Yamaha YH-L700A Review
Verdict
The Yamaha headphones are by turns dandy, good, and underwhelming. A terrifically assertive and rich audio functioning is complemented by an intriguing 3D feature and disappointing ANC. Those with small heads may desire to expect elsewhere, too.
Pros
- Rich, energetic sound
- Long battery life
- Assured spatial audio and caput tracking
- Strong wireless signal
Cons
- ANC underwhelms
- Bulky fit
- Inelegant button controls
- Expensive
Availability
- United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland RRP: £449
- USA RRP: $699
- Europe RRP: €499
Key Features
- 3D Sound Field Renders two-channel audio source in a iii-dimensional sound space
- Listening Optimizer Optimises sound in existent-fourth dimension to correct the difference betwixt the source and the 'actual' listening condition
- Listening Care Optimises the volume residual depending on the source device'south volume level
Introduction
Yamaha is well known for two things: its musical heritage and soundbars. So what happens when information technology takes that musical noesis, combines the experience gained in digital signal processing from its soundbars, and jams it into a pair of headphones?
You get the YH-L700A. As the Japanese audio brand's flagship pair of cans, the L700A have a toll tag to match their standing. The highlight is their implementation of spatial audio, which takes stereo content and transforms information technology into a 3D sound field.
They accept quite some competition, jostling against the likes of Apple tree, Bose, Sony, and Philips. Yamaha has gone full blast with these headphones, and the results are thrillingly entertaining.
Design
- Individual sense of fashion
- Beefy appearance
- Finicky buttons
There's no getting around the YH-L700A's size. Place them on your head and they don't so much sit there but envelop the summit half. Those with smaller heads and smaller ears should probably consider headphones that aren't every bit jumbo-sized.
Bulkiness even so, the Yamaha offer a comfortable fit. The clamping force is on the loose side, the padding is generous, and the headband – wrapped in a cloth fabric – looks handsome and feels nice.
The use of leather-like materials and fabric textile affords them plenty of style. The shape of the ear cups looks a footling like a treble clef note when laid apartment; simply I may be seeing what I desire to see.
The headphones can exist folded flat or collapsed to be stowed away in the accompanying carry case. Sceptics of capacitive touch controls tin exhale a sigh of relief with the employ of physical buttons here, but it'south non all practiced news. Trying to locate the buttons isn't as effortless every bit information technology ought to be – I constitute it equally piece of cake to find the volume push when I meant to press stop. It's simpler just to use your mobile device instead.
Three other buttons are spread over the right and left ear cups: ANC, ability, and 3D. The first toggles through the various dissonance-cancelling modes (including off), just the 3D button doesn't actuate the 3D Audio Field technology; instead, it flits through the various 'Environs Modes'. To enable it, you need to open the Yamaha Headphones app, which feels like a bit of a rigmarole.
Features
- 3D Audio Field tech convinces
- Underwhelming noise cancelling
- Strong connection to source device
At £449, you'd expect these headphones to do something interesting, and the inclusion of Yamaha'south 3D Sound Field technology is exactly that. Yamaha'due south approach to 3D audio has more in mutual with Creative's Super X-Fi holographic tech than Apple's Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos, upconverting stereo tracks into 3D.
And the result certainly intrigues. The obvious differences between 3D and stereo are that the latter wrings out more definition and proximity to instruments and voices, while 3D has a spacious, expansive, but dislocated quality to its approach. The head-tracking characteristic impresses in how seamlessly it shifts the music in one management as your head moves in another, but it tin distract if you're watching a video and need to wait up for any reason.
Whether 3D is necessarily for you is your preference, but of the 'upconverted' spatial audio technology I've used, this one has been the virtually confidently realised. There are 7 modes to choose from in Movie house, Drama, Music Video, Sound Room, Background Music (for music), Outdoor Live, and Concert Hall. While they by and large sound the aforementioned, in that location are a few subtle differences in terms of the 'sound' of the environment, with Movie theatre mode producing a subtle repeat with voices that mimics people talking in a room.
The downside to enabling the 3D Sound Field tech is that bombardment life suffers. With both ANC and 3D, stamina plummets to 11 hours. Without 3D the YH-L700A offering a healthier 34 hours. There'southward no mention of fast charging, so if the headphones are fully depleted then it volition take about 3.five hours to bring them dorsum to 100%.
Bluetooth 5.0 is included and at that place's support (with compatible devices) upwardly to aptX Adaptive. Using the headphones in decorated places such every bit London Waterloo, Soho and Trafalgar Square, the YH-L700A showed no signs of stress. Vocalisation assistants can exist called up through the headphone's controls (there are no built-in assistants), and at that place's a thinly featured app – Yamaha Headphones Controller. Yous tin perform firmware updates and toggle on/off the following: 3D Audio Field, Listening Care, Listening Optimizer, Dissonance Cancelling, and Machine Ability-Off Timer.
For a pair of headphones as expensive as the Yamaha, the noise-cancelling performance disappoints. They're serviceable in terms of diminishing racket, but a greater number of distractions than you lot might expect filter through, the ANC non adding much more on top of the headphone'southward own noise-isolating pattern. The Ambient Sound mode does work effectively to filter through sounds for greater awareness, though.
With Listening Care and Listener Optimizer, the onetime optimises the volume balance, adapts the dynamic range, and recording level of music then that there aren't spikes between quiet tracks and louder ones. The Optimizer uses a built-in microphone to measure out the seal and air leakage from the ears every xx seconds, customising the sound for your ears only.
Audio quality
- Raucous, energetic commitment
- Large and expansive
- Lacking that chip of definition
The inclusion of all of Yamaha's know-how and technology results in a sound that'south best described as total-on and raucous. The LH-Y700A's assertive delivery is a 'take no prisoners, spare no quarter' kind of performance.
The Yamaha conjure up an infectious sense of bulldoze and attack, a audio propelled forward by oodles of energy for a rich listening experience. The depth of ear cups helps spread the audio out wide, and the soundstage described is big and expansive. Hans Zimmer's I Meet You in My Dreams sounds appropriately epic, while dynamic changes from quiet to loud are handled with confidence.
Its sizable audio is complemented by plenty of warmth, the rich tone aids a firm merely also flexible delivery of the low-finish that's punchy, varied, and full of depth. The Yamaha don't so much want you lot to just listen to music as feel it.
At the other end of the frequency range, there's a brightness that impresses. I've not heard the piano notes in The Easily Dealt from the Doctor Strange soundtrack furnished with as much emphasis and clarity as they are here. The YH-L700A possess enough of verve, and while that tin can overwhelm at times, their enthusiasm compels.
Where that warmth and richness has a slight ill-outcome is in the mid-range. The Sony WH-1000XM4's rendition of Jon Batiste'southward jaunty I Demand You (Tidal Primary) is clearer, with some more than insight and clarity to the walking bass lines and piano parts. Batiste's vocals are also crisper, whereas the Yamaha is bigger and expansive simply lacks that effectively feel for definition. The Yamaha's organization of the soundstage plants vocals front and centre, simply obscures the piano in doing so. The Sony feel more unified and cohesive.
Of the two 'Listening' technologies, the Listening Care feature has a more than noticeable bear on, fifty-fifty if information technology is on the subtle side. The volume of music is maintained at a consistent loudness – there'southward no notable difference in recordings across unlike genres, and it subtly opens out the soundstage; the guitars in FINNEAS' A Concert 6 Months From At present fed a little more to the sides. That sense of volume management is noticeable in the peaks and plateaus of any track played. Turn the feature off and the quiet to loud aspect of the headphones' performance is less pronounced.
The infinite provided by enabling 3D Sound Field as mentioned above is likable, but it lacks the detail and definition of the headphones' stereo feel, presented as a mass that tin't be picked apart. I suppose that reflects real-world listening in a more convincing way, only so what it lacks is a better sense of depth – of near and far. If that's not a problem, there'south no doubting the efficacy of the Yamaha's spatial functioning.
Call quality is very good, with the headphones' built-in microphones resisting the urge to pick upwardly any external noises, ensuring voices meet stiff and clear.
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Should you buy it?
If y'all like sound rich and bold With big bass and a vivid peak-finish, the Yamaha's delivery is an heady and compelling effort.
If you desire better racket counterfoil The noise cancelling isn't the strongest aspect of the Yamaha's performance, with more affordable pairs beating these headphones quite handily.
Final Thoughts
Reasons to recommend the Yamaha headphones include a big, energetic performance, plus they're total of character and brio. Another is to sample the fluency of their 3D audio, a confident and intriguing implementation, although not quite something you'd say is essential but yet.
Reasons not to purchase include the distinctly underwhelming noise cancelling, which ought to exist improve, as well as the sparsity of the characteristic ready and app. The Yamaha YH-L700A are a pair of headphones with a thrilling sound, only they're not all-rounders at this price.
How we test
Nosotros test every headphones we review thoroughly over an extended period of fourth dimension. Nosotros use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We'll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, take coin to review a product.
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Tested over several weeks
Tested with various music streaming services
Tested with real world use
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FAQs
Do the Yamaha LH-Y700A support Apple tree'south spatial audio?
Yous tin can play Apple tree's spatial audio with Dolby Atmos via whatever pair of headphones, just Yamaha also feature its own upwards-conversion of stereo music into 3D.
Full specs
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Source: https://www.trustedreviews.com/reviews/yamaha-yh-l700a
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