Yamaha YH-L700A Wireless Active Noise Cancelling Headphones Review: Unique in Many Ways

In India, the Yamaha model identify is more than likely to make you consider a bike or scooter. Nevertheless, you will additionally discover that Yamaha is a reputed identify 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 not too long ago 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 Subject’ mode with head monitoring for directional sound, and lively noise cancellation, amongst different options. Is that this the perfect premium wi-fi headset you should buy proper now? Discover out on this overview.

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 business filled 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 common choices on this worth phase from Sony and JBL, as an alternative going for a giant, premium seem like 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 cloth on the surfaces of the ear cups in addition to the headscarf. 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 headscarf of the Yamaha YH-L700A has a metallic body with comfy padding, and is adjustable to make sure a very good match. The ear cups can swivel and tilt which contributes to getting a very good match. Yamaha’s distinctive brand is badged on the outer sides of each ear cups.

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The padding positively helped me get a comfy match, however the Yamaha YH-L700A continues to be a giant and hulking 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 power 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 present myself a break each 45 minutes or so.

In contrast to some competing merchandise that use a mix of bodily buttons and contact controls, the Yamaha YH-L700A has bodily buttons to regulate every thing from energy and modes to playback. The proper aspect has the facility 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 lively 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 proper ear cup, and are coated by a leatherette sheet. This seems to be good, in my view, however the buttons did not really feel as tactile and simple to sense as I might have favored. Even after a couple of days of use, I generally by accident hit the fallacious button. Though not dangerous as such, the controls weren’t specific simple to get used to.

Yamaha’s Headphones Controller app (accessible on Android and iOS) is used to configure and management fundamental customisations and features 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 features to select from.

On this pair of headphones, that features settings for the 3D Sound Subject mode, Listening Care and Listening Optimiser; ANC and ambient mode activation; and an auto-power-off timer. You can even see the precise battery degree of the headphones, however surprisingly, there isn’t a option 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 similar to this.

The headphones look good, however the sheer dimension of the Yamaha YH-L700A and the clamping power can generally 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 relies on how you employ 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 apply, with ANC working and occasional use of the 3D Sound function, I used to be ready to make use of the headphones for slightly over 23 hours on a single cost. This is not distinctive in comparison with the competitors, however 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 seeking to purchase high-end over-ear headphones are likely to choose choices from one of many main manufacturers on this area: Sony, Bose, and Apple. Nevertheless, choices such because the Yamaha YH-L700A supply a rewarding listening expertise to anybody trying past the plain selections; it is a superb pair of headphones in the case of sound high quality. Options similar to 3D Sound and lively noise cancellation work effectively too, though the previous won’t really be one thing you need or want to make use of fairly often.

Different options similar to Listening Care and Listening Optimiser work within the background to enhance the utilization expertise. The previous maintains a quantity degree stability to keep away from sudden spikes, whereas the latter is claimed to customize sound primarily based 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 implies 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 (Evaluate) than an iPhone 13 (Evaluate). Beginning with Frankie Sinatra by The Avalanches, the headphones instantly showcased Yamaha’s years of expertise within the audio business.

The soundstage was spacious and splendid, giving a really actual sense of course and really feel with this vigorous sample-based observe. The faintest pattern components, the mid-tempo beat, and the devices all felt current and well-positioned, and this was apparently with the 3D Sound mode switched off. The large drivers and very good tuning of this pair of headphones made for a pure tendency to reinforce even a easy stereo sign, and it was capable of reproduce element on par with a very good 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 Horny 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 satisfying listening expertise that felt simply as satisfying as with my present prime decide amongst high-end headphones, the Sony WH-1000XM4.

The 3D Sound mode and head monitoring work effectively, however I most popular to take heed 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 expertise for its AirPods headphones and earphones by way of what it affords. Apparently, when switched on, this mode works for nearly 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 decreased the standard of audio, notably when listening to music. Solely the ‘Audio Room’ mode was first rate by way of sustaining some degree 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 shortly primarily based on my head actions. Nevertheless, on the entire, I discovered the mode a bit gimmicky and solely actually price utilizing when watching TV reveals or films, if in any respect.

Lively noise cancellation on the Yamaha YH-L700A headphones is first rate, 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 out of doors sounds.

This was additionally largely depending on the noise isolating seal for effectiveness, and my glasses created sufficient of a spot in regular carrying to scale back effectiveness by a good quantity. Ambient Sound mode allows a good quantity of sound to assist you to have conversations or keep conscious your environment, however it felt a bit ‘piped’ and wasn’t as pure an impact as on the AirPods Max. The headphones are first rate 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 system.

Verdict

Within the premium headphones phase which is dominated by a handful of manufacturers and would not see new launches fairly often, the Yamaha YH-L700A comes as a breath of recent air. This can be a handsome pair of over-ear headphones with superb sound high quality and a few fascinating options, all of which make for a good general 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, satisfying sound that’s on par with main merchandise on this phase 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 price investing in for those who’re searching for top-notch sound high quality and the advantages of its 3D Sound mode.