Yamaha YH-E700A

Yamaha YH-E700A

Closed over-ears with powerful sound and noise cancelling

Yamaha's YH-E700A sounds big and bulky. A specialist for lovers of deep bass and powerful sound. The fact that the balance and neutral note suffers may bother purists, but less so clubbers. 

The combination of high passive insulation and noise canceling makes this sound available in everyday life, with an exceptionally long runtime - high volume and without disturbing the person sitting next to you. Definitely not a headphone for everyone. Thanks to comparatively low online prices, the high-quality YH-E700A is still an exciting tip for everyone who wants to let it rip.

Unlike the Yamaha YH-L700A (for testing), the Yamaha YH-E700A is made entirely of plastic and is comparatively large. The design, which is available in black or white, cannot be called filigree. The round ear cups are heavily padded with imitation leather, which also applies to the adjustable headband. This results in a comfortable seat and just as good passive insulation of external noise - in both directions.

The ear cups, which are closed to the outside, can each be rotated by 90 degrees and folded up for transport. Accordingly, the headphones can be stowed away to save space, for example in the soft case supplied. Nevertheless, the YH-E700A remains quite large headphones for everyday use, but they are pleasantly robust.

On the left is the jack input for wired operation and the button for noise canceling. On the right is the USB-C charging port with status display, the power button, which is also responsible for pairing, a multifunction button (playback, call acceptance) and a rocker switch for the volume. There are no touch functions, but there is an exemplary imprint of the L/R identifier on the inside of the ear cups.

Technically, Yamaha relies on dynamic drivers with a diameter of 40 mm, a Bluetooth 5 radio link and the audio codecs SBC, AAC and aptX Adaptive. The latter enables a higher bit rate and a mode with low latencies for movies and gaming - unfortunately only for Android. There are penalties in this price range for the lack of the high-quality codecs LDAC and aptX Lossless.

The headphones can be used via Bluetooth and wired. In addition, it works in cable mode both passively and with active electronics and noise canceling.

The associated free app "Headphones Controller" for iOS and Android is rather reduced. It offers possible firmware updates (status 1.39), an adjustable power-off function, the option of switching between noise-cancelling modes and accessing the manual online. An equalizer or extended parameters are not offered, but the "Listening Care" option, which enables a switchable volume-dependent correction of the frequency response in the sense of a loudness circuit. Another technology called "Listening Optimizer" can also be switched on and, according to Yamaha, uses measurements via an internal microphone to adapt the sound reproduction to the listener's ear and the fit of the headphones. These measurements are taken every 20 seconds and are intended to compensate for changes in the wearing position.

 

Practice

In everyday life, I find the Yamaha YH-E700A to be quite comfortable, even in the long term. A real headphone and not a filigree high-tech gimmick. On the other hand, the construction can also be perceived as clumsy. This is not just a matter of taste, because there is also a large "cuff" around the neck and a pocket sprinkler when folded. In short: For mobile use, you actually have to carry a case with you for the test device.

The operation via the buttons now feels a bit old-fashioned to me. On the other hand, the YH-E700A doesn't want to be a sleek modernist at all. There are no malfunctions caused by accidental touching of the ear cups.

The functionality itself is straightforward: switching on and off (and pairing), starting and stopping music playback, answering calls and calling the voice assistant in the smartphone, a dedicated volume control that also allows for track skips, and switching between noise-cancelling modes.

The Yamaha YH-E700A also scores points in terms of runtime: According to the manufacturer, a 3.5 hour charging time, depending on the level, can be used for up to 35 hours of playing time with noise canceling activated. This is remarkable and has also been credibly substantiated in practice.

The radio link also convinces me: the music is played continuously and without interruptions and extends over several rooms indoors.

 

noise cancelling

The Yamaha YH-E700A comes up with a switchable noise canceling (ANC) via the really good passive damping. It creates an increased quiet zone that spans the entire frequency range. The circuit reduces the sound quality slightly and also has minimal hissing, but it turns out to be an added value in appropriate environments, even if not a full-fledged purchase argument.

The intensity when the music playback is switched off is moderate, but in combination with the good passive insulation it still leads to good results and avoids a diving bell feeling.

When traveling in an ICE, the static, rather low-frequency driving noises are clearly reduced, but not completely suppressed. Conversations and high-frequency background noises are significantly quieter and typing on a laptop keyboard is barely audible. Unfortunately, the Yamaha YH-E700A proves to be wind-sensitive outdoors. In short: I see competitors like Sony's WH-1000XM5 (for testing) at an advantage here.

The transparency mode makes the outside noise clearly audible by transmitting it to the speakers via the outside microphones. The intelligibility is high and enables secure communication even with the handset on. You can switch between noise canceling and transparency mode using the button on the left earcup. Unfortunately, you always go through the selection "Noise Canceling Off", as the voice prompt confirms. This could be configurable in the app in the future. A temporary transparency function, such as that used by Sony, is not planned.

 

sound

The Yamaha YH-E700A sounds as it looks: powerful, which also applies to the level reserves. These headphones are not a filigree quiet footsteps, but a powerful entertainer. In the bass range, the dynamic 40 mm drivers let it tremble.

The bass convinces with pressure, warmth, definition and an extension into the deepest basement. If you say goodbye to sober neutrality, it can be fun, especially since the membranes don't get out of step even at higher levels.

Nevertheless, the bass tuning is at the expense of the mid and high frequencies, which are outshined and thus lead to imbalances. The YH-E700A lacks detail resolution and gloss in general in this area.

Nevertheless, the timbre is right: vocals including reverberations, acoustic and electric instruments sound harmonious. And hard rock like AC/DC's "Fire Your Guns" pushes it's a real joy. But the dynamics of jazz or purely acoustic performances are also well hit.

There are no disturbing harshnesses at the top and the detail resolution is still good, which also reliably depicts the stereo panorama. Only the transparency is lost in the deep bass thunderstorm, for example in "Celestial Echos" by Boris Blank and Malia or "Systemagic" by Goldfrapp. In other words: If the production has strong bass components, it becomes increasingly unbalanced. This is especially true for modern electronics and the urban genre. In my opinion, Yamaha overshoots the mark here. That's a shame, because an equalizer in the app would have enabled compensation. So you would have to use an external app. Nevertheless, anyone who appreciates club sound might like this tuning.

Listening Care can only be switched on in the app and works inconspicuously in practice. I could only hear differences when the playback was explicitly quiet. However, more bass would really not be necessary. The same applies to the Listening Optimizer: Since the YH-E700A usually fits well, this option only has a subtle effect.

What remains is the assessment in cable operation. With active electronics, the sound impression remains unchanged and not completely different even in passive mode, but only a touch "colorless". Finally, there is a word of praise for the high voice quality during phone calls.

 

competitor

Yamaha places the YH-E700A in a market segment where a range of high-quality over-ear headphones with integrated noise canceling romp. With a recommended retail price of 359 euros, the test candidate has to hold its own alongside the top dogs from Bose, Sony, Sennheiser, Apple and other manufacturers, all of which come up with good noise canceling and modern touch technology. Yamaha sets a conscious counterpoint here, both externally and in terms of operation, which seems less hip but by no means backwards. The YH-E700A also goes its own way in terms of sound and, in my opinion, becomes a specialist for lovers of club sound.

Large, robust, powerful and powerful in sound. With the YH-E700A, Yamaha offers dynamic over-ear headphones with Bluetooth that let it rip powerfully. The powerful tuning in the bass range cannot be called neutral. The headphones are therefore aimed at listeners who like things to be lush and powerful. But even then, the tuning goes a step too far for me, because there is a lack of a correction option, at least in the in-house app and thus the electronics of the headphones.

As audiophile headphones, the Yamaha YH-E700A fails due to a lack of neutrality. However, if you enjoy club sound and want to explore the deep bass of your music library and playlists, you will find what you are looking for here. The test device is fun if you like it - but you have to want it.

In this light, I find the recommended retail price of 359 euros to be too expensive, even if the comparatively subtle noise canceling is included in the evaluation. However, the YH-E700A is already sold online for significantly lower prices. If you apply these prices, the headphones can even become a recommendation for lovers of this sound tuning. But you also have to like the size and the button operation.

1.     +good seat
2.     +powerful bass capacity
3.     -too heavy bass
4.     -Comparatively inefficient noise canceling
5.     -no EQ in the app