphones on the market), and wanted something that was actually a great value and sounded great; The ES7's do not disappoint. However, I have been burning them in, and lets just say that these need a LOT of burn in to sound their best. I have been burning them in since Friday at 12 pm, and I have read on headfi.com that these headphones need 300 hours of burn in to start sounding optimal, preferably done with pink noise and not music. When I first purchased the phones, I was somewhat disappointed. They sounded just like the overpriced Bose triports, without the boomy bass(although, it was muddy). With burn in, these are already starting to sound great. The bass is slowly tightening up, while the vocals are clearing up and the highs are starting to shine. I can officially say that I am a fan of Bob Marley's song " Exodus" and " No Woman, No Cry" and a few other songs, songs I never liked in the past. The ES7's sound pretty good with my ipod, but VERY good with my headphone out on my PowerBook G4. And this is all in less than a week's time of burning in these phones! Although these phones don't require an amp, I am probably going to purchase an amp/dac combo to optimize my listening experience. This way, I don't have to deal with the sound-card on my powerbook, and my sound experience can truly be called great. Also, when I'm on the go, my ipod--after I amp it up and Rockbox it--will sound a lot better! However, these headphones do not disappoint by themselves, and they will continue to impress someone the longer he/she uses them. Highly recommended.