Yamaha YH-L700A Wi-fi Lively Noise Cancelling Headphones Overview

In India, the Yamaha model title is more than likely to make you consider a bike or scooter. Nevertheless, you may additionally discover that Yamaha is a reputed title in lots of different product segments together with musical devices, AV receivers, amplifiers, speaker techniques, and headphones, with many of those being technically superior, premium merchandise for high-budget consumers. The corporate lately introduced a brand new vary of wi-fi headphones and earphones in India, together with the flagship YH-L700A over-ear headphones which I am reviewing right here.

Priced at Rs. 34,990, the Yamaha YH-L700A is a flagship over-ear headset that focuses on the listening expertise above all else, with superior Bluetooth codec assist, a ‘3D Sound Discipline’ mode with head monitoring for directional sound, and energetic noise cancellation, amongst different options. Is that this the perfect premium wi-fi headset you should purchase proper now? Discover out on this assessment.

The Yamaha YH-L700A helps the SBC, AAC, and Qualcomm aptX Adaptive Bluetooth codecs

 

The Yamaha YH-L700A headphones look nice, however are cumbersome

In an trade stuffed with merchandise that adhere to the same look, the Yamaha YH-L700A stands out with its daring, completely different design. The headset is not smooth or trim like fashionable choices on this value section from Sony and JBL, as an alternative going for an enormous, premium appear to be the Apple AirPods Max. That mentioned, the Yamaha YH-L700A is a bit smaller than the AirPods Max in sheer dimension, however the ear cups and padding are a bit thicker.

The styling can also be distinctive, with liberal use of material on the surfaces of the ear cups in addition to the scarf. There’s thick foam padding throughout the ear cups for a correct over-ear match that fully coated my ears and ensured good noise isolation. The scarf of the Yamaha YH-L700A has a steel body with snug padding, and is adjustable to make sure match. The ear cups can swivel and tilt which contributes to getting match. Yamaha’s distinctive emblem is badged on the outer sides of each ear cups.

The padding positively helped me get a snug match, however the Yamaha YH-L700A continues to be an enormous and ponderous pair of headphones weighing in at 330g. The sheer weight of it did really feel a bit an excessive amount of over lengthy listening periods, and the clamping drive was at instances a bit too intense for me with my spectacles on. I did get used to it over time, however I nonetheless wanted to offer myself a break each 45 minutes or so.

Not like some competing merchandise that use a mix of bodily buttons and contact controls, the Yamaha YH-L700A has bodily buttons to regulate every part from energy and modes to playback. The correct aspect has the ability button, a 3D Sound button, the USB Kind-C port for charging, and the playback and quantity controls, whereas the left aspect has a button to cycle between the energetic noise cancellation and ambient sound modes, and a 3.5mm socket for wired connectivity.

The playback and quantity management buttons are on the aspect of the appropriate ear cup, and are coated by a leatherette sheet. This appears good, in my view, however the buttons did not really feel as tactile and simple to sense as I might have appreciated. Even after just a few days of use, I typically unintentionally hit the fallacious button. Though not dangerous as such, the controls weren’t specific straightforward to get used to.

Yamaha’s Headphones Controller app (accessible on Android and iOS) is used to configure and management fundamental customisations and capabilities on the YH-L700A headphones. As soon as the headphones are paired utilizing Bluetooth, the app will detect them and supply device-specific choices and capabilities to select from.

On this pair of headphones, that features settings for the 3D Sound Discipline mode, Listening Care and Listening Optimiser; ANC and ambient mode activation; and an auto-power-off timer. You can even see the precise battery stage of the headphones, however surprisingly, there is no such thing as a approach to modify equaliser settings to tweak the sound to your liking. On the entire, the app covers the performance of the headphones, however comes throughout a bit too easy for a high-end headset akin to this.

The headphones look good, however the sheer dimension of the Yamaha YH-L700A and the clamping drive can typically really feel a bit a lot

 

The Yamaha YH-L700A is powered by 40mm dynamic drivers, and has a frequency response vary of 8-40,000Hz. For connectivity, the headphones use Bluetooth 5, with assist for the SBC, AAC, and Qualcomm aptX Adaptive Bluetooth codecs. There’s additionally assist for the default voice assistant in your smartphone. Included within the gross sales bundle are a charging cable, stereo cable for wired listening, flight adapter, and onerous carry case for the headphones.

Battery life on the Yamaha YH-L700A headphones largely is determined by how you utilize the options; naturally, heavier use of ANC and the 3D Sound modes will drain the battery significantly faster. The headphones are rated for as much as 34 hours of listening with solely ANC working, and 11 hours with each ANC and 3D Sound in operation.

In observe, with ANC working and occasional use of the 3D Sound function, I used to be ready to make use of the headphones for somewhat over 23 hours on a single cost. This is not distinctive in comparison with the competitors, nevertheless it’s greater than sufficient for hassle-free all-day listening.

Excellent sound on the Yamaha YH-L700A, however 3D Sound is not for everybody

Many individuals trying to purchase high-end over-ear headphones are inclined to decide on choices from one of many main manufacturers on this house: Sony, Bose, and Apple. Nevertheless, choices such because the Yamaha YH-L700A supply a rewarding listening expertise to anybody trying past the apparent selections; this can be a excellent pair of headphones in relation to sound high quality. Options akin to 3D Sound and energetic noise cancellation work effectively too, though the previous may not really be one thing you need or want to make use of fairly often.

Different options akin to Listening Care and Listening Optimiser work within the background to enhance the utilization expertise. The previous maintains a quantity stage stability to keep away from sudden spikes, whereas the latter is alleged to customize sound based mostly on the sound ranges it picks up contained in the ear cups. I wasn’t actually capable of discover any particular variations in my music with these turned on or off, however these modes are supposed to work discreetly in any case.

Qualcomm aptX Adaptive assist on the Yamaha YH-L700A signifies that audio high quality is a bit higher when used with Bluetooth supply units that assist the codec, and expectedly, I did discover sound high quality higher when utilizing a OnePlus 9 (Overview) than an iPhone 13 (Overview). Beginning with Frankie Sinatra by The Avalanches, the headphones instantly showcased Yamaha’s years of expertise within the audio trade.

The soundstage was spacious and opulent, giving a really actual sense of path and really feel with this vigorous sample-based observe. The faintest pattern parts, the mid-tempo beat, and the devices all felt current and well-positioned, and this was curiously with the 3D Sound mode switched off. The massive drivers and excellent tuning of this pair of headphones made for a pure tendency to boost even a easy stereo sign, and it was capable of reproduce element on par with pair of full-size audio system.

Whereas the attractive soundstage of the Yamaha YH-L700A headphones is, in my view, its standout attribute, there was much more to love in regards to the headphones. The sonic signature is balanced and extremely refined, giving all frequencies throughout the vary loads of room to shine.

With David Guetta’s Soiled Attractive Cash, the bass was tight and aggressive with out ever feeling overbearing and uncontrolled, whereas Solely Human by Onur Ozman managed to get the sluggish rumbling beat on level, making for an immersive and pleasing listening expertise that felt simply as pleasing as with my present high decide amongst high-end headphones, the Sony WH-1000XM4.

The 3D Sound mode and head monitoring work effectively, however I most popular to hearken to music with these options turned off

 

A key function of the Yamaha YH-L700A headphones is 3D Sound, which is similar to Apple’s Spatial Audio know-how for its AirPods headphones and earphones when it comes to what it affords. Apparently, when switched on, this mode works for almost any audio content material no matter app or working system, and is not restricted to sure apps as is the case with Spatial Audio.

The varied 3D sound modes added completely different listening results, however positively lowered the standard of audio, significantly when listening to music. Solely the ‘Audio Room’ mode was respectable when it comes to sustaining some stage of sound high quality with out creating too unusual a depth impact. Head monitoring labored precisely because it does with Apple’s Spatial Audio, and sounds appeared to “transfer” throughout channels exactly and rapidly based mostly on my head actions. Nevertheless, on the entire, I discovered the mode a bit gimmicky and solely actually value utilizing when watching TV exhibits or motion pictures, if in any respect.

Lively noise cancellation on the Yamaha YH-L700A headphones is respectable, however removed from the standard on supply from headphones such because the Sony WH-1000XM4 or Apple AirPods Max. The silencing impact was noticeable and did assist indoors, however did not do a lot to scale back typical outside sounds.

This was additionally largely depending on the noise isolating seal for effectiveness, and my glasses created sufficient of a niche in regular sporting to scale back effectiveness by a good quantity. Ambient Sound mode permits an honest quantity of sound to can help you have conversations or keep conscious your environment, nevertheless it felt a bit ‘piped’ and wasn’t as pure an impact as on the AirPods Max. The headphones are respectable for calls each indoors and outdoor, and connection stability and high quality was by no means a problem for me, working effectively at distances of as much as 4m from the supply machine.

Verdict

Within the premium headphones section which is dominated by a handful of manufacturers and does not see new launches fairly often, the Yamaha YH-L700A comes as a breath of contemporary air. It is a handsome pair of over-ear headphones with excellent sound high quality and a few fascinating options, all of which make for an honest total expertise. The corporate’s years of experience in high-end audio merchandise positively helps make this an fascinating product for the value.

Though common ANC efficiency and less-than-ideal controls do maintain the expertise again only a bit, the Yamaha YH-L700A headphones supply detailed, pleasing sound that’s on par with main merchandise on this section such because the Sony WH-1000XM4. At round Rs. 35,000, it is also a good bit costlier than the Sony WH-1000XM4 and JBL Tour One, however is value investing in in case you’re searching for top-notch sound high quality and the advantages of its 3D Sound mode.

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